St. Matthew, Chapter 24, verse: 20b - 21a; Great Tribulation.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The destruction of Jerusalem) Part 8. 

The Bible is an interesting book to study.  It is a study of man's belief system.  What does mankind believe?  What belief system has he developed to order his world and make it such that it has meaning and understanding?  Here we are in Chapter 24 of the book of Mathew where Christ is telling his disciples of the coming destruction of the city of Jerusalem.  

What do we believe?   We have prognosticators today that foretell of things to happen in the future.  Scientist foretell of the doom that carbon emission is causing to the planet and what we must do to prevent the consequences of its outcome.  The flooding that will come, the unusual rains, the unseasonal cold weather that will come, all as a result of the outcome of climate change.  These are all predictions being foretold today.

But two thousand years ago no one had the scientific equipment or knowledge to foresee the future, to foresee the coming destruction of Jerusalem.  Except Christ.  Believe it or not. And he told his disciples exactly what would happen.  Pray, he said that it does not happen in winter:  "Or on the Sabbath.  For then there will be great tribulation."

Here was a man, not just an ordinary man, but one of much power and mystery.  He traveled throughout the country doing good for the suffering people.  He healed the sick, made the lame walk, cured the lepers, made the blind see, fed thousands, gave people hope of a new beginning, taught them to love one another, and gave them new ideas to live by.  He feared not the leaders and the rulers, calling them out for their sins.  Yet he knew that all this would only bring him to his destruction.  What do we believe today?

Does the Bible give us structure to live our lives in these times or is it just another book to read?  What can we obtain from the reading or the study of it?  What message does it have for us today?  

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 nd 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 24, verse: 10c; Those who hate.

 Our paragraph topic is: (He tells them of trials and hard times to come) Part 6.  

To them he looked like an ordinary man, but that was far from appearances.  He was more than what he appeared to be.  He saw more, he knew more, he understood more than ordinary man.  And he told his disciples more.  Hard times were to come and he wanted them to know, to be prepared.  The sheep would scatter.  The leaders would be persecuted.  The believers would become martyrs.  Many would turn against one another and dark times would prevail.  

Christ didn't have a crystal ball to tell the future, he knew it.  It was as if he could see what would happen in the future, as though time stood still and he walked through the future to see it all unfold.  He knew that there were many true believers who would become saints.  They sacrificed themselves for their beliefs.  He also knew that there were those who professed to believe but were hypocrites.  They were the ones who would turn and run for their lives.  He told his disciples, their would be those who would deny their belief:  "And will hate one another."

They had to hate in order to survive.  Survival was important to them because it was what they knew.  They did not know the Word.  They did not hear the message.  They did not accept the Word of God that there was more to life than just the physical.  Christ came to testify to the spiritual.  He came that we would have life, true life beyond just the physical.  And many missed the message of the kingdom of heaven that he came to give us.

Today we have the Word.  Today we know that there is life after death.  Christ came and conquered death.  He arose from death and ascended into heaven back to his Father where he sits at his right hand until the time comes for judgment.  We have a choice today.  We can choose life or we can choose death.  We can choose to believe or choose not to believe.  We can choose to love or choose not to love.  We can choose to be with Christ and have life eternal or death eternal.  This is what we are given today.

There is so much love and joy and happiness waiting for us in heaven.  All we have to do is accept and believe that we have a father who loves us.  Belief opens the door.  Love fills the heart.  Faith allows one to see the truth of his hand at work in your life.  Prayer speaks to him of our weakness, our fears and doubts.  It shows him that you seek his mercy and his love.  Open your heart.  Open your mind.  Open your soul and let him in.  For he is the fulfillment of all your dreams.

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 nd 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 23, verses: 17a; Blind fools.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Their distorted religion) Part 4.  

He called them blind guides.  They were the leaders of the church, the leaders of the people, the religious guides at the time.  Yet Christ said that they were blind guides not knowing where they were going, where they were leading the people.  He said that they traveled miles to make a convert only to make that person a son of hell.

What kind of leaders would do that?  What kind of spiritual leaders would convert a soul to hell instead of heaven?  Yet that was the leadership present at the time of Christ and he wanted the people to know who they were following.  He wanted his disciples to know the kind of men that they would replace because he called this leadership: "You blind fools!"

They were not blind in the physical sense.  They could see with their eyes.  But their minds could not interpret what their eyes saw and their ears could not understand what was being spoken by what they heard and thus they were deceived.  And thus they were blind fools in total denial of what was happening around them.  The world was in the process of change.  The people where changing due to the excitement of the mood and the mist of change.  But the fools could not see it, they could not hear it, they could not understand it because they were in their own world apart from the rest.

