At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also heaven."

For here we have no permanent city but are looking for the one that is coming.

But you must let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

But he must ask in faith, without any doubts, for the one who has doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

For if anyone hears the word but is not obedient to it, he is like a man who looks at himself in a mirror

But the one who looks at the perfect law of freedom and remains committed to it thereby demonstrating that he is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of what that law requires will be blessed in what he does.

If anyone thinks that he is religious and does not bridle his tongue, but instead deceives himself, his religion is worthless.

If you give special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Please take this seat," but you say to the poor man, "Stand over there" or "Sit on the floor at my feet,"

But you have humiliated the man who is poor. Are not rich people the ones who oppress you and drag you into court?

But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and will be convicted by the Law as violators.

For whoever keeps the whole Law but fails in one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

For the one who said, "Never commit adultery," also said, "Never murder." Now if you do not commit adultery, but you murder, you become a violator of the Law.

What good does it do, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith but does not prove it with actions? This kind of faith cannot save him, can it?

But someone may say, "You have faith, and I have actions." Show me your faith without any actions, and I will show you my faith by my actions.

but no one can tame the tongue. It is an uncontrollable evil filled with deadly poison.

But if you have bitter jealousy and rivalry in your hearts, stop boasting and slandering the truth.

You want something but do not get it, so you commit murder. You covet something but cannot obtain it, so you quarrel and fight. You do not get things because you do not ask for them!

You ask for something but do not get it because you ask for it for the wrong reason for your own pleasure.

But he gives all the more grace. And so he says, "God opposes the arrogant but gives grace to the humble."

Do not criticize each other, brothers. Whoever makes it his habit to criticize his brother or to judge his brother is judging the Law and condemning the Law. But if you condemn the Law, you are not a practicer of the Law but its judge.

But you boast about your proud intentions. All such boasting is evil.

Therefore, anyone who knows what is right but fails to do it is guilty of sin.

It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you in regard to the things that have now been announced to you by those who brought you the good news through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. These are things that even the angels desire to look into.

but with the precious blood of the Messiah, like that of a lamb without blemish or defect.

On the one hand, he was foreknown before the creation of the world, but on the other hand, he was revealed at the end of time for your sake.

For you have been born again, not by a seed that perishes but by one that cannot perish by the living and everlasting word of God.

but the word of the Lord lasts forever." Now this word is the good news that was announced to you.

As you come to him, the living stone who was rejected by people but was chosen and precious in God's sight,

Therefore he is precious to you who believe, but to those who do not believe, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people to be his very own and to proclaim the wonderful deeds of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

You household servants must submit yourselves to your masters out of respect, not only to those who are kind and fair, but also to those who are unjust.

What good does it do if, when you sin, you patiently receive punishment for it? But if you suffer for doing good and receive it patiently, you have God's approval.

You were "like sheep that kept going astray," but now you have returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls.

For the Lord watches the righteous, and he pays attention to their prayers. But the Lord opposes those who do wrong."

But even if you should suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. "Never be afraid of their threats, and never get upset.

But do this gently and respectfully, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak evil of your good conduct in the Messiah will be ashamed of slandering you.

For the Messiah also suffered for sins once for all, an innocent person for the guilty, so that he could bring you to God. He was put to death in a mortal body but was brought to life by the Spirit,

Baptism, which is symbolized by that water, now saves you also, not by removing dirt from the body, but by asking God for a clear conscience based on the resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah,

so that he can live the rest of his mortal life guided, not by human desires, but by the will of God.

But if you suffer for being a Christian, do not feel ashamed, but glorify God with that name.

Be shepherds of God's flock that is among you, watching over it, not because you must but because you want to, and not greedily but eagerly, as God desires.

Do not lord it over the people entrusted to you, but be examples to the flock.

In a similar way, you young people must submit to the elders. All of you must clothe yourselves with humility for the sake of each other, because: "God opposes the arrogant, but gives grace to the humble."

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but threw them into the lowest hell and imprisoned them in chains of deepest darkness, holding them for judgment;

and if he did not spare the ancient world but protected Noah, a righteous preacher, along with seven others when he brought the flood on the world of ungodly people;

But he was rebuked for his offense. A donkey that normally cannot talk spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet's insanity.

But they deliberately ignore the fact that long ago the heavens existed and the earth was formed by God's word out of water and with water,

The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some people understand slowness, but is being patient with you. He does not want anyone to perish, but wants everyone to repent.

But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that day the heavens will disappear with a roaring sound, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done on it will be exposed.

But in keeping with his promise, we are looking forward to new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.

If we claim that we have fellowship with him but keep living in darkness, we are lying and not practicing the truth.

