From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

For I tell you, that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Now when John heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, "Are you the One who is to come, or shall we look for another?" read more. And Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of me."

Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

He answered, "Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up.

Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

and he said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

"What do you think? A man had two sons; and he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' He answered, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went. read more. Then he went to the second and said the same thing. And he answered, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the harlots believed him; and even when you saw it, you did not afterward repent and believe him.

"Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.

And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who arranged a marriage for his son, read more. and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; but they were not willing to come. Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding.'" But they made light of it and went off, one to his own farm, another to his business. And the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the highways, and invite to the marriage feast as many as you find.' And those servants went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good; so the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. And he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are called, but few are chosen."

And Jesus answered them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. read more. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation, and put you to death; and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will fall away, and will betray one another, and hate one another. And many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because wickedness will increase, the love of most will grow cold. But he who endures to the end will be saved. 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. "So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination of desolation,' spoken of by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand) then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe for those who are pregnant and for those who are nursing babies in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. Then if any one says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So if they say to you, 'There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together. "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

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

And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom."

I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom."

And as he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the Sea; for they were fishermen.

And he said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. read more. All by itself the earth produces grainfirst the blade, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."

But it shall not be so among you. But whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be slave of all.

Truly, I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."

Now his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people, read more. and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, To perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath which he swore to our father Abraham: to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God, with which the sunrise from on high will visit us; to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."

Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. read more. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God, and said: "Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel." And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that will be spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with her husband seven years from her virginity, and as a widow till she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, but worshipped with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she gave thanks to God, and spoke of him to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." read more. Then he also said to the one who invited him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers, your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just." When one of those who sat at table with him heard this, he said to him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!" Then he said to him, "A certain man gave a great banquet and invited many. And at the time of the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, 'Come, for all is now ready.' But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. I ask you to have me excused.' And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.' Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' So the servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in the poor and the maimed, the blind and the lame.' And the servant said, 'Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.' Then the master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.'"

Now when he was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation;

Now when he was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation;

Likewise he took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

He said to them, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.

And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now my kingship is not from here."

Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now my kingship is not from here." Pilate said to him, "You are a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say what I ama king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice."

Pilate said to him, "You are a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say what I ama king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice."

whom heaven must receive until the time for establishing all that God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from long ago.

For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit;

And the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor sexual perverts, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Here indeed we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, read more. so that when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed, but to be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now he who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. Therefore we are always of good courage; and we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance, until the redemption of those who are God's possessionto the praise of his glory.

For of this you can be sure, that no immoral, impure, or covetous personsuch a man is an idolaterhas any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son,

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. read more. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, we beg you, brethren, not to be quickly shaken in mind or excited, either by spirit or by word, or by letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. read more. Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he may be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one by the activity of Satan will be with all power and with pretended signs and wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who are to perish, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends upon them a strong delusion so that they will believe what is false, so that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in wickedness.

The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

When he said, "A new covenant," he has made the first obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

When he said, "A new covenant," he has made the first obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the joyful assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, read more. and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks better than the blood of Abel.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe,

Little children, let us not love in word or tongue but in deed and in truth. By this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.