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BACKGROUND FOR THIS EPISODE

(In Order of Appearance)

NEW TESTAMENT OF THE BIBLE:
  • Revelation 1:9 – I am John, your brother. In Jesus I share with you the trouble, the endurance, and the kingdom. I was on an island called Patmos. They put me there, because I proclaimed the message of God and the evidence about Jesus. 
  • Mark 1:16-20 – While Jesus was walking beside Lake Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were fishermen. They were throwing their nets into the lake. 17Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fishermen—of people!” 18Immediately, they left their nets and followed him. 19Jesus went a little farther and saw James and his brother, John. They were in a boat preparing their nets. They were sons of Zebedee. 20Suddenly, Jesus invited them, too. They left their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired workers. And they followed Jesus.
  • John 19:26-27 – Jesus saw his mother and the follower whom he loved standing there. He said to his mother, “Woman, look at your son.b” 27Then Jesus said to that follower, “Look at your mother.c” From that moment on, that follower accepted Mary as his own mother.
  • Acts 12:1-2 – During that same time, King Herod Agrippa I began to persecute some of the congregation. 2He ordered that James be killed with a sword. (James was the brother of John.) 
  • Revelation 1:10-11 – During the Lord’s day, I was in the Spirit. I heard a loud voice speaking behind me. It was like the sound from a trumpet. 11It said, “Write what you see in a scroll. Send it to these seven groups of God’s people: in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and in Laodicea.”
  • Luke 22:28-30 – “You have stayed with me through my many struggles. 29My Father has given me a kingdom. I also give you authority to rule with me. 30In my kingdom, you will eat and drink at my table. You will sit on thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel.”
  • Mark 3:17 – James, the son of Zebedee; John, James’ brother (Jesus gave them the name Boanerges; this means “sons of thunder.”).
  • I Corinthians 11:23-26 – I received from the Lord what I passed on to you: During the night that the Lord Jesus was betrayed, he took bread. 24Then he thanked God for it and broke off some of it. Jesus said, “This bread isd my body which I am giving for you. Eat this to remember me.” 25After supper, Jesus took a cup in the same way. He said, “This cup is the new covenant with God in my blood. Drink this to remember me. Every time you drink this, you will be remembering me.” 26Every time you eat this bread and drink from this cup, you are telling about the Lord Jesus’ death, until he returns.
  • I Corinthians 16:2a – Every Sunday,a each one of you must store something aside, saving up from what you have profited. 
  • Matthew 14:24, 33 – The boat was already a very long way from the shore. The waves were beating against the boat; they were heading into the wind…the wind stopped. 33They all worshiped him, saying, “You really are the Son of God!”
  • Revelation 1:9 – 3:22 – I am John, your brother. In Jesus I share with you the trouble, the endurance, and the kingdom. I was on an island called Patmos. They put me there, because I proclaimed the message of God and the evidence about Jesus. 10During the Lord’s day, I was in the Spirit. I heard a loud voice speaking behind me. It was like the sound from a trumpet. 11It said, “Write what you see in a scroll. Send it to these seven groups of God’s people: in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and in Laodicea.” 12I turned around to look at the voice which was talking to me. After I turned around, I saw seven golden lampstands. 13There was one like the Son of Manc among them. He was dressed with a very long robe. He wore a golden belt around his waist. 14His head and his hair were white, white like wool or like snow. His eyes were like the flame of a fire. 15His feet were like shining brass, when glowing in an oven. His voice was loud, like the rushing sound of much water. 16He had seven stars in his right hand. A sword, sharp on both edges, was coming out of his mouth. His face looked like the sun, when it shines its brightest. 17When I saw him, I fell down at his feet as if I were dead. Then he put his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. 18I am the one who is alive. I was dead, but, look, I am alive forever and ever! I have the keys to death and Hades.d 19So write the things which you saw, the things that are now and the things that are about to happen after the present time. 20This is the secret of the seven stars, which you saw on my right side, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the messengers of the seven groups of God’s people. And, the seven lampstands are the seven groups.” 1“Write this to the messenger of God’s people in Ephesus: The one who is holding the seven stars in his right hand, the one who is walking among the seven golden lampstands, says this…8“Write this to the messenger of God’s people in Smyrna: The one who is the First and the Last, who was dead and came back to life, says this…12“Write this to the messenger of God’s people in Pergamum: The one who has the sword which is sharp on both edges says…18“Write this to the messenger of God’s people in Thyatira: The Son of God, whose eyes are like the flame of a fire and whose feet are like shining brass, says…1“Write this to the messenger of God’s people in Sardis: The one who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars says this: ‘I know what you have done…7“Write this to the messenger of God’s people in Philadelphia: The one who is holy and true says this: ‘He has David’s key. He opens and no one closes; he closes and no one opens…14“Write this to the messenger of God’s people in Laodicea: The Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Source of God’s creation says this: 
