Through the Bible – Day 362

₁When I looked the next time, I saw a flying scroll, ₂and the angel asked, “What do you see?”

“A flying scroll,” I answered. “About nine metres long and four and a half metres wide.”

₃Then he told me:

₅Now the angel who was there to explain the visions came over and said, “Look up and tell me what you see coming.”

₆“I don't know what it is,” was my reply.

“It's a big basket,” he said. “And it shows what everyone in the land has in mind.”

₇The lead cover of the basket was opened, and in the basket was a woman. ₈“This woman represents evil,” the angel explained. Then he threw her back into the basket and slammed the heavy cover down tight.

₉Straight after this I saw two women coming through the sky like storks with wings outstretched in the wind. Suddenly they lifted the basket into the air, ₁₀and I asked the angel, “Where are they taking the basket?”

₁₁“To Babylonia,” he answered, “where they will build a house for the basket and set it down inside.”

₁Finally, I looked up and saw four chariots coming from between two bronze mountains. ₂The first chariot was pulled by red horses, and the second by black horses; ₃the third chariot was pulled by white horses, and the fourth by spotted grey horses.

₄“Sir,” I asked the angel. “What do these stand for?”

₅Then he explained, “These are the four winds of heaven, and now they are going out, after presenting themselves to the Lord of all the earth. ₆The chariot with black horses goes towards the north, the chariot with white horses goes towards the west, and the one with spotted horses goes towards the south.”

₇The horses came out eager to patrol the earth, and the angel told them, “Start patrolling the earth.”

When they had gone on their way, ₈he shouted to me, “Those that have gone to the country in the north will do what the LORD's Spirit wants them to do there.”

₉The LORD said to me:

₁₅When people from distant lands come and help build the temple of the LORD All-Powerful, you will know that the LORD is the one who sent me. And this will happen, if you truly obey the LORD your God.

₁On the fourth day of Chislev, the ninth month of the fourth year that Darius was king of Persia, the LORD again spoke to me. _2-3It happened after the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer with Regem-Melech and his men to ask the priests in the LORD's temple and the prophets to pray for them. So they prayed, “Should we mourn and go without eating during the fifth month, as we have done for many years?”

_4-5It was then that the LORD All-Powerful told me to say to everyone in the country, including the priests:

₁The LORD All-Powerful said to me:

₁₈The LORD All-Powerful told me to say:

₁After this, I heard what sounded like a lot of voices in heaven, and they were shouting,

₃Then the crowd shouted,

₄After this, the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures all knelt before the throne of God and worshipped him. They said, “Amen! Praise the Lord!”

₅From the throne a voice said,

₆Then I heard what seemed to be a large crowd that sounded like a roaring flood and loud thunder all mixed together. They were saying,

₉Then the angel told me, “Put this in writing. God will bless everyone who is invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” The angel also said, “These things that God has said are true.”

₁₀I knelt at the feet of the angel and began to worship him. But the angel said, “Don't do that! I am a servant, just like you and everyone else who tells about Jesus. Don't worship anyone but God. Everyone who tells about Jesus does it by the power of the Spirit.”

₁₁I looked and saw that heaven was open, and a white horse was there. Its rider was called Faithful and True, and he is always fair when he judges or goes to war. ₁₂He had eyes like flames of fire, and he was wearing a lot of crowns. His name was written on him, but he was the only one who knew what the name meant.

₁₃The rider wore a robe that was covered with blood, and he was known as “The Word of God”. ₁₄He was followed by armies from heaven that rode on horses and were dressed in pure white linen. ₁₅From his mouth a sharp sword went out to attack the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod and will show the fierce anger of God All-Powerful by trampling on the grapes in the pit where wine is made. ₁₆On the part of the robe that covered his thigh was written, “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS”.

₁₇I then saw an angel standing on the sun, and he shouted to all the birds flying in the sky, “Come and join in God's great feast! ₁₈You can eat the flesh of kings, rulers, leaders, horses, riders, free people, slaves, important people, and everyone else.”

₁₉I also saw the beast and all kings of the earth come together. They fought against the rider on the white horse and against his army. ₂₀But the beast was captured and so was the false prophet. This is the same prophet who had performed miracles for the beast, so that he could fool everyone who had the mark of the beast and worshipped the idol. The beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into a lake of burning sulphur. ₂₁But the rest of their army was killed by the sword that came from the mouth of the rider on the horse. Then birds stuffed themselves on the dead bodies.