Bible Readings for December 23, 2015

Today our passages are Zechariah 4:1–5:11; Revelation 14:1-20; Psalm 142:1-7; and Proverbs 30:21-23. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version. If you find these readings helpful, please consider sending an offering directly to Cove Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main Street, Weirton, West Virginia or through PayPal. 

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Zechariah 4-5:11 (Contemporary English Version)

Zechariah 4

Fifth Vision: A Lampstand and Olive Trees

 ¹The angel who explained the visions woke me from what seemed like sleep. ²Then he asked, "What do you see?"    "A solid gold lampstand with an oil container above it," I answered. "On the stand are seven lamps, each with seven flames. ³One olive tree is on the right side and another on the left of the oil container. ⁴But, sir, what do these mean?"
    ⁵Then he asked, "Don't you know?"
   "No sir," I replied.
    ⁶So the angel explained that it was the following message of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ^[a] I am the LORD All-Powerful. So don't depend on your own power or strength, but on my Spirit. ⁷Zerubbabel, that mountain in front of you will be leveled to the ground. Then you will bring out the temple's most important stone and shout, "God has been very kind." ^[b] ⁸The LORD spoke to me again and said:
    ⁹Zerubbabel laid the foundation for the temple, and he will complete it. Then everyone will know that you were sent by me, the LORD All-Powerful. ¹⁰Those who have made fun of this day of small beginnings will celebrate when they see Zerubbabel holding this important stone. ^[c] Those seven lamps represent my eyes--the eyes of the LORD--and they see everything on this earth.
    ¹¹Then I asked the angel, "What about the olive trees on each side of the lampstand? What do they represent? ¹²And what is the meaning of the two branches from which golden olive oil ^[d] flows through the two gold pipes?" ¹³"Don't you know?" he asked.
   "No sir, I don't," was my answer.
    ¹⁴Then he told me, "These branches are the two chosen leaders ^[e] who stand beside the Lord of all the earth."

Zechariah 5

Sixth Vision: A Flying Scroll

 ¹When I looked the next time, I saw a flying scroll, ^[f] ²and the angel asked, "What do you see?" "A flying scroll," I answered. "About thirty feet long and fifteen feet wide."     ³Then he told me:
   This scroll puts a curse on everyone in the land who steals or tells lies. The writing on one side tells about the destruction of those who steal, while the writing on the other side tells about the destruction of those who lie.
    ⁴The LORD All-Powerful has said, "I am sending this scroll into the house of everyone who is a robber or tells lies in my name, and it will remain there until every piece of wood and stone in that house crumbles."
   

Seventh Vision: A Woman in a Basket

 ⁵Now the angel who was there to explain the visions came over and said, "Look up and tell me what you see coming."     ⁶"I don't know what it is," was my reply.
   "It's a big basket," he said. "And it shows what everyone in the land has in mind." ^[g] ⁷The lead cover of the basket was opened, and in the basket was a woman. ⁸"This woman represents evil," the angel explained. Then he threw her back into the basket and slammed the heavy cover down tight.
    ⁹Right after this I saw two women coming through the sky like storks with wings outstretched in the wind. Suddenly they lifted the basket into the air, ¹⁰and I asked the angel, "Where are they taking the basket?"
    ¹¹"To Babylonia," ^[h] he answered, "where they will build a house for the basket and set it down inside."

Footnotes:

1. Zechariah 4:6 Zerubbabel: Governor of Judah (see Haggai 1.1).
2. Zechariah 4:7 God. . . kind: Or "What a beautiful stone."
3. Zechariah 4:10 important stone: Or "measuring line (with a stone attached to the end)."
4. Zechariah 4:12 golden olive oil: The Hebrew text has "gold," which possibly refers to the color of the olive oil as it flows through the gold pipe.
5. Zechariah 4:14 chosen leaders: The Hebrew text has "people of oil." In ancient times prophets, priests, and kings had olive oil poured over their heads to show that they had been chosen (see 1 Samuel 10.1; 16.13).
6. Zechariah 5:1 scroll: A roll of paper or special leather used for writing on.
7. Zechariah 5:6 what. . . mind: Hebrew; one ancient translation "the sin of everyone in the land."
8. Zechariah 5:11 Babylonia: The Hebrew text has "Shinar," an ancient name for Babylonia.

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Revelation 14:1-20 (Contemporary English Version)

Revelation 14

The Lamb and His 144,000 Followers

 ¹I looked and saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion! ^[a] With him were a hundred forty-four thousand, who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. ²Then I heard a sound from heaven that was like a roaring flood or loud thunder or even like the music of harps. ³And a new song was being sung in front of God's throne and in front of the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn that song, except the one hundred forty-four thousand who had been rescued from the earth. ⁴All of these are pure virgins, and they follow the Lamb wherever he leads. They have been rescued to be presented to God and the Lamb as the most precious people ^[b] on earth. ⁵They never tell lies, and they are innocent.

