Matthew 13:36-43 ~ The Son of Man will send his angels

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Matthew 13:36-43

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” ³⁷ He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸ The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, ³⁹ and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. ⁴⁰ Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. ⁴¹  The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, ⁴²  and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³ Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

This parable was on my mind yesterday. We had the seeds parable and I wasn't entirely happy with the blog post. And I was thinking about the stages of my life - if we are complacent, we shift without even realizing it. What the seeds really mean to me. How grateful I am for my son telling me, Saturday night, at the Baseball game, he is a believer again. Called back to affirming God is the LORD. 

We are so quick to judge. And we want to say who is a weed. One thing I know from writing the bible studies for our group, from "100 Stories of the Bible", we all work God's plan.  Even the people who intend to nay say God or want what they want. It is the LORD who will decide. We really cannot say who is happy with their life and who is just holding their head up. It takes a lot of patience and God says.  Mercy triumphs over judgement.

James 2:13

For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Jesus is called the friend of sinners. It was the Pharisees who said why do you eat with these people. It was part of the Temple that said be careful who you associate with.

Judges 12:4

⁴ So Jephthah got his Gilead troops together and fought Ephraim. And the men of Gilead hit them hard because they were saying, "Gileadites are nothing but half breeds and rejects from Ephraim and Manasseh."

 

John 2:10

and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."

Matthew 9:10 
While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples.

Psalm 19:13
Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression. 

Luke 6:37
Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven

Psalm 130:4
Because from Your presence is forgiveness

2 Samuel 24:14
David said to Gad, "I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men."

May Father God bless us as we walk His path. As we put what we can in His hands and do our best to be Light in our lives,  blessing Him and thanking Him for His Holiness. Help us each day, Holy Spirit. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Romans 3 ~ and the way of peace they have not known.

Romans 3

Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2 Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. 3 What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? 4 By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written,

“That you may be justified in your words,

and prevail when you are judged.”

5 But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? ( I speak in a human way.) 6 By no means! For then how could God judge the world? 7 But if through my lie God's truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? 8 And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.

9 What then? Are we Jews  any better off? ^{[Or at any disadvantage?]} No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written:

“None is righteous, no, not one;

11 no one understands;

no one seeks for God.

12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;

no one does good,

not even one.”

13 “Their throat is an open grave;

they use their tongues to deceive.”

“The venom of asps is under their lips.”

14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”

15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;

16 in their paths are ruin and misery,

17 and the way of peace they have not known.”

18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being ^[flesh] will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

The Scriptures are chosen from a list and prayed for before we use them that day. I have noticed the blog will go on subject. Much like my Pastor Clark's sermon series.  And this one is one I have never touched on before. About all are fallen. I gives me a tender emotion. It makes me feel more loved than some of the sermon series. 

Today I was remembering some old hurts. And not feeling hurt at the time. And some harsh words came out, but you know, they didn't have the fire. Just the emphasis of what it was at the time. It takes a special circumstance to come to peace.  I've been a part of my husband's family for 30 years. And we've had our rough patches. Really rough. And due to parents being alive and loss and children growth. The dissimilarities get worn away. And in honesty, in bad news, there is a chance to understand each other. It is in going deeper, just in courtesy, we pave the way for what for decades can be unfathomable. 

If you think about the Exodus - it took 40 years because people were fearful. Life is still like that. And the miracles occur because people take time to hang in. And hope. And reach out.

Some of our deeply held judgements are wrong. And it takes time for the layers to peal away and peace to come. 

That is what faith is. Believing in the unseen. 

Hebrews 11:7

By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

Hang in there. God is still working. Hanging on is easier.

John 5:17

But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

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2 Samuel 11:1-15 ~ When they told David, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?”

David's Palace is circled on the lower right side of this map of Jerusalem

Israel rural wilderness



David's Palace was built using Phoenician architecture, drawing by Eilat Mazar




View from David's Palace - artistic rendition

Phoenician Column found in David's Palace

View looking outside from David's Palace archaeological dig

View of Old City Jerusalem Today Views from David's Palace archaeological dig. You can imagine Bathsheba on the roof below.


 Views from David's Palace archaeological dig. Kidron Valley. As if you were looking from David's window.
This view is very similar to what David would have seen from this window.



Looking into David's Palace Excavation, before the roof was put over it


Looking at the David Palace Excavation currently

Biblical Archaeological Review Magazine did a great article.
http://www.bib-arch.org/e-features/king-davids-palace.asp Many More Archaeological Artifacts are Found and Displayed in The Link.

