St Matthew, Chapter 17, verse: 13, The Vision: John the Baptist.

Our paragraph topic is:  (On the coming of Elias) Part 5. 

The disciples had questions that needed to be answered.  Jesus knew that they were puzzled.  He had told them to speak to no one about the vision.  Yet their minds were abuzz with all the questions that they needed to have answered in order to make sense of what they witnessed.  They had heard the voice of God speaking to them, telling them to hear Christ and to listen to him, to listen to what he had to say.  They listened and now they had questions.  And Christ spoke to them about the questions that they had.

They needed to make sense of all they understood.  The disciples needed closure.  They needed understanding.  They needed clarity.  They needed focus.  And Christ intended that they should have focus, to have clarity, on all things in due time.  For the time had not yet come for the sacrifice.  The time had not yet come for the lamb to be slaughtered.  And the time had not yet come for the disciples to take their place as the teachers and leaders of Christ, giving witness to his divinity.  Indeed Elias had come, and all things were being prepared for the coming of the Lord.  So, the disciples were right in seeking to know the truth.  They were right in seeking to know of the coming of Elias.  And with that truth, they understood.  Now they knew.  Now they could make sense of all that had transpired.    Then the disciples understood that he had spoken to them of  John the Baptist.  

They understood.  They knew.  They had clarity of what had happened and what would happen.  Do we understand what has happened?  Do we understand what has transpired?  We all have to make sense of our world to ourselves.  We live in this world and it has to make sense to us in order for us to function in it.  There is much that goes on around us and we have to find some way to understand all that we experience.  If we do not understand then we do not accept and acceptance is the key to helping us as human beings survive in this world. 

It is amazing that in this world that we live in, our lives are dictated by our environment.  We see, we hear, we smell, we touch, and we believe what is given to us by the world, by our environment.  Different people live in different environments and sometimes those different environments cross, intersect and become one.  But it is the environment that determines who we are, who we become, and what we believe.  There are common threads that cross most environmental boundaries that are common to our experience of the world.  We believe in, a god, a higher power, a higher transcendence, something that is greater than ourselves that helps us to know that there is good in the world despite all the evil, and violence, and pain, and suffering in the world.  Our belief in a god helps us to believe that there is something good that prevails over all.

Despite our belief in the good in the world, we do not believe in the evil in the world.  We do not hold fast to the belief that evil affects, influences, causes, or has real impact on our way of life.  Instead we believe that people make decisions to do evil acts, commit violence, cause pain and suffering in the world.  Yet there is an overall good God or something, that helps us believe in the good nature of the world.  But we do not believe that there is an overall evil in the world that causes us to do evil.  And there in lies the subtlety of evil, not to be known but to still have influence. 

To those who know and are aware of the evil, they are awake.  But to those who do not know and are not aware, they are still asleep.  And when one awakes there is still the need for understanding, the need to make sense, the need to know for certain that there is good in the world.  Some believe without knowing.  Some live their lives thinking that they know and yet do not know.  And with that half belief they are open to falling asleep again.  For one must know for certain.  One must have a knowledge of the truth.  One must see through different eyes the world around us and the influence of evil in it to be truly awake. 

I was asleep.  I was lost.  I was dreaming a dream of my own desires led by the beliefs fed to me by the world and the evil therein.  I was unknowing and yet lived my life thinking that I knew.  And that half knowledge led me down the path of destruction and back to sleep again in the world.  Today I know.  Today I see.  Today I have something real to go to in times of need, in times of pain, in times of temptation, in times of joy, and in times of sorrow.  For he was given to me a guide.  He was given to me a protector.  He was given to me eyes to see the way.  And I walk a different path, very thankful that it has been given to me.  Come!  Walk the path with me.  Walk a different path that you may know the truth of who you are in Christ.  He awaits you.  He seeks you.  He desires to know you.  And the Holy Spirit will be with you, to guide you along the way.  Your treasure awaits.  Come! Follow the path.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.  

