For he was looking forward to that city with the sure foundations, designed and built by God.

Faith made even Sarah herself able to have a child, although she was past the time of life for it, because she thought, that he who had made the promise would keep it.

Faith enabled Abraham, when he was put to the test, to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had accepted God's promises was ready to sacrifice his only son,

For he believed that God was able to raise men even from the dead, and from the dead he did indeed, to speak figuratively, receive him back.

Faith made Jacob when he was dying give a blessing to each of Joseph's sons, and bow in worship even while leaning on his staff.

Faith inspired Joseph when he was dying to tell of the future migration of the Israelites, and to give instructions about his own body.

Faith led Moses' parents to hide him for three months after his birth, because they saw that he was a beautiful child and they would not respect the edict of the king.

Faith made Moses, when he was grown up, refuse to be known as a son of Pharaoh's daughter,

and thought such contempt as the Christ endured was truer wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking forward to the coming reward.

They were stoned to death, they were tortured to death, they were sawed in two, they were killed with the sword. Clothed in the skins of sheep or goats, they were driven from place to place, destitute, persecuted, misused??38 men of whom the world was not worthy wandering in deserts, mountains, caves, and holes in the ground.

For you know how, when he afterward wished to claim the blessing, he was refused it, although he begged for it with tears, for he had no opportunity to repent of what he had done.

and so awful was the sight that Moses said, "I am aghast and appalled!"

Jesus Christ is the same today that he was yesterday, and he will be so forever.

Was not our forefather Abraham made upright for his good deeds, for offering his son Isaac on the altar?

and so the Scripture came true that says, "Abraham had faith in God, and it was credited to him as uprightness, and he was called God's friend."

Was not even Rahab the prostitute made upright for her good deeds, in entertaining the scouts and sending them off by a different road?

Approach God, and he will approach you. Wash your hands, you sinners! Make your hearts pure, you doubters!

Elijah was a man like us, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and for three years and six months there was no rain in the land.

About this salvation the prophets who prophesied of the blessing that was destined for you made the most careful investigation,

It was disclosed to them that they were serving not themselves but you in dealing with these things, which have now been told you by those who through the holy Spirit sent from heaven brought you the good news; things into which angels long to look!

who was predestined for this before the foundation of the world, but was revealed only at the end of the ages,

He committed no sin, and deceit was never on his lips.

He was abused but he did not retort. He suffered but he did not threaten, but committed his case to him who judges justly.

It was in that way in ancient times that those pious women who set their hopes on God made themselves attractive. They were submissive to their husbands,

For Christ himself died once for all, for sin, an upright man for unrighteous men, to bring us to God, and was physically put to death, but he was made alive in the Spirit.

This is why the good news was preached to the dead also, that though they are judged in their physical nature as men are, they may yet live, like God, in the Spirit.

For when he was so honored and glorified by God the Father and from the supreme glory there were borne to him such words as these: "This is my Son, my Beloved! He is my Chosen!"??18 we heard these words borne from heaven when we were with him on that sacred mountain.

and if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and overwhelmed them with ashes, as a warning to ungodly men of what was to come,

and saved the upright Lot who was so distressed by the immoral conduct of unprincipled men??8 for as long as that upright man lived among them, day after day his upright soul was tormented by what he saw and heard of their lawless actions??9 then the Lord knows how to rescue God-fearing people from trial and to punish wrongdoers while they are being kept for the Day of Judgment,

but he was rebuked for his offense; a dumb animal spoke with a human voice and checked the prophet's madness.

and saying, "Where is his promised coming? For ever since our forefathers fell asleep everything has remained as it was from the beginning of creation!"

by which also that world was destroyed, through being flooded with water.

It is what existed from the beginning, that we announce; what we have heard, what we have seen with our own eyes, what we have beheld, and touched with our hands; it is the very message of life??2 for life has been revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it and announce to you that eternal life that was with the Father and has been revealed to us??3 it is what we have seen and heard that we announce to you also, so that you may share our fellowship, for our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ,

They have gone out from our number, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had, they would have stayed with us. It was to make it clear that none of them really belonged to us that they withdrew.

We must not be like Cain who was a child of the evil one, and butchered his brother. And why did he butcher him? Because his own actions were wicked and his brother's upright.

and any inspired utterance that does not acknowledge Jesus does not come from God; it is the inspiration of the Antichrist. You have heard that it was coming, and here it is already in the world.

It was he, Jesus Christ himself, who came in water and in blood; not in water only, but in water and in blood. The Spirit also testifies to this, for the Spirit is truth.

Dear friends, I was just on the point of writing to you about our common salvation, when it became necessary for me to write and appeal to you to come to the defense of the faith that has once for all been intrusted to God's people.

For some people have sneaked in among us??heir doom was foretold long ago??odless persons, who turn the mercy of our God into an excuse for immorality, and disown our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

But you, dear friends, must remember what was foretold by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ,

John to the seven churches in Asia, blessing and peace to you from him who is and was and is coming, and from the seven spirits before his throne,

"I am the Alpha and the Omega." says the Lord God, who is and was and is coming, the Almighty.

I turned to see whose voice it was that was speaking to me, and when I turned I saw seven gold lampstands,

his feet were like bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the noise of mighty waters.

the living one. I was dead, yet here I am alive forever and ever. I hold the keys of death and the underworld.

I know where you live; where Satan has his throne! Yet you cling to my name and did not renounce your faith in me even in the days when my faithful Antipas, my witness, was put to death among you??here Satan lives.