2 Samuel 11:1-15

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio         

In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.  2 It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. 3 And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” 4 So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. ( Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house. 5 And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.”   

6 So David sent word to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. 7 When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab was doing and how the people were doing and how the war was going. 8 Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” And Uriah went out of the king's house, and there followed him a present from the king. 

9 But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. 10 When they told David, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” 11 Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.” 12 Then David said to Uriah, “Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 And David invited him, and he ate in his presence and drank, so that he made him drunk. And in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house. 

 14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15 In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die.”     

We live in a time when people do and say crass things.  It is almost inconceivable to me that David didn't think Uriah wouldn't guess when he asks him, "Why haven't you gone home?"

We find out, later, from Nathan the prophet, that David had no idea how wife proud Uriah was.  Uriah surely knew he was David's neighbor. And it really is not normal behavior to get drunk with a king who stays home.  Why didn't David, who was so famous for being honest, tell Uriah. Arrange something, anything. David had avoided being a murderer for so many years.   

If you've raised teenagers, we all have a horror of getting a phone call about a teenager accident. Having bad news. Worse news to find your child drove. It is something every parent thinks of when it is time to see your child drive away. Put yourself in God's place. What would you do if David where your child? And you knew your child had deliberately run down a bully or a rival. David did just that. How would you hold your head up. And God did what we would do and we would feel terrible about forgiving our child. Forgiveness with guilt. Forgiveness with anger. Forgiveness with shame.  

Instead God Forgives David.  And lets David have the natural consequences of his own children thinking about how they had not seen the 22 years of bravery, but instead the known moral failure of David.  His children do not see a natural order of Dad as the man, but Dad as a 'natural' man. 

We live in a natural generation.  Living with broken homes and parents who didn't do as we hoped or children who have done the same.  So often Christians speak of David was a murder, but we really forget Uriah was an actual person. Me, I'm looking forward to at least getting a good look at David someday, or his autograph, but it is flat out astonishing to remember Uriah lived down the hill from David and probably admired David going off to fight the battle.  And so it is with God. He Loves us that much.  We don't often even contemplate murdering someone, but we neglect Him and we dishonor His Love with just plain selfishness.  

And He forgives us.  In His Son, Jesus Christ. In Jesus, we are washed clean. To start again, to walk the path He gives us with Love and Hope.     


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Matthew 13:18-23 ~ bear fruit

Matthew 13:18-23



“Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."

A young woman plans to have baby. She goes into a local pregnancy clinic to obtain a confirmation of pregnancy for government assistance. ( A typical pregnancy and delivery has out of pocket expenses today of $10,000 even for insurance employees.) She tells of a Christian upbringing with some of the world's troubles. And she states she attends Church with her family, but now has an interest of one God found through many religions. She isn't open for suggestions until the Church lady (from SNL) is mentioned. When told that people in her generation know so little about Jesus and the Bible they actually believe that this is Christianity, she agrees that is Very sad. A lost Christianity. A prayer is said that her cry of sadness will be remembered as the child is raised. All prayer is appreciated from Father God, any time we see a need, so pray along!

This woman was raised as a Christian and her seeds of faith have fallen along the way. Ideas will be discussed, but it will be a seeking, from her description, and not a feeling of being found and saved. She believes in the Christian idea of Heaven and hell, but there isn't the joy of discovery and knowing.

The Stranger
A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger
who was new to our small town. From the beginning,
Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer
and soon invited him to live with our family. The
stranger was quickly accepted and was around
from then on.


As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my
family. In my young mind, he had a special niche.
My parents were complementary instructors: Mom
taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey.
But the stranger... he was our storyteller. He would
keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures,
mysteries and comedies.


If I wanted to know anything about politics, history
or science, he always knew the answers about the past,
understood the present and even seemed able to predict
the future! He took my family to the first major league
ball game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The
stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind.


Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of
us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to
say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet.
(I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)


Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions,
but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them.
Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home - not
from us, our friends or any visitors. Our long time visitor,
however, got away with four-letter words that burned my
ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush.
My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol but the
stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made
cigarettes look cool, cigars manly, and pipes distinguished.


He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments
were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally
embarrassing. I now know that my early concepts about relationships were
influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked ... And NEVER asked to leave.


More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved
in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly
as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into
my parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over
in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and
watch him draw his pictures.


His name?....
We just call him 'TV.'


(Note: This should be required
reading for every household!)


He has a wife now....we call her 'Computer.'


Their first child is "Cell Phone".