St Matthew, Chapter 17, verse: 12, The Vision: The Suffering of Elias and the Son of Man.

Our paragraph topic is:  (On the coming of Elias) Part4. 

The conversation was ongoing as they returned from the mountaintop.  The questions were still in their minds as to what they had been taught all these years about the coming of Elias and the great and dreadful day of the Lord.  Was that day upon them?  Was Elias about to appear?  Would the Lord bring down fire upon the proud and wealthy?  These were the questions that weighed upon them as they returned from the place where they had witnessed the miracle, the vision of Christ, the vision of Elias and Moses.

Christ had forbidden them to talk about it.  He had told them not to speak of it to anyone until the sacrifice was complete and he had risen from the dead.  But they needed answers so they continued to worry, continued to ponder what they would do, continued to think about all the things that were going to happen at the end.  To quiet their minds Christ had to speak with them.  Christ had to address their issues.  Christ had to put to rest the state of things to come.  So he told them:  "But I say to you that Elias has come already, and they did not know him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also shall the Son of Man suffer at their hands."       

The disciples were expecting fire and brimstone.  They were expecting judgment to come.  They were on high alert as to the coming of Elias and the final judgment.  Yet Elias had already come and they did not know, they were not aware.  Where are we today?  Do we expect the world to come to an end tomorrow?  Are we prepared for the final call?  Have we made ourselves ready?

These are the questions that we should be asking ourselves.  Are we ready?  Yet being ready is the last thing on our minds.  We are more concerned about what we are going to wear tomorrow, how we look, wish we could hit the lottery so we could live a life of luxury.  Our thoughts are about playing, and texting, and gaming, and sex and lust, and the voice and American Idol, and who can dance, all the things that we are given by our society.  We are not concerned about dying, and what happens after death and being prepared, and the joy of heaven.  These things are not given to us by the society we live in.  The world does not want us to think about those things until it is too late and then we loose our souls as a result of not knowing, not thinking, not believing.

Elias had already come.  And they did to him whatever they wished.  And they will do to you what ever they wish unless we wake up.  Christ suffered that we might have life.  He did not come and suffer so that we would be lost.  And yet many are.  Many are unaware of who they are and it is up to those who do know to be an example for them.  It is up to those who do know to turn from the ways of the world and be a light unto the darkness.  First we must become a light.  We must open our hearts to the first light, the original light, the light that is and was and always will be that we may know that we are children of that light.  Because it is through Him and with Him that we are.  And it is with Him that we are complete and all our needs and desires are fulfilled.  For there is nothing else or no other, or nothing in this world that will complete us except the one true God, our Father.  

Come!  Know the truth of who you are in Christ.  A path has been given me to pass on to those who want to know, to those who desire, to those who will light up the world like a beacon in the night.  Christ will come to you.  The Holy Spirit will guide you.  And I will walk with you along the way.  I am but a humble light in the darkness, shining so that others may see the light.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.  

St Matthew, Chapter 17, verse: 11, The Vision: Elias and the Restoration.

Our paragraph topic is:  (On the coming of Elias) Part 3.  

The disciples posed a question to Christ about the teachings of the Pharisees. They were taught that Elias must come first before the end. They believed that when Elias comes then the end is near.  There was conflict in their minds.  There was an understanding that needed to be had that was not forthcoming.  There was a sense of things that needed to be made sense of and they did not have that sense of knowing.   After seeing the vision of Christ with Moses and Elias they needed to have a sense of understanding.  As they came down from the mountain it all began to hit them as to what they had seen and heard.

