St. Matthew, Chapter 24, verse: 22b; For the Sake of the Elect.

Our paragraph topic is: (The destruction of Jerusalem) Part 11.  

Christ continues to talk about the destruction of Jerusalem and how life would end.  He knows what the Father wants.  He knows the anger and the frustration of the Father.  So many times the Father has been merciful and patient with his creation.  He has waited centuries for mankind to become the family, the people, the community of love and understanding that they are capable of becoming.  Yet the world tempts and taunts the people to do evil, to be led astray from the love that the Father has for his people. 

Christ tells the people, pray, that they do not have to experience the great tribulation that comes in winter or on the sabbath.  For on those days such destruction will be seen as man has not witnessed since the beginning of time nor will be.  Jerusalem will be torn asunder.  Many will suffer.  There will be much pain and death.  When you see the signs do not turn back, run for the hills for there will not be time to save anything except yourself.  Christ tells them had those days of destruction not been shortened no living creature would be saved:  "But for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened."   

All is not lost.  The elect will save some.  For their sake the world will not be lost, all living creatures will not be destroyed.  Thanks be to God that there are those who are chosen.  Thanks be to God that there are those who meet his favor, who are special to him and worth saving from destruction.  They are the ones who save mankind.  They are the ones who show the best of who we are.  They are the ones who do not yield to the temptations of the world, who do not fall prey to the traps of evil.  

We all are just human, weak and frail, struggling daily, attempting to know his will for us in this world.  We yield to temptation, but do we get up, ask for forgiveness, and repent of our sins.  Seeking forgiveness and repenting is our salvation.  Try and try as we might, we must continue to fight the struggle to live the life of love and trust and faith that Christ has given us to live.  And believe that as long as we believe with all our hearts and minds that he is our lord and savior and that we will be saved.  Believe that those days will be shortened, and we will be part of the elect of God. 

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: 5b; Lead many astray.

Our paragraph topic is: (Christ warns them not to be led astray) Part 3.  

They were proud but now they are saddened by the news that Christ is telling them.  The disciples don't know what to think about what they were hearing.  They listened intently and take every word in as though their lives depended upon what they were hearing.  Do not be led astray, Christ tells them, for many will come and say that they are the Christ after I leave, but this will be a warning sign that it is not I.

They listen and believe all that he says.  He is the Christ.  He has spoken the truth many times before.  He has performed many miracles, raised the dead, healed the sick, opened the eyes of the blind, cured the lame and performed many miracles that no other prophet has done before.  He is the Messiah.  They listen intently as he tells them: "And they will lead many astray."

He wanted his disciples to know.  He needed them to hear the prophesy of the future so that they will not be deceived and misled like so many others.  They might try to tell others.  They might try to show others the truth but persuade as they might, others will be led astray.  But because Christ has foretold it to them they now know the future and what will happen.  They now know what to look for, what to see, what will happen when it comes and how to deal with the truth of what will happen.

That is something that we must ask ourselves today.  Will we be ready when it comes?  Will we be led astray or will we know the truth of what is happening before our eyes.  How will we feel?  How will we respond?  What will we say or do when we see these things happening?  Will we be afraid or will we know that we have knowledge of it foretold to us and do not have to be
fearful.  

No one wants to feel pain or to suffer.  We all want to live long lives, be happy, free, joyous, and live in peace.  We have our dreams and desires of what life should be for us, for our children, our families, our communities.  Yet life has its ups and downs and we know not when the lows are coming in advance.  Otherwise we would make every effort to prepare for them as best as we can.  But we have a heavenly father who protects and provides for us, who watches over us and loves us.  If we believe in him and acknowledge his love for us he will take care of us.  We are his children and he is our father, our creator and we have nothing to fear.

Christ Jesus came down from heaven to redeem us from the grasp of death.  We were in prison.  Locked up for eternity until he came to pay the jailor for our release.  The price was his life.  The cost was death on the cross.  The pain and suffering was nails in his hands and feet, the suffering of innocence for a charge he did not commit.  Yet he willingly gave himself up that we might have freedom, that we might not suffer for eternity, that we might know joy, and happiness, and peace.  He is our Savior.  He is our Hero.  He is our Lord.  For his passion was so great that he gave of his life that we might have life eternal. 

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: 37a; Jerusalem, Jerusalem!