Will this be the same today?  Will the coming of the Lord be a subtle change that we who are expecting him only know?  Will the excitement of his coming be in the air, on our minds, in our thoughts that others will not be able to see or understand because they are blinded by the world around them no matter how much we try to show them.  Will it all be too late for them?  Will our leaders be blind guides telling the people not to worry, not to be concerned?  Will they listen to the blind guides or listen to their hearts and turn to the Lord for their answers?  

Christ came and gave us new life.  We were dead but he renewed our sentence, paid our penance, and gave us new life.  Today we have a choice to have life in him.  We have a choice to be with him for eternity.  We have a choice to be fulfilled.  Today we have a choice to live.

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 nd 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 22, verse: 16b; The Opening discussion.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Tribute to Caesar) Part 2. 

The Herodians began by setting the tone of the discussion with Christ and the nature of his character.  They sought from the beginning to set a trap by characterizing him as a man of certain traits upon which they could build a foundation which they could use to tear him down.  What they did not know was that Christ knew what they were doing and saw where they were taking their scheme.

They sought to build him up.  They sought to give him certain features.  They sought to make him out as a man who had boundaries and limits upon which he would not cross because of his character.  So they started out by saying, "Master, we know that thou art truthful, and that thou teachest the way of God in truth." 

They were the smart ones of their group.  They had studied the ins and out of deceit.  They knew how to bring down kings and prophets so they used the same tactics on Christ.  They wanted to create a trap for him.  Little did they know or believe that he was the Christ, the Messiah.  He was the one foretold of old who would come and redeem the sins of the people.  He was the Son of God who would come and walk among the people.

Fear ruled the leaders of the people.  There was excitement in the land.  There was talk of a new king, a new ruler, a Messiah.  And the existing rulers did not like the sound of what they heard.  Also the Romans did not like the idea of unrest in the people so order had to be maintained.  And it was up to the existing rulers to maintain that order or be replaced by Roman rule or Roman brute force.  So there was intense fear in the land.

Christ did not come to overthrow the existing government.  He did not come to challenge the rule of the Romans.  He did not come to create unrest in the people.  Instead he came to forgive sins, to cure the sick, to heal the blind and the lame, to make the broken straight again and to show the people what the love of God could do for them.  He was living proof that there was a God.  And most of all he came to sacrifice himself for the sins of mankind that we may have life again and not death.

That was our time to rejoice, our time to see, our time to believe, our time to be free from the bonds of slavery from the world.  For Christ came to reignite a new light within each of us that was given us from birth.  We have a choice.  We are free, or we can continue to be bound.  That choice is up to us, individually.  This is what Christ has given us, the freedom of life or death.  Choose well, where you will be.  We are all created in God's image and his love extends to each and everyone of us.  But the decision is ours to make.  Love God and Love one another.

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 nd 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 21, verses: 46b; The People and a Prophet.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Application of the parable) Part 9.  

We now come to the end of the paragraph and the end of Chapter 21.  Much of this chapter has been about Christ and his entry into Jerusalem.  He came with the praise of the little people, riding on a donkey.  The people of the great city did not know him.  They did not understand why there was so much of a uproar about this man that no one knew.

Yet it was those who lived on the outside of the city, those little ones who had seen the miracles, heard the words, followed his teachings, that knew him, worshiped him, and praised him as the new leader of the people.  He cleansed the temple, taught the people in the temple, and criticized the leaders on their two faced behavior.  The leaders rejected the corner stone but it would crush them and ground them to dust.  He gave them opportunity to understand.  But they could not and would not understand.  He spoke in common terms that they would understand.  They were blinded, deaf, and were not allowed to understand, until at last the word got through and they were angry.  They sought to beat him but:  "They feared the people, because they regarded him as a prophet." 

We are the sheep and we follow what is given to us.  We are given our way of life, how to think, what we believe, who we accept and deny.  All of that which we are today is given to us by our surroundings.  People live in different environments today all over this earth and have different ways to live, think, behave, and ways of being who they are.  People in India may have some similarities to the way people in America think but overall they are entirely different cultures.  The environment makes who we are and what we believe.  But we have choices.  We can change.  

