This Bible reading plan takes you through most of the Holy Scriptures each weekday of the year. Each day has three Bible readings:
You're welcome to read one, two, or all three of the readings every weekday. And if you fall behind, don't worry! You can either use the weekends to catch up or you can simply dive in to the reading for that day, even if you've missed a few days, weeks, or even months!
You can download a foldable bookmark here: 2026
13:1 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. 2 And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. 4 And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”
5 And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling,1 that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7 Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them.2 And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, 8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear:
10 If anyone is to be taken captive,
to captivity he goes;
if anyone is to be slain with the sword,
with the sword must he be slain.
Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.
11 Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence,3 and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. 13 It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, 14 and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of4 the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. 16 Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave,5 to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. 18 This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.6
[1] 13:6
[2] 13:7
[3] 13:12
[4] 13:14
[5] 13:16
[6] 13:18
(ESV)
Chosen Beforehand
Yesterday I picked up the latest copy of Bicycling magazine from the magazine rack in our house and read about the favorites in the Tour de France. It was interesting to read the article after the race was finished. The rivalry which was heralded on the front cover between Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador never materialized, due to some bad luck for Armstrong in the early stages of the race that cost him big chunks of time. The real battle in the Tour this year was between Contador and Schleck, who was also mentioned as a favorite, but was not really expected to win. Other favorites named included Bradley Wiggins, Cadel Evans and Dennis Menchov. Only one of those three finished on the Podium in Paris, so the writers for Bicycling were only half right about their top picks.
I'm sure it was nice for the riders who were chosen in advance to be GC contenders to read about themselves before the race even started, but it didn't change the outcome any. Writers can speculate all they want about who will do well, but the real race takes place on the roads of France and decides the winner.
There is one instance of being chosen beforehand that does make a difference, however. John tells us about it in Revelation 13:8: "All who dwell on earth will worship [the beast], everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain." John warns that all those who are not among the elect will succumb to the seduction of the beast's blasphemy. They will not endure until the end. But the chosen ones will stand firm until the end and exhibit faith and endurance that will allow them to experience eternity with the Lamb who was slain.
This verse makes clear the fact that our salvation is a gift of God's grace. We are not responsible for our own salvation. No, in fact, we were chosen "in [Christ] before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will." (Ephesians 1:4-5) Certainly, if God chose us before creation to be his own, then nothing we do could be the cause of, or contribute to our salvation. It is a pure gift of God's grace.
This is also a great source of comfort when life is full of tribulation and it's difficult to stand firm in the faith. We know that since we were chosen by God in advance, He will keep us safe in Christ unto eternal life. Our names were written in the Lamb's book of life before the foundation of the world.
There is actually some question whether that phrase (before the foundation of the world) should be connected with names written in the book of life or whether it refers to the Lamb who was slain. It really doesn't make any difference. Before creation God chose his Son to die for our sins and in eternity Christ consented to die in our place. As a result, it is as though he was slain before the foundation of the world. And at that same time, before the world began, God chose us in Christ to be holy and blameless through Christ, so that we could have eternal life with Him. The two go hand in hand, and because they do we need have no fear about the trials that may come before the end of time. God will preserve us safely to the end, because we were chosen and our names were written in the Lamb's book of life before time began.
So our situation is much better than that of the GC contender's in Bicycling magazine. Their pick didn't make a difference. Our being chosen beforehand assures us of eternal life in Christ. Praise God for his grace in saving us!
9:1 Then he cried in my ears with a loud voice, saying, “Bring near the executioners of the city, each with his destroying weapon in his hand.” 2 And behold, six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with his weapon for slaughter in his hand, and with them was a man clothed in linen, with a writing case at his waist. And they went in and stood beside the bronze altar.
3 Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub on which it rested to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writing case at his waist. 4 And the LORD said to him, “Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.” 5 And to the others he said in my hearing, “Pass through the city after him, and strike. Your eye shall not spare, and you shall show no pity. 6 Kill old men outright, young men and maidens, little children and women, but touch no one on whom is the mark. And begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the house. 7 Then he said to them, “Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain. Go out.” So they went out and struck in the city. 8 And while they were striking, and I was left alone, I fell upon my face, and cried, “Ah, Lord GOD! Will you destroy all the remnant of Israel in the outpouring of your wrath on Jerusalem?”
9 Then he said to me, “The guilt of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great. The land is full of blood, and the city full of injustice. For they say, ‘The LORD has forsaken the land, and the LORD does not see.’ 10 As for me, my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity; I will bring their deeds upon their heads.”
11 And behold, the man clothed in linen, with the writing case at his waist, brought back word, saying, “I have done as you commanded me.”
(ESV)
The clear indictment against Judah for her abominable idolatry is followed by a vision describing the execution of God's sentence. In Ezekiel's vision God summoned six "executioners," probably angelic "guards" (the meaning of the Hebrew word) who were watching over Jerusalem, but who would now execute God's wrath. With them was another figure clothed in linen and equipped for writing. God's glory then departed from above the cherubim in the Holy of Holies and rested on the Temple threshold, a sign that he was abandoning His house. God told the scribe to pass through the city and put a mark on everyone who mourned the idolatrous abominations that were taking place. The executioners were then ordered to follow him, killing everyone, young and old alike, who had not received the mark that would spare them. The similarities to the 10th plague in Egypt are obvious. The children of Israel were spared by the mark of the blood of the lamb on their houses. You may recall as well, the seal on the 144,000 in the book of Revelation (7:3-4). Some may question why even little children were not spared, but God's justice is perfect, and our feeble notions of justice are marred by sin. Besides, it would not be too great a thing for God who knows all, to discern which of those little ones would have engaged in idolatry when they were older. Judgment began with the elders who were in the temple courts, even as Peter warns us in 1 Peter 4:17: "For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God." The bodies of the slain were to intentionally defile the house of God, which had already been defiled by the idolatry practiced there. Ezekiel, upon seeing the magnitude of the slaughter, cried out to God to spare a remnant of His people Israel. God, however, responded by pointing out how exceedingly great was the idolatry in Jerusalem and the other sins and violence to which that idolatry led. The people of Judah thought that because God had forsaken the land, that He did not see. However, God saw every sinner who did not mourn the idolatry of God's people, and spared none of them. God sees everything, even our most secret sins. We too must repent of them and mourn over them if we want to be spared from God's righteous judgment.
17 Some were fools through their sinful ways,
and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;
18 they loathed any kind of food,
and they drew near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
20 He sent out his word and healed them,
and delivered them from their destruction.
21 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
22 And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!
23 Some went down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the great waters;
24 they saw the deeds of the LORD,
his wondrous works in the deep.
25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26 They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;
their courage melted away in their evil plight;
27 they reeled and staggered like drunken men
and were at their wits’ end.1
28 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
29 He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad that the waters2 were quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven.
31 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
(ESV)