The wise leaders will shine with all the brightness of the sky. And those who have taught many people to do what is right will shine like the stars forever."

He said to me, "And now, Daniel, close the book and put a seal on it until the end of the world. Meanwhile, many people will waste their efforts trying to understand what is happening."

Many people will be purified. Those who are wicked will not understand but will go on being wicked; only those who are wise will understand.

Their eyes and ears will be open to the needs of the people.

They will not be impatient any longer, but they will act with understanding and will say what they mean.

The LORD Almighty says, "The time is coming when people from many cities will come to Jerusalem.

Many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to worship the LORD Almighty and to pray for his blessing.

It is the duty of priests to teach the true knowledge of God. People should go to them to learn my will, because they are the messengers of the LORD Almighty.

Jesus answered, "The knowledge about the secrets of the Kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.

"Do you understand these things?" Jesus asked them. "Yes," they answered.

So he replied, "This means, then, that every teacher of the Law who becomes a disciple in the Kingdom of heaven is like a homeowner who takes new and old things out of his storage room."

and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age."

Then he said to them, "These are the very things I told you about while I was still with you: everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the writings of the prophets, and the Psalms had to come true."

and said to them, "This is what is written: the Messiah must suffer and must rise from death three days later,

They were annoyed because the two apostles were teaching the people that Jesus had risen from death, which proved that the dead will rise to life.

But many who heard the message believed; and the number grew to about five thousand.

When he found him, he took him to Antioch, and for a whole year the two met with the people of the church and taught a large group. It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.

Paul and Barnabas preached the Good News in Derbe and won many disciples. Then they went back to Lystra, to Iconium, and on to Antioch in Pisidia.

As the Lord's servant, you must not quarrel. You must be kind toward all, a good and patient teacher,

who is gentle as you correct your opponents, for it may be that God will give them the opportunity to repent and come to know the truth.

"People will hand over their own brothers to be put to death, and fathers will do the same to their children; children will turn against their parents and have them put to death.

"You will indeed drink from my cup," Jesus told them, "but I do not have the right to choose who will sit at my right and my left. These places belong to those for whom my Father has prepared them."

"Then you will be arrested and handed over to be punished and be put to death. Everyone will hate you because of me.

You will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time will come when those who kill you will think that by doing this they are serving God.

He had James, the brother of John, put to death by the sword.

When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he went ahead and had Peter arrested. (This happened during the time of the Festival of Unleavened Bread.)

For it seems to me that God has given the very last place to us apostles, like people condemned to die in public as a spectacle for the whole world of angels and of human beings.

and it is for this reason that I suffer these things. But I am still full of confidence, because I know whom I have trusted, and I am sure that he is able to keep safe until that Day what he has entrusted to me.

As for me, the hour has come for me to be sacrificed; the time is here for me to leave this life.

put out fierce fires, escaped being killed by the sword. They were weak, but became strong; they were mighty in battle and defeated the armies of foreigners.

I am John, your brother, and as a follower of Jesus I am your partner in patiently enduring the suffering that comes to those who belong to his Kingdom. I was put on the island of Patmos because I had proclaimed God's word and the truth that Jesus revealed.

I know where you live, there where Satan has his throne. You are true to me, and you did not abandon your faith in me even during the time when Antipas, my faithful witness, was killed there where Satan lives.

Then the Lamb broke open the fifth seal. I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed because they had proclaimed God's word and had been faithful in their witnessing.

"I don't know, sir. You do," I answered. He said to me, "These are the people who have come safely through the terrible persecution. They have washed their robes and made them white with the blood of the Lamb.

It was allowed to fight against God's people and to defeat them, and it was given authority over every tribe, nation, language, and race.

"Listen, then, if you have ears!

And I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God's people and the blood of those who were killed because they had been loyal to Jesus. When I saw her, I was completely amazed.