Then Jesus said to his disciples: "If any man wishes to walk in my steps, let him renounce self, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, and whoever, for my sake, loses his life shall find it. read more. What good will it do a man to gain the whole world, if he forfeits his life? or what will a man give that is of equal value with his life? For the Son of Man is to come in his Father's Glory, with his angels, and then he 'will give to every man what his actions deserve.' I tell you, some of those who are standing here will not know death till they have seen the Son of Man coming into his Kingdom."

Jerusalem! Jerusalem! She who slays the Prophets and stones the messengers sent to her--Oh, how often have I wished to gather your children round me, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not came! Verily, your house is left to you desolate! read more. For nevermore, I tell you, shall you see me, until you say-- 'Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!'"

Calling the people and his disciples to him, Jesus said: "If any man wishes to walk in my steps, let him renounce self, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, and whoever, for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, will lose his life shall save it. read more. What good is it to a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? For what could a man give that is of equal value with his life? Whoever is ashamed of me and of my teaching, in this unfaithful and wicked generation, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed, when he comes in his Father's Glory with the holy angels."

But Jesus remained silent, and made no answer. A second time the High Priest questioned him. "Are you," he asked, "the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?"

But Jesus remained silent, and made no answer. A second time the High Priest questioned him. "Are you," he asked, "the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" "I am," replied Jesus, "and you shall all see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of the Almighty; and 'coming in the clouds of heaven'."

"I am," replied Jesus, "and you shall all see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of the Almighty; and 'coming in the clouds of heaven'." At this the High Priest tore his vestments. "Why do we want any more witnesses?" he exclaimed.

At this the High Priest tore his vestments. "Why do we want any more witnesses?" he exclaimed. "You heard his blasphemy? What is your verdict?" They all condemned him, declaring that he deserved death. read more. Some of those present began to spit at him, and to blindfold his eyes, and strike him, saying, as they did so, "Now play the Prophet!" and even the police-officers received him with blows. While Peter was in the court-yard down below, one of the High Priest's maidservants came up; And, seeing Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him, and exclaimed: "Why, you were with Jesus, the Nazarene!" But Peter denied it. "I do not know or understand what you mean," he replied. Then he went out into the porch;

And to all present he said: "If any man wishes to walk in my steps, let him renounce self, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, and whoever, for my sake, loses his life--that man shall save it. read more. What good does it do a man if, when he has gained the whole world, he has lost or forfeited himself? Whoever is ashamed of me and of my teaching, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him, when he comes in his Glory and the Glory of the father and of the holy angels. Indeed, I tell you, some who are standing before me will not know death, till they have seen the Kingdom of God."

The day will come," he said to his disciples, "when you will long to see but one of the days of the Son of Man, and will not see it.

"Whoever loves me," Jesus answered, " will lay my Message to heart; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.

Yet I am only telling you the truth; it is for your good that I should go away. For otherwise the Helper will never come to you, but, if I leave you, I will send him to you.

Brothers, for fear that you should think too highly of yourselves, I want you to recognize the truth, hitherto hidden, that the callousness which has come over Israel is only partial, and will continue only till the whole Gentile world has been gathered in. And then all Israel shall be saved. As Scripture says--'From Zion will come the Deliverer; he will banish ungodliness from Jacob.

This I say, because you know the crisis that we have reached, for the time has already come for you to rouse yourselves from sleep; our Salvation is nearer now than when we accepted the Faith.

Let your forbearing spirit be plain to every one. The Lord is near.

This we tell you on the authority of the Lord--that those of us who are still living at the Coming of the Lord will not anticipate those who have passed to their rest.

You yourselves know well that the Day of the Lord will come just as a thief comes in the night.

Then will 'Wickedness Incarnate' appear, but the Lord Jesus will destroy him with the breath of his lips, and annihilate him by the splendor of his Coming.

And you must be patient also, and not be discouraged; for the Lord's Coming is near.

First be assured of this, that, as the age draws to an end, scoffers, led by their own passions, will come and ask scoffingly-- 'Where is his promised Coming? Ever since our fathers passed to their rest, everything remains just as it was when the world was first created!' read more. For they wilfully shut their eyes to the fact that long ago the heavens existed; and the earth, also--formed out of water and by the action of water, by the fiat of God; and that by the same means the world which then existed was destroyed in a deluge of water. But the present heavens and earth, by the same fiat, have been reserved for fire, and are being kept for the day of the judgment and destruction of the godless. But you, dear friends, must never shut your eyes to the fact that, to the Lord, one day is the same as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfil his promise, as some count slowness; but he is forbearing with you, as it is not his will that any of you should perish, but that all should be brought to repentance.

He seized the Dragon, the primeval Serpent (who is the 'Devil' or 'Satan'), and bound him in chains for a thousand years. He flung him into the bottomless pit and locked it, and set his seal upon it; that he should not deceive the nations any more, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be let loose for a while. read more. Then I saw thrones, and to those who took their seats upon them authority was given to act as judges. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony to Jesus and because of the Message of God, for they had refused to worship the Beast or its image, and had not received the brand on their foreheads and on their hands. They were restored to life, and they reigned with the Christ for a thousand years. (The rest of the dead were not restored to life till the thousand years were ended.) This is the First Resurrection. Blessed and holy will he be who shares in that First Resurrection. The second Death has no power over them; but they will be priests of God, and the Christ, and they will reign with him for the thousand years. When the thousand years are ended, Satan will be let loose from his prison,