Ezek. 38

38:1 The Lord’s message came to me: 2“Son of man, turn toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. Prophesy against him 3and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look, I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. 4I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and bring you out with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all of them fully armed, a great company with shields of different types, all of them armed with swords. 5Persia, Ethiopia, and Put are with them, all of them with shields and helmets. 6They are joined by Gomer with all its troops and by Beth Togarmah from the remote parts of the north with all its troops—many peoples are with you.

7“‘Be ready and stay ready, you and all your companies assembled around you, and be a guard for them. 8After many days you will be summoned; in the latter years you will come to a land restored from the ravages of war, from many peoples gathered on the mountains of Israel that had long been in ruins. Its people were brought out from the peoples, and all of them will be living securely. 9You will advance; you will come like a storm. You will be like a cloud covering the earth, you, all your troops, and the many other peoples with you.

10“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On that day thoughts will come into your mind, and you will devise an evil plan. 11You will say, “I will invade a land of unwalled towns; I will advance against those living quietly in security—all of them living without walls and barred gates— 12to loot and plunder, to attack the inhabited ruins and the people gathered from the nations, who are acquiring cattle and goods, who live at the center of the earth.” 13Sheba and Dedan and the traders of Tarshish with all its young warriors will say to you, “Have you come to loot? Have you assembled your armies to plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to haul away a great amount of spoils?”’

14“Therefore, prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On that day when my people Israel are living securely, you will take notice 15and come from your place, from the remote parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a vast army. 16You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud covering the earth. In future days I will bring you against my land so that the nations may acknowledge me, when before their eyes I magnify myself through you, O Gog.

17“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Are you the one of whom I spoke in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days that I would bring you against them? 18On that day, when Gog invades the land of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord, my rage will mount up in my anger. 19In my zeal, in the fire of my fury, I declare that on that day there will be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. 20The fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the wild beasts, all the things that creep on the ground, and all people who live on the face of the earth will shake at my presence. The mountains will topple, the cliffs will fall, and every wall will fall to the ground. 21I will call for a sword to attack Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign Lord; every man’s sword will be against his brother. 22I will judge him with plague and bloodshed. I will rain down on him, his troops, and the many peoples who are with him a torrential downpour, hailstones, fire, and brimstone. 23I will exalt and magnify myself; I will reveal myself before many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’

Ps. 99

99:1 The Lord reigns!

The nations tremble.

He sits enthroned above the cherubim;

the earth shakes.

2The Lord is elevated in Zion;

he is exalted over all the nations.

3Let them praise your great and awesome name.

He is holy!

4The king is strong;

he loves justice.

You ensure that legal decisions will be made fairly;

you promote justice and equity in Jacob.

5Praise the Lord our God.

Worship before his footstool.

He is holy!

6Moses and Aaron were among his priests;

Samuel was one of those who prayed to him.

They prayed to the Lord and he answered them.

7He spoke to them from a pillar of cloud;

they obeyed his regulations and the ordinance he gave them.

8O Lord our God, you answered them.

They found you to be a forgiving God,

but also one who punished their sinful deeds.

9Praise the Lord our God!

Worship on his holy hill,

for the Lord our God is holy.

Heb. 9:11–28

9:11 But now Christ has come as the high priest of the good things to come. He passed through the greater and more perfect tent not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, 12and he entered once for all into the Most Holy Place not by the blood of goats and calves but by his own blood, and so he himself secured eternal redemption. 13For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow sprinkled on those who are defiled consecrated them and provided ritual purity, 14how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our consciences from dead works to worship the living God.

15And so he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the eternal inheritance he has promised, since he died to set them free from the violations committed under the first covenant. 16For where there is a will, the death of the one who made it must be proven. 17For a will takes effect only at death, since it carries no force while the one who made it is alive. 18So even the first covenant was inaugurated with blood. 19For when Moses had spoken every command to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats with water and scarlet wool and hyssop and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that God has commanded you to keep.” 21And both the tabernacle and all the utensils of worship he likewise sprinkled with blood. 22Indeed according to the law almost everything was purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. 23So it was necessary for the sketches of the things in heaven to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves required better sacrifices than these. 24For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands—the representation of the true sanctuary—but into heaven itself, and he appears now in God’s presence for us. 25And he did not enter to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the sanctuary year after year with blood that is not his own, 26for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the consummation of the ages to put away sin by his sacrifice. 27And just as people are appointed to die once, and then to face judgment, 28so also, after Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many, to those who eagerly await him he will appear a second time, not to bear sin but to bring salvation.