Thursday in Easter

1Verse 1. In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes, a Mede by descent, who was made ruler over the kingdom of the Chaldeans — 2Verse 2. in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the sacred books, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. 3Verse 3. So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and petition, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. 4Verse 4. And I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed, “O, Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of loving devotion to those who love Him and keep His commandments, 5Verse 5. we have sinned and done wrong. We have acted wickedly and rebelled. We have turned away from Your commandments and ordinances. 6Verse 6. We have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, leaders, fathers, and all the people of the land. 7Verse 7. To You, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but this day we are covered with shame— the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, and all Israel near and far, in all the countries to which You have driven us because of our unfaithfulness to You. 8Verse 8. O LORD, we are covered with shame — our kings, our leaders, and our fathers — because we have sinned against You. 9Verse 9. To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, even though we have rebelled against Him 10Verse 10. and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God to walk in His laws, which He set before us through His servants the prophets. 11Verse 11. All Israel has transgressed Your law and turned away, refusing to obey Your voice; so the oath and the curse written in the Law of Moses the servant of God has been poured out on us, because we have sinned against You. 12Verse 12. You have carried out the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing upon us a great disaster. For under all of heaven, nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. 13Verse 13. Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our iniquities and giving attention to Your truth. 14Verse 14. Therefore the LORD has kept the calamity in store and brought it upon us. For the LORD our God is righteous in all He does; yet we have not obeyed His voice. 15Verse 15. Now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and who made for Yourself a name renowned to this day, we have sinned; we have acted wickedly. 16Verse 16. O Lord, in keeping with all Your righteous acts, I pray that Your anger and wrath may turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all around us. 17Verse 17. So now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of Your servant. For Your sake, O Lord, cause Your face to shine upon Your desolate sanctuary. 18Verse 18. Incline Your ear, O my God, and hear; open Your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears Your name. For we are not presenting our petitions before You because of our righteous acts, but because of Your great compassion. 19Verse 19. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For Your sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people bear Your name.”

18Verse 18. Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19Verse 19. They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them belonged to us. 20Verse 20. You, however, have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 21Verse 21. I have not written to you because you lack knowledge of the truth, but because you have it, and because no lie comes from the truth. 22Verse 22. Who is the liar, if it is not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, who denies the Father and the Son. 23Verse 23. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well. 24Verse 24. As for you, let what you have heard from the beginning remain in you. If it does, you will also remain in the Son and in the Father. 25Verse 25. And this is the promise that He Himself made to us: eternal life.