Our paragraph topic is:  (Lamentation over Jerusalem) Part 1.  

Love hurts.  Those who have experienced deeply the pleasure of love know the pain that comes from rejection, separation, and breakup.  The experience is one that all humans must go through at some point in their life.  It is important to know it in order to know how to overcome the pain and the sorrow.  It is important to know how to overcome that experience in order to know how to go on living.  

We experience love in life and in death.  We love in life and we love lost those that are taken away from us in death.  It is a part of how we live, a part of how we learn to live, a part of how we must grow and accept who we are in this world.  Living is pleasurable but it is also painful in many ways.  Yet it is something that we must accept.  We loose mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, love ones, children, relatives, and yet we must find some way to accept and go on living in this world.  

Christ cried for those that he loved.  He lamented for the many times that he sent love messages that were rejected, scorned, trashed, burned, and ignored.  His passion for those that he loved burned deeply within his soul.  He lamented deeply for the souls of the people knowing what they would do to the people that he sent.  He cried out:  "Jerusalem, Jerusalem! Thou who killest the prophets, and stonest those who are sent to thee!"

We were children together.  We played in the same yard, ran on the same streets, grew up in the same schools, had the same friends, yet you know me not.  Have you become so high and mighty, so proud, so famous, that you do not know from where you come?  Jerusalem wherefore have thou come?  Jerusalem, the high and mighty city on the hill.  The one where kings and rulers live.  Forget not from which from which you have come, for you are but the same as the man in the street or the village down the road.  It is God's love that has brought you forth, that keeps you in the light of time.  It is God's love that will leave you in the limelight and shine on another, least you forget who you are.

We are but children of God, our Father who created us and gave us life.  For he has life within him and it is that life that he shares with us.  We have a choice.  We can choose life or we can choose to remain in death.  The passion of Christ gave us that choice.  Which do you choose? 

 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: 31a; Witness against self.

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

It must have been a great honor and privilege to live in the time of Christ.  Though I must admit that compared to today there were many hardships.  Many of the conveniences that we have today they did not have.  Running water, and toilets, and refrigerators, stoves, and TV's, music, radios, all the modern things we take for granted they did not have.  But then they had the greatest gift of all, Christ.

He came to be amongst the people, to walk with them and talk with them, to hear their laughter, their cries, their sighs, their tears, moans and groans.  And he gave relief to many. Yet he saw the cause of much of the sorrow and pain of the people, the evil and the fear that came from the misdirection of the religious leadership of the people.  For years the religious leadership had persecuted the people.  The Scribes and the Pharisees ruled over the people as though they were slaves and not the people of God whom they were to love.  They killed the prophets and the messengers sent by God because they wanted to maintain their positions of power.  Christ told them:  "Thus you are witnesses against yourselves."


The Bible tells us that our words will be our witness against us on the day of judgment.  Every word we speak will be written in the book of judgment and on that day will be used to judge who we are.  Speak good or speak evil, it will all come out on that day.  The truth will be known as to who we are.  Are we a tree that bears good fruit or one that brings forth bad fruit?  The mask will be taken off and the truth will be known.

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: 28; Outwardly appear.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Their hypocritical purity) Part 8.  

Christ came down from heaven to walk among mankind that he might experience the depth of life we live as humans.  He came with a purpose to do his father's will and save mankind from the sin committed by Adam and Eve from the beginning.  No one else was able to do so.  Yet his choice was made at a cost of his life on the cross, a horrible cost of pain and suffering for our sins.  He did not have to pay such a cost but because of his love, his passion for mankind, he wanted to give us a second chance to have life eternal.  

He came and he saw the horror and the iniquity that existed from the evil that had come forth upon the people.  They cried out for his help, begged for his assistance, had assurance in his power to heal, believed in his words of faith.  Yet there was still darkness in the shadows that hid from his brightness.  He saw what men could not see.  He looked beyond the outwardly appearance into the inner heart and soul of those who were full of evil and sin.  He heard the inner thoughts of the influence that evil worked upon those of power and prestige and knew their deepest thoughts and feelings.  He told the Scribes and the Pharisees:  "So you also outwardly appear just to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity."

