St. Matthew, Chapter 24, verse: 24a; False Christs!

 Our paragraph topic is: (The sign of the last day) Part 2.  

The last day is approaching, and we do not know when it will come.  Christ, however, is telling his disciples and those who will listen and believe what to look for, what to believe, what they will see as the last day approaches.  He wants to warn the people.  He wants them to know what to expect.  He wants them not to be caught off guard as the thief comes to rob and pillage the people of their lives.

The last day will come without warning to those who do not know.  It will come unexpectedly for those who have not paid attention to the signs.  It will come as a shock to those who have ignored in disbelief what was shouted from the rooftops that this day was coming.  But Christ warns, beware of the scams and the tricksters who will attempt to mislead.  For he says:  "For false christs and false prophets will arise."  

Be aware of what is coming at the end of days, he says.  Christ tells us that there will be imitators.  There will be false prophets.  There will be soothsayers and people speaking in tongues.  Beware of what you hear.  Beware of what you see and believe for the falsehoods will be masked as truths to mislead one to believe other than the truth.  One must question what is real and what is false based upon the spirit that is given us from Christ.

The end times will challenge us.  The end times question our faith, our hope, our belief in the one true God.  It will strengthen us or weaken us.  It will enlighten us or darken us.  It will add to us or take away from us that which we have not.  For the end times is the final battle for that which is given us by Christ, and it is through him that we will be able to survive it.   

He came that we would have life more abundantly.  And it is that life that he has given us the opportunity to have freely through his sacrifice.  The end times will challenge our knowledge of our life and determine if we will become stronger or weaker through that knowledge.  For knowing who we are in Christ helps us understand our true selves and that knowledge helps us withstand the challenges we may face.  Our life will grow and shine with that knowledge and reach full potential when we become fully aware of who we are in him.  We are one in him as he is one in the Father.  All praise and glory be to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 

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 23, verses: 29a; Scribes and Pharisees, Hypocrites.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Their persecution of religion) Part 1. 

Christ cries out for the Scribes and the Phatisees for they still did not understand the serious nature of their crimes.  Evil had taken hold of them and possessed their inner souls so deeply they were unable to comprehend the cry of the Lord for them.  He calls them hypocrites in the public eye.  He cries out for them as one would cry out for a lost child, a lost soul who does not know the way.

His cries only fall on deaf ears for they cannot hear.  They cannot understand.  They can only feel the anger from inside that comes from the hatred of evil against him.  The people look on in amazement.  They do not understand the nature of what is happening between Christ and the Scribes and the Pharisees.  If it were anyone else they would be immediately arrested, jailed, and beaten for the things they said.  But this was the Christ, the miracle worker, loved by the people, the prophet, the Messiah.  He was the one to come and no one should touch him.  So he cried out and called to them: "Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!"  

Strong words indead for someone to use even today, to be called a hypocrite.  Imagine going to church and having a preacher give his sermon on hypocrisy.  It might be quite a shock to the parishioners to listen to such a speech.  Some may even take it to heart, get up and walk out in the middle of the sermon.  But this was the strength of the sermon Christ gave to the Scribes and the Pharisees on that day they came to question him.  

They came in the guise of curious, inquisitive learners with the hidden agenda of a viper to bite in the end.  But Christ knew their intentions.  He knew the intent of the evil within them.  He knew their desires, their wants, their anger, and their hatred.  Yet he allowed them to question him that he might have them open themselves up to him.  He wanted the opportunity to heal them.  He wanted the opportunity to open their eyes.  He wanted the chance to maybe pierce the shield of evil that they might be wounded and stop to think of the consequences of their actions.

Yes, sometimes it takes a hard knock, a wound to be opened up, to stop and think, to reconsider the consequences of our actions.  What if my life was ended?  What if I had lost a leg or an arm or some other part.  I was luckie this time.  There may not be a next time.  I need to stop and think how fortunate I am to be alive now.  I need to stop doing those crazy things and get my life together before I loose it.  