It was a puzzling experience.  The voice of God the Father said to them that they should hear Christ.  In their efforts to hear him, they had to make sense of what they had heard and seen and experienced.  For this reason they believed that the great and dreadful day of the Lord was upon them.  They were taught that the Lord would bring fire upon the proud and the wicked upon that day.  On that day fire would be set to the wicked and there would be no root or branch but only dust.  And those who fear the Lord shall tread down the wicked and leap like calves of the heard.  These were the thoughts of the disciples as they tried to make sense of what they had experienced.  And they were in fear of the coming of that day and the coming of Elias.  So they asked Jesus, if that day was upon them, where was Elias.  But he answered and said, "Elias" indeed is to come and will restore all things."   

People today would describe fear and False Evidence Appearing Real.  In other words, our emotional reaction is based upon false evidence that is not real but only appears real.  And our reaction to that evidence is not justified.  We live in a world where our fears are minimized.  We are led to believe that we should not be afraid, that we should not fear being robbed, or raped, or shot by a stranger or bombed by a terrorist.  We are led to believe that we should live free of fear and terror and danger and unexpected events that would cause us harm.  We believe in a free society, protected from the danger.  In other parts of the world freedom is not so espoused as in the USA. 

We go about our lives without the fear of the Lord and the coming judgment.  God is love and his love fulfills all our needs.  We search, in this world, for those things that would fulfill us and make us happy but we discover that, that fulfillment is only temporary.  Even love, as we know it, is temporary.  Because our love is based in the physical realm it is only temporary.  Spiritual love is everlasting and comes from God, for he is love.  He fulfills all and completes the need and desire for love.  Yet we live in a society, in a world, that would have us believe that we can have the desires of our hearts.  We live in a world that would have us believe that we are protected and provided for through our own efforts.  We have nothing to fear.  We should live and love and enjoy and have fun to satisfy our hearts desires and pleasures.  And there is nothing to fear, there is no fear of the Lord's judgment.

Our God is a God of love and he loves us because he created us in his image and likeness, an image of love.  To protect us and to provide for us he gave us the commandments to keep us from harm.  For he is the ultimate judge.  Before Adam and Eve sinned God proclaimed that they should not eat of the forbidden fruit.  And if they did then they would die.  Satan tempted them, based upon the logic of the physical mind, into believing that they would not die even though he knew that they would lose their souls and die spiritually.  And the judgment was final.  Only a propitiation would annul the punishment and bring back the spiritual life that was lost.  God is love and he loves mankind.  But there is evil in the world that would have man die spiritually and loose his soul forever.

Christ became the sacrifice in order to annul the sin and give back spiritual life eternal.  Do you know the truth of who you are in Christ?  Do you know the truth of who you are spiritually?  There is a gift waiting for you.  Come, you can discover who you really are, only if you look.  Christ wants you to know who you are.  The Holy Spirit wants to live with you, guide you, protect you, provide for you.  Come!  Seek the truth of who you are in Christ.  Christ loves you and so do I.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in!

St Matthew, Chapter 17, verse: 10, The Vision: The coming of Elias.

Our paragraph topic is:  (On the coming of Elias) Part 2.  

They had witnessed the vision of Christ.  They had seen the vision of Moses and Elias.  They were puzzled by what they had seen and what they had heard.   And yet the disciples knew that they had witnessed a great miracle.  God the Father had spoken to them.  He had  instructed the disciples to listen and hear his son.  He had given them the proof that they needed to believe in Christ through the visions they had witnessed.  So they pondered within their minds the answers as to what they had seen and heard.  But Christ warned them not to speak of it.  He told them not to say what they had seen and heard until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

The sacrifice had to be completed.  The mission had to be finished.  The debt had to be paid so that mankind would be redeemed.  And what they had witnessed must be kept secret until that time.  The disciples were puzzled.  There were questions in their minds.  There were burning answers that needed solutions.  And they did not know how to proceed without answers to those questions.  For they had been taught from childhood by the Pharisees the scriptures of their religion.  They had been drilled as to the passages and the words that were passed down from old.  So they questioned Christ as to the correctness of what they had learned.   And the disciples asked him, saying, " Why then do the Scribes say that Elias must come first? "

Christ had taken three of his disciples up to the mountain that they may experience for themselves the truth of who he was.  He wanted them to know with all certainty that he was the Messiah, the Son of the Father.  So they were there to witness for themselves what they would hold within until the sacrifice had been made and the mission completed.  They asked for understanding.  They sought to know the truth of what they were taught and what they believed.  Christ spoke to them about the raising from the dead, an expression that they did not understand.  And today we ask that same question.

