And, when he prayed again, the clouds brought rain, and the land bore crops.

as they strove to discern what that time could be, to which the Spirit of Christ within them was pointing, when foretelling the sufferings that would befall Christ, and the glories that would follow.

Let your daily life among the Gentiles be so upright, that, whenever they malign you as evil-doers, they may learn, as they watch, from the uprightness of your conduct, to praise God 'at the time when he shall visit them.'

For this wins God's approval when, because conscious of God's presence, a man who is suffering unjustly bears his troubles patiently.

What credit can you claim when, after doing wrong, you take your punishment for it patiently? But, on the other hand, if, after doing right, you take your sufferings patiently, that does win the approval of God.

who once were disobedient, at the time when God patiently waited, in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared; in which some few lives, eight in all, were saved by means of water.

When any one speaks, let him speak as one who is delivering the oracles of God. When any one is endeavoring to serve others, let him do so in reliance on the strength which God supplies; so that in everything God may be honour ed through Jesus Christ--to whom be ascribed all honour and might for ever and ever. Amen.

No, the more you share the sufferings of the Christ, the more may you rejoice, that, when the time comes for the manifestation of his Glory, you may rejoice and exult.

Then, when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will win the crown of glory that never fades.

God, from whom all help comes, and who called you, by your union with Christ, into his eternal glory, will, when you have suffered for a little while, himself perfect, establish, strengthen you.

For, when these virtues are yours, in increasing measure, they prevent your being indifferent to, or destitute of, a fuller knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

For we were not following cleverly devised stories when we told you of the Coming in power of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eye-witnesses of his majesty.

For he received honour and glory from God the Father, when from the Glory of the Divine Majesty there were borne to his ears words such as these-- 'This is my Son, my Beloved, in whom I delight.'

These were the words that we heard, borne to our ears from Heaven, when we were with him on that Sacred Mountain.

Remember, God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them down to Tartarus, and committed them to caverns of darkness, to be kept under guard for judgment.

Nor did he spare the world of old; though he preserved Noah, the Preacher of Righteousness, and seven others, when he brought a flood upon the godless world.

will come and ask scoffingly-- 'Where is his promised Coming? Ever since our fathers passed to their rest, everything remains just as it was when the world was first created!'

It is the same in all his letters, when he speaks in them about these subjects. There are some things in them difficult to understand, which untaught and weak people distort, just as they do all other writings, to their own Ruin.

Do not love the world or what the world can offer. When any one loves the world, there is no love for the Father in him;

Dear friends, we are God's Children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is that, when it is revealed, we shall be like Christ; because we shall see him as he is.

There is no fear in love. No! Love, when perfect, drives out fear, for fear implies punishment, and the man who feels fear has not attained to perfect love.

By this we know that we love God's Children--when we love God and carry out his commands.

For it was a great joy to me, when some Brothers came and testified to your fidelity to the Truth--I know that your own life is guided by the Truth.

Dear friend, whatever you do for our Brothers is done in a Christian spirit--even when they are strangers to you.

Therefore, when I come, I shall not forget his conduct in ridiculing us with his wicked tongue. Not content with that, he not only declines to recognize our Brothers himself, but actually prevents those who would, and expels them from the Church.

Yet even Michael, the Archangel, when, in his dispute with the Devil, he was arguing about the body of Moses, did not venture to charge him with maligning, but said merely 'The Lord rebuke you!'

These are the men who are blots upon your 'Love-feasts,' when they feast together and provide without scruple for themselves alone. They are clouds without rain, driven before the winds; they are leafless trees without a vestige of fruit, dead through and through, torn up by the roots;

I turned to see what voice it was that spoke to me; and when I turned, I saw seven golden lamps,

and his feet were like brass' as when molten in a furnace; 'his voice was like the sound of many streams,'

And, when I saw him, I fell at his feet like one dead. He laid his hand on me and said-- 'Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last,

and 'he shall rule them with an iron rod, as when earthen vessels are broken in pieces' (as I myself have received from my Father)

To him who conquers--to him I will give the right to sit beside me on my throne, as I, when I conquered, took my seat beside my Father on his throne.

And, when he had taken the book, the four Creatures and the twenty-four Councillors prostrated themselves before the Lamb, each of them holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense. (These are the prayers of Christ's People.)

When the Lamb broke the second seal, I heard the second Creature crying--'Come.'

When the Lamb broke the third seal, I heard the third Creature crying--'Come.' And in my vision I saw 'a black horse.' Its rider held scales in his hand.

When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth Creature crying-- 'Come.'

When the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been killed for the sake of God's Message and for the testimony which they had borne.

'The stars of the heavens fell' to the earth, as when a fig-tree, shaken by a strong wind, drops its unripe fruit.

The heavens disappeared like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.

Yet they were not allowed to kill them, but it was ordered that those men should be tortured for five months. Their torture was like the torture caused by a scorpion when it stings a man.

And, when they spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from Heaven say-- 'Keep secret what the seven peals of thunder said, and do not write it down.'

Moreover at the time when the seventh angel shall speak, when he is ready to blow his blast, then the hidden purposes of God, of which he told the good news to his servants, the Prophets, are at once fulfilled.

I took the little book out of the angel's hand 'and ate it, and, while in my mouth, it was like the sweetest honey'; but, when I had eaten it, it was bitter to my stomach.

When any one wishes to harm them, 'fire comes from their mouths and consumes their enemies'; and whoever wishes to harm them will, in this way, inevitably perish.

when the Dragon saw that he was hurled down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.

And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of Christ's People and with the blood of the martyrs for Jesus. When I saw her, I was amazed beyond measure;

The Beast that you saw was, but is not, and is about to rise out of the bottomless pit, and is on its way to destruction. Those who are living on earth will be amazed--those whose names have not been written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world--when they see that the Beast was, but is not, and yet will come.'

They are also seven kings; of whom five have fallen and one remains, while one is not yet come. When he comes, he must stay for a little while.

All the kings of the earth who had licentious intercourse with her and shared her luxury will weep and lament over her, when they see the smoke from the burning city,

When the thousand years are ended, Satan will be let loose from his prison,

It was I, John, who heard and saw these things; and, when I heard and saw them, I prostrated myself in worship at the feet of the angel that showed them to me.