Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from the book of
Revelation, chapters 6 through 9. Chapter 6 Now
I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals,
and I heard one of the four living creatures
saying, with a voice like thunder, Come and see.
And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who
sat on it had a bow, and a crown was given to
him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.
When he opened the second seal, I heard the second
living creature saying, Come and see. Another
horse, fiery red, went out, and it was granted
to the one who sat on it to take peace from the
earth, and that people should kill one another,
and there was given to him a great sword. When
he opened the third seal, I heard the third living
creature say, Come and see. So I looked, and
behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had
a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice
in the midst of the four living creatures, saying,
A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts
of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the
oil and the wine. When he opened the fourth seal,
I heard the voice of the fourth living creature,
saying, Come and see. So I looked, and behold,
a pale horse, and the name of him who sat on
it was Death. And Hades followed with him. And
power was given to them over a fourth of the
earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with
death, and by the beasts of the earth. When he
opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar
the souls of those who had been slain for the
word of God and for the testimony which they
held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying,
How long, O Lord, holy and true, until you judge
and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the
earth? Then a white robe was given to each of
them, and it was said to them that they should
rest a little while longer, until both the number
of their fellow servants and their brethren,
who would be killed as they were, was completed.
I looked when he opened the sixth seal, and behold,
there was a great earthquake, and the sun became
black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became
like blood, and the stars of heaven fell to the
earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when
it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded
as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain
and island was moved out of its place. And the
kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men,
the commanders, the mighty men, Every slave and
every free man hid themselves in the caves and
in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the
mountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from
the face of him who sits on the throne and from
the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of his
wrath has come, and who is able to stand? After
these things I saw four angels standing at the
four corners of the earth, holding the four winds
of the earth, that the wind should not blow on
the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. Then I
saw another angel ascending from the east, having
the seal of the living God, and he cried with
a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was
granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying,
Do not harm the earth. the sea or the trees,
till we have sealed the servants of our God on
their foreheads. And I heard the number of those
who were sealed. 144 ,000 of all the tribes of
the children of Israel were sealed. Of the tribe
of Judah, 12 ,000 were sealed. Of the tribe of
Reuben, 12 ,000 were sealed. Of the tribe of
Gad, 12 ,000 were sealed. Of the tribe of Asher,
12 ,000 were sealed. Of the tribe of Naphtali,
12 ,000 were sealed. Of the tribe of Manasseh,
twelve thousand were sealed. Of the tribe of
Simeon, twelve thousand were sealed. Of the tribe
of Levi, twelve thousand were sealed. Of the
tribe of Issachar, twelve thousand were sealed.
Of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand were
sealed. Of the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand
were sealed. Of the tribe of Benjamin, twelve
thousand were sealed. After these things I looked,
and behold, a great multitude, which no one could
number. of all nations, tribes, peoples, and
tongues, standing before the throne and before
the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm
branches in their hands, and crying out with
a loud voice, saying, Salvation belongs to our
God, who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.
All the angels stood around the throne and the
elders and the four living creatures, and fell
on their faces before the throne and worshipped
God, saying, Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom.
Then one of the elders answered, saying to me,
Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where
did they come from? And I said to him, Sir, you
know. So he said to me, These are the ones who
come out of the great tribulation, and washed
their robes, and made them white in the blood
of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne
of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple.
and he who sits on the throne will dwell among
them. They shall neither hunger any more nor
thirst any more. The sun shall not strike them
nor any heat. For the Lamb who is in the midst
of the throne will shepherd them and lead them
to living fountains of waters, and God will wipe
away every tear from their eyes. Chapter 8 When
he opened the seventh seal, There was silence
in heaven for about half an hour. And they saw
the seven angels who stand before God, and to
them were given seven trumpets. Then another
angel, having a golden censer, came and stood
at the altar. He was given much incense, that
he should offer it with the prayers of all the
saints upon the golden altar which was before
the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with
the prayers of the saints, ascended before God
from the angel's hand. Then the angel took the
censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and
threw it to the earth. And there were noises,
thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake. So
the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared
themselves to sound. The first angel sounded,
and hail and fire followed, mingled with blood,
and they were thrown to the earth, and a third
of the trees were burned up, and all green grass
was burned up. Then the second angel sounded,
and something like a great mountain, burning
with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third
of the sea became blood, and a third of the living
creatures in the sea died, and a third of the
ships were destroyed. Then a third angel sounded,
and a great star fell from heaven, burning like
a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers
and on the springs of water. The name of the
star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became
Wormwood, and many men died from the water because
it was made bitter. Then a fourth angel sounded,
and a third of the sun was struck, a third of
the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a
third of them were darkened. A third of the day
did not shine, and likewise the night. And I
looked and I heard an angel flying through the
midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe,
woe, woe, to the inhabitants of the earth, because
of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the
three angels who are about to sound. Chapter
9 Then a fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star
fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given
the key to the bottomless pit. And he opened
the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the
pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the
sun and the air were darkened because of the
smoke of the pit. Then out of the smoke locusts
came upon the earth, and to them was given power,
as the scorpions of the earth have power. They
were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth,
or any green thing, or any tree, but only those
men who do not have the seal of God on their
foreheads, and they were not given authority
to kill them. but to torment them for five months.
Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion
when it strikes a man. In those days, men will
seek death and will not find it. They will desire
to die, and death will flee from them. The shape
of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle.
On their heads were crowns of something like
gold, and their faces were like the faces of
men. They had hair like women's hair, and their
teeth were like lion's teeth. And they had breastplates
like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their
wings was like the sound of chariots with many
horses running into battle. They had tails like
scorpions, and there were stings in their tails.
Their power was to hurt men five months. And
they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless
pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in
Greek he has the name Apollyon. One woe is past.
Behold, still two more woes are coming after
these things. Then a sixth angel sounded, and
I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden
altar which is before God, saying to the sixth
angel who had the trumpet, Release the four angels
who are bound at the great river Euphrates. So
the four angels who had been prepared for the
hour and day and month and year were released
to kill a third of mankind. Now the number of
the army of the horsemen was two hundred million.
i heard the number of them and thus i saw the
horses in the vision those who sat on them had
breastplates of fiery red hyacinth blue and sulphur
yellow and the heads of the horses were like
the heads of lions and out of their mouths came
fire smoke and brimstone By these three plagues
a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and
the smoke and the brimstone which came out of
their mouths. For their power is in their mouth
and in their tails, for their tails are like
serpents having heads, and with them they do
harm. But the rest of mankind who were not killed
by these plagues did not repent of the works
of their hands, that they should not worship
demons and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone,
and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor
walk. and they did not repent of their murders
or their sorceries or their sexual immorality
or their thefts. I hope you enjoyed today's reading
as much as I did and I look forward to seeing
you again tomorrow to continue on our journey.
God bless you and have a great day.