Will we die at the end our last days on earth?  Will we sleep for an eternity when our time comes, only to be awakened at the final call?  What will happen in the end?  Do we go to heaven now and wait for the final judgment to come?  Many have gone beyond death and returned to tell of what lies beyond.  Many have experienced the horrors of hell and come back to warn us of what we will face if we continue in our evil ways.  Does that deter us?  Does that turn us around?  There are many lost souls in the world that do not know the truth.  The message is out there.  We hear it being proclaimed in the background but do not listen.  We have some knowledge of what we are to do to avoid judgment but fail to do it.  We are weak.  We are misled.  We are influenced by the temptations of the world, born into a world destined to lead us away from the truth.

Looking back  on my life, I was lost.  I was misled.  I was caught up in the whirlwind of the world thinking that I had to compete, I had to succeed, I had to win the prize.  Little did I know that I was on the road to destruction.  And if I continued on that road, I would loose my soul and the life that had been given me by the sacrifice made by Christ.  I am grateful that he held on to me.  I am thankful that he gave me life.  I am blessed that he did not give up on me.  Now I know who I am.  Now I have found my treasure.  Now I know with certainty that I am a child of God and my father loves me.  And now I can see me through the veil of the physical and know me for who I am. 

If you are reading this message, come follow the path that is laid before you.  You will find peace.  You will find joy.  You will find happiness.  And you will find the truth of who you are in Christ, here and now.  Be certain.  Be knowing.  Be loved.  Christ loves you, the Holy Spirit will lead you, and God the Father will protect you.  May the gift of God be in your heart.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in!  

St Matthew, Chapter 17, verse: 9, The Vision: Jesus Cautioned them

Our paragraph topic is:   (On the coming of Elias) Part 1. 

They had been to the mountain top and back.  They had seen a  vision.  The disciples had witnessed the transfiguration of Christ.  They saw Moses and Elias, their great leaders.  What were they to believe?  What were they to do?  What they to say?  They were filled with excitement.  They were filled with joy.  And then they heard the voice of God the Father speaking to them about his son, Jesus Christ.  Their minds and their bodies were filled with the good news that they were going to share with their fellow disciples and all of their brothers and sisters in Christ.

They were in a state of ecstasy.  How would you feel?  What would you think?  What would you say if you had such a vision?  Who would believe you?  What would people say if you told such a thing?  Would they believe you?  Would they criticize you?  Would they call you crazy?  Would they stone you or behead you or put you in a cell and throw away the key?  Would they believe that you have lost it and live in a fantasy world of make believe?  But you are a disciple of Christ and the people need to know what happened to you.  Christ warned his disciples not to speak of the vision until after the sacrifice.   And as they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus cautioned them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one, till the Son of Man has risen from the dead."

People do not believe in visions today.  You have to be crazy or out of touch with society when you talk about seeing things that are out of the ordinary, things that others have not seen.  And when you tell someone the things that you have seen, you have to have some sort of proof for them to believe that you have witnessed these things.  They will not believe without the proof.  You will be laughed at, ridiculed, called names, isolated, and made to feel different from everyone else.  And who wants to be different?  Who wants to be alone and outside? 

This is why Christ told his disciples to tell no one of the vision.  He did not want them to face the ridicule and scorn of the enemy.  For evil was lurking in the shadows, waiting for every opportunity to pounce upon the disciples and scatter them to the four winds.  The enemy was waiting for the opportunity to belittle the disciples and to decrease their influence among the people so that the people would not follow Christ.  So he told them not to talk of it.  He told them to keep it among themselves until the sacrifice was made.  He told them not to share it with anyone until they had proof of his resurrection from the dead.

