From that time Jesus began to preach. "Repent," He said, "for the Kingdom of the Heavens is now close at hand."

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for to them belongs the Kingdom of the Heavens.

"Blessed are those who have borne persecution in the cause of Righteousness, for to them belongs the Kingdom of the Heavens.

For I assure you that unless your righteousness greatly surpasses that of the Scribes and the Pharisees, you will certainly not find entrance into the Kingdom of the Heavens.

Now John had heard in prison about the Christ's doings, and he sent some of his disciples to inquire: "Are you the Coming One, or is it a different person that we are to expect?" read more. "Go and report to John what you see and hear," replied Jesus; "blind eyes receive sight, and cripples walk; lepers are cleansed, and deaf ears hear; the dead are raised to life, and the poor have the Good News proclaimed to them; and blessed is every one who does not stumble and fall because of my claims."

"I solemnly tell you that among all of woman born no greater has ever been raised up than John the Baptist; yet one who is of lower rank in the Kingdom of the Heavens is greater than he.

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

I solemnly tell you that some of those who are standing here will certainly not taste death till they have seen the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom."

said, "In solemn truth I tell you that unless you turn and become like little children, you will in no case be admitted into the Kingdom of the Heavens.

"I solemnly tell you," replied Jesus, "that in the New Creation, when the Son of Man has taken His seat on His glorious throne, all of you who have followed me shall also sit on twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel.

"I solemnly tell you," replied Jesus, "that in the New Creation, when the Son of Man has taken His seat on His glorious throne, all of you who have followed me shall also sit on twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel.

"But give me your judgement. There was a man who had two sons. He came to the elder of them, and said, "'My son, go and work in the vineyard to-day.' "'I will not,' he replied. "But afterwards he was sorry, and went. read more. He came to the second and spoke in the same manner. His answer was, "'I will go, Sir.' "But he did not go. Which of the two did as his father desired?" "The first," they said. "I solemnly tell you,' replied Jesus, "that the tax-gatherers and the notorious sinners are entering the Kingdom of God in front of you. For John came to you observing all sorts of ritual, and you put no faith in him: the tax-gatherers and the notorious sinners did put faith in him, and you, though you saw this example set you, were not even afterwards sorry so as to believe him.

"That, I tell you, is the reason why the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and given to a nation that will exhibit the power of it.

Again Jesus spoke to them in figurative language. "The Kingdom of the Heavens," He said, "may be compared to a king who celebrated the marriage of his son, read more. and sent his servants to call the invited guests to the wedding, but they were unwilling to come. "Again he sent other servants with a message to those who were invited. "'My breakfast is now ready," he said, 'my bullocks and fat cattle are killed, and every preparation is made: come to the wedding.' "They however gave no heed, but went, one to his home in the country, another to his business; and the rest seized the king's servants, maltreated them, and murdered them. So the king's anger was stirred, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burnt their city. Then he said to his servants, "'The wedding banquet is ready, but those who were invited were unworthy of it. Go out therefore to the crossroads, and everybody you meet invite to the wedding.' "So they went out into the roads and gathered together all they could find, both bad and good, and the banqueting hall was filled with guests. "Now the king came in to see the guests; and among them he discovered one who was not wearing a wedding-robe. "'My friend,' he said, 'how is it that you came in here without a wedding robe?' "The man stood speechless. Then the king said to the servants, "'Bind him hand and foot and fling him into the darkness outside: there will be the weeping aloud and the gnashing of teeth.' "For there are many called, but few chosen."

