October 19 - Revelation 19, Isaiah 5-6 and Psalm 109.20-31

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Revelation 19 After this, I heard what sounded like a lot of voices in heaven, and they were shouting,
"Praise the Lord!
To our God belongs the glorious power to save,
2because his judgments are honest and fair.
That filthy prostitute
ruined the earth with shameful deeds.
But God has judged her and made her pay the price
for murdering his servants."
3Then the crowd shouted, "Praise the Lord!
Smoke will never stop rising from her burning body."
4After this, the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures all knelt before the throne of God and worshiped him. They said, "Amen! Praise the Lord!"

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

5From the throne a voice said,
"If you worship and fear our God,
give praise to him, no matter who you are."
6Then I heard what seemed to be a large crowd that sounded like a roaring flood and loud thunder all mixed together. They were saying,
"Praise the Lord!
Our Lord God All-Powerful now rules as king.
7So we will be glad and happy and give him praise.
The wedding day of the Lamb is here,
and his bride is ready.
8She will be given a wedding dress
made of pure and shining linen.
This linen stands for the good things
God's people have done."
9Then the angel told me, "Put this in writing. God will bless everyone who is invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb." The angel also said, "These things that God has said are true."
10I knelt at the feet of the angel and began to worship him. But the angel said, "Don't do that! I am a servant, just like you and everyone else who tells about Jesus. Don't worship anyone but God. Everyone who tells about Jesus does it by the power of the Spirit."

The Rider on the White Horse

11I looked and saw that heaven was open, and a white horse was there. Its rider was called Faithful and True, and he is always fair when he judges or goes to war. 12He had eyes like flames of fire, and he was wearing a lot of crowns. His name was written on him, but he was the only one who knew what the name meant.
13The rider wore a robe that was covered with blood, and he was known as "The Word of God." 14He was followed by armies from heaven that rode on horses and were dressed in pure white linen. 15From his mouth a sharp sword went out to attack the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod and will show the fierce anger of God All-Powerful by trampling the grapes in the pit where wine is made. 16On the part of the robe that covered his thigh was written, "KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."
17I then saw an angel standing on the sun, and he shouted to all the birds flying in the sky, "Come and join in God's great feast! 18You can eat the flesh of kings, rulers, leaders, horses, riders, free people, slaves, important people, and everyone else."
19I also saw the beast and all kings of the earth come together. They fought against the rider on the white horse and against his army. 20But the beast was captured and so was the false prophet. This is the same prophet who had worked miracles for the beast, so that he could fool everyone who had the mark of the beast and worshiped the idol. The beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into a lake of burning sulfur. 21But the rest of their army was killed by the sword that came from the mouth of the rider on the horse. Then birds stuffed themselves on the dead bodies.


A Song about a Vineyard

The LORD said:
Isaiah 5 I will sing a song about my friend's vineyard
that was on the side of a fertile hill.
2My friend dug the ground, removed the stones,
and planted the best vines.
He built a watchtower and dug a pit in rocky ground
for pressing the grapes.
He hoped they would be sweet,
but bitter grapes were all it produced.

3Listen, people of Jerusalem and of Judah!
You be the judge of me and my vineyard.
4What more could I have done for my vineyard?
I hoped for sweet grapes,
but bitter grapes were all that grew.

5Now I will let you know what I am going to do.
I will cut down the hedge and tear down the wall.
My vineyard will be trampled and left in ruins.
6It will turn into a desert, neither pruned nor hoed;
it will be covered with thorns and briars.
I will command the clouds not to send rain.

7I am the LORD All-Powerful! Israel is the vineyard,
and Judah is the garden I tended with care.
I had hoped for honesty and for justice,
but dishonesty and cries for mercy were all I found.

Isaiah Condemns Social Injustice

8You are in for trouble! You take over house after house and field after field, until there is no room left for anyone else in all the land. 9But the LORD All-Powerful has made this promise to me:

Those large and beautiful homes will be left empty, with no one to take care of them. 10Ten acres of grapevines will produce only six gallons of juice, and five bushels of seed will produce merely a half-bushel of grain.

