When he had contemplated this, an<n id="1" /> angel of the Lord<n id="2" /> appeared to him in a dream and said, &#8220;Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

<t /><p class="bodytext">After they had gone, an<n id="1" /> angel of the Lord<n id="2" /> appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, &#8220;Get up, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod<n id="3" /> is going to look for the child to kill him.&#8221;

He came a third time and said to them, &#8220;Are you still sleeping and resting?<n id="1" /> Enough of that!<n id="2" /> The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

<t /><p class="bodytext">While<n id="1" /> Jesus<n id="2" /> was in one of the towns,<n id="3" /> a man came<n id="4" /> to him who was covered with<n id="5" /> leprosy.<n id="6" /> When<n id="7" /> he saw Jesus, he bowed down with his face to the ground<n id="8" /> and begged him,<n id="9" /> &#8220;Lord, if<n id="10" /> you are willing, you can make me clean.&#8221;

Suddenly<n id="1" /> an angel of the Lord<n id="2" /> appeared, and a light shone in the prison cell. He struck<n id="3" /> Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, &#8220;Get up quickly!&#8221; And the chains fell off Peter&#8217;s<n id="4" /> wrists.<n id="5" />

Both Paul and Barnabas replied courageously,<n id="1" /> &#8220;It was necessary to speak the word of God<n id="2" /> to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy<n id="3" /> of eternal life, we<n id="4" /> are turning to the Gentiles.<n id="5" />

Do not be afraid of the things you are about to suffer. The devil is about to have some of you thrown<n id="1" /> into prison so you may be tested,<n id="2" /> and you will experience suffering<n id="3" /> for ten days. Remain faithful even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown that is life itself.<n id="4" />

&#8216;I know your deeds. (Look! I have put<n id="1" /> in front of you an open door that no one can shut.)<n id="2" /> I know<n id="3" /> that you have little strength,<n id="4" /> but<n id="5" /> you have obeyed<n id="6" /> my word and have not denied my name.

<t /><p class="bodytext">After these things I looked, and there was<n id="1" /> a door standing open in heaven!<n id="2" /> And the first voice I had heard speaking to me<n id="3" /> like a trumpet<n id="4" /> said: &#8220;Come up here so that<n id="5" /> I can show you what must happen after these things.&#8221;

So<n id="1" /> I looked<n id="2" /> and here came<n id="3" /> a pale green<n id="4" /> horse! The<n id="5" /> name of the one who rode it<n id="6" /> was Death, and Hades followed right behind.<n id="7" /> They<n id="8" /> were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill its population with the sword,<n id="9" /> famine, and disease,<n id="10" /> and by the wild animals of the earth.p>

<p class="bodytext">After these things I looked, and here was<n id="1" /> an enormous crowd that no one could count, made up of persons from every nation, tribe,<n id="2" /> people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb dressed in long white robes, and with palm branches in their hands.

<t /><p class="bodytext">Then<n id="1" /> I looked, and here was<n id="2" /> the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were one hundred and forty-four thousand, who had his name and his Father&#8217;s name written on their foreheads.