"Take care that no one misleads you," answered Jesus; "for many will come assuming my name and saying 'I am the Christ;' and they will mislead many. read more. And before long you will hear of wars and rumours of wars. Do not be alarmed, for such things must be; but the End is not yet. For nation will rise in arms against nation, kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places; but all these miseries are but like the early pains of childbirth. "At that time they will deliver you up to punishment and will put you to death; and you will be objects of hatred to all the nations because you are called by my name. Then will many stumble and fall, and they will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will rise up and lead multitudes astray; and because of the prevalent disregard of God's law the love of the great majority will grow cold; but those who stand firm to the End shall be saved. And this Good News of the Kingdom shall be proclaimed throughout the whole world to set the evidence before all the Gentiles; and then the End will come. "When you have seen (to use the language of the Prophet Daniel) "then let those who are in Judaea escape to the hills; let him who is on the roof not go down to fetch what is in his house; nor let him who is outside the city stay to pick up his outer garment. And alas for the women who at that time are with child or have infants! "But pray that your flight may not be in winter, nor on the Sabbath; for it will be a time of great suffering, such as never has been from the beginning of the world till now, and assuredly never will be again. And if those days had not been cut short, no one would escape; but for the sake of God's own People those days will be cut short. "If at that time any one should say to you, 'See, here is the Christ!' or 'Here!' give no credence to it. For there will rise up false Christs and false prophets, displaying wonderful signs and prodigies, so as to deceive, were it possible, even God's own People. Remember, I have forewarned you. If therefore they should say to you, 'See, He is in the Desert!' do not go out there: or 'See, He is indoors in the room!' do not believe it. For just as the lightning flashes in the east and is seen to the very west, so will be the Coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the dead body is, there will the vultures flock together. "But immediately after those times of distress the sun will be darkened, the moon will not shed her light, the stars will fall from the firmament, and the forces which control the heavens will be disordered and disturbed.

"But immediately after those times of distress the sun will be darkened, the moon will not shed her light, the stars will fall from the firmament, and the forces which control the heavens will be disordered and disturbed.

"But immediately after those times of distress the sun will be darkened, the moon will not shed her light, the stars will fall from the firmament, and the forces which control the heavens will be disordered and disturbed. Then will appear the Sign of the Son of Man in the sky; and then will all the nations of the earth lament, when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with great power and glory.

Then will appear the Sign of the Son of Man in the sky; and then will all the nations of the earth lament, when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with great power and glory. And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet-blast, and they will bring together His own People to Him from north, south, east and west--from one extremity of the world to the other.

And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet-blast, and they will bring together His own People to Him from north, south, east and west--from one extremity of the world to the other.

I tell you that I will never again take the produce of the vine till that day when I shall drink the new wine with you in my Father's Kingdom."

I tell you that I will never again take the produce of the vine till that day when I shall drink the new wine with you in my Father's Kingdom."

One day, passing along the shore of the Lake of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, Simon's brother, throwing their nets in the Lake; for they were fisherman.

Another saying of His was this: "The Kingdom of God is as if a man scattered seed over the ground: he spends days and nights, now awake, now asleep, while the seed sprouts and grows tall, he knows not how. read more. Of itself the land produces the crop-- first the blade, then the ear; afterwards the perfect grain is seen in the ear. But no sooner is the crop ripe, than he sends the reapers, because the time of harvest has come."

but it is not to be so among you. No, whoever desires to be great among you must be your servant; and whoever desires to be first among you must be the bondservant of all.

I solemnly tell you that never again will I taste the produce of the vine till I shall drink the new wine in the Kingdom of God."

And Zechariah his father was filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke in a rapture of praise. "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel," he said, "Because He has not forgotten His people but has effected redemption for them, read more. And has raised up a mighty Deliverer for us In the house of David His servant-- As He has spoken from all time by the lips of His holy Prophets-- To deliver us from our foes and from the power of all who hate us. He dealt pitifully with our forefathers, And remembered His holy covenant, The oath which He swore to Abraham our forefather, To grant us to be rescued from the power of our foes And so render worship to Him free from fear, In piety and uprightness before Him all our days. And you moreover, O child, shall be called Prophet of the Most High; For you shall go on in front before the Lord to prepare the way for Him, To give to His People a knowledge of salvation In the forgiveness of their sins, Through the tender compassion of our God, Through which the daybreak from on high will come to us, Dawning on those who now dwell in the darkness and shadow of death--To direct our feet into the path of peace."

Now there was a man in Jerusalem of the name of Symeon, an upright and God-fearing man, who was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. To him it had been revealed by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death until he had seen the Lord's Anointed One. read more. Led by the Spirit he came to the Temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do with regard to Him according to the custom of the Law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said, "Now, O Sovereign Lord, Thou dost send Thy servant away in peace, in fulfilment of Thy word, Because mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, Which Thou hast made ready in the sight of all nations-- A light to shine upon the Gentiles, And the glory of Thy people Israel." And while the child's father and mother were wondering at the words of Symeon concerning Him, Symeon blessed them and said to Mary the mother, "This child is appointed for the falling and the uprising of many in Israel and for a token to be spoken against; and a sword will pierce through your own soul also; that the reasonings in many hearts may be revealed." There was also Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, belonging to the tribe of Asher. She was of a very great age, having had after her maidenhood seven years of married life, and then being a widow of eighty-four years. She was never absent from the Temple, but worshipped, by day and by night, with fasting and prayer. And coming up just at that moment, she gave thanks to God, and spoke about the child to all who were expecting the deliverance of Jerusalem.