Change can come in many forms.  It can come through a critical process of thinking, we decide to change without any outside influence.  Change can come through a force that causes us to make the decision to do away with our old behavior and adapt a new one because there is pain with the old behavior.  Change can come through association with others who we follow that seem to have a better way of living, so we go along with the influence of others.  Change can come through enlightenment, a revelation that we have that brings us to a new way of thinking, of believing, of seeing the world.

We can be locked in on our beliefs that change can not be affected.  We can be so influenced by our way of life that nothing can bring about change in us because we refuse to believe.  We can be blinded by others that their way is better than any change that we may seek, so we remain unchanged.  Ultimately the choice is ours to follow.  The choice is ours to want to change or not.  The option is ours but the opportunity is present for us to see or not to see.  The opportunity is there for us to believe or not to believe.  The opportunity is present for all because we have a God who loves what he has created and wants all to have the opportunity to experience his love and compassion.

There is so much pain and suffering in the world one has to ask why do we have a God who would allow such suffering to happen.  Who are we to question the ways of our Father for he was here before us.  He created the universe before we were a thought in his mind.  He created the earth and the heavens.  He gave life to the world with trees and birds and animals of all sorts.  He carved man out of the dust and gave life to him and the spirit of himself that we may have his image within us.  It is he that lives through all eternity, even unto today.  And it is he that gives all the opportunity because he loves so much that which he has created.  The Prophet calls but we must be able to hear his call.

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 nd 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 21, verses: 43a; The Kingdom.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Application of the parable) Part 3. 

The leaders, the priest, and the elders are being told by Christ their fate.  Those who would corrupt the fruit for their own desires are being given a warning.  They are the ones who were put in charge of the vineyard.  They are the ones who were supposed to till the soil and trim the weeds so that the fruit would grow uninhibited.  But they saw the fruit as their own.  They saw the fruit as an opportunity to fulfill their own dreams of wealth and power.  So they cultivated and prepared the fruit so that it would provide them with the desires of their heart, all in the name of the Lord.

Israel was a chosen people.  They were special in the eyes of the Lord.  He came down from heaven to provide for them, to care for them, as a mother hen would care for her chicks.  Yet they rebelled.  They decided their own rules and laws contrary to the laws given them by the Lord.  Their leaders became filled with power and pride and considered themselves above the Law of the common man.  So Christ told them:  "Therefore I say to you, that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you." 

Our religious leaders have a special place in the heart of God.  They are the ones we look up to.  They are the ones that we turn to for guidance.  They provide us with our daily lessons that instruct us how to live.  We follow their example in all that we do.  We are the sheep and they are the shepherds.  We hear their voice and we follow.  God has called them to lead us and to guide us along the way.  He has given them special training and leadership skills.  And they are the vine-dressers that bring forth the fruit from the vineyard.

Do we know who we are?  Do we know that we are the sheep?  Do we believe that our leaders are the shepherds that we are to follow?  Or are there doubts as to who leads us and the example that they give?  Pray that you may know the truth of who you are.  Pray that your eyes may be opened as to who leads you and how you follow.  Pray that you may see the light that is within you and know that you are the beloved of God.  Then you will know the truth of who you are and where you belong. 

God will send you the Advocate.  The Advocate will lead you and guide you to find the place where you belong.  He will show you that place where you can grow and become the fruit that your Father has planted within you.  You are a child of God and his love is within you.  He will provide.  He will protect.  He will show you the way to a new path in life that you may live according to the abundance that he has given you.  Look around you and see.  Is this the place that you want to be?  Do you yearn for something more?  Pray that he will guide you!  Pray that he will show you the way!  Pray and listen for his guidance for he will hear 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 nd 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 20, verse:27, The First Disciple.

Our paragraph topic is: (Humility according to Christ's example) Part 6.

He had told them many things along their journey over the past three years.  He showed them miracles.  He taught them of the kingdom of heaven.  He spoke to them about his father and the love that he has for them and for all mankind.  He did many things while he walked among and with them on this journey that they were making. 

For surely it was their journey.  It was their walk.  It was their training,  For Christ knew of his path.  He knew of his journey.  He knew the time and place and sacrifice and pain and suffering that he would face.  But the disciples were in training for their own walk, their own path, their own journey which would take place after Christ returned home to his father.  So he had to prepare them.  He had to plant the seeds that would grow into full blown leaders and teachers, and ministers of the church that he would leave behind.  And the disciples had to understand what would make them great, what would make them first among all.  So he told them:  "And whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave."