11You are in for trouble! You get up early to start drinking, and you keep it up late into the night. 12At your drinking parties you have the music of stringed instruments, tambourines, and flutes. But you never even think about all the LORD has done, 13and so his people know nothing about him. That's why many of you will be dragged off to foreign lands. Your leaders will starve to death, and everyone else will suffer from thirst.
14The world of the dead has opened its mouth wide and is eagerly waiting for the leaders of Jerusalem and for its noisy crowds, especially for those who take pride in that city. 15Its citizens have been put down, and its proud people have been brought to shame. 16But the holy LORD God All-Powerful is praised, because he has shown who he is by bringing justice. 17His people will be like sheep grazing in their own pasture, and they will take off what was left by others.
18You are in for trouble! The lies you tell are like ropes by which you drag along sin and evil. 19And you say, "Let the holy God of Israel hurry up and do what he has promised, so we can see it for ourselves." 20You are headed for trouble! You say wrong is right, darkness is light, and bitter is sweet.
21You think you are clever and smart. 22And you are great at drinking and mixing drinks. But you are in for trouble. 23You accept bribes to let the guilty go free, and you cheat the innocent out of a fair trial.
24You will go up in flames like straw and hay! You have rejected the teaching of the holy LORD God All-Powerful of Israel. Now your roots will rot, and your blossoms will turn to dust.
25You are the LORD's people, but you made him terribly angry, and he struck you with his mighty arm. Mountains shook, and dead bodies covered the streets like garbage. The LORD is still angry, and he is ready to strike you again.

Foreign Nations Will Attack

26The LORD has signaled for the foreign nations to come and attack you. He has already whistled, and they are coming as fast as they can. 27None of them are tired. They don't sleep or get drowsy, and they run without stumbling. Their belts don't come loose; their sandal straps don't break. 28Their arrows are sharp, and their bows are ready. The hoofs of their horses are hard as flint; the wheels of their war chariots turn as fast as a whirlwind.
29They roar and growl like fierce young lions as they grab their victims and drag them off where no one can rescue them. 30On the day they attack, they will roar like the ocean. And across the land you will see nothing but darkness and trouble, because the light of day will be covered by thick clouds.

A Vision of the LORD in the Temple

Isaiah 6 In the year that King Uzziah died, I had a vision of the LORD. He was on his throne high above, and his robe filled the temple. 2Flaming creatures with six wings each were flying over him. They covered their faces with two of their wings and their bodies with two more. They used the other two wings for flying, 3as they shouted,
"Holy, holy, holy, LORD All-Powerful!
The earth is filled with your glory."
4As they shouted, the doorposts of the temple shook, and the temple was filled with smoke. 5Then I cried out, "I'm doomed! Everything I say is sinful, and so are the words of everyone around me. Yet I have seen the King, the LORD All-Powerful."
6One of the flaming creatures flew over to me with a burning coal that it had taken from the altar with a pair of metal tongs. 7It touched my lips with the hot coal and said, "This has touched your lips. Your sins are forgiven, and you are no longer guilty."
8After this, I heard the LORD ask, "Is there anyone I can send? Will someone go for us?"
"I'll go," I answered. "Send me!"
9Then the LORD told me to go and speak this message to the people:
"You will listen and listen, but never understand.
You will look and look, but never see."
The LORD also said,
10"Make these people stubborn! Make them stop up their ears,
cover their eyes, and fail to understand.
Don't let them turn to me and be healed."
11Then I asked the LORD, "How long will this last?"
The LORD answered:

Until their towns are destroyed and their houses are deserted, until their fields are empty, 12and I have sent them far away, leaving their land in ruins. 13If only a tenth of the people are left, even they will be destroyed. But just as stumps remain after trees have been cut down, some of my chosen ones will be left.


Psalm 109

20Those are the cruel things my enemies wish for me.
Let it all happen to them!
21Be true to your name, LORD God!
Show your great kindness and rescue me.

22I am poor and helpless, and I have lost all hope.
23I am fading away like an evening shadow;
I am tossed aside like a crawling insect.
24I have gone without eating, until my knees are weak,
and my body is bony.
25When my enemies see me,
they say cruel things and shake their heads.

26Please help me, LORD God!
Come and save me because of your love.
27Let others know that you alone have saved me.
28I don't care if they curse me, as long as you bless me.
You will make my enemies fail when they attack,
and you will make me glad to be your servant.
29You will cover them with shame,
just as their bodies are covered with clothes.

30I will sing your praises and thank you, LORD,
when your people meet.
31You help everyone in need,
and you defend them when they are on trial.

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This reading is from The Holy Bible, Contemporary English Version, copyright © American Bible Society, 1995.


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