If we had proof of the living God today, would all believe?  Would all follow if God sent a sign to show all that he exists?  Evil would not allow us to believe.  Evil would convince our reasoning to come up with something that would explain what we witnessed or saw, or thought that we believed.  And yet it is not for us to make people believe.  It is not for us to convince people that there is a God who loves them.  It is not for us to make people follow and believe in God.  How do you convince a person who does not want to be convinced?  How do you persuade a person who does not want to be persuaded?  We each have to want to know, want to believe, want to find, want to accept God in order for him to come into our lives. 

And so the visions, the miracles, the love, the protection, and all the blessings that come from our heavenly father are for those who seek to know.  For evil would have us without knowledge.  Evil would have us without belief.  Evil would have us dead and unaware of the love that our heavenly father has for us.  So, I can not persuade you to believe if you do not want to believe.  I can not tell you of the miracles that have been worked in my life if you do not want to hear.  I can not make you understand the love and protection and the provisions that God has provided me, if you do not want to understand.  I can only write.  For it has been given me to write.  It has been given to me to write freely what I have read and what I understand from my bible experience.  What was freely given to me from those readings I give to those who want to know.  I give freely to those who seek, even as I have sought.   I give what those readings have done for me.  

God is love.  He created man in his image and likeness.  He gave us life that we may know the awe and the mystery of his love.  I pray that you may know his love.  I pray that you may experience his protection and his provisions.  I pray that you may come to know his wisdom.  For the love that he has shown me, I pray that you may come to know.  And when you know his love, you will understand.  Come! Follow the path.  Read what has been laid out before you and you too will know the truth of who you are in Christ.  Christ loves you and so do I.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in! 

St Matthew, Chapter 17, verses: 4, The Son of God: The Future Leader speaks to Jesus.

Our paragraph topic is: (Jesus transfigured) Part 3.    

And Peter, seeing the past leaders of the house of Israel speaking to Jesus, did not know what to say.  He had awaken from sleep when he beheld this vision.  He had heard the voices of those that he had not heard before.  He was seeing a vision that no one had seen before.  And so where the other disciples, seeing Moses and Elias, whom they knew were dead speaking to Jesus as though they were still alive.  And they beheld the beatific vision of Christ transformed.  They had spent years at his side.  They had heard him speak on countless occasions.  They saw him day and night speaking, teaching, healing, and comforting the people, but never had they seen him like this.

Jesus  transformed, before their very eyes.  Jesus  was glorified like they had not seen him or known him before.  They were in awe.  They were stunned.  They were surprised.  All this time his true nature was hidden from them and they had no idea.  And then there was Moses and Elias appearing with him, before their very eyes.  One can only imagine their state of mind when this happened.  And then Peter spoke.  He spoke out of awkwardness.  He spoke out of passion.  He spoke out of love.  He spoke out of a need to speak, a desire to affirm to himself what he was witnessing and experiencing.  Then Peter addressed Jesus, saying, "Lord, it is good for us to be here.  If thou wilt, let us set up three tents here, one for thee, one for Moses, and one for Elias."   

What would you do if you had a vision of Christ glorified?  What would you think?  Is it real or is it a dream?  Can you believe what you are seeing?  Can you believe what you are thinking?  We read the Bible and believe its truth.  We seek meaning in its words, the Living Words of God through Christ Jesus.  What do they say?  What do they mean?  What understanding can we gain from what we read?  How does it all apply to our lives today?  Some would say that there is no application.  Some would say that the Bible is a book of history written two thousand years ago, different time, different place, ancient history.  Does the Bible speak to you?