And there it was in plain words for all to understand.  Desire to be first and you desire to be a slave.  Desire to be great and you desire to be a servant.  These were his words to his disciples who were passionate to be great, to be the best.  Yet his words posed a problem for them.  His words did not make since to them because no one wanted to be a slave.  No one wanted to be a servant.  In their time, slaves were the lowest and servants had no power, no prestige or privilege.  And they wanted to be known.

Yet Christ gave them his example.  He gave them the parameters by which they could measure their greatness, their position among each other.  Be a slave.  Be a servant to all.  A slave implied ownership.  A slave implied a lack of freedom.  A slave implied obedience, and those were the qualities that they did not posses nor did they desire to possess. 

Looking back from our vantage point of today, can we imitate the example that Christ left?  Can we become slaves?  Can we be completely obedient?  The temptation is great to do otherwise.  The culture that we live in today compels us to be anything but obedient to the example that Christ gave to us.  We are compelled to be first.  We are compelled to be great.  We are compelled to do whatever it takes to get ahead, to reap the rewards, to come out on top.  We are compelled to show the world that we have made it. 

How we dress, speak, eat, walk, and talk, all express who we are and who we want to become.  Our minds are constantly filled with the ideas and thoughts that drive us to want to be great, to be first, to be on top.  And for those who do not or can not fulfill their passion then the fall from the lofty heights of their passion leaves scars in their lives.  We become broken people who failed to reach the top.  Yet despite all that is given us, all that we see and hear to demonstrate that we are failures, we are great in his eye.  We are loved in his eyes.  We are protected and provided for under his arms.  If we just turn to him and accept that we are his children, we become great. 

 God is our Father.  He is the Creator.  He is the one who provides and protects.  We are winners in his eyes.  We are his children and he has given each and every one of us all that our hearts desire.  Come!  Open your minds and open your hearts and see that which you are since the beginning of time.  You will know the truth that is within you.  You will know the truth that no one or nothing in this world can take from you.  The life of Christ dwells within you and his love awaits your awakening.  You have a new life, a wonderful and glorious life ahead.  Come!  Start yours today.

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 20, verse: 17-18a, Behold: The Prediction of Death.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The third prediction of the passion) Part 1. 

We now begin a new paragraph topic where Christ speaks to his disciples about the future.  He has told them many things in confidence over the past years.  But now he speaks to them about what is going to happen in the future.  He wants them to know.  He wants them to understand.  He wants them to see the plan of the Father.  But they do not understand because they have not yet received the Advocate that will open their eyes to all that he has spoken.

The disciples are followers.  Soon they will become leaders after all that they have learned from Christ.  His journey is coming to an end and theirs is about to begin.  So Christ is preparing his disciples for what is about to happen.  They will be shocked.  They will be terrified at what will happen.  But for now they are being told of the future to come.  And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and said to them,  "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem." 

Behold we are going up to the place where things will happen.  They were going up to the place where all will be revealed, where all will take place, where the end will happen and the beginning will be revealed.  He wanted them to know.  He wanted them to understand what will transpire so that they will understand and not fear.  Christ has taught his disciples through the years.  He has performed miracles, healed the sick, cast out demons, made the lame walk, the blind see, brought back those who were dead.  He completed all these miracles to demonstrate to his disciples that the power of God his Father was with him and that he was the Messiah.

They followed him because they believed.  They knew that he was the Chosen One who had come to save the people.  Yet they did not know how he would save them.  They did not know what had to be done.  They did not know that he would have to die to complete his mission.  And they did not know that he would come back to them from the dead after having been crucified on the cross.

But this was their legacy.  This was their proof.  This was their evidence of who they believed him to be.  We read about this in the witness that has been left for us in the Bible.  We were not witnesses as they were.  We were not there to see with out own eyes, to feel with our own hearts and hands.  Yet we are given this legacy from those who were there, from those who did see, from those who were a part of the truth.  Can we believe?  Can we know?  Can we become a part of their witness, today? 

The truth lies within you.  The proof of who we are has been given us through the legacy left behind by those who were there.  And the witness is that which will come to reside within us.  The Spirit will testify.  The Spirit will enlighten us.  The Spirit will guide, light the way, protect, provide and fill us with the love that comes from the Father.  We are all created in his likeness.  We are all his children.  We all belong to him, if we choose.  We have a choice.  We can choose.  But the proof lies within us if we seek to know.  The truth lies within us if we desire to find.  The truth lies within us if we knock and open the door to the all fulfilling love of the Father.  We are going up to Jerusalem.  Will you come and see?

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.