Revelation 7:2–17; 1 John 3:1–3; Matthew 5:1–12

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Revelation 7:2–17

Then I saw another angel ascending wfrom the rising of the sun, with xthe seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, saying, yDo not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God zon their foreheads. And aI heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed,

12,000 from the tribe of Reuben,

12,000 from the tribe of Gad,

12,000 from the tribe of Asher,

12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali,

12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh,

12,000 from the tribe of Simeon,

12,000 from the tribe of Levi,

12,000 from the tribe of Issachar,

12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun,

12,000 from the tribe of Joseph,

12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.

A Great Multitude from Every Nation

After this I looked, and behold, ba great multitude that no one could number, cfrom every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dclothed in white robes, with epalm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, fSalvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb! 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and gthe four living creatures, and they hfell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 isaying, Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.

13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, Who are these, dclothed in white robes, and from where have they come? 14 I said to him, Sir, you know. And he said to me, These are the ones coming out of jthe great tribulation. kThey have washed their robes and lmade them white min the blood of the Lamb.

15  Therefore they are before the throne of God,

and nserve him day and night in his temple;

and he who sits on the throne owill shelter them with his presence.

16  pThey shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;

qthe sun shall not strike them,

nor any scorching heat.

17  For the Lamb in the midst of the throne rwill be their shepherd,

and he will guide them to springs of sliving water,

and tGod will wipe away every tear from their eyes.


1 John 3:1–3

See ywhat kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called zchildren of God; and so we are. The reason why athe world does not know us is that bit did not know him. Beloved, we are zGod’s children cnow, and what we will be dhas not yet appeared; but we know that ewhen he appears1 fwe shall be like him, because gwe shall see him as he is. And everyone who hthus hopes in him ipurifies himself as he is pure.


Matthew 5:1–12

The Sermon on the Mount

Seeing the crowds, ohe went up on the mountain, and when he psat down, his disciples came to him.

The Beatitudes

And qhe opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

rBlessed are sthe poor in spirit, for utheirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are vthose who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the wmeek, for they wshall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and xthirst yfor righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are zthe merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Blessed are athe pure in heart, for bthey shall see God.

Blessed are cthe peacemakers, for dthey shall be called esons1 of God.

10 fBlessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for utheirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 gBlessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely hon my account. 12 iRejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for jso they persecuted the prophets who were before you.