Second child "I Pod"


And JUST BORN THIS YEAR WAS a Grandchild:
"IPAD"


OH MY-


We love to remember the Prodigal Son and place ourselves in the story. But the seeds remind us ..... we move. We can sit in Church and be angry with the LORD. We can sit in Church and be judgmental or complacent. How are we different in our beliefs and actions when we were 12 years old and on the brink of adulthood?

The point is to remember - this is about being the Light. To help where we can, pray and feel excellent about it where there isn't a solution for us to apply. Prayer is not the fall back. Prayer is the beginning. I prayed for a clerk at a store who needed a good doctor. I prayed for that doctor to reach out to the woman. My son and his girlfriend ran after a homeless man in his 30s at the Houston Astos Baseball Stadium, to give him aid. Who ever heard of such a young, handsome man being homeless and hurt. People walked past him as he stared at the concrete in front of the ticket window. My mom has given money at a Dallas Arboretum window when a young father acknowledged to his wife that he didn’t have the funds to pay for the tickets. He was so embarrassed. “Oh, ma’am you don’t need to do that!” My mom replied, she’d been left outside the ticket gates herself. When we feel pressed upon ourselves, perhaps that is the best time to look to see how others are. I know this week, a situation I would not want has brought about more communication than I've seen in a good long time. Providing a bridge and a gratitude so profound, it will not be swept away.

In a time of trouble, God is good. It is up to us to remember not to soak, but to bear fruit.
It is up to us who have children - remember about seeds shifting in people’s lives. They have questions about the faith and they want you to know. Things like why did God have kosher? God had kosher because during the Iron Age, the age of King David, children of Israel lived to be in their 50s. The rest of the world was dying in their early 20s. Kosher saved the women in the Exodus in childbearing.

God wants us to think about seeds shifting as we raise our children. To talk about difficulties in life and to talk about things like sobriety, honoring the older generation, problem solving and learning to trusting and lean on God. God wants you to teach your children, looking for the teachable moments. Reading the Scripture opens us up to what is going on in the people around us.

Father God, today, I ask You, what would you have these hands do? Let me do it. Let my heart pray. And help me to do Your will. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!



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Judges 13 ~ the angel of the LORD

Judges 13

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio Bible   
 

1 And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.
 

2 There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. And his wife was barren and had no children. 3 And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. 4 Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, 5 for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.” 6 Then the woman came and told her husband, “A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome. I did not ask him where he was from, and he did not tell me his name, 7 but he said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. So then drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’”
 

8 Then Manoah prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent come again to us and teach us what we are to do with the child who will be born.” 9 And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field. But Manoah her husband was not with her. 10 So the woman ran quickly and told her husband, “Behold, the man who came to me the other day has appeared to me.” 11 And Manoah arose and went after his wife and came to the man and said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to this woman?” And he said, “I am.” 12 And Manoah said, “Now when your words come true, what is to be the child's manner of life, and what is his mission?” 13 And the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful. 14 She may not eat of anything that comes from the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, or eat any unclean thing. All that I commanded her let her observe.”
 

15 Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “Please let us detain you and prepare a young goat for you.” 16 And the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “If you detain me, I will not eat of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, then offer it to the Lord.” (For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the Lord.) 17 And Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “What is your name, so that, when your words come true, we may honor you?” 18 And the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful * ?” 19 So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it on the rock to the Lord, to the one who works [works of the Lord] wonders, and Manoah and his wife were watching. 20 And when the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the angel of the Lord went up in the flame of the altar. Now Manoah and his wife were watching, and they fell on their faces to the ground.
 

21 The angel of the Lord appeared no more to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the Lord. 22 And Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, for we have seen God.” 23 But his wife said to him, “If the Lord had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering at our hands, or shown us all these things, or now announced to us such things as these.” 24 And the woman bore a son and called his name Samson. And the young man grew, and the Lord blessed him. 25 And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol [ = tribe of Judah, villages and western foothills].

* Isaiah 9:6  
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The Scriptures repeat. Repeat and repeat so we learn seeing situations from different views. We see the ascension. A sacrifice becomes Wonderful. Our atonement. The confusion of man (the disciples) trying to grasp the grace and truth of God. We see the fire of the Holy Spirit Jesus gave us. We see the blessing God sees in a child. Many times in the Scriptures we are told it is a messenger, an angel, then the fortunate individual seeing the angel declares they have seen the LORD. Is the angel actually the Son of God? We will have to ask on that glorious day.  

 1 Corinthians 15:51    
Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.

The compassion of the Almighty for Manoah and his wife. Love as high as the heavens. We can all take comfort. The loving care to come and repeat the message, then, and only then - leaving in the blaze of His Glory.  

