The Time of the End

¹“Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.²“Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.³“Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

¹Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You.

²I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord;

I have no good besides You.”

³As for the saints who are in the earth,

They are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight.

⁴The sorrows of those who have bartered for another god will be multiplied;

I shall not pour out their drink offerings of blood,

Nor will I take their names upon my lips.

⁵The LORD is the portion of my inheritance and my cup;

You support my lot.

⁶The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;

Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.

⁷I will bless the LORD who has counseled me;

Indeed, my mind instructs me in the night.

⁸I have set the LORD continually before me;

Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

⁹Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices;

My flesh also will dwell securely.

¹⁰For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol;

Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.

¹¹You will make known to me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

¹¹Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins;¹²but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD,¹³waiting from that time onward UNTIL HISENEMIES BE MADE A FOOTSTOOL FOR HIS FEET.¹⁴For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.¹⁵And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying,

¹⁶“THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM

AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD:

I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART,

AND ON THEIR MIND I WILL WRITE THEM,”

He then says,

¹⁷“AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS

I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE.”

¹⁸Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.

A New and Living Way

¹⁹Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus,²⁰by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,²¹and since we have a great priest over the house of God,²²let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.²³Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;²⁴and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,²⁵not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Christ or Judgment

Things to Come

¹As He was going out of the temple, one of His disciples *said to Him, “Teacher, behold what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!”²And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down.”

³As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew were questioning Him privately,⁴“Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?”⁵And Jesus began to say to them, “See to it that no one misleads you.⁶“Many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He!’ and will mislead many.⁷“When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end.⁸“For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.

⁹“I kept looking

Until thrones were set up,

And the Ancient of Days took His seat;

His vesture was like white snow

And the hair of His head like pure wool.

His throne was ablaze with flames,

Its wheels were a burning fire.

¹⁰“A river of fire was flowing

And coming out from before Him;

Thousands upon thousands were attending Him,

And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him;

The court sat,

And the books were opened.

¹¹“Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire.¹²“As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time.

The Son of Man Presented

¹³“I kept looking in the night visions,

And behold, with the clouds of heaven

One like a Son of Man was coming,

And He came up to the Ancient of Days

And was presented before Him.

¹⁴“And to Him was given dominion,

Glory and a kingdom,

That all the peoples, nations and men of every language

Might serve Him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion

Which will not pass away;

And His kingdom is one

Which will not be destroyed.

The Vision Interpreted

¹The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty;

The LORD has clothed and girded Himself with strength;

Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved.

²Your throne is established from of old;

You are from everlasting.

³The floods have lifted up, O LORD,

The floods have lifted up their voice,

The floods lift up their pounding waves.

⁴More than the sounds of many waters,

Than the mighty breakers of the sea,

The LORD on high is mighty.

⁵Your testimonies are fully confirmed;

Holiness befits Your house,

O LORD, forevermore.

³³Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”³⁴Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?”³⁵Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?”³⁶Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”³⁷Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”