1551 verses about Heaven

O Lord, Lord, King of the heavens, and Ruler of the whole creation, Holy among the holy, sole Governor, Almighty, give ear to us who are oppressed by a wicked and profane one, who exults in his confidence and strength.

Your dwelling place, the heaven of heavens, is indeed unapproachable to men.

Now this was an active interference of the unconquerable Providence which assisted the Jews from heaven.

Their litany so earnest went up to heaven.

Nevertheless, when they reflected upon the succour before granted them from heaven, they prostrated themselves with one accord; removed even the sucking children from the breasts, and

When the Jews saw this, they uttered a loud cry to heaven, so that the adjacent valleys resounded, and caused an irrepressible lamentation throughout the army.

Then the all-glorious, all-powerful, and true God, displayed his holy countenance, and opened the gates of heaven, from which two angels, dreadful of form, came down and were visible to all but the Jews.

Release the sons of the almighty living God of heaven, who from our ancestors’ times until now has granted a glorious and uninterrupted prosperity to our affairs.

For this cause we severely threatened them; yet, with the clemency which we are wont to extend to all men, we at length permitted them to live. Finding that the God of heaven cast a shield of protection over the Jews so as to preserve them, and that he fought for them as a father always fights for his sons;

And now, O father, behold with glory; and see the people that come from the east:

Their glory also will I take to me, and give these the everlasting tabernacles, which I had prepared for them.

They shall have the tree of life for an ointment of sweet savor; they shall neither labor, nor be weary.

Ask, and you⌃ shall receive: pray for few days to you, that they may be shortened: the kingdom is already prepared for you: watch.

Take heaven and earth to witness, take them to witness; for I have given up the evil, and created the good: for I live, says the Lord.

And those that be dead will I raise up again from their places, and bring them out from their tombs: for I have known my name in them.

For your help will I send my servants Esaias and Jeremy, after whose counsel I have sanctified and prepared for you twelve trees laden with various fruits,

and as many springs flowing with milk and honey, and seven mighty mountains, whereupon there grow roses and lilies, whereby I will fill your children with joy.

Flee the shadow of this world, receive the joyfulness of your glory: I call to witness my savior openly.

O receive that which is given you of the Lord, and be joyful, giving thanks to him that has called you to heavenly kingdoms.

Arise up and stand, and behold the number of those that be sealed in the feast of the Lord;

those who withdrew them from the shadow of the world have received glorious garments of the Lord.

Look upon your number, O Sion, and make up the reckoning of those of your that are clothed in white, which have fulfilled the law of the Lord.

I Esdras saw upon the mount Sion a great multitude, whom I could not number, and they all praised the Lord with songs.

And in the midst of them there was a young man of a high stature, taller than all the rest, and upon every one of their heads he set crowns, and was more exalted; whereat I marveled greatly.

He answered and said to me, These be those who have put off the mortal clothing, and put on the immortal, and have confessed the name of God: now are they crowned, and receive palms.

Then said I to the angel, What young man is he that sets crowns upon them, and gives them palms in their hands?

So he answered and said to me, It is the Son of God, whom they have confessed in the world. Then began I greatly to commend those who stood so stiffly for the name of the Lord.

And you led him into paradise, which your right hand did plant, before ever the earth came forward.

You bowed the heavens also, and did shake the earth, and movedst the whole world, and made the depths to tremble, and troubled the course of that age.

And he said to me, If I had asked you, saying, How many dwellings are there in the heart of the sea? or how many springs are there at the fountain head of the deep? or how many ways are above the firmament? or which are the outgoings of hell? or which are the paths of paradise?

perhaps you would say to me, I never went down into the deep, nor as yet into hell, neither did I ever climb up into heaven.

For like as the ground is given to the wood, and the sea to his waves, even so those who dwell upon the earth may understand nothing but that which is upon the earth: and he only that dwells above the heavens may understand the things that are above the height of the heavens.

