From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent! for the Kingdom of Heaven is coming!"

"Blessed are those who feel their spiritual need, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them!

"Blessed are those who have endured persecution for their uprightness, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them!

For I tell you that unless your uprightness is far superior to that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never even enter the Kingdom of Heaven!

Now when John heard in prison of what the Christ was doing, he sent by his disciples and said to him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we look for someone else?" read more. Jesus answered, "Go and report to John what you hear and see. The blind are regaining their sight and the lame can walk, the lepers are being cured and the deaf can hear, the dead are being raised and good news is being preached to the poor. And blessed is the man who finds nothing that repels him in me."

"I tell you, among men born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has ever appeared. And yet those who are of little importance in the Kingdom of Heaven are greater than he.

But he answered, "Any plant that my heavenly Father did not plant must be uprooted!

I tell you, some of you who stand here will certainly live to see the Son of Man come to reign!"

and he said, "I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven at all.

Jesus said to them, "In the new world, I tell you, when the Son of Man takes his seat on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit upon twelve thrones, and judge the twelve tribes of Israel!

Jesus said to them, "In the new world, I tell you, when the Son of Man takes his seat on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit upon twelve thrones, and judge the twelve tribes of Israel!

But what do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'My son, go and work in the vineyard today.' And he answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go. read more. Then the man went to the second son, and told him the same thing. And he answered, 'I will not!' But afterward he changed his mind and went. Which of the two did what his father wanted?" They said, "The second one." Jesus said to them, "I tell you, the tax-collectors and prostitutes are going into the Kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you with a way of uprightness, and you would not believe him. The tax-collectors and prostitutes believed him, but even after seeing that, you would not change your minds and believe him!

"That, I tell you, is why the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and given to a people that will produce its proper fruit.

And Jesus spoke to them again in figures, and said, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a king, who gave a wedding banquet for his son. read more. And he sent his slaves to summon those who had been invited to the banquet, and they would not come. He sent other slaves a second time, and said to them, 'Tell those who have been asked, "Here I have my banquet all ready, my bullocks and fat cattle are killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!" ' But they took no notice of it, and went off, one to his estate, and another to his business, and the rest seized his slaves, and ill treated them and killed them. This made the king angry, and he sent his troops and put those murderers to death and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, 'The banquet is ready, but those who were invited have proved unworthy of it. So go out where the roads leave the city and invite everyone you find to the banquet.' So his slaves went out on the roads, and got together all the people they could find, good or bad, and the hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to view the guests, he saw among them a man who did not have on wedding clothes. And he said to him, 'My friend, how did you happen to come here without wedding clothes?' But he had nothing to say. Then the king said to his attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot and throw him out into the darkness, there to weep and grind his teeth.' For many are invited but few chosen."

Jesus answered, "Take care that no one misleads you about this. For many will come under my name, and say, 'I am the Christ,' and many will be misled by them. read more. You will hear of wars and rumors of war; do not let yourselves be alarmed. They have to come, but that is not the end. For nation will rise in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes here and there. All this is only the beginning of the sufferings. Then they will hand you over to persecution and they will put you to death, and you will be hated by all the heathen because you bear my name. Then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will appear, and many will be misled by them, and because of the increase of wickedness, most men's love will grow cold. But he who holds out to the end will be saved. And this good news of the kingdom will be preached all over the world, to testify to all the heathen, and then the end will come. "So when you see the dreadful desecration, of which the prophet Daniel spoke, set up in the Holy Place"??he reader must take note of this??16 "then those who are in Judea must fly to the hills;

a man on the roof of his house must not go down to get things out of it, and a man in the field must not turn back to get his coat. read more. But alas for women who are with child at that time or who have babies! And pray that you may not have to fly in winter or on the Sabbath, for there will be greater misery then than there has ever been from the beginning of creation until now, or ever will be again. If those days had not been cut short, nobody would have escaped, but for the sake of God's people those days will be cut short. "If anyone says to you at that time, 'Look! here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' do not believe it, for false Christs and false prophets will appear, and they will show great signs and wonders to mislead God's chosen people if they can. Here I have told you beforehand. So if they say to you, 'There he is, in the desert!' do not go out there; 'Here he is, in a room in here!' do not believe it. For just as the lightning starts in the east and flashes to the west, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. Wherever there is a dead body, the vultures will flock. "But immediately after the misery of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the forces of the sky will shake.

"But immediately after the misery of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the forces of the sky will shake.

"But immediately after the misery of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the forces of the sky will shake. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will lament when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, in all his power and splendor.

Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will lament when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, in all his power and splendor. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet-call, and they will gather his chosen people from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet-call, and they will gather his chosen people from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

And I tell you I will never drink this product of the vine again till the day when I shall drink the new wine with you in my Father's kingdom!"

