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Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’;
Cursed is the ground because of you;
In toil you will eat of it
All the days of your life.
“Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you;
And you will eat the plants of the field;
By the sweat of your face
You will eat bread,
Till you return to the ground,
Because from it you were taken;
For you are dust,
And to dust you shall return.”
Now he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the Lord has cursed.”
He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”
and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son,
“Only do not rebel against the Lord; and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.”
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter the land where I bring you,
then it shall be, that when you eat of the food of the land, you shall lift up an offering to the Lord.
‘Of the first of your dough you shall lift up a cake as an offering; as the offering of the threshing floor, so you shall lift it up.
‘From the first of your dough you shall give to the Lord an offering throughout your generations.
“You are the sons of the Lord your God; you shall not cut yourselves nor shave your forehead for the sake of the dead.
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
“As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.
For I was ashamed to request from the king troops and horsemen to protect us from the enemy on the way, because we had said to the king, “The hand of our God is favorably disposed to all those who seek Him, but His power and His anger are against all those who forsake Him.”
When He keeps quiet, who then can condemn?
And when He hides His face, who then can behold Him,
That is, in regard to both nation and man?—
The Lord will not leave him in his hand
Or let him be condemned when he is judged.
“Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths,
And my lifetime as nothing in Your sight;
Surely every man at his best is a mere breath.
Selah.
“Surely every man walks about as a phantom;
Surely they make an uproar for nothing;
He amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.
But for Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
The Lord says to my Lord:
“Sit at My right hand
Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”
The Lord is for me; I will not fear;
What can man do to me?
O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.
You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O Lord, You know it all.
You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord,
How much more the hearts of men!
The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
But the Lord tests hearts.
“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher,
“Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.”
Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may lengthen his life, still I know that it will be well for those who fear God, who fear Him openly.
“Put me like a seal over your heart,
Like a seal on your arm.
For love is as strong as death,
Jealousy is as severe as Sheol;
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
The very flame of the Lord.
“Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven.”
And it will be said in that day,
“Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us.
This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”
He who vindicates Me is near;
Who will contend with Me?
Let us stand up to each other;
Who has a case against Me?
Let him draw near to Me.
Behold, the Lord God helps Me;
Who is he who condemns Me?
Behold, they will all wear out like a garment;
The moth will eat them.
He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.
But, O Lord of hosts, who judges righteously,
Who tries the feelings and the heart,
Let me see Your vengeance on them,
For to You have I committed my cause.
How long is the land to mourn
And the vegetation of the countryside to wither?
For the wickedness of those who dwell in it,
Animals and birds have been snatched away,
Because men have said, “He will not see our latter ending.”
“It has been made a desolation,
Desolate, it mourns before Me;
The whole land has been made desolate,
Because no man lays it to heart.
“I, the Lord, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give to each man according to his ways,
According to the results of his deeds.
Yet the number of the sons of Israel
Will be like the sand of the sea,
Which cannot be measured or numbered;
And in the place
Where it is said to them,
“You are not My people,”
It will be said to them,
“You are the sons of the living God.”
Thus says the Lord my God, “Pasture the flock doomed to slaughter.
So I pastured the flock doomed to slaughter, hence the afflicted of the flock. And I took for myself two staffs: the one I called Favor and the other I called Union; so I pastured the flock.
“I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.
It was a day of darkness and gloom, of tribulation and distress, affliction and great tumult on the earth!
They will speak to one another in repentance,
and in anguish of spirit they will groan, and say,
For who will say, “What have you done?”
or will resist your judgment?
Who will accuse you for the destruction of nations that you made?
Or who will come before you to plead as an advocate for the unrighteous?
All these are good for the godly,
but for sinners they turn into evils.
Bless the Lord, all you powers of the Lord;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Therefore no one will then be able to have mercy on someone who has been condemned in the judgment, or to harm someone who is victorious.”
if they are defeated they shall suffer what you have said, but if they are victorious they shall receive what I have said.
Famine and plague, tribulation and anguish are sent as scourges for the correction of humankind.
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.
But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to Him, “We are able.”
“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.”
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.
“When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?”
“When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say;
And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.
now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?
for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.
“But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
“He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;
“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
“The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one;
And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two You have chosen
“But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.
whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.
“And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”
“So then, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against any man, the courts are in session and proconsuls are available; let them bring charges against one another.
“But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.
“And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’
When a moderate south wind came up, supposing that they had attained their purpose, they weighed anchor and began sailing along Crete, close inshore.
through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake,
among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;
to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life;
There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek,
But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He? (I am speaking in human terms.)
What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found?
Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due.
In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”
He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.
And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;
For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,
For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”
The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope
that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.
And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.
But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.
and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.
But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.
for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls,
And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory,
even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.
“And it shall be that in the place where it was said to them, ‘you are not My people,’
There they shall be called sons of the living God.”
God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?
for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
Greet Rufus, a choice man in the Lord, also his mother and mine.
so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory;
So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you,
whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you,
For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.
To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless;
Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
Yet if the unbelieving one leaves, let him leave; the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us to peace.
Only, as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each, in this manner let him walk. And so I direct in all the churches.
I think then that this is good in view of the present distress, that it is good for a man to remain as he is.
but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.
then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.
Why are we also in danger every hour?
I affirm, brethren, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body;
Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.
Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now I urge you, brethren (you know the household of Stephanas, that they were the first fruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves for ministry to the saints),
For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.
and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.
indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;
who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing;
always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.
For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,
while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven,
For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.
Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.
for we walk by faith, not by sight—
as unknown yet well-known, as dying yet behold, we live; as punished yet not put to death,
“And I will be a father to you,
And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,”
Says the Lord Almighty.
I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us.
Are they servants of Christ?—I speak as if insane—I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death.
I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren;
I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.
Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me.
Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!
But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased
nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.
“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.
Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.
It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness.
This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you.
For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,
also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.
far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,
so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.
This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,
may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,
There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,
according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.
For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,
that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;
who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.
He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.
and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;
When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.
Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—
constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father,
but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts.
But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.
It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,
If we endure, we will also reign with Him;
If we deny Him, He also will deny us;
Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.”
looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,
Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed,
so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says,
“And let all the angels of God worship Him.”
Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?
For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.
Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience,
For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.
You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.
who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,
so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers,
For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,
not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.
who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.
but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.
Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed,
But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;
See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.
The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James,
To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ:
and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood—
‘And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.
‘Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying,
“Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.
“And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.
“He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.