See my sisters’ blood and my brothers’
in my church in Egypt, in Sri Lanka, India,
and Pakistan, in South Sudan, in Nashville,
and Indonesia, China, Iraq and Louisiana,
Nigeria, North Korea, Iran, Syria
Somalia, Yemen, Eritrea.
Children dead for their faith
in One who died upon the cross
and rose on Easter morn.

Say a prayer for those who weep
and those who live in fear
of fires that rage in broad daylight,
of daughters stolen and sons tortured
families struck at will,
imprisoned or sold as slaves
because they kneel in worship
to the One who suffered on a cross,
gave them life that never ends
before the God of all.

See the blood? See the tears?
The story does not end here.
There is a judgment yet to come
when He who rose from the grave,
whose blood has saved each one,
returns to gather His own
and condemn His foes.

Christ has died,
Christ is risen,
Christ will come again!
Hallelujah! He is risen!
Glory and joy unending
for the church of the living God
purchased by His blood!
Maranatha

Revelation 22:1-8 (NIV)

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”