On the contrary, when you are invited go and take the lowest place, that when your host comes round he may say to you, 'My friend, come up higher.' This will be doing you honour in the presence of all the other guests. For whoever uplifts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be uplifted. read more. Also to His host, who had invited Him, He said, "When you give a breakfast or a dinner, do not invite your friends or brothers or relatives or rich neighbours, lest perhaps they should invite you in return and a requital be made you. But when you entertain, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind; and you will be blessed, because they have no means of requiting you, but there will be requital for you at the Resurrection of the righteous." After listening to this teaching, one of His fellow guests said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall feast in God's Kingdom." "A man once gave a great dinner," replied Jesus, "to which he invited a large number of guests. At dinner-time he sent his servant to announce to those who had been invited, "'Come, for things are now ready.' "But they all without exception began to excuse themselves. The first told him, "'I have purchased a piece of land, and must of necessity go and look at it. Pray hold me excused.' "A second pleaded, "'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and am on my way to try them. Pray hold me excused.' "Another said, "'I am just married. It is impossible for me to come.' "So the servant came and brought these answers to his master, and they stirred his anger. "'Go out quickly,' he said, 'into the streets of the city--the wide ones and the narrow. You will see poor men, and crippled, blind, lame: fetch them all in here.' "Soon the servant reported the result, saying, "'Sir, what you ordered is done, and there is room still.' "'Go out,' replied the master, 'to the high roads and hedge-rows, and compel the people to come in, so that my house may be filled. For I tell you that not one of those who were invited shall taste my dinner.'"

Being asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God was coming, He answered, "The Kingdom of God does not so come that you can stealthily watch for it.

Being asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God was coming, He answered, "The Kingdom of God does not so come that you can stealthily watch for it.

He gave them the cup in like manner, when the meal was over. "This cup," He said, "is the new Covenant ratified by my blood which is to be poured out on your behalf.

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

"In most solemn truth I tell you," answered Jesus, "that unless a man is born anew he cannot see the Kingdom of God."

"In most solemn truth I tell you," replied Jesus, "that unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

"You," He continued, "are from below, I am from above: you are of this present world, I am not of this present world.

and you shall know the Truth, and the Truth will make you free."

"I am the Way," replied Jesus, "and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Make them holy in the truth: Thy Message is truth.

"My kingdom," replied Jesus, "does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my subjects would have resolutely fought to save me from being delivered up to the Jews. But, as a matter of fact, my kingdom has not this origin."

"My kingdom," replied Jesus, "does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my subjects would have resolutely fought to save me from being delivered up to the Jews. But, as a matter of fact, my kingdom has not this origin." "So then *you* are a king!" rejoined Pilate. "Yes," said Jesus, "you say truly that I am a king. For this purpose I was born, and for this purpose I have come into the world--to give testimony for the truth. Every one who is a friend of the truth listens to my voice."

"So then *you* are a king!" rejoined Pilate. "Yes," said Jesus, "you say truly that I am a king. For this purpose I was born, and for this purpose I have come into the world--to give testimony for the truth. Every one who is a friend of the truth listens to my voice."

Heaven must receive Him until those times of which God has spoken from the earliest ages through the lips of His holy Prophets--the times of the reconstitution of all things.

For the Kingdom of God does not consist of eating and drinking, but of right conduct, peace and joy, through the Holy Spirit;

And before long, God the giver of peace will crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you!

Do you not know that unrighteous men will not inherit God's Kingdom? Cherish no delusion here. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor any who are guilty of unnatural crime, nor theives, nor avaricious people, nor any who are addicted to hard drinking, to abusive language or to greed of gain, will inherit God's Kingdom.

For He must continue King until He shall have put all His enemies under His feet.