Christ walked, talked, eat, slept, drank with, and loved his disciples.  Yet during all that time they did not know him.  During all that time they did not see him in his true nature.  Can we say the same today?  His words speak to us from a book that has been passed down through ages, written and re-written, translated and reconfigured, different meaning and new meanings added.  Yet, is the message getting through to us that gives us truth, a truth that never changes no matter how it has been changed.  The heart is the key that opens our mind to the possibilities of understanding.  For it is through the heart and with the heart that we are open to the realm of the spiritual life that is within us. 

Not by math, nor science, nor logic, but only by and through the truth hidden for ages through the wisdom of God can we come to know who we are.  Search we must.  Desire is essential.  Repentance is the foundation.  And understanding what the heart knows is the key that opens the door to new life here in this realm.  All things have been given to us by our loving Father.  Yet through our ignorance and deceitful blindness do we seek to have all things to ourselves.  The three disciples saw what they had not seen before during all of their experiences with Christ.  And we, during all our searching through life, may miss the truth of the light within, the truth of the life within us. 

Christ told us, in his words, how to find it.  He told us where to look.  He gave us the key to see and know who we are.  Yet we turn the other way because that is what we have been given in this world.  Seek and ye shall find.  Knock and it shall be opened to you.  Ask and it shall be given you.  What do you seek?  Do you seek money?  Do you seek fame?  Do you seek honor and glory?  Do you seek the worldly possession that this life has to offer?  Continue to seek those things and you will miss the the truth of who you are and the treasure that awaits you.  Life, has been given me.  Light, has brighten my path.  I only point the way.  It is up to you to follow what is before you.  Christ awaits you.  Jesus loves you and so do I.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in!

St Matthew, Chapter 17, verses: 3, The Son of God: The Leaders of the Past appear before Him.

Our paragraph topic is: (Jesus transfigured) Part 2.  

And Jesus went up a high mountain and he took with him Peter, James, and John.  These were the chosen ones who would lead the church in the future.  These were the chosen ones who would have the opportunity to see the Son of God in his true nature.  These were the chosen ones who would have the unique experience of seeing the transformation of Christ.  For they would remember the experience through their entire lives.  They would treasure the experience in their hearts.  They would know for certain that they had seen the true Christ in his full glory.  And they would rejoice in that experience for the rest of their lives.

But then something else happened while they were with Christ.  Something else that they had not seen before happened before their very eyes that would further astound and surprise them, Moses and Elias appeared before Christ and he spoke to them as though he was speaking to the disciples himself.  The great leaders of the past came before Christ.  Moses, the leader who led the Israelites from the captivity of Egypt, appeared before Christ.  And Elias the great prophet appeared also.   And behold, there appears to them Moses and Elias talking together with him. 

They saw their great leaders appearing before Christ and talking with him.  Who will you see?  Who will appear with Christ when you see him?  Will you see your mother?  Will you see your father?  Will you see your grandmother, your grandfather, your sisters or brothers?  Will you see the loved ones from the past that you only know from pictures and stories told to you by your parents?  Will you see the ones who made history that you read about in your history books, John the Baptist, Moses, David, Abe Lincoln, or many others that your heart would leap for joy just to see and know.

Imagine having the time to sit with these loved ones.  Imagine having the time to talk with them, to ask them questions, to know the truth of who they are and how you came to be.  And imagine leaving all this behind that you would not have to worry about what to eat, where you would sleep, what you would wear, how you would look, what money you would have, or how you would survive.  All these things would be in the past and you would not think about the cares and worries of this physical realm.

Imagine a place without day or night.  Imagine a place where there is no need for sleep, a place where there is no worry, no hunger, no anger, no fighting, a place where your dreams and desires are all fulfilled.  For in the presence of God all things are.  And then there is Christ Jesus, our savior and our redeemer.  Just to be with him I would give anything.  For he is all my needs and all my desires.  He is the fulfillment of my heart, of my peace, of my love.  For with him I am complete.  And through Him I am satisfied.  And that is my treasure here on earth, the knowledge that in Him all my desires are met and I am complete. 

