The Light of the Gospel

¹Therefore, since God in His mercy has given us this ministry,we do not lose heart.

²Instead, we have renounced secret and shameful ways. We do not practice deceit, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by open proclamation of the truth, we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

³And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.

⁴The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

⁵For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

⁶For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Treasure in Jars of Clay

⁷Now we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this surpassingly great power is from God and not from us.

⁸We are hard pressed on all sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;

⁹persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.

¹⁰We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

¹¹For we who are alive are always consigned to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our mortal body.

¹²So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

¹³And in keeping with what is written, “I believed, therefore I have spoken,”we who have the same spirit of faith also believe and therefore speak,

¹⁴knowing that the One who raised the Lord Jesuswill also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in His presence.

¹⁵All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is extending to more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow, to the glory of God.

¹⁶Therefore we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, yet our inner self is being renewed day by day.

¹⁷For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison.

¹⁸So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Satan Bound

¹Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the Abyss, holding in his hand a great chain.

²He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.

³And he threw him into the Abyss, shut it, and sealed it over him, so that he could not deceive the nations until the thousand years were complete. After that, he must be released for a brief period of time.

⁴Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

⁵The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years were complete. This is the first resurrection.

⁶Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

Satan Cast into the Lake of Fire

⁷When the thousand years are complete, Satan will be released from his prison,

⁸and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to assemble them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the seashore.

⁹And they marched across the broad expanse of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. But fire came down from heavenand consumed them.

¹⁰And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, into which the beast and the false prophet had already been thrown. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Judgment before the Great White Throne

¹¹Then I saw a great white throne and the One seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them.

¹²And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne.And books were opened, and one of them was the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books.

¹³The sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead, and each one was judged according to his deeds.

¹⁴Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire.

¹⁵And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

One in Christ

¹Therefore if you have any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,

²then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being united in spirit and purpose.

³Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves.

⁴Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

The Mind of Christ

⁵Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus:

⁶Who, existing in the form of God,did not consider equality with Godsomething to be grasped,

⁷but emptied Himself,taking the form of a servant,being made in human likeness.

⁸And being found in appearance as a man,He humbled Himselfand became obedient to death—even death on a cross.

⁹Therefore God exalted Him to the highest placeand gave Him the name above all names,

¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,to the glory of God the Father.

Lights in the World

¹²Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now even more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

¹³For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose.

¹⁴Do everything without complaining or arguing,

¹⁵so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation,in which you shine as lights in the world

¹⁶as you hold forth the word of life, in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.

¹⁷But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.

¹⁸So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

Timothy and Epaphroditus

¹⁹Now I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I learn how you are doing.

²⁰I have nobody else like him who will genuinely care for your needs.

²¹For all the others look after their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

²²But you know Timothy’s proven worth, that as a child with his father he has served with me to advance the gospel.

²³So I hope to send him as soon as I see what happens with me.

²⁴And I trust in the Lord that I myself will come soon.

²⁵But I thought it necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger and minister to my needs.

²⁶For he has been longing for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill.

²⁷He was sick indeed, nearly unto death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.

²⁸Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less anxious.

²⁹Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him,

³⁰because he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for your deficit of service to me.

You Turned My Mourning into Dancing

¹I will exalt You, O LORD,for You have lifted me upand have not allowed my foesto rejoice over me.

²O LORD my God, I cried to You for help,and You healed me.

³O LORD, You pulled me up from Sheol;You spared me from descending into the Pit.

⁴Sing to the LORD, O you His saints,and praise His holy name.

⁵For His anger is fleeting,but His favor lasts a lifetime.Weeping may stay the night,but joy comes in the morning.

⁶In prosperity I said,“I will never be shaken.”

⁷O LORD, You favored me;You made my mountain stand strong.When You hid Your face,I was dismayed.

⁸To You, O LORD, I called,and I begged my Lord for mercy:

⁹“What gain is there in my bloodshed,in my descent to the Pit?Will the dust praise You?Will it proclaim Your faithfulness?

¹⁰Hear me, O LORD, and have mercy;O LORD, be my helper.”

¹¹You turned my mourning into dancing;You peeled off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

¹²that my heart may sing Your praises and not be silent.O LORD my God, I will give thanks forever.