Afterward I had another vision: There was a door standing open in the heavens and the first voice like a trumpet that I had heard speak to me, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place."

The one who was seated on it looked like jasper and sardius, and around the throne was a halo of the color of an emerald.

In front of the throne was what looked like a sea of glass, like crystal. Around the throne, in the middle of each side, were four animals covered with eyes in front and behind.

The first animal was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man's, and the fourth was like an eagle flying.

The four animals have each of them six wings, and they are covered with eyes all over and underneath their wings. And day and night they never cease to say, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and is and is coming."

Then I saw lying in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a roll with writing on both sides, sealed with seven seals.

He came and took the roll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.

saying in a loud voice, "The Lamb that was slaughtered deserves to receive power, wealth, wisdom, might, honor, glory, and blessing."

Then I saw a white horse, and its rider carried a bow. He was given a crown, and he rode forth as a victor to conquer.

And another horse came forth, bright red, and its rider was given power to take peace away from the earth, and make men slaughter one another; he was given a great sword.

And there I saw a horse the color of ashes, and its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him. They were given power over one quarter of the earth, to kill the people with sword, famine, death, and the wild animals of the earth.

Then each of them was given a white robe and they were told to be quiet a little while longer, until the number of their fellow-slaves and their brothers, who were to be killed as they had been, should be complete.

When he broke the sixth seal I saw that there was a great earthquake. The sun turned black as sackcloth; the full moon became like blood;

the sky was torn apart and rolled up like a roll; and every mountain and island was dislodged from its place.

I heard that the number of those that were marked with the seal was 144,000. They were from every tribe of the children of Israel:

When he broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

Then another angel with a gold censer came and stood at the altar, and he was given a great quantity of incense so that he might mingle it with the prayers of all the saints on the altar of gold that stood before the throne.

The first blew his trumpet, and there was a storm of hail and fire mixed with blood, and it fell upon the earth, and one third of the earth was burned up, and one third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

Then the second angel blew his trumpet, and what looked like a great mountain ablaze with fire was thrown into the sea, and one third of the sea turned into blood,

Then the fourth angel blew his trumpet, and one third of the sun was blasted, and one third of the moon and one third of the stars, so that one third of them were darkened, and there was no light for one third of the day and of the night.

Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen on the earth from the sky. He was given the key to the pit of the abyss,

They were not allowed to kill anyone, but only to torture them for five months, and the torture they inflicted was like that caused by a scorpion when it stings a man.

their breasts were like iron breast-plates, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of a great number of chariots and horses rushing into battle.

They had tails and stings like scorpions; it was in their tails that their power lay to harm men for five months.

Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the corners of the altar of gold that was before God

The number of the hosts of horsemen was twice 10,000 times 10,000; I heard their number.

And this was how the horses and their riders looked in my vision: Their breast-plates were fire red, dark blue, and yellow. The horses' heads were like lions' heads, and fire, smoke, and sulphur poured from their mouths.

Yet what was left of mankind, those who escaped being killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands and give up worshiping demons and gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wooden idols, which cannot either see or hear or move,

Then I saw another mighty angel descend from heaven. He was clothed in a cloud, and a rainbow encircled his head. His face was like the sun, his legs were like pillars of fire,

When the seven thunders had spoken I was going to write it down, but I heard a voice from heaven say, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said! Do not write it down!"

Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, "Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count those who worship there,

and their bodies will lie in the street of the great city that is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt??here their Lord also was crucified.

At that moment there was a great earthquake, and one tenth of the city was destroyed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were filled with awe, and acknowledged the glory of the God of heaven.

Then the temple of God in heaven was thrown open, and the chest containing his agreement was seen inside the temple, and there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and a great storm of hail.

She was soon to have a child, and she cried out with pain and agony in giving birth to it.

Another portent appeared in the sky??here was a great fire-red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, with seven diadems on his heads.

His tail swept away one third of the stars of heaven and flung them down upon the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth to a child in order to devour her child as soon as it was born.

She gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to shepherd all the heathen with a staff of iron; and her child was caught up to God, to his throne.

Then the woman fled into the desert, where there was a place prepared by God for her, where she was to be taken care of for 1,260 days.

but they were defeated, and there was no place for them any longer in heaven.

So the great dragon, the ancient serpent who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world, was hurled down to the earth, and his angels were hurled down with him.

But the woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to her place in the desert, where she is to be taken care of for a time, times, and a half-time, on account of the serpent.

So the dragon was enraged at the woman, and he went off to make war on the rest of her children??hose who obey God's commands and adhere to the testimony of Jesus.

The animal I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. The dragon gave it his own power and his throne and great authority.

It was allowed to utter great boasts and blasphemies, and to exert authority for forty-two months.

It was allowed to make war on God's people and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation.

And I heard a sound from heaven, like the sound of great waters, and loud peals of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing on their harps.

And another angel came out of the temple and cried in a loud voice to him who was seated on the cloud, "Use your sickle and reap. The time has come to reap, for the earth's harvest is ripe."

So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped.

and the temple was filled with smoke from the glory and power of God, and no one could go into the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were over.

The fourth emptied his bowl upon the sun, and it was allowed to scorch mankind with its heat,

The fifth emptied his bowl upon the animal's throne, and its kingdom was plunged in darkness, and men gnawed their tongues in anguish

Then there were flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder, and there was a great earthquake; there has never been such an earthquake since man first existed upon the earth, it was so great.

huge hailstones of immense weight fell on mankind from heaven, and men reviled God because of the plague of hail, the plague of it was so terrible.