St. Matthew, Chapter 24, verse: 28; The Body.

 Our paragraph topic is: (The sign of the last day) Part 10.  

What is truth?  Christ is telling his disciples truths they can rely upon before the last day.  They need to know.  They need to understand what will happen when things start to go awry.  Fear will come upon the people, and many will not know what to do.  Many will panic and create lies and theories that suit their own thinking.  But Christ wants to strengthen those who will listen and believe his words.

We believe in what we can see, what we can touch with our senses.  These are the truths that we rely upon to help us survive.  Christ tells us truths to help us know when the last day is coming, great signs and wonders, false prophets, tales of Christ appearing in different places.  These are all truths that will happen that the people can see and witness with their senses to know and not be fearful of what is happening.  He tells them another truth that they know:  "Wherever the body is, there will the eagles be gathered together."  

They have seen this truth.  They know this truth.  They believe this truth.  They trust this truth.  They understand this truth.  They can take comfort in knowing that once they see this truth that there is meaning in what they see and believe.  Christ has told them.  The world has given them proof of it and they can believe him and his words because he has called upon what they know and believe. 

What do you know and believe today?  Will you see the last day?  Will you be alive when it comes?  Will you see the great signs and wonders that are to come?  Will you experience the tales of Christ being called in different locations?  Or will your transition take place before this time?  No one knows the time or place when it will happen.  We only know that it has been given to us that it will happen.  It has been given to us to believe or not to believe.  It has been given to us to expect the worse or not to expect it.  It has been given to us to prepare for it or not to prepare for it.  It has been given to us to pray for his help that we may be worthy to receive his grace or not to receive it.  The choice is ours to make.  Where are you?  What do you believe.  What is your truth? 

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 24, verse: 5a; In my name.

Our paragraph topic is: (Christ warns them not to be led astray) Part 2.  

Their hearts were racing and their minds were wondering what was to come.  They could imagine all sorts of possible outcomes, all sorts of disasters, all sorts of horrors to come, but they needed to know from Christ himself what was to happen.  He wanted them to know but did not want to fill their minds with such horrors that they would not be able to withstand the nature of the truth.

Do not be led astray, he told them.  Let no one come and tell you all sorts of stories to lead you in the wrong direction.  Be wary of anything that you hear.  Do not believe all that people speak of because there will be much spoken about the coming end.  He told them: "For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' "

What would we believe today?  Would we follow someone who called himself the Christ if he came to earth today and declared himself to be?  What proof would he give?  What words would he speak?  What knowledge would he have for us?  What miracles would he perform to show us that he is the true Christ?  Would we believe?  Would we follow such a one?

In his own words, in this book of witnesses, in this gospel of Matthew, Christ tells us not to be led astray.  He tells us that many will come in his name and declare themselves as the Christ.  None will be so.  For only the Son of Man will come on a cloud for all of mankind to see with awe and majesty with angels and sounds of trumpets.  And no imposter will come in such a manner except him.  So if anyone else declares himself as the Christ do not believe.  Do not be misled.  There is but one Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior, son of the Father, 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 22, verses: 42a; Whose son is the Christ?

Our paragraph topic is:  (The son of David) Part 2.  

Now the tables are turned and Christ has the opportunity to test the Pharisees in their knowledge and wisdom.  He wants to save them.  He wants to heal them from their blindness.  He wants to open their eyes so that they may see the truth.  So he makes an attempt to purge their minds with a question that might lead them to understand the truth of the scriptures.
They are the Pharisees.  They are the leaders of the people, the scholars who have studied the scriptures all their lives.  They have learned from the masters of their time the inner meanings of the writings of their forefathers.  They should know the answers to these questions.  So Jesus questioned them:  saying "What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he?" 

They knew the scriptures of the old testament.  They studied them everyday.  They knew the answer to the question.  Would their minds allow them to accept the answer?  Would the answer allow itself to be spoken?  It would contradict everything that they thought and believed.  Yet there it was in the scriptures, the answer that they had not put together with the facts of what was before them today.  Contradiction!  Confusion!  Anxiety!  Would they believe?  

God gave man free will to choose his own destiny.  He wanted to save all mankind at first but Adam failed and Satan deceived.  So the soul of man died for many years until Christ came to redeem mankind and give new life to those who would believe.  The decision is not made.  The decision is ours alone to make.  We must decide, individually, as a group.  Do we live or do we continue to die?  

God our Father loves us.  The proof is in his mercy.  The proof is in his love.  The proof is in the sacrifice of his only son.  

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 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!