  • Revelation 4:1-6 – Later, I looked and there was an open door in heaven. The voice which I had heard before was talking to me. It sounded loud, like a trumpet: “Come up here! I will show you things which must happen later.” 2Immediately, I was in the Spirit. Look, a throne was put there in heaven. One was sitting on it. 3He looked like jasper and carnelian, precious jewels. There was a rainbow around the throne. It looked like an emerald. 4There were 24 thrones around the main throne, and 24 elders were sitting on those thrones. They were dressed in white clothes.a They had golden crowns on their heads, too. 5Lightning, thunder, and rumblings came from the main throne. Seven lamps were burning in front of the throne. (They are the seven Spirits of God.) 6In front of the throne, there was something like a glass lake; it looked like crystal…
  • Revelation  4:8-11 – Day and night they never stopped saying this: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the all-powerful One; the One who was, who is, and who will be.” 9The four beings give glory, honor, and thanks to the One who is sitting on the main throne and who lives forever and ever. 10Then the 24 elders fall down in front of the One who is sitting on the throne. They worship the One who lives forever and ever. They lay their crowns before the main throne, saying:11“O Lord, our God, You are worthy to receive the glory, the honor, and the power, because You created everything. All things were created and they continue to exist because of Your will.”
  • Revelation 5:6-14 – Then I saw a Lamb standing there. It looked as though it had been killed. It was on the main throne and the four beings, surrounded by the elders. It had seven horns and seven eyes. (These are the seven Spirits of God sent to the whole earth.) 7It came and took the scroll from the right hand of the One who was sitting on the throne. 8When it did this, the four beings and the 24 elders fell down in front of the Lamb. Each of them had harps and golden bowls full of incense.c (These are the prayers of the holy people.) 9They sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were killed.You used your blood to buy back some people for God from every tribe, language, people, and nation. 10You changed them into a kingdom and priests for our God. They will rule over the earth.” 11I looked, and I heard the sound of many angels, the four beings, and the 24 elders around the main throne. The number of them was thousands of thousands and ten thousands of ten thousands. 12They shouted: “The Lamb who was killed is worthy to receive power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and praise!” 13And I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, and in the ocean, and everything that is in them. They said this: “The praise, the honor, the glory, and the power belong to the One who is sitting on the main throne and to the Lamb forever and ever!” 14The four beings said again and again, “Amen!” And the 24 elders fell down and worshiped.
  • Revelation 7:9-17 – Later, I looked and, behold, there was such a large crowd of people that no one could count them. They came from every nation, tribe, people, and language. They were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were dressed in white robes. Palm branches were in their hands. 10They shouted, “Salvation belongs to our God, the One who is sitting on the throne! Salvation belongs to the Lamb, too!” 11All the angels stood around the throne, around the 24 elders and the four beings. They fell down on their faces in front of the throne and worshiped God. 12They said, “Amen! The praise, the glory, the wisdom, the thanks, the honor, the power, and the strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen!” 13One of the elders asked me, “Who are those people dressed in white robes? Where did they come from?” 14I answered him, “Sir, you know!” He said to me, “They are the ones who came through the great trouble safely. Using the Lamb’s blood, they washed their robes to make them white. 15That is why they are in the presence of God’s throne. They worship God day and night in His temple sanctuary. The One who is sitting on the throne will spread His tent over them. 16They will never be hungry or thirsty. No heat or sun will burn them. 17The Lamb in the center of the throne will be a shepherdb to them. He will lead them to springs of freshc water. God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”d
  • Revelation 21:10-27 – In the Spirit, he carried me to a very tall mountain. He showed me the holy city, Jerusalem. It was coming down out of heaven from God. 11It had God’s glory. It was shining like a very valuable jewel—like a crystal-clear jasper stone. 12The city had a very high wall, with twelve gates and twelve angels at the gates. Each gate had the name of one tribe of the sons of Israel written on it. 13There were three gates on the east side. There were three gates on the north side. There were three gates on the south side. And, there were three gates on the west side. 14The wall of the city had twelve foundations. Each foundation had the name of one of the Lamb’s apostles. 