And I tell you I will never drink this product of the vine again till the day when I shall drink the new wine with you in my Father's kingdom!"

As he was passing along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets in the sea, for they were fishermen.

"The reign of God," he said, "is like a man scattering seed on the ground, and then sleeping at night and getting up by day, while the seed sprouts and comes up, without his knowing it. read more. The ground of itself is productive, putting forth first a blade, then a head, then fully developed wheat in the head. But as soon as the crop will let him, the man goes in with his sickle, for the harvest time has come.

but it is not to be so among you. Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to hold the first place among you must be everybody's slave.

I tell you, I will never drink the product of the vine again till the day when I shall drink the new wine in the Kingdom of God."

And his father Zechariah was filled with the holy Spirit and he uttered a divine message, saying, "Blessings on the Lord, the God of Israel, Because he has turned his attention to his people, and brought about their deliverance, read more. And he has produced a mighty Savior for us In the house of his servant David. "By the lips of his holy prophets he promised of old to do this??71 To save us from our enemies and from the hands of all who hate us,

Thus showing mercy to our forefathers, And keeping his sacred agreement, "And the oath that he swore to our forefather Abraham, read more. That we should be delivered from the hands of our enemies, And should serve him in holiness and uprightness, unafraid, In his own presence all our lives. "And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, For you will go before the Lord to make his way ready, Bringing his people the knowledge of salvation Through the forgiveness of their sins. "Because the heart of our God is merciful, And so the day will dawn upon us from on high, To shine on men who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, And guide our feet into the way of peace."

Now there was a man in Jerusalem named Symeon, an upright, devout man, who was living in expectation of the comforting of Israel, and under the influence of the holy Spirit. It had been revealed to him by the holy Spirit that he should not die without seeing the Lord's Messiah. read more. And under the Spirit's influence he went into the Temple, and when Jesus' parents brought him there to do for him what the Law required, Symeon also took him in his arms and blessed God, and said, "Now, Master, you will let your slave go free In peace, as you promised, For my eyes have seen your salvation Which you have set before all the nations, A light of revelation for the heathen, And a glory to your people Israel!" The child's father and mother were astonished at what Symeon said. And he gave them his blessing, and said to Mary, the child's mother, "This child is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a portent that will be much debated??35 you yourself will be pierced to the heart??nd so the thoughts of many minds will be revealed."

There was also a prophetess there named Hannah, the daughter of Phanuel, who belonged to the tribe of Asher. She was very old, for after her girlhood she had been married for seven years, and she had been a widow until she was now eighty-four. She never left the Temple, but worshipped night and day with fasting and prayer. read more. She came up just at that time and gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were living in expectation of the liberation of Jerusalem.

But when you are invited anywhere, go and take the poorest place, so that when your host comes in, he will say to you, 'My friend, come to a better place.' So you will be shown consideration before all the other guests. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted." read more. And he said to the man who had invited him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your rich neighbors, for then they will invite you in return and you will be repaid. But when you give an entertainment, invite people who are poor, maimed, lame, or blind. Then you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the upright." One of the other guests heard this, and said to him, "Blessed is the man who shall be at the banquet in the Kingdom of God!" He said to him, "A man once gave a great dinner, and invited a large number to it, and when the dinner hour came, he sent around his slave, to say to those who were invited, 'Come! for it is now ready!' And they all immediately began to excuse themselves. The first one said to him, 'I have bought a piece of land, and I must go and look at it. Please have me excused.' Another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to examine them. Please have me excused.' Another said, 'I have married, and so I cannot come.' So the slave went back, and reported this to his master. Then the master of the house was angry and said to his slave, 'Hurry out into the streets and squares of the city, and bring the poor, the maimed, the blind, and the lame in here!' And the slave said, 'What you ordered, sir, has been done, and there is still room.' And the master said to the slave, 'Go out on the roads, and among the hedges, and make them come so that my house may be full. For I tell you that none of those men who were invited shall have any of my dinner!' "

He was once asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, and he answered, "The Kingdom of God is not coming visibly,

He was once asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, and he answered, "The Kingdom of God is not coming visibly,

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Jesus answered him, "I tell you, no one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born over again from above!"

Jesus answered, "I tell you, if a man does not owe his birth to water and spirit, he cannot get into the Kingdom of God.

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

and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free."

Jesus said to him, "I am Way and Truth and Life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

Consecrate them by truth. Your message is truth.

Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not a kingdom of this world. If my kingdom were a kingdom of this world, my men would have fought to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom has no such origin."

Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not a kingdom of this world. If my kingdom were a kingdom of this world, my men would have fought to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom has no such origin." Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?" Jesus answered, "As you say, I am a king. It was for this that I was born and for this that I came to the world, to give testimony for truth. Everyone who is on the side of truth listens to my voice."

Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?" Jesus answered, "As you say, I am a king. It was for this that I was born and for this that I came to the world, to give testimony for truth. Everyone who is on the side of truth listens to my voice."

Yet he must remain in heaven till the time for the universal reformation of which God told in ancient times by the lips of his holy prophets.

The Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of uprightness, peace, and happiness through the possession of the holy Spirit.

And God, who is the source of peace, will soon crush Satan under your feet. The blessing of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Do you not know that wrongdoers will not have any share in God's kingdom? Do not let anyone mislead you. People who are immoral or idolaters or adulterers or sensual or given to unnatural vice or thieves or greedy??runkards, abusive people, robbers??ill not have any share in God's kingdom.

for he must retain the kingdom until he puts all his enemies under his feet.

For I know that if this earthly tent that I live in is taken down, God will provide me a building in heaven to live in, not built by human hands but eternal. This makes me sigh with longing to put on my heavenly dwelling, read more. for if I do, I shall never find myself disembodied. For I who am still in my tent sigh with anxiety, because I do not want to be stripped of it, but to put on the other over it, so that what is only mortal may be absorbed in life. It is God himself who has prepared me for this change, and he has given me the Spirit as his guaranty. So I am confident. I know well that as long as I am at home in the body I am away from the Lord (for I have to guide my steps by faith, not by what is seen)??8 yet I am confident, and I prefer to leave my home in the body and make my home with the Lord.

So whether I am at home or away from it, it is my ambition to please him. For we must all appear in our true characters before the tribunal of the Christ, each to be repaid with good or evil for the life he has lived in the body.

envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you as I did before that people who do such things will have no share in the Kingdom of God.

which is the advance installment of our inheritance, so that we may get full possession of it, and praise his glory for it.

For you may be sure that no one who is immoral, or greedy for gain (for that is idolatry) can have any share in the Kingdom of Christ and God.

and you will thank the Father who has entitled you to share the lot of God's people in the realm of light. He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness, and has transferred us into the realm of his dear Son,

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, then by means of Jesus God will bring back with him those who have fallen asleep. For we can assure you, on the Lord's own authority, that those of us who will still be living when the Lord comes will have no advantage over those who have fallen asleep. read more. For the Lord himself, at the summons, when the archangel calls and God's trumpet sounds, will come down from heaven, and first those who died in union with Christ will rise; then those of us who are still living will be caught up with them on clouds into the air to meet the Lord, and so we shall be with the Lord forever. Therefore, encourage one another with this truth.

As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, brothers, and our assembling to meet him, we beg you not to let your minds be too easily unsettled or wrought up, by any message of the Spirit or any utterance or letter purporting to be from me, to the effect that the Day of the Lord has already come. read more. You must not let anyone deceive you at all. For that is not until the rebellion takes place and the embodiment of disobedience makes his appearance??e who is doomed to destruction, the adversary of every being that is called a god or an object of worship, and so overbearing toward them as to enter God's sanctuary and take his seat there, proclaiming himself to be God??5 do you not remember that when I was with you, I used to tell you this?

So now you know what it is that is holding him back from making his appearance before the appointed time arrives. For disobedience is already secretly at work, but only until he who is now holding it in check is gotten out of the way. read more. Then the embodiment of disobedience will make his appearance, and the Lord Jesus will destroy him with the breath of his mouth and annihilate him by his appearance and arrival. The other's appearance, by the contrivance of Satan, will be full of power and pretended signs and wonders, and full of wicked deception for men who are going to destruction, because they refused to love the truth and be saved. This is why God sends upon them a misleading influence, to make them believe what is false, so that all who have refused to believe the truth but have preferred disobedience may be condemned.

The Lord will rescue me from any harm and bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Now when he speaks of a new agreement, he is treating the first one as obsolete; but whatever is obsolete and antiquated is almost ready to disappear.

Now when he speaks of a new agreement, he is treating the first one as obsolete; but whatever is obsolete and antiquated is almost ready to disappear.

But you have come up to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to countless angels, to the solemn gathering of all God's elder sons, enrolled as citizens in heaven, to a judge who is the God of all, to the spirits of upright men now at last enjoying the fulfilment of their hopes, read more. to Jesus the negotiator of a new agreement, and to sprinkled blood that speaks more powerfully than even Abel's.

Let us, therefore, be thankful that the kingdom given to us cannot be shaken, and so please God by worshiping him with reverence and awe;

Dear children, let us love not with words or lips only but in reality and truth. From that we can be sure that we are on the side of the truth, and satisfy our consciences in God's sight,

And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us power to recognize him who is true; and we are in union with him who is true, through his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.