God is the one who made these kings all think alike and decide to give their power to the beast. And they will do this until what God has said comes true.
Because King Artaxerxes was so kind, Ezra said: Praise the LORD God of our ancestors! He made sure that the king honoured the LORD's temple in Jerusalem.
The angel then raised both hands towards heaven and said, “In the name of the God who lives for ever, I solemnly promise that it will be a time, two times, and half a time. Everything will be over, when the suffering of God's holy people comes to an end.”
I am not talking about all of you. I know the ones I have chosen. But what the Scriptures say must come true. And they say, “The man who ate with me has turned against me!”
The soldiers said to each other, “Let's not rip it apart. We will gamble to see who gets it.” This happened so that the Scriptures would come true, which say, “They divided up my clothes and gambled for my garments.” The soldiers then did what they had decided.
After this, I looked at the sky and saw something else that was strange and important. Seven angels were bringing the last seven terrible troubles. When these are ended, God will no longer be angry.
Then the angel told me, “Put this in writing. God will bless everyone who is invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” The angel also said, “These things that God has said are true.”
Then each of those who had been killed was given a white robe and told to rest for a little while. They had to wait until the complete number of the Lord's other servants and followers would be killed.