You could say he had x-ray vision because he saw what men could not see.  He saw the true filth of who they really were on the inside.  Outwardly they appeared like great men, but inwardly they were filled with dead men's bones and all sorts of ugliness.  Yet these were the men that the people honored and praised.  These were the Scribes and the Pharisees they saw everyday in the market place and the synagogue and places of worship.  These were the men that they idolized and wanted to imitate.  Yet Christ saw the other side, the inside and he called them out.  He told the people who they were.  He let the people know that they were not all they were held up to be.

Faith goes deep within the soul.  It is either there or not there.  It is either believed or not believed.  It is either a part of you or not a part of you.  Sure it can be faked.  It can be put upon like a mask and taken off like makeup.  But real faith, real belief is in the skin, in the bones, in the marrow, in the heart and soul of a person.  They know who they are because they are real.  It does not need to be preached on the corners to have substance.  It does not demand that it is shared with others from a door to door campaign to be real.  It just needs to be lived that others may see the light from which it shines within.  

Let your light shine.  Open your heart to the love that Christ has for you and you will know the truth of the living faith within.

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, verses: 27-28; The Resurrection and the wife.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The Sadducees question Christ) Part 4.  

They did not believe in the resurrection but they structured their question around it.  The Sadducees came to Christ with this question of marriage they constructed based upon what Moses had given them concerning a widow and the issue of an heir.  They stretched their question so that it would seem almost ridiculous in that it concerned seven brothers who had the task of inheriting a widow from one of their brothers.  They were not concerned about the question of heirs but only about the question of resurrection.  So this is how they structured their question to seek an answer from Christ.

They did not believe in resurrection after death.  And they wanted to question Christ on this issue so that they could take issue with his answer with the rest of the Sanhedrin about his teachings.  So they put the question to him:  "And last of all the woman also died.  At the resurrection, therefore, of which of the seven will she be the wife?  For they all had her."  

Husband, wife, son, daughter, mother, father, all earthly names that we give to the earthly flesh that we live with here on this rock.  What will we be when we leave it?  What will we become when our flesh is returned to the dirt from which it was formed and our souls go to another place?  Are we just the flesh that we see or are we more?  Who are we?  Where do we come from?  What are we now?  These are all questions that we can ask ourselves.  We seek to find something more than just the flesh that we are in this world we live.  The flesh is pain.  The flesh is weak.  The flesh is vulnerable.  The flesh grows old and dies.  Is this all that we are?  Or are we more than the flesh?  Our search will lead us on a path of discovery to find the truth of who we are.

There are many paths to discovery in life.  Much has been written on the subject.  And there are many established institutions that we can follow.  There is but one established institution , however, that claims to have God that came down from heaven to walk among the people of the earth to teach them how to live.  And Christ came to open the doors to heaven so that anyone and everyone could have the opportunity to enter the kingdom of heaven. 

The choice is yours.  The directions are laid out, the path is clear for those who want to follow.  Seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you, ask and it shall be given to you.  These are the words that were spoken and written for us to read, for us to follow, for us to understand today.  They are simple and clear.  Seek them and you will know for yourself.  The truth awaits. 

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, verse:18; The needs of the flesh.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Jesus curses a fig tree) Part 1. 

So he left the temple.  He wanted to get away from the indignance of the chief priests and the scribes.  Christ had become man to walk among the people.  He became man to show the people that there was a God.  He became man out of his love for mankind.  He gave up all that he was, king and lord, son of the Father, to become human.  He was still one with his father and showed that he could perform many miracles.  Yet even those who knew would not accept what they had seen and heard about him.

He was a man like any other man.  Yet he was more than any other man, he was the son of God.  And like any other man he had emotions.  He loved.  He felt pain.  He was compassionate.  He was angry.  He was tired, and he slept.  Now in the morning, on his way back to the city, he felt hungry. 

Christ was just like any other man.  He was a physical being.  He was the spirit of the father in a physical shell.  He came to set mankind free from the judgement that was placed upon it by disobedience.  For we had lost something very precious.  We had lost our souls.  We were dead.  We were the walking dead in the flesh.  But by his passion, Christ came and restored the souls of mankind.  Now anyone who believes in him, repents, and follows his commandments will have eternal life within 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 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:34a, Compassion.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The blind men at Jericho) Part 9. 

