From John to the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace be yours from God, who is, who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits in front of his throne,

I know your troubles; I know that you are poor---but really you are rich! I know the evil things said against you by those who claim to be Jews but are not; they are a group that belongs to Satan!

Don't be afraid of anything you are about to suffer. Listen! The Devil will put you to the test by having some of you thrown into prison, and your troubles will last ten days. Be faithful to me, even if it means death, and I will give you life as your prize of victory.

"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.

I have told you this so that you will have peace by being united to me. The world will make you suffer. But be brave! I have defeated the world!"

They strengthened the believers and encouraged them to remain true to the faith. "We must pass through many troubles to enter the Kingdom of God," they taught.

Since we are his children, we will possess the blessings he keeps for his people, and we will also possess with Christ what God has kept for him; for if we share Christ's suffering, we will also share his glory.

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.

To this very moment we go hungry and thirsty; we are clothed in rags; we are beaten; we wander from place to place;

when we are insulted, we answer back with kind words. We are no more than this world's garbage; we are the scum of the earth to this very moment!

You are always in my heart! And so it is only right for me to feel as I do about you. For you have all shared with me in this privilege that God has given me, both now that I am in prison and also while I was free to defend the gospel and establish it firmly.

But it was very good of you to help me in my troubles.

Do not be ashamed, then, of witnessing for our Lord; neither be ashamed of me, a prisoner for Christ's sake. Instead, take your part in suffering for the Good News, as God gives you the strength for it.

Take your part in suffering, as a loyal soldier of Christ Jesus.

An athlete who runs in a race cannot win the prize unless he obeys the rules.

Think about what I am saying, because the Lord will enable you to understand it all.

Because I preach the Good News, I suffer and I am even chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not in chains,

This is a true saying: "If we have died with him, we shall also live with him.

Because you have kept my command to endure, I will also keep you safe from the time of trouble which is coming upon the world to test all the people on earth.

Whoever is meant to be captured will surely be captured; whoever is meant to be killed by the sword will surely be killed by the sword. This calls for endurance and faith on the part of God's people."

This calls for endurance on the part of God's people, those who obey God's commandments and are faithful to Jesus.

Some people keep on doing good, and seek glory, honor, and immortal life; to them God will give eternal life.

Other people are selfish and reject what is right, in order to follow what is wrong; on them God will pour out his anger and fury.

We also boast of our troubles, because we know that trouble produces endurance,

endurance brings God's approval, and his approval creates hope.

But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

That is why we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God. We boast about the way you continue to endure and believe through all the persecutions and sufferings you are experiencing.

All of this proves that God's judgment is just and as a result you will become worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering.

May the Lord lead you into a greater understanding of God's love and the endurance that is given by Christ.

You need to be patient, in order to do the will of God and receive what he promises.

Be patient, then, my friends, until the Lord comes. See how patient farmers are as they wait for their land to produce precious crops. They wait patiently for the autumn and spring rains.

You also must be patient. Keep your hopes high, for the day of the Lord's coming is near.

and John has told all that he has seen. This is his report concerning the message from God and the truth revealed by Jesus Christ.

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.

When they finish proclaiming their message, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will fight against them. He will defeat them and kill them,

They won the victory over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the truth which they proclaimed; and they were willing to give up their lives and die.

The dragon was furious with the woman and went off to fight against the rest of her descendants, all those who obey God's commandments and are faithful to the truth revealed by Jesus.

I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "Don't do it! I am a servant together with you and with other believers, all those who hold to the truth that Jesus revealed. Worship God!" For the truth that Jesus revealed is what inspires the prophets.