Did not the souls of the righteous ask question of these things in their chambers, saying, How long are we here? when comes the fruit of the threshing time of our reward?

Then said I, no, Lord, that can it not. And he said to me, in the grave the chambers of souls are like the womb:

and of all the depths of the sea you have filled you one river: and of all built cities you have hallowed Sion to yourself:

before the voices of the thunder sounded and before the flashes of the lightning shone, or ever the foundations of paradise were laid,

and when the seal shall be set upon the world that is to pass away, then will I show these tokens: the books shall be opened before the firmament, and all shall see together:

And I said, O Lord, of a truth you spoke at the beginning of the creation, upon the first day, and said thus; Let heaven and earth be made; and your word perfected the work.

whoso then should desire to go into the sea to look upon it, or to rule it, if he went not through the narrow, how could he come into the broad?

Another thing also: There is a city built and set in a plain country, and full of all good things;

If this city now be given to a man for an inheritance, if the heir pass not the danger before him, how shall he receive his inheritance?

For the entrances of the greater world are wide and sure, and bring forth fruit of immortality.

If then those who live enter not these strait and vain things, they can never receive those that are laid up for them.

and why have you not considered in your mind that which is to come, rather than that which is present?

Then answered I and said, O Lord that bear rule, behold, you have ordained in your law, that the righteous should inherit these things, but that the ungodly should perish.

For behold, the time shall come, and it shall be, when these tokens, of which I told you before, shall come to pass, that the bride shall appear, even the city coming forth, and she shall be seen, that now is withdrawn from the earth.

And the earth shall restore those that are asleep in her, and so shall the dust those that dwell therein in silence, and the secret places shall deliver those souls that were committed to them.

and the work shall follow, and the reward shall be showed, and good deeds shall awake, and wicked deeds shall not sleep.

And the pit of torment shall appear, and near it shall be the place of rest: and the furnace of shall be showed, and near it the paradise of delight.

neither noon, nor night, nor dawn, neither shining, nor brightness, nor light, save only the splendor of the glory of the Most High, whereby all shall see the things that are set before them:

for it shall endure as it were a week of years.

And now I see, that the world to come shall bring delight to few, but torments to many.

for this cause the Most High has not made one world, but two.

So also is the judgement which I have promised: for I will rejoice over the few that shall be saved, inasmuch as these are those who have made my glory now to prevail, and of whom my name is now named.

And I answered and said, if I have found grace in your sight, O Lord, show this also to your servant, whether after death, even now when every one of us gives up his soul, we shall be kept in rest until those times come, in which you shall renew the creation, or whether we shall be tormented forthwith.

For you have a treasure of good works laid up with the Most High, but it shall not be showed you until the last times.

For concerning death the teaching is: When the determinate sentence has gone forth from the Most High that a man should die, as the spirit leaves the body to return again to him who gave it, it adores the glory of the Most High first of all.

The third way, they shall see the reward laid up for those who have believed the covenants of the Most High.

The fifth way, they shall see the dwelling places of the others guarded by angels, with great quietness.

Now this is the order of those who have kept the ways of the Most High, when they shall be separated from the corruptible vessel.

First of all they shall see with great joy the glory of him who takes them up, for they shall have rest in seven orders.

The fourth order, they understand the rest which, being gathered in their chambers, they now enjoy with great quietness, guarded by angels, and the glory that awaits them in the last days.

The fifth order, they rejoice, seeing how they have now escaped from that which is corruptible, and how they shall inherit that which is to come, while they see moreover the straitness and the painfulness from which they have been delivered, and the large room which they shall receive with joy and immortality.

The sixth order, when it is showed to them how their face shall shine as the sun, and how they shall be made like to the light of the stars, being henceforth incorruptible.

The seventh order, which is greater than all the aforesaid orders, because they shall rejoice with confidence, and because they shall be bold without confusion, and shall be glad without fear, for they hasten to behold the face of him whom in their lifetine they served, and from whom they shall receive their reward in glory.