These thoughts and others are the kind of thoughts that we have after we have a tragic event happen to us or to someone near to us.  And it is these events that open us up to hear the voice of God in our lives to put us on a different path to turn our lives around.  We can repent.  We can change.  We can do better.  We can be a better person, a loving person, a believing person, a God fearing person.  Christ died for all who would believe in him.  His love transcends all.  His heart is open to all.   

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: 27c; Dead men's bones.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Their hypocritical purity) Part 7.  

Christ gave them an example they could understand.  He spoke of the grave.  He spoke of what happens to man's body after death when it is buried and laid to rest in the grave which most could understand and visualize.  In those times one could smell the stench of death before seeing it.  The wind carried it for many miles to let people know they were approaching death.  People often died in the open wilderness without being buried.  And in those times the Romans crucified people on the cross and left their bodies to rot and decay on the cross as a warning to the people of what could happen to them if they did not obey the Roman laws.

So the people had ample opportunity to see and smell what happened to the body after death.  One could imagine the same thing happened inside the grave as took place outside of the grave.  Christ calling the Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites, calling them whited sepulchres was very graphic for them to imagine.  He wanted them to understand the true nature of their sins.  He told them:  "But within are full of dead men's bones and of all uncleanness."  

They looked good on the outside but on the inside they were full of rotted flesh and dead men's bones.  They were nasty, filthy, unclean.  They were not worthy to be near.  One should be able to smell them from afar as with rotted flesh and dead flesh.  Christ wanted to be graphic.  He wanted to shock.  He wanted to open peoples minds and souls so they would see and believe his message.  He even wanted the Scribes and the Pharisees to have the opportunity to change, to hear the new message of forgiveness and repentance.  But they were unforgiving.  They were lost.  They were blind and deaf and could not nor would not hear or see the change that was happening before their eyes.

Where are we today?  Are we the same?  Are we blind and deaf to the change that is taking place before us.  Are things happening that we should be aware of that is going to affect our souls, our beliefs, our faith, our hope in the promise given us by Christ.  We have the words of the one true God who does not lie.  We have the words of the Son of Man who came down from heaven to walk with us that he might show us how to live, how to love, and how to be free.  We have the guidance of the Holy Spirit that lives with us every minute of the day to help us walk the narrow path to the kingdom of heaven.  What more could we ask for?

Some believe.  Some do not believe.  Some will question.  Some will ask.  Most will continue to walk the path of the world not knowing or believing that there is a God who loves them and wants to provide for all their needs.  Yet here we are walking through the phases of life seeking to grasp the riches of the world which are already given to us.  We are wealthy beyond all imagination.  We are rich beyond all worldly means.  We are loved beyond all the love that can be given us from all the people in the world.  Yet we believe that we are not.  God forgive us.  God touch us.  God awaken us to know that you are ours and we are yours.  

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: 15b; Sons of Hell

Our paragraph topic is:  (Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees) Part 9.  

How do you reach a lost soul?  How can you show them the error of their ways?  How is it possible to shock them back to a sense of justice that they might be able to see the mistakes that they made?  We all are human.  We all make mistakes.  We all are subject to the influences of evil.  In the time when Christ came, evil was rampant.  Evil was with men.  Evil was within the hearts of men and they had forgotten the God of their forefathers.

And this is why Christ called out the leaders, the Scribes and the Pharisees.  They were the ones who set the rules.  They were the ones who enforced the laws.  They were the ones who taught the people how to follow the laws of their forefathers, because they had the books written by the prophets.  They could enforce the laws the way that they saw fit and understood.  Christ called the hypocrites.  He told them:  "Because you traverse sea and land to make one convert; and when he has become one, you make him twofold more a son of hell than yourselves."

He called them hypocrites.  They were masquerading as religious men but underneath the masks they were creating evil in the hearts of men.  They were creating sons of hell, doing the work of the devil, not the work of God.  

 How appropriate is this message for us today.  We go out and evangelize to bring others into the church so that they may be saved.  The church is something new for them in that there are guidelines that we live by to help us follow the life that God wants us to live.  These may be difficult for a new comer to follow or even comprehend if they see others who do not follow the same guidelines.