No longer do I need the things that this world has to offer.  No longer do I desire the earthly pleasures and comforts of this world.  I know that through and Him and in Him I am complete.  This I have been given and this I know.  So my life here on earth is devoted to the task I have been given, to write the truth of the knowledge that has been given to me that others may know of his love and of his goodness, of his forgiveness and of his patience that everyone who desires to know the truth may have a path to seek him.  Come!  Follow the path before you and seek the truth of who you are in Christ.  Your life will change.  Your love will change.  You will become a new person in Him.   

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in!

St Matthew, Chapter 16, verse: 15, The Rock: What do the Disciples say?

Our Paragraph topic is:  (Peter's confession) Part 3.  

And now it came down to the disciples.  They had heard what the people were saying about Christ.  Who was this man?  Was he the Messiah?  Was he a Prophet?  Was he John the Baptist come back to life?  Was he Elias?  Who was Christ?  There were questions on the minds of the people and even questions on the minds of the disciples.  They did not truly know.  They had no answer, even though they walked with him and talked with him everyday.  He had called them to be his disciples and they followed.  They wanted to be disciples because something in them wanted to change their lives from the ordinary.

But they did not know who he was.  They did not have an idea whose footsteps they walked in.  They did not know the light that they followed was that of Christ and the God the father.  They wanted to know.  They wanted to believe.  They wanted to see.  But they did not know.  He was a good man.  Christ was a gentle man.  Christ was a man different from any other man.  For he made miracles.  He walked on water.  He made the lame walk, the blind see, the deaf here and cured the lepers.  He was like no other man.  Yet they still did not know who he was.  So he asked them:   He said to them, "But who do you say that I am? "

The moment of truth had arrived.  What did the disciples think.  What did the disciples believe.  What did the disciples know.  Who do you say that I am, Christ asked them?  Who do we say that he is today, is his question to each and everyone of us?  What do we believe?  Do these words come from a relic, old book?  Are these words relevant today?  Why is it important what I believe or what I say that he is today?  If asked, if a poll were taken on the streets, what would people say.  Most church going people would say that Christ was the Son of God the father.  Most others would say that he is the Savior.  Some would even say that he was a prophet.  And even others would say that he was a great man.  But what do you say, I would ask, to those who are reading this post? 

Does he have any meaning to you, today?  What would you say?  What do you believe?  We live in a world that demands all of who we are, yet we do not know ourselves.  Are we all flesh?  Are we body and soul?  Are we spirit.  How do we know?  Is this something that we are taught in church?  But do we believe it?  Do we know it?  Or are we just who we are in this world?  Christ wants to know who you say he is?  For within that knowledge, within that awareness of him is the awareness of ourselves.  We did not live and walk this earth when Christ came to this earth, to this planet, to this physical realm.  We did not walk in his footsteps,  hear his spoken words, see his miracles, touch him in his physical body.  All we have today is his words passed down through the writings of the disciples with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Yet who do we say that he is?

Is he the Messiah?  Is he the Savior?  Is he the Son of the Father?  Is he the Anointed One?  Is he the Lamb?  Is he the Light of the World?  Is he our spirit and life, our body and blood?  Is he the life within us?  Christ came that may have life; for before him there was death.  God decreed that if Adam eat of the forbidden fruit that he would surely die.  And mankind died on that day.  Christ came to give life to those who believed in him and the Father who sent him.  Do you have life within you?  Is he the life within you?  Then, you are more than you know.  You are spirit.  You are life.  You are love.  Come know the truth of who you are.  Follow the path before you and know the life that is within you.  Christ awaits you.  God the Father loves you. 

Read the sign of the times!  Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ.  Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself.  Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding.  Read it for knowledge.  Read it for faith.  Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ.  The Holy Spirit awaits you.  Christ seeks to know you.  Open the door and let him in!