 1 Chronicles 16:31  
 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!”  

 Luke 1:13-15  But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.  


Luke 2: 8 
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”  



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Matthew 24 ~ saying

Matthew 24

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Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”


3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”


4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.


9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.


15 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’[a] spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.


22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.


26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.


29 “Immediately after the distress of those days


“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’


30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.


32 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.



36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.


42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.


45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." ~ Edmund Burke

Lots of Bible studies right now for the Book of Revelation, I suppose it is because people are still concerned about the movie 2012. What will bring Jesus Christ to return? We don't know exactly, many people don't know history well (or believe now is worse) and claim it is soon. Perhaps they are right. Mankind has put himself in dark places before.

Probably one thing that is more frequent today - atheists feel more free to speak up. Almost motivated. It's hip to question. There was an atheist today on Facebook, replying to a Christian message of compassion as a status update with 2 of his own comments to teach the "no fear" belief of atheism. One of the Christian responses was deleted (in fear or in prayer I cannot say) and that FBer came back with a more neutral and Hollywood quote.

God gives us opportunities to speak up for Christ gently, but aren't we called to speak. Yes, with compassion, but speak. If we leave a conversation telling ourselves we should have spoken, when we feel the nudge of the Holy Spirit - we should - we should speak. God never called anyone to Him with a rope and a whip, but we are supposed to remember the words of Jesus.

Mark 8:38 
For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. 

This is one of the statements Jesus Christ believes. It doesn't say get out your blow torch and let them have it.

What is appealing about the belief Jesus Christ gives us?
We believe Jesus Christ gives us a free gift. To call upon Him, to believe His name, we are honored to be called into God's Kingdom. To live with Him and understand completely why John, the apostle, who knew Jesus personally said God is Love. Christians believe there is God, who is greater than themselves. Christians put the belief into action - that action is kindness with mercy, to walk humbly with the Lord. We believe in God's goodness and we try to live it. We believe the Kingdom of God is at hand and exists now with us - in us and in our actions.

Psalm 23:6  
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

Not suffer in silence as atheism is preached as a something rewarding and noble. When I have heard atheism at its peak of speech, it usually draws in public opinion. We don't believe in our God because it is fashionable.

Are we always called to speak. No. Even Paul acknowledged, sometimes there is no point. We allow the Spirit of God, dwelling with in us, to lead us in His wisdom.

7 times in the Gospels, Jesus speaks about His elect. This passage refers to the elect 3 times. Only 19 times in the New Testament. What is this portion of the Scriptures, given only some attention; what is election?

Romans 9:11

though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—

The next time you hear an atheist really speak to their atheist beliefs, ask yourself - is this their only destiny. Perhaps this is not the time to speak, it is their only destiny. Under these unfortunate circumstances, you will not be able to help by speaking - only prayer.

Balance this thought out with these:

Luke 1:19

And the angel answered him, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.

Luke 2:10

And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people"

Luke 4:18

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed

Luke 4:43

but he said to them, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose."

Acts 14:15 "Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.

Proverbs 25:25 Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Luke 2:33-35 ~ reveals

Holding Heaven, by Ron di Cianni

Luke 2:33-35 (The Message)

33-35 Jesus' father and mother were speechless with surprise at these words. Simeon went on to bless them, and said to Mary his mother,

This child marks both the failure and
the recovery of many in Israel,
A figure misunderstood and contradicted—
the pain of a sword-thrust through you—
But the rejection will force honesty,
as God reveals who they really are.

Jesus turned the world around, He was misunderstood. 

Yes, the blind see, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 
Luke 7:22

By the end of Mark 1, Jesus' miracles have drawn so much attention, Jesus is not freely moving about:

41 Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” 42 As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. 43 And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, 44 and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” 45 However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.

The beginning of Mark 2, the religious are offended by the miracles of Jesus:

6 And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

The offense of the spiritual has led to murderous desires, Mark 3:

6 Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.

Why? In Mark 4, Jesus is telling what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. His disciples say this about Him:

41They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"

Mark 5, when one man, who had previously terrified the town with his unclean spirits is healed, the town says to Jesus:

17 Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

Then the Religious have a need for Jesus:

2Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet 23and pleaded earnestly with him, "My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live."

Jesus responds: 24So Jesus went with him.
41He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum!" (which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!" ). 42Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

A woman from the crowd, feels if she can just reach out to Him:

7When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed."

32But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."


Mark 6, Jesus visits Nazareth, His hometown:
4Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." 5He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6And he was amazed at their lack of faith.