God our father gave us basic commands to follow to keep us away from harm, out of the way of evil.  He loves us and does not want us to be harmed, just as we love our own children.  We would tell our own children not to put their hands in the fire because it will burn them.  God wants to do the same for us.  We can not base our experience upon that which we see others do.  It is up to each one of us though, to seek a personal relationship with our Father so that we know in our hearts what his will is for us.  His love for us is the key.

Christ is our Lord and Savior.  It is through his passion that we were reborn into a new life.  He came down from his thrown in heaven to be with us, to walk with us and talk with us to leave a legacy that we might know that he is with us.  It is through him and with him that we have a spokesperson to the Father. He knows our faults and failures.  He knows our pains and our sorrows.  He knows our hopes and our fears.  He is with us and in us, if we open ourselves to him through the Holy Spirit.  His love is endless.  His love is boundless.  His love is fulfilling.  He is the be all and the end all of all our needs.  To be with him is to be at rest for all eternity.  

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 19, verse: 25a, The hearing of the disciples.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The danger of riches) Part 3.  

The rich young man was saddened by what Christ told him.  And now Christ speaks the words of truth about the kingdom of heaven.  There is a transition.  There are requirements that must be met.  Each person entering the kingdom must meet the standards.  Death starts the process.  How one lived his physical life determines the criteria.  And the examination at the entrance will set the stage for life everlasting in the kingdom or.

These are the truths that Christ wants his disciples to understand about the kingdom of heaven.  The spiritual kingdom is not like the physical kingdom.  You cannot buy your way in.  You cannot force your way in.  No amount of power or influence will guarantee your entrance.  For what we do on earth will determine if we are eligible to enter.  And Christ gave his disciples a simple example to demonstrate what criteria is used.  He told them that it is easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven.  The disciples, hearing this, were exceedingly astonished.

Just as the rich young man was saddened when he heard Christ's words about selling his possessions, the disciples were astonished when they heard these words.  For it was in the hearing that they did not understand.  It was in the hearing that the meaning was lost.  It was in the hearing that the mind transformed and transposed those words to resonate to heartfelt doom.  All want to be rich.  All want to enjoy the pleasures that come with wealth and riches.  This is what we are given to believe and know from birth.

We see everyday those with wealth and how they are able to live.  We hear everyday of those with riches and how they are able to do the things that everyday people dream about.  Everyday we are told about the lives of the rich and famous, the movie stars, the sports stars, and those of wealthy origins.  And our minds are transformed from where we are into where we would like to be.  So the disciples were exceedingly astonished as we are today with these words.  Yet it is these words that are meant to astonish.  It is these words that are meant to shock.  It is these words that are meant to open our hearts to provide us with the opportunity to see the truth of who we are and what we are given to believe. 

What do we believe?  Do we believe that there is a heaven?  Or do we believe that we are in heaven now, on this earth, and we should live forever here?  Do we fear what comes after death?  Are we afraid of that which we have not been given, that which is foreign to us?  We have been given the here and now.  The world gives us this each day.  We are not given what comes after today, what comes after death, what comes after the physical life.  That information is not published.  That information is not talked about on the talk shows in the lives of the rich and famous.  For that has not been given to us to know as we know the world.  It has been given for us to believe. 

Christ came that we would have life everlasting.  He came to teach us of his Father and our Father, the Creator.  He came to demonstrate his love for us.  And he came to pay the penalty for our punishment.  All this and yet we do not know who we are.  All this he gave to us and we cannot see who we are.  All this and we are blinded by the glitz and glamour that the world offers to us if we only go to sleep in the world and do not seek the spiritual.  Each of has the key to reignite the life that Christ has given us.  All it takes is an open mind and an open heart.  All it takes is a desire to know him who has loved us from the beginning.  Seek that which is within you.  Knock on the door of your heart and open it to the love of Christ and he will come to you to let you know of his love and the love of the Father .  For no one lights a lamp and puts it in the cellar or under a measure, but puts it on a lampstand so that all who enter may see.  Christ wants to light your lamp so that you may see the truth of who you are in him.  Come!  Light your lamp and you will be astonished at who you are 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.