How do you see someone without seeing them?  How do you hear someone without hearing them?  How do we know someone without knowing them?  Christ was surrounded by people on all sides.  He did not see the two blind men.  He could not hear them over the din of the crowd.  But in his spirit he knew that their hearts were calling him.  They could not make their way to him because of the crowds.  They could not move closer to him because they could not see.  They could only stand by the wayside, out of the crowd and call to him with their belief, call to him with their hope, call to him with their faith in the words they had heard of him.

And he heard the sorrow in their hearts.  He heard the belief in their minds that he was the one who could transform their lives.  He heard the pain in their lives that they had endured in the darkness all of their life.  And he was moved.  And Jesus, moved with compassion for them.

He is the Son of God, our Father.  He lives in heaven.  He is Lord of all.  And yet he gave up all, that he might become like man and walk among us.  He became flesh and blood like us.  He laughed and ate with us.  He walked and talked with us.  He taught us how to live and he gave us an example of how he died for us.  He loved us then and he loves us now. 

I think of all the homeless and lost souls who wonder the streets, hopeless, living day to day, by any means they can.  I think of those who are trapped in the vicious cycle of addiction, not only to drugs but to any addiction that compels them to do the same things over and over again expecting the different results.  Even those who are stuck in the financial rut striving to find a way out of that cycle, wishing and hoping for something better.  They search for that one big opportunity to hit it big that will change their lives forever. 

I was there.  I ran the cycle.  I was lost.  I cried out to the Lord and he had compassion for me.  He heard my cry.  He heard my sorrow.  He felt my pain.  He rescued me from the depths of my hopelessness and brought me back from the abyss. I am a witness of his love, of his compassion, of his mercy.  I am no longer on the path to destruction.  Today I have a new path to follow, a path given me by my Father.  Today, I am saved and have the knowledge of who I am in him.  My spirit rejoices in who I am.  My heart is filled with the happiness of the life that is within me, the life given me by Christ.  His love overwhelms.  His love fulfills.  There is nothing that I want or need that he has not provided.  My life is full, my purpose is clear, my task is at hand and I rejoice in its completion. 

Christ loves each and everyone of us the same.  He is the reason that we have life today if we choose.  Without him we are dead, without a soul.  But with him we have the light of life within us and the Holy Spirit to guide us along the way.  And with him there is no sorrow, no pain, no regrets.  There is only the last day to go home to be with him for all eternity.  Come, join the party and be with those who love you.  Christ Jesus 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.

St Matthew, Chapter 17, verse: 22b, The Passion Prediction: The Rise of Christ.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The second prediction of the passion) Part 2. 

They were on their way to Jerusalem with the Lord.  Many had assumed that he would be the ruler.  Many thought that he was going to take over the leadership of the High Priest.  Many were happy because they saw a change coming.  And many were joyous because they believed that it was time for a change.  Christ knew otherwise.  He knew that it was time for a change and that change was a sacrifice, the sacrifice to justify mankind with God.

He told them on several occasions of the Passion.  He warned them of what was about to take place.  He told them that he would suffer and that he would face death.  But they only thought about the change coming.  They only thought about the joy that would come when the old rulers were removed and new ones came to be.  They did not think about the struggle.  They did not think about the sacrifice that would come.  They did not think about the suffering.  They only thought about what they wanted to hear, what they believed would happen, what they wanted to think. 

Evil was afoot and plans were being made to destroy Christ.  Evil was in the house and evil was in the minds and evil was in the mouths and on the lips of those in power.  For they spoke of ways to destroy him.  They wanted to stop him.  They wanted him hanged for the embarrassment that he had caused them.  They wanted to control him and could not.  For each time they attempted to control him they failed.  Each time they sought to win, they did not.  Each time they came with a trick, they could not trick him.  For Christ knew them.  He knew who they worshipped.  He who they were.  For they were children of evil.  They were the sons of evil and their father was the father of all lies. 

Christ came to bring about change.  He came with the sword to separate the wolves from the lambs.  He came to stop the lies, to stop the deceit, to stop the death of the innocent.  He came to bring life.  But evil did not want the people to have life.  Evil did not want the people to know the truth.  Evil did not want the people to know who they are and who they belonged to.  Evil wanted the people for itself.  Evil wanted the people to do evil and to destroy Christ because evil could not change him, could not turn him, could not seduce him, could not control him.  So evil had to destroy him.

