Then another angel came out of the temple and cried in a loud voice to Him who was seated on the cloud, "Put forth your sickle and reap, for the time to reap has come, because the earth's harvest is ripe."

And another angel came from the altar, who had power over the fire, and he called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, "Put forth your sharp sickle, and gather the bunches of grapes from the earth's vine, because its grapes are fully ripe."

The ripe fruit of your soul's desire has gone from you, all your luxury and splendor have perished from your hands, and people will never find them again.

"The time is ripe and the kingdom of God is near; repent and believe in the good news."

And what if God, though wishing to display His anger and make known His power, yet, has most patiently borne with the objects of His anger, already ripe for destruction,

He exercises the full authority of the first wild beast in his presence; he makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first wild beast, whose mortal wound had been healed.

But many who are first now will be last then, and many who are last now will be first then."

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.

So those who are last now will be first then, and those first will be last."

Now after He had risen, early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary of Magdala, out of whom He had driven seven demons.

But many who are first now will be last then, and last now who will be first then."

And so there are those now last who will be first then, and there are those now first who will then be last."

Now I will give you my opinion on this matter. For this is for your interest, because you were not only the first to do anything about it, but the first to want to do so; you started it a year ago.

Yes, He is the Head of the church as His body. For He is the beginning, the first-born among the dead, so that He alone should stand first in everything.

For the Lord Himself, at the summons sounded by the archangel's call and by God's trumpet, will come down from heaven, and first of all the dead in union with Christ will rise,

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties, prayers, and thanksgiving be offered for all men,

For Adam was formed first, and then Eve;

They, too, should first be tested till approved, and then, if they are found above reproach, they should serve as deacons.

But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to practice piety in the treatment of their own families, and to pay the debt they owe their parents or grandparents, for this is acceptable to God.

on being reminded of your genuine faith, a faith that first found a home in the heart of your grandmother Lois, then in the heart of your mother Eunice, and now in yours too, I am sure.

The toiling farmer ought to be the first to share the crop.

When I first defended myself at court, nobody came to help me, but everybody deserted me. May it never be charged to their account.

Or again, "I will become His Father, and He shall become my Son"? But when He brings again His first-born Son into the world, He says, "And let all the angels worship Him."

how can we escape, if we pay no attention at all to a salvation that is so great? This is so because it was first proclaimed by the Lord Himself, and then it was proved to us to be valid by the very men who heard Him themselves,

For it was appropriate for Him, who is the Final Goal and the First Cause of the universe, in bringing many children to glory, to make the Leader in their salvation perfect through the process of sufferings.

For we have become real sharers in Christ, if we keep firm to the end the faith we had at first,

Since then it still remains that some are being admitted to it and that those who first had the good news told to them were not admitted because of disobedience,

and then have fallen by the wayside -- it is impossible, I say, to keep on restoring them to their first repentance, since they continue to crucify the Son of God to their detriment and hold Him up to contempt.

to whom Abraham contributed a tenth of all his spoils, who first of all, in accordance with the meaning of his name, is king of righteousness, and then king of Salem, which means king of peace;

who does not need, as did the Levitical priests, to offer sacrifices, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; this latter is just what He did once for all when He offered up Himself.

For if the first covenant had been faultless, there could have been no room for a second one.

In speaking of a new covenant He makes the first one obsolete; and whatever is obsolete and antiquated is on the verge of vanishing.

So indeed the first covenant had its regulations for worship and its earthly sanctuary.

For the first or outer part of the tent, which is called the holy place, was equipped with the lamp and table and the presentation bread.

And this is why He is the Mediator of a new covenant, in order that, after He had suffered death for securing redemption from the offenses committed under the first covenant, those who had been invited to share it might obtain the eternal inheritance promised them.

So not even the first covenant was ratified without the use of blood.

Although at first He said, "You never wished or took delight in sacrifices and offerings, burnt-offerings and sin-offerings" -- all of which are repeatedly offered in accordance with the law --

He afterward said, "See, I have come to do your will." He is taking away the first to let the second take its place.

But you must continue to remember those earlier days when first you received the light and then endured so great a struggle with persecution,

By faith he instituted the Passover and the pouring of blood upon the doorposts, so that the destroyer of the first-born might not touch them.

In accordance with His will He made us His children by the message of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.

The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of compassion and good deeds, free from doubts and insincerity.