2021 Rock Hill Bible Reading Plan

11 Then I was given a measuring reed like a rod,^[a] with these words: “Go^[b]and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count those who worship there. ² But exclude the courtyard outside the temple. Don’t measure it, because it is given to the nations,^[c] and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. ³ I will grant^[d] my two witnesses authority to prophesy for 1,260 days, dressed in sackcloth.” ⁴ These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord^[e] of the earth. ⁵ If anyone wants to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and consumes their enemies; if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. ⁶ They have authority to close up the sky so that it does not rain during the days of their prophecy. They also have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every plague whenever they want.

The Witnesses Martyred

⁷ When they finish their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abysswill make war on them, conquer them, and kill them. ⁸ Their dead bodies^[f]will lie in the main street^[g] of the great city, which figuratively^[h] is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. ⁹ And some of^[i] the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will view their bodies for three and a half days and not permit their bodies to be put into a tomb. ¹⁰ Those who live on the earth will gloat over them and celebrate and send gifts to one another because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.

The Witnesses Resurrected

¹¹ But after three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet. Great fear fell on those who saw them. ¹² Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” They went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies watched them. ¹³ At that moment a violent earthquake took place, a tenth of the city fell, and seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake. The survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

¹⁴ The second woe has passed. Take note: The third woe is coming soon!

The Seventh Trumpet

¹⁵ The seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying,

12 A great sign^[a] appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. ² She was pregnant and cried out in labor and agony as she was about to give birth.³ Then another sign^[b] appeared in heaven: There was a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven crowns.^{[c] 4} Its tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth. And the dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she did give birth it might devour her child. ⁵ She gave birth to a Son, a male who is going to rule^[d] all nations with an iron rod.Her child was caught up to God and to his throne. ⁶ The woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, to be nourished there^[e] for 1,260 days.

The Dragon Thrown Out of Heaven

⁷ Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels also fought, ⁸ but he could not prevail,and there was no place for them in heaven any longer. ⁹ So the great dragon was thrown out—the ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the one who deceives the whole world. He was thrown to earth, and his angels with him. ¹⁰ Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say,

The Woman Persecuted

¹³ When the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he persecuted^[f] the woman who had given birth to the male child. ¹⁴ The woman was given two wings of a great eagle, so that she could fly from the serpent’s presence to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, times, and half a time. ¹⁵ From his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river flowing after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. ¹⁶ But the earth helped the woman. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river that the dragon had spewed from his mouth. ¹⁷ So the dragon was furious with the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring^[g]—those who keep the commands of God and hold firmly to the testimony about Jesus.

The Beast from the Sea

¹⁸ The dragon^[h] stood on the sand of the sea.^[i]

13 And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads. On its horns were ten crowns,^[a] and on its heads were blasphemous names.^{[b] 2} The beast I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority. ³ One of its heads appeared to be fatally wounded, but its fatal wound was healed.

The whole earth was amazed and followed the beast. ⁴ They worshiped the dragon because he gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to wage war against it?”

⁵ The beast was given a mouth to utter boasts and blasphemies. It was allowed to exercise authority^[c][d] for forty-two months. ⁶ It began to speak^[e]blasphemies against God: to blaspheme his name and his dwelling—those who dwell in heaven. ⁷ And it was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them. It was also given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation. ⁸ All those who live on the earth will worship it, everyone whose name was not written from the foundation of the world in the book^[f] of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered.^[g]

⁹ If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen.

14 Then I looked, and there was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him were 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. ² I heard a sound^[a] from heaven like the sound of cascading waters and like the rumbling of loud thunder. The sound I heard was like harpists playing on their harps. ³ They sang^[b] a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders, but no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. ⁴ These are the ones who have not defiled themselves with women, since they remained virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were redeemed^[c] from humanity as the firstfruits for God and the Lamb. ⁵ No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.

The Proclamation of Three Angels

⁶ Then I saw another angel flying high overhead, with the eternal gospel to announce to the inhabitants of the earth—to every nation, tribe, language, and people. ⁷ He spoke with a loud voice: “Fear God and give him glory,because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship the one who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

⁸ And another, a second angel, followed, saying, “It has fallen, Babylon the Great has fallen.^[d] She made all the nations drink the wine of her sexual immorality,^[e] which brings wrath.”

⁹ And another, a third angel, followed them and spoke with a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, ¹⁰ he will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, which is poured full strength into the cup of his anger. He will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the sight of the holy angels and in the sight of the Lamb, ¹¹ and the smoke of their torment will go up forever and ever. There is no rest^[f] day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or anyone who receives the mark of its name. ¹² This calls for endurance from the saints, who keep God’s commands and their faith in Jesus.”^[g]

¹³ Then I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “so they will rest from their labors, since their works follow them.”

Reaping the Earth’s Harvest

¹⁴ Then I looked, and there was a white cloud, and one like the Son of Man^[h]was seated on the cloud, with a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. ¹⁵ Another angel came out of the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the one who was seated on the cloud, “Use your sickle and reap, for the time to reap has come, since the harvest of the earth is ripe.”¹⁶ So the one seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

¹⁷ Then another angel who also had a sharp sickle came out of the temple in heaven. ¹⁸ Yet another angel, who had authority over fire, came from the altar, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Use your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the vineyard of the earth, because its grapes have ripened.” ¹⁹ So the angel swung his sickle at the earth and gathered the grapes from the vineyard of the earth, and he threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. ²⁰ Then the press was trampled outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press up to the horses’ bridles for about 180 miles.^[i]

15 Then I saw another great and awe-inspiring sign^[a] in heaven: seven angels with the seven last plagues; for with them God’s wrath will be completed. ² I also saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had won the victory over the beast, its image,^[b] and the number of its name, were standing on the sea of glass with harps from God. ³ They sang the song of God’s servant Moses and the song of the Lamb:

⁵ After this I looked, and the heavenly temple—the tabernacle of testimony—was opened. ⁶ Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues, dressed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes wrapped around their chests. ⁷ One of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God who lives forever and ever. ⁸ Then the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power,and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

¹³ “Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. ¹⁴ How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.