Christ had to tell his disciples that they would know.  He had to speak the truth that they would believe after the truth had taken place.  And they were sad to hear this.  For he said:  "And they will kill him; and, on the third day he will rise again."  And they were exceedingly sorry.  

How do we feel today that Christ died?  How do we feel today that he suffered such pain and agony?  How do we feel today that he had to be the sacrifice for our sins and not us?  We live in a world that only rarely shows us the pain that he endured.  We live in a world that deceives us into believing that we are alright and life must go on.  We live in a world that does not want us to know who we are in Christ.  For the world wants to deceive us.  The world wants to hide us from the truth.  The world wants to keep us in the dark and away from the light that awaits us in Christ.

Come!  Follow the path before you.  Read the truth of who you are in Him who gave you life.  Know the truth of your true life and not the artificial life of the physical.  For you are like angels, created in the image and likeness of God.  You are sons and daughters of the one true God, the living God.  If you seek to know, if you seek to find, if you seek to see that which is within you, come read that which is given to you as manna from heaven.  It has been given to me and I now pass it on to you.  I am a witness, a voice crying in the wilderness, testifying that he has come to me and will come to you also if you seek him.  He awaits your call.  He listens for your voice.  He anticipates your needs and will provide for your wants.  Christ loves you, the Holy Spirit greets 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 12, verse: 40, The Pharisees request for a sign: The sign of Jonas.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The sign of Jonas) Part 2.  

And he told them a mystery.  He told them a wonder.  He told them things that they did not comprehend.  For the Pharisees sought to prevail over Christ by asking him to provide another miracle, a sign, that they might believe that he was the Messiah.  Christ refused their request.  He refused their demand.  He refused to allow them to continue down this path of unbelief based upon their desire to have a sign.  For they wanted a sign.  They wanted to see another wonder.  They wanted to see his power so that they could attempt to understand who he was.  But the demons that possessed them only wanted another opportunity to try to trick him.  They wanted another opportunity to persuade the people to turn away from Christ.  Christ refused them.

Instead Christ gave them a mystery.  He gave them a prophecy that they would ponder, that they would wonder about.  He told them that the only sign they would receive is the sign of Jonas in the belly of the whale.  The Pharisees knew of the story of Jonas but they did not understand how this applied to Christ.  He told them,  "For even as Jonas was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."  

And they did not understand.  They did not know his words nor could they figure out the meaning of this mystery he spoke.  For he spoke of being in the earth for three days and three nights.  He compared this to Jonas being in the belly of the whale.  Yet Jonas was disobedient to God who sent him to Nineve to give a message to the people.  Jonas was swallowed up by a whale because he refused to go.  Jonas ran from the assignment that God gave him and was thrown overboard and swallowed by a whale.  The Pharisees wondered how could this story relate to Christ.  They wondered how could this be a sign or a wonder that would proclaim the his identity.  Christ gave them a sign that would fulfill itself in the future so that when it happened they would know that he was the Messiah, they would know that he spoke the truth, they would know that he was of the Father.

What do we see of this same situation, today?  Many would have a sign that Christ is Lord.  Many would have a miracle that there is a God in order to believe.  For they do not believe otherwise, even if a miracle were performed before their very eyes.  They still would find some reason not to believe.  They still would attempt to rationalize, within their minds, the power and authority of God.  Do you need a sign?  Do you seek to understand the power and authority of God, today? 

Do you give him praise and glory no matter what the situation?  If death comes, if destruction comes, if disasters comes, if moves of nature come, if senseless killings come, if whatever comes, do you still give him the praise and the glory?  For he is the Lord almighty and his ways are higher than our ways.  Not giving praise means that you do not accept God as all powerful and having all authority.

We question the actions.  We doubt the need.  We seek to understand the meaning within ourselves.  We give way to pain.  We give way to sorrow.  We give way to despair and anger.  We give way to the isolation and the loss which the devil brings after the storm.  But the loss should be joy.  The loss should be jubilation.  The loss should be exultation.  For the loved one has gone to Christ who has prepared a place for you and for your loved one in heaven and there they await your arrival.  Christ is still King of King and Lord of Lords and he moves with a mighty hand.  And we should always and at all times give him the praise and the glory that he is on the thrown and rules the world.  Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!  Hallelujah, praise his holy name!