But if we keep living in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

It is he who is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world's.

The person who says, "I have come to know him," but does not continually keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth has no place in that person.

But whoever continually keeps his commandments is the kind of person in whom God's love has truly been perfected. This is how we can be sure that we are in union with God:

Dear friends, I am not writing to you a new commandment, but an old commandment that you have had from the beginning. This old commandment is the word you have heard.

The person who says that he is in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.

But the person who hates his brother is in the darkness and lives in the darkness. He does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

For everything that is in the world the desire for fleshly gratification, the desire for possessions, and worldly arrogance is not from the Father but is from the world.

And the world and its desires are fading away, but the person who does God's will remains forever.

They left us, but they were not part of us, for if they had been part of us, they would have stayed with us. Their leaving made it clear that none of them was really part of us.

I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because lies don't come from truth.

Who is a liar but the person who denies that Jesus is the Messiah? The person who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist.

Dear friends, we are now God's children, but what we will be like has not been revealed yet. We know that when the Messiah is revealed, we will be like him, because we will see him as he is.

But every spirit who does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist. You have heard that he is coming, and now he is already in the world.

This is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Whoever says, "I love God," but hates his brother is a liar. The one who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love the God whom he has not seen.

This man, Jesus the Messiah, is the one who came by water and blood not with water only, but with water and with blood. The Spirit is the one who verifies this, because the Spirit is the truth.

From:aThe Elder To: The chosen lady and her children, whom I genuinely love, and not only I but also all who know the truth,

Dear lady, I am now requesting of you that we all continue to love one another. It is not as though I am writing to give you a new commandment, but one that we have had from the beginning.

See to it that you don't destroy what we have worked for, but that you receive your full reward.

Everyone who does not remain true to the teaching of the Messiah, but goes beyond it, does not have God. The person who remains true to the teaching of the Messiah has both the Father and the Son.

If anyone comes to you but does not present his teachings, do not receive him into your house or even welcome him,

I wrote a letter to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be in charge, will not recognize our authority.

Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The person who does what is good is from God. The person who does what is evil has never seen God.

He has also held in eternal chains those angels who did not keep their own position but abandoned their assigned place. They are held in deepest darkness for judgment on the great day.

But you, dear friends, must remember the statements and predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah.

But you, dear friends, must continue to build your most holy faith for your own benefit. Furthermore, continue to pray in the Holy Spirit.

When I saw him, I fell down at his feet like a dead man. But he placed his right hand on me and said, "Stop being afraid! I am the first and the last,

the living one. I was dead but look! I am alive forever and ever! I have the keys of Death and Hades.

"I know what you've been doing, your toil, and your endurance. I also know that you cannot tolerate evil people. You have tested those who call themselves apostles, but are not, and have found them to be false.

But this is to your credit: You hate the actions of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

"I know your suffering and your poverty though you are rich and the slander committed by those who claim to be Jews but are not. They are the synagogue of Satan.

But I have a few things against you: You have there some who hold to the teaching of Balaam, the one who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the people of Israel so that they would eat food sacrificed to idols and practice immorality.

But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet and who teaches and leads my servants to practice immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.

I gave her time to repent, but she refused to repent of her immorality.

"But as for the rest of you in Thyatira you who do not hold to this teaching and who have not learned what some people call the deep things of Satan I won't burden you with anything else.

"I know what you've been doing. You are known for being alive, but you are dead. Be alert, and strengthen the things that are left, which are about to die. I note that your actions are incomplete before my God.

But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me in white clothes because they are worthy.

"I know what you've been doing. Look! I have put in front of you an open door that no one can shut. You have only a little strength, but you have obeyed my word and have not denied my name.

I will make those who belong to the synagogue of Satan those who claim to be Jews and aren't, but are lying come and bow down at your feet. Then they will realize that I have loved you.

I heard what sounded like a voice from among the four living creatures, saying, "One day's ration of wheat for a day's wage, or three day's ration of barley for a day's wage! But don't damage the olive oil or the wine!"

They were not allowed to kill them, but were only allowed to torture them for five months. Their torture was like the pain of a scorpion when it stings someone.

In those days people will seek death, but never find it. They will long to die, but death will escape them.

When the seven thunders spoke, I was going to write, but I heard a voice from heaven say, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and don't write it down."

So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the small scroll. "Take it and eat it," he told me. "It will turn bitter in your stomach, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth."

So I took the small scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, it turned bitter in my stomach.

But don't measure the courtyard outside the Temple. Leave that out, because it is given to the nations, and they will trample the Holy City for 42 months.

But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet. Those who watched them were terrified.