15The angel who was speaking to me had a golden measuring stick for measuring the city, its gates, and its wall. 16The city was square-shaped; its width was the same as its length. The angel measured the city with the stick. The city was 12,000 stadiac long. It was 12,000 stadia high and 12,000 stadia wide. 17The angel measured the wall of the city. It was 144 cubitsd thick. (The angel was using the same measurement that a man would use.) 18The wall was made of jasper. The city was made of pure gold. (It was like pure glass!) 19Precious jewels were used to make the foundations of the city walls look more beautiful: The first foundation jewel was jasper. The second foundation jewel was sapphire. The third foundation jewel was chalcedony. The fourth foundation jewel was emerald. 20The fifth foundation jewel was onyx. The sixth foundation jewel was carnelian. The seventh foundation jewel was yellow quartz. The eighth foundation jewel was beryl. The ninth foundation jewel was topaz. The tenth foundation jewel was chrysoprase. The eleventh foundation jewel was turquoise. The twelfth foundation jewel was amethyst. 21The twelve gates were twelve pearls. Each gate was made of one pearl. The city’s street was made of pure gold, but you could see through it—like pure glass! 22I didn’t see a temple sanctuary in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple sanctuary! 23The city had no need for the sun or moon to shine on it—God’s glory gives it light, and the Lamb is the lamp of the city. 24The nations use its light to guide them. The kings of the earth add their splendor to it. 25There will be no day that its gates will ever be shut, because there is no night there. 26The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27Not a single unholy thing will enter the city. No person who is perverted will go in. Liars will not get in. The only people who will enter are the ones whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
  • Revelation 20:3 – Then the angel threw him into the bottomless pit. Then he shut the door and sealed it over the dragon, so that the dragon could not fool the nations anymore, until the 1,000 years were finished. After these things, the dragon must be released for a short time.
  • Luke 13:28 – You will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all of the prophets in God’s kingdom, but you will be ejected. Then you will scream and grind your teeth. 
  • Matthew 25:30 – Throw this useless slave outside into the dark.’ In that place, there will be screaming and grinding of teeth.”
  • Luke 16:24 – He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me! Send Lazarus to me, so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am suffering in this fire!’ 
  • Revelation 21:8 – However, people who are cowards, unbelievers, perverts, murderers, sexual sinners, those who follow occult practices, idol-worshipers, and all liars will be in the lake which burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”
  • Matthew 8:12 – Those who were sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into the dark. In that place there will be screaming and grinding of teeth.” 
  • Revelation 21:6-8 – God said to me, “It is done! I am the A and the Z,b the Beginning and the End. From the Spring of Life I will freely give water to the thirsty person. 7The person who is victorious will receive all these things. I will be his God. And, he will be My son. 8However, people who are cowards, unbelievers, perverts, murderers, sexual sinners, those who follow occult practices, idol-worshipers, and all liars will be in the lake which burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”
  • Revelation 22:1-5 – Then I saw a new sky and a new earth. The first sky and the first earth were gone. The ocean didn’t exist anymore, either. 2And, I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It was like a bride prepared for her husband-to-be; she was beautiful. 3And, I heard a loud voice coming from the throne. It said: “Look! God’s sanctuarya is among human beings. God will live with them. They will be His people. God Himself will be with them and He will be their God. 4And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. None of these things will exist anymore: death; sorrow; crying; pain. (Previous things have passed away.)” 5The One who was sitting on the throne said, “Listen, I am making everything new. Write this down, because these words are dependable and true.” 
  • Luke 16:22 – After a while, the poor man died. The angels took Lazarus and placed him in the arms of Abraham.b The rich man also died, and he was buried.
  • Hebrews 1:14 – All angels are serving spirits sent to help those who are on the verge of receiving salvation.
  • John 14:1-2 – “Don’t let your heart be troubled. You trust in God; trust in me, too. 2There are many rooms in my Father’s House. I would have told you, if that were not true. I am taking a trip to prepare a place for you. 
  • I John 3:2 – Dear friends, we are now children of God. It does not yet appear what we will be in the future. We know when Christ comes again, we will be like him. We will see him as he really is. 
  • Matthew 25:14-15 – “The kingdom of heaven will be like a man leaving on a trip. He called his servants and turned his property over to them. 15He gave five talentsa to one, two talents to one, and one talent to another. Each man received what he was able to manage. Then the man went on the trip. 
