He had a small scroll open in his hand. He put his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,

Abram answered, "I solemnly swear before the LORD, the Most High God, Maker of heaven and earth,

The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time,

"I make a vow by my own name---the LORD is speaking---that I will richly bless you. Because you did this and did not keep back your only son from me,

I will bring you to the land that I solemnly promised to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as your own possession. I am the LORD.' "

As surely as I am the living God, I raise my hand and I vow

Tell them what I am saying. When I chose Israel, I made them a promise. I revealed myself to them in Egypt and told them: I am the LORD your God.

So I made a vow in the desert that I would not take them to the land I had given them, a rich and fertile land, the finest land of all.

So I made another vow in the desert. I vowed that I would scatter them all over the world.

I brought them to the land I had promised to give them. When they saw the high hills and green trees, they offered sacrifices at all of them. They made me angry by the sacrifices they burned and by the wine they brought as offerings.

When I bring you back to Israel, the land that I promised I would give to your ancestors, then you will know that I am the LORD.

I, the Sovereign LORD, solemnly promise that the surrounding nations will be humiliated.

I solemnly promised your ancestors that I would give them possession of this land; now divide it equally among you.

The angel raised both hands toward the sky and made a solemn promise in the name of the Eternal God. I heard him say, "It will be three and a half years. When the persecution of God's people ends, all these things will have happened."

When God made his promise to Abraham, he made a vow to do what he had promised. Since there was no one greater than himself, he used his own name when he made his vow.

I am the living one! I was dead, but now I am alive forever and ever. I have authority over death and the world of the dead.

The four living creatures sing songs of glory and honor and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever. When they do so,

But you, LORD, are the true God, you are the living God and the eternal king. When you are angry, the world trembles; the nations cannot endure your anger.

"Our Lord and God! You are worthy to receive glory, honor, and power. For you created all things, and by your will they were given existence and life."

He said in a loud voice, "Honor God and praise his greatness! For the time has come for him to judge all people. Worship him who made heaven, earth, sea, and the springs of water!"

In the beginning, when God created the universe,

In six days I, the LORD, made the earth, the sky, the seas, and everything in them, but on the seventh day I rested. That is why I, the LORD, blessed the Sabbath and made it holy.

And then the people of Israel prayed this prayer: "You, LORD, you alone are LORD; you made the heavens and the stars of the sky. You made land and sea and everything in them; you gave life to all. The heavenly powers bow down and worship you.

For the LORD is a mighty God, a mighty king over all the gods.

He rules over the sea, which he made; the land also, which he himself formed.

Happy are those who have the God of Jacob to help them and who depend on the LORD their God,

Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from heaven, you that live in the heights above.

Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, shining stars.

Let them all praise the name of the LORD! He commanded, and they were created;

Praise the LORD from the earth, sea monsters and all ocean depths;

(You people must tell them that the gods who did not make the earth and the sky will be destroyed. They will no longer exist anywhere on earth.)

At his command the waters above the sky roar; he brings clouds from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning flash in the rain and sends the wind from his storeroom.

"Why are you doing this? We ourselves are only human beings like you! We are here to announce the Good News, to turn you away from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven, earth, sea, and all that is in them.

For as I walked through your city and looked at the places where you worship, I found an altar on which is written, 'To an Unknown God.' That which you worship, then, even though you do not know it, is what I now proclaim to you.

Ever since God created the world, his invisible qualities, both his eternal power and his divine nature, have been clearly seen; they are perceived in the things that God has made. So those people have no excuse at all!

Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl in the air. A loud voice came from the throne in the temple, saying, "It is done!"

The angel raised both hands toward the sky and made a solemn promise in the name of the Eternal God. I heard him say, "It will be three and a half years. When the persecution of God's people ends, all these things will have happened."