The Messages of the Three Angels

 ⁶I saw another angel. This one was flying across the sky and had the eternal good news to announce to the people of every race, tribe, language, and nation on earth. ⁷The angel shouted, "Worship and honor God! The time has come for him to judge everyone. Kneel down before the one who created heaven and earth, the oceans, and every stream."     ⁸A second angel followed and said, "The great city of Babylon has fallen! This is the city that made all nations drunk and immoral. Now God is angry, and Babylon has fallen."
    ⁹Finally, a third angel came and shouted:
   Here is what will happen if you worship the beast and the idol and have the mark of the beast on your hand or forehead. ¹⁰You will have to drink the wine that God gives to everyone who makes him angry. You will feel his mighty anger, and you will be tortured with fire and burning sulfur, while the holy angels and the Lamb look on.
    ¹¹If you worship the beast and the idol and accept the mark of its name, you will be tortured day and night. The smoke from your torture will go up forever and ever, and you will never be able to rest.
    ¹²God's people must learn to endure. They must also obey his commands and have faith in Jesus.
    ¹³Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Put this in writing. From now on, the Lord will bless everyone who has faith in him when they die."
   The Spirit answered, "Yes, they will rest from their hard work, and they will be rewarded for what they have done."
   

The Earth Is Harvested

 ¹⁴I looked and saw a bright cloud, and someone who seemed to be the Son of Man ^[c] was sitting on the cloud. He wore a gold crown on his head and held a sharp sickle ^[d] in his hand. ¹⁵An angel came out of the temple and shouted, "Start cutting with your sickle! Harvest season is here, and all crops on earth are ripe." ¹⁶The one on the cloud swung his sickle and harvested the crops. ¹⁷Another angel with a sharp sickle then came out of the temple in heaven. ¹⁸After this, an angel with power over fire came from the altar and shouted to the angel who had the sickle. He said, "All grapes on earth are ripe! Harvest them with your sharp sickle." ¹⁹The angel swung his sickle on earth and cut off its grapes. He threw them into a pit ^[e] where they were trampled on as a sign of God's anger. ²⁰The pit was outside the city, and when the grapes were mashed, blood flowed out. The blood turned into a river that was about two hundred miles long and almost deep enough to cover a horse.

Footnotes:

1. Revelation 14:1 Mount Zion: Another name for Jerusalem.
2. Revelation 14:4 the most precious people: The Greek text has "the first people." The Law of Moses taught that the first-born of all animals and the first part of the harvest were special and belonged to the Lord.
3. Revelation 14:14 Son of Man: See the note at 1.13.
4. Revelation 14:14 sickle: A knife with a long curved blade, used to cut grain and other crops.
5. Revelation 14:19 pit: It was the custom to put grapes in a pit (called a wine press) and stomp on them to make juice that would later turn to wine.

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Psalm 142:1-7 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 142

(A special psalm and a prayer by David when he was in the cave.)

A Prayer for Help

 ¹I pray to you, LORD.    I beg for mercy.
    ²I tell you all of my worries
   and my troubles,
    ³and whenever I feel low,
   you are there to guide me.
   A trap has been hidden
   along my pathway.
    ⁴Even if you look,
   you won't see anyone
   who cares enough
   to walk beside me.
   There is no place to hide,
   and no one who really cares.
    ⁵I pray to you, LORD!
   You are my place of safety,
   and you are my choice
   in the land of the living.
   Please answer my prayer.
   I am completely helpless.
    ⁶Help! They are chasing me,
   and they are too strong.
    ⁷Rescue me from this prison,
   so I can praise your name.
   And when your people notice
   your wonderful kindness to me,
   they will rush to my side.

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Proverbs 30:21-23 (Contemporary English Version)

²¹There are three or four things
   that make the earth tremble
   and are unbearable:
    ²²A slave who becomes king,
   a fool who eats too much,
    ²³a hateful woman
   who finds a husband,
   and a slave
   who takes the place
   of the woman who owns her.

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Verse of the Day
“This very day in King David's hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. You will know who he is, because you will find him dressed in baby clothes and lying on a bed of hay." Suddenly many other angels came down from heaven and joined in praising God. They said: "Praise God in heaven! Peace on earth to everyone who pleases God.” - Luke 2:11-14

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

Frank Costanza/Jerry Stiller said, “Welcome, newcomers. The tradition of Festivus begins with the airing of grievances. I got a lot of problems with you people! And now you're gonna hear about it!”