  • Luke 19:12-19 – “A very important man was preparing to go to a far-away country to be made a king. After that, the man planned to return home and rule. 13So, the man called ten of his servants together. He gave a gold coin to each servant. The man said, ‘Do business with this money until I come back.’ 14But the people in his kingdom hated the man. So, the people sent a group of their men to follow the man to Rome. There these men said, ‘We don’t want that man to rule over us!’ 15“However, he did become king. When he came home, he said, ‘Call those servants who have my money. I want to know how much more money they earned with it.’ 16The first servant came and said, ‘Sir, I earned ten gold coins with the coin you gave me!’ 17The king said to the servant, ‘Fine! You are a good servant. I see that I can trust you with small things. So now, I will let you have authority over ten of my cities!’ 18The second servant said, ‘Sir, with the one gold coin which belongs to you, I earned five coins!’ 19The king said to this servant, ‘You may rule over five cities!’
  • Revelation 7:17 – The Lamb in the center of the throne will be a shepherdb to them. He will lead them to springs of freshc water. God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”d
  • Revelation 22:7-21 – I, John, was the one who was hearing and seeing these things. When I heard them and saw them, I fell down at the feet of the angel who was showing me these things. I wanted to worship him, 9but he said to me, “Don’t do that! Worship God! I am only a fellow-servant like you, like your brothers the prophets, and like the people who obey the words of this book. 10Don’t seal up the words of the prophecy of this book. The right time is near. 11Let the person who does wrong continue to do wrong. Let the person with a dirty mind continue to think in a filthy way. Let the person who does right continue to do good things. Let the person who is holy continue to be holy.” 12Jesus says, “Listen! I am coming soon. The reward I have is with me. I will pay back each person according to the way he lived. 13I am the A and the Z,b the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” 14The people who wash their robes are happy. They will have the right to eat from the Tree of Life and the right to enter the city through the gates. 15But, outside the city, there are wild dogs, occult people, sexual sinners, murderers, idol-worshipers, and every person who always likes to tell a lie. 16Jesus says, “I, Jesus, sent my angel for you to tell the seven groups of God’s people the truth about these things. I am the Descendant from the family of David, the bright Morning Star.”c 17The Spirit and the bride are saying, “Come!” Let the person who is listening say, “Come!” Let the person who is thirsty come. Let him take as much of the living water as he wants. 18I am telling the truth to every person who is listening to the words of the prophecy of this book. If anyone adds more words to these words, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. 19And, if anyone takes away from the words of this prophetic book, God will take away that person’s share of the Tree of Life and of the holy city, which are described in this book. 20Jesus, the Witness, says these things: “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Lord Jesus, come! 21May the gracious love of the Lord Jesus be with everyone. Amen.
  • Revelation 1:1-7 – This book is what Jesus Christ revealed. God gave this revelation to Jesus to show to his servants the things which must happen soon. Jesus revealed it to John, his servant, sending it through his angel. 2John told the truth about the things he saw—the testimony of Jesus Christ and the message of God. 3Happy is the person who reads the words of this prophecy, listens to them, and obeys the things written here, because the right time is near.  4From John. To the seven groups in the land of Asiaa who have answered God’s call. The One who is, who was, and who will be sends gracious love and peace to you. So do the seven spirits who are in the presence of God’s throne. 5-6Gracious love and peace from Jesus Christ, too. He is the Faithful Witness, the first one to rise from death, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. May glory and power be his forever and ever. Amen! Jesus loves us. He bled, setting us free from our sins. He formed us into a kingdom. We are priests to God, his Father. 7“Look! He is coming with the clouds.” (Daniel 7:13) “Every eye will see him; even those who wounded him.” (Zechariah 12:10,12,14) Because of him, all people on earth will cry. Yes, amen! 8“I am the A and the Z”b says the Lord God. He is the One who is, who was, and who will be. He is all-powerful. Amen.
  • Matthew 11:28-30 [KJV] – 28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
  • I Thessalonians 4:16-17 – The Lord himself will come down from heaven with a command, with the voice of the angel leader, and with the sound of God’s trumpet. The dead people in Christ will be the first to rise from death. 17Then we who are still alive on earth will be gathered up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so, we will always be with the Lord. 
OLD TESTAMENT OF THE BIBLE:
  • Psalm 116:14-15 – In front of all His people, I will certainly give Yahweh what I promised.g 15The death of one who is faithful to Him is precious to Yahweh.
  • Isaiah 60:18 – There will be no more violence in your country. It will not be ruined or destroyed. And, you will name your walls ‘Salvation.’cc And, you will name your gates ‘Praise.’ ”

OTHER JESUS QUOTES IN THIS EPISODE

 

SPECIAL CHARACTERS APPEARING IN OTHER EPISODES

Season 1, Dream Maker, “Odyssey of Truth”

Season 2, Hearts Afire, “The Traitor”

Season 6, Shadow of Death, “Torch Flight”

Season 6, Shadow of Death, “Flag Ship”

Season 2, Hearts Afire, “Cloud Burst”

Season 3, Folk Hero, “Bread of Kingdom Life”

Season 2, Hearts Afire, “Empty Net Syndrome”

Season 8, Star Song, “Sister, Aunt, Forever Friend”

Season 4, Flood Gates, “Eye of the Storm”