This is the order of the souls of the just, as from henceforth is announcer to them, and aforesaid are the ways of torture which those who would not give heed shall suffer from henceforth.

And I answered and said, shall time therefore be given to the souls after they are separated from the bodies, that they may see that whereof you have spoken to me?

And he said, Their freedom shall be for seven days, that for seven days they may see the things whereof you have been told, and afterwards they shall be gathered together in their habitations.

He answered me, and said, This present world is not the end; the full glory remains not therein: therefore have they who were able prayed for the weak.

And that the glory of the Most High shall defend them which have led a pure life, whereas we have walked in the most wicked ways of all?

And that there shall be showed a paradise, whose fruit endures without decay, wherein is abundance and healing, but we shall not enter into it,

And he answered me, and said, The Most High has made this world for many, but the world to come for few.

O Lord, you that abidest forever, whose eyes are exalted, and whose chambers are in the air;

whose throne is inestimable; whose glory may not be comprehended; before whom the army of angels stand with trembling,

For the just, which have many good works laid up with you, shall for their own deeds receive reward.

but I will rejoice over the framing of the righteous, their pilgrimage also, and the salvation, and the reward, that they shall have.

For to you is paradise opened, the tree of life planted, the time to come is prepared, plenteousness is made ready, a city is built, and rest is allowed, goodness is perfected, wisdom being perfect beforehand.

sorrows are passed away, and in the end is showed the treasure of immortality.

but now see you the likeness of the woman no more, but there appeared to you a city in building:

This woman, whom you saw, is Sion, whom you now see as a city built;

For in the place wherein the city of the Most High was to be showed, the work of no man’s building could stand.

For you are blessed above many, and with the Most High are called by name, like as but few.

And I saw, and, behold, she spread her wings over all the earth, and all the winds of heaven blew on her, and the clouds were gathered together against her.

And I saw, and, behold, [this wind caused to come up from the midst of the sea as it were the likeness of a man, and I saw, and, behold,] that man flew with the clouds of heaven: and when he turned his countenance to look, all things trembled that were seen under him.

And after this I saw, and, behold, there was gathered together a multitude of men, out of number, from the four winds of heaven, to make war against the man that came out of the sea.

for those who were not left shall be in heaviness,

And Sion shall come, and shall be showed to all men, being prepared and built, like as you saw the mountain graven without hands.

And therefore have I showed you this; for there is a reward laid up with the Most High: and it shall be, after other three days I will speak other things to you, and declare to you mighty and wondrous things.

for you shall be taken away from men, and from henceforth you shall remain with my Son, and with such as be like you, until the times be ended.

They shall come to her, and compass her about; the star and all wrath shall they pour out upon her: then shall the dust and smoke go up to the heaven, and all those who are about her shall bewail her.

Who said, Let the earth be made; and it was made: Let the heaven be made; and it was made.

Who spreadeth out the heaven like a vault; upon the waters has he founded it.

and Appolonius going up with his armed force to the seizure of the treasure, —there appeared from heaven angels riding on horseback, all radiant in armor, filling them with much fear and trembling.

And Apollonius fell half dead upon the court which is open to all nations, and extended his hands to heaven, and implored the Hebrews, with tears, to pray for him, and propitiate the heavenly army.

My fathers shall receive me pure, not having quailed before your compulsion, though to death.

But raising his eyes on high to heaven, the old man’s flesh was stripped off by the scourges, and his blood streamed down, and his sides were pierced through.

And he being at length burned down to the bones, and about to expire, raised his eyes Godward, and said,

they who believe that to God they die not; for, as our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, they live to God.

But, as though transformed by fire into immortality, he nobly endured the rackings, saying

But I have come of my own accord, that by the death of me, you may owe heavenly vengeance a punishment for more crimes.