Jesus' disciples see Him every day:
They cried out, 50because they all saw him and were terrified.

Immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." 51Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.

The crowd had now become crazed for the miracles of Jesus, without seeking to worship Him. He returns to Gennesaret, where they have previously asked Jesus to leave:

53When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. 54As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. 55They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.

Mark 7, Jesus declares the cleanliness of the soul is more important than rules:

18And he said to them, "Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, 19since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?" (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20And he said, "What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person."

36And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."

Mark 8, The crowd continues to gather to be healed, to see, to be fed spiritually.

They had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, 2 "I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 3And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away."

And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 9And there were about four thousand people.

Jesus ask His disciples, who do you say I am?

29 Peter answered him, "You are the Christ."

The disciples are then told by Jesus He will suffer and die. Peter begins to rebuke Jesus.

Mark 9: Jesus returns to the foot of the mountain, to his disciples after experiencing the Transfiguration with Moses and Elijah, Peter, James and John. He is greeted by his disciples like Moses. They have been unable to cast out an evil spirit.

23And Jesus said to him, "'If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes." 24Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!"

7But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" 29And he said to them, "This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.

50 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."

Mark 10, Jesus continues to work with the disciples and teach us:

15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." 16And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

Mark 11

23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."

Mark 12:
28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, "Which commandment is the most important of all?"

29Jesus answered, "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31 The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

32And the scribe said to him, "You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. 33And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."

34And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."

Mark 13, Jesus tells His disciples about the end of the world, the end of the Temple, the end of Jesus, he urges them to be alert, to be awake.

Mark 14 Jesus is worshiped for the first time, without thought of reward:
3 And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. 4There were some who said to themselves indignantly, "Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor." And they scolded her. 6But Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. 9And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her."

41And he came the third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand."

48And Jesus said to them, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? 49 Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled." 50 And they all left him and fled.


60And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, "Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?" 61But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" 62And Jesus said, "I Am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven."

Mark 15
And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!"

40There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.

Mark 16

9Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.

14Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. 15And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

20And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.



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Mark 6:21-29 ~ Ask me for whatever you wish

Mark 6:21-29

But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22 For when Herodias's daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” 23 And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.” 24 And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” 25 And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26 And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John's head. He went and beheaded him in the prison 28 and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.


A prophet is  without honor amongst his own people and his own town. What would it have looked like if John the Baptist had not been on the menu. We have looked before at Herodias's daughter with the opinion it is very difficult to be the child of mother like Herodias. Who was known to jump marriage ships when the cargo looked better. We live in an age where we are so aware of parental responsibility.

Personal responsibility is not as popular. We know what happened to Herod and Herodias, they are quite easily found in history books. Herod was raised by a killer who claimed the throne of Judea. Sent to Rome to be educated "the best" way. Herodias' family eventually gained the Emperor's ear and basically were exiled to die in obscurity except for..... Jesus Christ the Risen Lord.

And Herodias' daughter? Not heard from again, mentioned by Josephus.  Except on Wikipedia - Salome. What if she'd asked for freedom for John or literacy programs?  Because. There are many, many written messages on the walls of Peter's home.

What we do with our prayers is important to. We cannot hide from the LORD. Sometimes we don't feel like praying for someone, we do it any way. Sometimes we want something we should not.  What can we do but be honest with the LORD.  We can always stand amazed at His Grace. Forgiveness.

However.

Asking for the head of John the Baptist is probably not a good idea.  Messing with holiness not wise. We all need a reminder as we pray, to say, LORD I should remember this more. I should care more. Draw my prayer attention where it should be.  We should remember to pray at intintervals our generation is just letting our mind idle. If CNN and the news channels can flash message, ticker tape and inserts, why in the world don't we pray for ambulances, people with a Christian message on their car, empty or forlorn Churches. Churches so huge, the community is not easily known to one another.  For people alone in crowded places. For the
handicapped. 

I used to get upset seeing animals dead on the side of the road. The LORD spoke with Larry Brooks, a friend of mine, and he said, rather angrily, "Why do you mourn this? For one thing, we all have a time. And another thing is that raccoon wouldn't have died if it hadn't been so greedy to keep eating and grasping as the headlights were coming on." You know it isn't all about raccoons. It is about what we ask for when the LIGHT is there.

10 Lepers where healed. One came back to give praise.

Prayer is about keeping the conversation going. Even in crowded parking spaces. Bless their darlin little heart. 

Let's all practice what we teach. In the name of Jesus Christ, the LORD. The Light. The Salvation of Mankind.


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