“Look! I am the One! There is no other God except me. I put some people to death. I bring others to life. I have wounded, and I will heal. No one can save you from my power.
“Go back and speak to Hezekiah. He is the ruler of my people. Tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of King David, says, “I have heard your prayer. I have seen your tears. And I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to my temple.
The king of Israel read the letter. As soon as he did, he tore his royal robes. He said, “Am I God? Can I kill people and bring them back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be healed of his skin disease? He must be trying to pick a fight with me!”
You are the one and only Lord. You made the heavens. You made even the highest heavens. You created all the stars in the sky. You created the earth and everything on it. And you made the oceans and everything in them. You give life to everything. Every living being in heaven worships you.
He said, “I am the Lord your God. Listen carefully to me. Do what is right in my eyes. Pay attention to my commands. Obey all my rules. If you do, I will not send on you any of the sicknesses I sent on the Egyptians. I am the Lord who heals you.”
“Now put it back into your coat,” the Lord said. So Moses put his hand back into his coat. When he took it out, the skin was healthy again. His hand was like the rest of his skin.
The moon will shine like the sun. And the sunlight will be seven times brighter than usual. It will be like the light of seven full days. That will happen when the Lord bandages and heals the wounds and bruises he has brought on his people.
Who has made that happen? Who has carried it out? Who has created all the people who have ever lived? I, the Lord, have done it. I was with the first of them. And I will be with the last of them.”
“People of Israel, you are my witnesses,” announces the Lord. “I have chosen you to be my servant. I wanted you to know me and believe in me. I wanted you to understand that I am the one and only God. Before me, there was no other god at all. And there will not be any god after me.
I have made known what would happen. I saved you. I have told you about it. I did this. It was not some other god you worship. You are my witnesses that I am God,” announces the Lord.
The Lord created the heavens. He is God. He formed the earth and made it. He set it firmly in place. He didn’t create it to be empty. Instead, he formed it for people to live on. He says, “I am the Lord. There is no other Lord.
I will continue to carry you even when you are old. I will take good care of you even when your hair is gray. I have made you, and I will carry you. I will take care of you, and I will save you. I am the Lord.
So prophesy. Tell them, ‘The Lord and King says, “My people, I am going to open up your graves. I am going to bring you out of them. I will take you back to the land of Israel.
I will be like a lion to Ephraim. I will attack Judah like a powerful lion. I will tear them to pieces. I will drag them off. Then I will leave them. No one will be able to save them.
So Jacob’s people will be scattered among many nations. They will be like a lion among the animals in the forest. They’ll be like a young lion among flocks of sheep. Lions attack and tear apart their prey as they move along. No one can keep them from killing what they want.
I told you that you would die in your sins. This will happen if you don’t believe that I am he. If you don’t believe, you will certainly die in your sins.”
So I want you to realize that the Lord your God is God. He is the faithful God. He keeps his covenant for all time to come. He keeps it with those who love him and obey his commandments. He shows them his love.
You will roll them up like a robe. They will be changed as a person changes clothes. But you remain the same. Your years will never end.” (Psalm 102:25–27)
The voice said, “Write on a scroll what you see. Send it to the seven churches in Asia Minor. They are Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”
“Here is what I command you to write to the church in Smyrna. Here are the words of Jesus, who is the First and the Last. He is the one who died and came to life again. He says,