4 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming
with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15 to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the
ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him."
(Jude 1)
14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required
by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15 since they show that the requirements
of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even
defending them.) (Romans 2)
6 Seek the LORD while
he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way
and the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him,
and
to our God, for he will freely pardon.
8 "For my thoughts are not your
thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares
the LORD.
9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher
than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isaiah
55)
20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight
by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
21 But now a righteousness from God, apart
from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith
in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24
and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as a sacrifice
of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the
sins committed beforehand unpunished-- 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the
one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
(Romans 3)
14
What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15 For he says to Moses,
"I
will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."[f]
16 It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but
on God's mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might
display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."[g] 18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.
19 One of you will say to me: "Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?"
20 But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why
did you make me like this?'"[h] 21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes
and some for common use? (Romans 9)
34 At the end of that
time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored
and glorified him who lives forever.
His dominion is an eternal dominion;
his kingdom endures from generation to generation.
35 All the peoples of the earth
are regarded as nothing.
He does as he pleases
with the powers of heaven
and the peoples of the earth.
No one can hold back his hand
or say to
him: "What have you done?"
36 At the same time that my sanity
was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out,
and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt
and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride
he is able to humble. (Daniel 4)
9 "This, then,
is how you should pray:
"‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be
your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 Forgive us our debts,
as we
also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.[a]' (Matthew 6)
33
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and[i] knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond
tracing out!
34 "Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?"[j]
35 "Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay him?"[k]
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the
glory forever! Amen. (Romans 11)
14 God said to Moses, "I
AM WHO I AM.[b] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.'" (Exodus 3)
....Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have
known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet."[b] (Romans 7)
1 And God spoke all these
words:
2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land
of slavery.
3 "You shall have no other gods before[a] me.
4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything
in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them;
for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation
of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not
hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
8 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping
it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the
LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant,
nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth,
the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it
holy.
12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the
land the LORD your God is giving you.
13 "You shall not murder.
14 "You shall not commit adultery.
15 "You shall not
steal.
16 "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife,
or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."
18
When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear.
They stayed at a distance 19 and said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have
God speak to us or we will die."
20 Moses said to the people, "Do not be
afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning."
21 The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was. (Exodus
20)
1 The LORD said to Moses, "Chisel out
two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.
2 Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain.
3 No one is to come with you or be seen anywhere on the mountain; not even the flocks and herds may graze in front
of the mountain."
4 So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first
ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the LORD had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in
his hands. 5 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. 6
And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger,
abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.
Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the
third and fourth generation." (Exodus 34)
16 There
are six things the LORD hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
17
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that
shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet
that are quick to rush into evil,
19 a false witness who pours out lies
and
a man who stirs up dissension among brothers. (Proverbs 6)
....because by
observing the law no one will be justified. (Galatians 2)
34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One
of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment
in the Law?"
37 Jesus replied: "‘Love the Lord your God with
all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'[b] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your
neighbor as yourself.'[c] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22)
16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and
you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the
Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do
what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
19
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft;
hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies,
and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus
have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in
step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. (Galatians
5)
28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain
the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become
filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice.
They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they
disobey their parents; 31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Although they know
God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but
also approve of those who practice them. (Romans 1)
1
Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2 "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding
banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come,
but they refused to come.
4 "Then he sent some more servants
and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered,
and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.'
5 "But
they paid no attention and went off-one to his field, another to his business. 6 The rest seized his servants,
mistreated them and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned
their city.
8 "Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding
banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet
anyone you find.' 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find,
both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
11
"But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12
‘Friend,' he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless.
13 "Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw
him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
14
"For many are invited, but few are chosen." (Matthew 22)
8
At this time some astrologers[b] came forward and denounced the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, "O king, live forever! 10
You have issued a decree, O king, that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all
kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, 11 and that whoever does not fall down and worship
will be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12 But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province
of Babylon-Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego-who pay no attention to you, O king. They neither serve your gods nor worship the
image of gold you have set up."
13 Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them,
"Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up?
15 Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are
ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into
a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?"
16
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you
in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and
he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will
not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar
was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven
times hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach
and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and
other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. 22 The king's command was so urgent and the
furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 23 and
these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar
leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, "Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the
fire?"
They replied, "Certainly, O king."
25
He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the
gods."
26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and
shouted, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!"
So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal
advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their
robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar
said, "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They
trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any
god except their own God. 29 Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against
the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other
god can save in this way."
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
in the province of Babylon. (Daniel 3)
1
I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues-last, because with them God's
wrath is completed. 2 And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea, those
who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name. They held harps given them by God 3
and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb:
"Great
and marvelous are your deeds,
Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
King
of the ages.
4 Who will not fear you, O Lord,
and bring glory to your name?
For
you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship before you,
for your righteous acts
have been revealed."
5 After this I looked and in heaven the temple, that
is, the tabernacle of the Testimony, was opened. 6 Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues.
They were dressed in clean, shining linen and wore golden sashes around their chests. 7 Then one of the four living
creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever. 8
And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the
seven plagues of the seven angels were completed. (Revelations 15)
9
"As I looked,
"thrones were set in place,
and
the Ancient of Days took his seat.
His clothing was as white as snow;
the hair of his head was
white like wool.
His throne was flaming with fire,
and its wheels were all ablaze.
10
A river of fire was flowing,
coming out from before him.
Thousands upon thousands attended him;
ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
The court was seated,
and
the books were opened.
11 "Then I continued to watch because of the boastful
words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire.
12 (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.)
13 "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with
the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority,
glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. (Daniel 7)
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence,
and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books
were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded
in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them,
and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of
fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life,
he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelations 20)
1 ....I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to
the Father in our defense-Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not
only for ours but also for[a] the sins of the whole world.
3 We know that we have
come to know him if we obey his commands. 4 The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands
is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, God's love[b] is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must
walk as Jesus did. (1 John 2)