For we know that if this poor tent, our earthly house, is taken down, we have in Heaven a building which God has provided, a house not built by human hands, but eternal. For in this one we sigh, because we long to put on over it our dwelling which comes from Heaven-- read more. if indeed having really put on a robe we shall not be found to be unclothed. Yes, we who are in this tent certainly do sigh under our burdens, for we do not wish to lay aside that with which we are now clothed, but to put on more, so that our mortality may be absorbed in Life. And He who formed us with this very end in view is God, who has given us His Spirit as a pledge and foretaste of that bliss. We have therefore a cheerful confidence. We know that while we are at home in the body we are banished from the Lord; for we are living a life of faith, and not one of sight. So we have a cheerful confidence, and we anticipate with greater delight being banished from the body and going home to the Lord. And for this reason also we make it our ambition, whether at home or in exile, to please Him perfectly. For we must all of us appear before Christ's judgement-seat in our true characters, in order that each may then receive an award for his actions in this life, in accordance with what he has done, whether it be good or whether it be worthless.

hard drinking, riotous feasting, and the like. And as to these I forewarn you, as I have already forewarned you, that those who are guilty of such things will have no share in the Kingdom of God.

that Spirit being a pledge and foretaste of our inheritance, in anticipation of its full redemption--the inheritance which He has purchased to be specially His for the extolling of His glory.

For be well assured that no fornicator or immoral person and no money-grubber--or in other words idol-worshipper--has any share awaiting him in the Kingdom of Christ and of God.

and give thanks to the Father who has made us fit to receive our share of the inheritance of God's people in Light. It is God who has delivered us out of the dominion of darkness, and has transferred us into the Kingdom of His dearly-loved Son,

For if we believe that Jesus has died and risen again, we also believe that, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who shall have passed away. For this we declare to you on the Lord's own authority--that we who are alive and continue on earth until the Coming of the Lord, shall certainly not forestall those who shall have previously passed away. read more. For the Lord Himself will come down from Heaven with a loud word of command, and with an archangel's voice and the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Afterwards we who are alive and are still on earth will be caught up in their company amid clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall be with the Lord for ever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

But with respect to the Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to meet Him, we entreat you, brethren, not readily to become unsettled in mind or troubled--either by any pretended spiritual revelation or by any message or letter claiming to have been sent by us--through fancying that the day of the Lord is now here. read more. Let no one in any way deceive you, for that day cannot come without the coming of the apostasy first, and the appearing of the man of sin, the son of perdition, who sets himself against, and exalts himself above, every so-called 'god' or object of worship, and goes the length of taking his seat in the very temple of God, giving it out that he himself is God. Do you not remember that while I was still with you I used to tell you all this? And now you know what restrains him, in order that his true character may be revealed at his appointed time. For lawlessness is already at work in secret; but only until the man who is now exercising a restraining influence is removed, and then the Lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will sweep away with the tempest of His anger, and utterly overwhelm by the awful splendour of His Coming. The appearing of the Lawless one will be attended by various miracles and tokens and delusive marvels--for so Satan works-- and by every kind of wicked deception for those who are on the way to perdition because they did not welcome into their hearts the love of the truth, so that they might be saved. And for this reason God sends them a misleading influence that they may believe the lie; in order that all may come under judgement who have refused to believe the truth and have taken pleasure in unrighteousness.

The Lord will deliver me from every cruel attack and will keep me safe in preparation for His heavenly Kingdom. To Him be the glory until the Ages of the Ages! Amen.

By using the words, "a new Covenant," He has made the first one obsolete; but whatever is decaying and showing signs of old age is not far from disappearing altogether.

By using the words, "a new Covenant," He has made the first one obsolete; but whatever is decaying and showing signs of old age is not far from disappearing altogether.

On the contrary you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the ever-living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to countless hosts of angels, to the great festal gathering and Church of the first-born, whose names are recorded in Heaven, and to a Judge who is God of all, and to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, read more. and to Jesus the negotiator of a new Covenant, and to the sprinkled blood which speaks in more gracious tones than that of Abel.

Therefore, receiving, as we now do, a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us cherish thankfulness so that we may ever offer to God an acceptable service, with godly reverence and awe.

Dear children, let us not love in words only nor with the lips, but in deed and in truth. And in this way we shall come to know that we are loyal to the truth, and shall satisfy our consciences in His presence

And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we know the true One, and are in union with the true One--that is, we are in union with His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and the Life of the Ages.