St. Matthew, Chapter 24, verse: 26a; In the desert.

 Our paragraph topic is:  (The sign of the last day) Part 6.  

He has told us beforehand what to expect when the last day comes.  He has told us what to look for on the last day, what the signs will be, what will happen, who to believe and who not to believe.  Christ has given us all that we need to know.  Believe it or not.  It is written for all to see, for all to read, for all to know for their own knowledge.  The words have been spoken from the mouth of spokesperson of God.

Christ came that we might believe that he came from the Father.  He came so that we would know that there is one true God above all other gods that we might think or believe.  He gave examples.  He showed miracles that no other person before him had completed.  He cured the lepers, made the lame walk, healed the sick, raised the dead, forgave sins of those who transgressed, and he challenged the rulers of the day to stop the corruption.  Yet many did not believe, and evil was well engrained in the rulers and the people.

Jerusalem will be destroyed.  The last days are coming.  Great tribulation will be upon the people.  He has told them beforehand.  These were the words of Christ Jesus to his disciples letting his disciples know what was coming in the future.  He wanted them to be aware of the corruption they could not see now that would lead to the destruction later.  If they tell you that Christ was coming, "Do not believe," he told them.  There would be false prophets, and false christs.  There would be all kinds of false signs in order to lead many astray.  Be careful of what you see and what you hear, he told them.  "If therefore they say to you, 'Behold, he is in the desert,' do not go forth."

Each day be watchful.  No one knows when the end will come.  Only the Father knows of that day and of that time.  So, each day, rise, and watch, for the signs as though you were expecting the end to come.  Know that time is limited, and no day is given to you as eternal.  Expect not to live one day as though it were the same as the next.  For we know not when it may be our last.  Christ calls and we must go, weather we want too or not.  He is our Lord and Savior who paid the price for our sins.  He it is who gave us new life if we choose to accept it.  He will come to call us, and the last day will come.   

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: 21b; Great Tribulation from the beginning.

 Our paragraph topic is: (The destruction of Jerusalem) Part 9.  

Who do you believe?  What do you believe?  Would you become fearful of the prediction of destruction that you were hearing from this prophet?  Would you not know what to do, where to go, who to trust, who to seek for answers?  Christ was foretelling the destructing of Jerusalem with such horrific detail that anyone would be fearful.  Was this a trick or was this real?  His words had been real before, why not now.  What were they to do with this dire prediction?

Pray, he told them.  Pray that this destruction does not take place in winter.  Pray, that this devastation does not take place on the Sabbath.  For if that will be the case then, he says great tribulation:  "Such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, nor will be."

Such were the spoken words of Jesus Christ.  Destruction like that which has never been seen or heard of before since the beginning of time will take place if this takes place on the sabbath or in the winter.  God made it rain for forty days and forty nights and destroyed all mankind except Noah and his family.  Christ says that that destruction is nothing compared to what will take place when Jerusalem is destroyed.  Pray, he tells them, pray, that this does not take place.  Pray, that you are spared this devastation, this destruction.

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: 9a; Deliver you to Tribulation.

Our paragraph topic is:  (He tells them of trials and hard times to come) Part 1.  

Christ has shattered the dreams of his disciples concerning their precious Jerusalem.  He has given them a vision of the destruction that will take place with all the beauty and wonder that has taken years to build.  They wanted him to see what they saw in the beauty and majesty of Jerusalem through their eyes but all he saw was death and destruction.  So he had to open the eyes of his disciples so that they would be able to understand what was taking place and what would happen in the end of days.

But before the end would come they, the disciples, needed to know the part they would play in all of this.  He opened their eyes and told them what would happen so that they would not be led astray by all the fear that would flood the land.  He wanted them to stand fast during the storm that would come.  But more than that he had to let them know what would happen to them.  Christ told his disciples:  "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation."

You see, they did not know.  They did not understand.  Christ had not been sacrificed yet.  He had not suffered yet.  He had not risen yet or been glorified.  He had not ascended into heaven to his father yet and they had not received the Holy Spirit.  So the idea that they would be delivered up to tribulation was new and shocking to them.  They knew that they were with him and he would protect and provide for them as he had always.  They knew that he had the power to do so because they were witnesses to the many miracles he performed.  So their minds were at ease when he told them so.  Yet this was something new to them that they would suffer hurt and pain, sorrows and oppression being delivered up to the powers that be.

Is this the fate that we follow if we become disciples of Christ?  Will we be delivered up to tribulation?  Will we suffer for being his followers?  What price will we pay just to be a follower?  What does it mean to be a follower of Christ?  What does it mean to be a Christian?  We go to church on a regular basis, we practice Christian principles, we pray, we read the Bible, we give tithes and alms, we help our brothers and strangers in need.  We try to follow all that Christ has given us through the church that he left here on earth.  

We believe that he is the son of the living God and that he will return one day to reign over all the earth.  We believe that there is life after death and that there is a heaven and a hell.  Our hope and faith is that we will attain heaven when our time ends here on earth.  God is merciful and we pray that he will hear our prayer and grant us eternal life with Christ Jesus. Amen.  

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.