Thematic Bible: World


Thematic Bible



Remember, I am sending you out as my Messengers like sheep among wolves. So be as wise as serpents, and as blameless as doves. Be on your guard against your fellow men, for they will betray you to courts of law, and scourge you in their Synagogues; And you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, that you may witness for me before them and the nations. read more.
Whenever they betray you, do not be anxious as to how you shall speak or what you shall say, for what you shall say will be given you at the moment; For it will not be you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaks within you. Brother will betray brother to death, and the father his child; and children will turn against their parents, and cause them to be put to death; And you will be hated by every one on account of my Name. Yet the man that endures to the end shall be saved.

Leaving the Temple Courts, Jesus was walking away, when his disciples came up to draw his attention to the Temple buildings. "Do you see all these things?" was his answer. "I tell you, not a single stone will be left here upon another, which will not be throne down," So, while Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came up to him privately and said: "Tell us when this will be, and what will be the sign of your Coming, and of the close of the age." read more.
Jesus replied to them as follows: "See that no one leads you astray; for, many will take my name, and come saying 'I am the Christ,' and will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; take care not to be alarmed, for such things must occur; but the end is not yet here. For 'nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom,' and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All this, however, will be but the beginning of the birth pangs! When that time comes, they will give you up to persecution, and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations on account of my Name.

As Jesus was walking out of the Temple Courts, one of his disciples said to him: "Teacher, look what fine stones and buildings these are!" "Do you see these great buildings?" asked Jesus. "Not a single stone will be left here upon another, which shall not be thrown down." When Jesus had sat down on the Mount of Olives, facing the Temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew questioned him privately: read more.
"Tell us when this will be, and what will be the sign when all this is drawing to its close." Then Jesus began: "See that no one leads you astray. Many will take my name, and come saying 'I am He', and will lead many astray. And, when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; such things must occur; but the end is not yet. For 'nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom'; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This will be but the beginning of the birth-pangs. See to yourselves! They will betray you to courts of law; and you will be taken to Synagogues and beaten; and you will be brought up before governors and kings for my sake, that you may bear witness before them. But the Good News must first be proclaimed to every nation. Whenever they betray you and hand you over for trial, do not be anxious beforehand as to what you shall say, but say whatever is given you at the moment; for it will not be you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. Brother will betray brother to death, and the father his child; and children will turn against their parents, and cause them to be put to death; And you will be hated by every one on account of my Name. Yet the man that endures to the end shall be saved.

When some of them spoke about the Temple being decorated with beautiful stones and offerings, Jesus said: "As for these things that you are looking at, a time is coming when not one stone will be left upon another here, which will not be thrown down." So the disciples questioned Jesus: "But, Teacher, when will this be? and what sign will there be when this is near?" read more.
And Jesus said: "See that you are not led astray; for many will take my name, and come saying 'I am He,' and 'The time is close at hand.' Do not follow them. And, when you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified, for these things must occur first; but the end will not be at once." Then he said to them: "'Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom,' And there will be great earthquakes, and plagues and famines in various places, and there will be terrible appearances and signs in the heavens. Before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you, and they will betray you to Synagogues and put you in prison, when you will be brought before kings and governors for the sake of my Name. Then will be your opportunity of witnessing for me. Make up your minds, therefore, not to prepare your defense; For I will myself give you words, and a wisdom which all your opponents together will be unable to resist or defy. You will be betrayed even by your parents and brothers and relations and friends, and they will cause some of you to be put to death, And you will be hated by every one on account of my Name.

I am the True Vine, and my Father is the Vine-grower. Any unfruitful branch in me he takes away, and he cleanses every fruitful branch, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the Message that I have given you. read more.
Remain united to me, and I will remain united to you. As a branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains united to the vine; no more can you, unless you remain united to me. I am the Vine, you are the branches. He that remains united to me, while I remain united to him--he bears fruit plentifully; for you can do nothing apart from me. If any one does not remain united to me, he is thrown away, as a branch would be, and withers up. Such branches are collected and thrown into the fire, and are burnt. If you remain united to me, and my teaching remains in your hearts, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be yours. It is by your bearing fruit plentifully, and so showing yourselves my disciples, that my Father is honored. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; remain in my love. If you lay my commands to heart, you will remain in my love; just as I have laid the Father's commands to heart and remain in his love. I have told you all this so that my own joy may be yours, and that your joy may be complete. This is my command--Love one another, as I have loved you. No one can give greater proof of love than by laying down his life for his friends. And you are my friends, if you do what I command you. I no longer call you 'servants,' because a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have given you the name of 'friends,' because I made known to you everything that I learned from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you, and I appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that should remain, so that the Father might grant you whatever you ask in my Name. I am giving you these commands that you may love one another. If the world hates you, you know that it has first hated me. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world--that is why the world hates you.

After saying this, Jesus raised his eyes heaven-wards, and said: "Father, the hour has come; honor thy Son, that thy Son may honor thee; Even as thou gavest him power over all mankind, that he should give Immortal Life to all those whom thou has given him. And the Immortal Life is this--to know thee the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent as thy Messenger. read more.
I have honored thee on earth by completing the work which thou has given me to do; And now do thou honor me, Father, at thy own side, with the honor which I had at thy side before the world began. I have revealed thee to those whom thou gavest me from the world; they were thy own, and thou gavest them to me; and they have laid thy Message to heart. They recognize now that everything that thou gavest me was from thee; For I have given them the teaching which thou gavest me, and they received it, and clearly understood that I came from thee, and they believed that thou has sent me as thy Messenger. I intercede for them; I am not interceding for the world, but for those whom thou has given me, for they are thy own-- All that is mine is thine, and all that is thine is mine-- and I am honored in them. Now I am to be in this world no longer, but they are still to be in the world, and I am to come to thee. Holy Father, keep them by that revelation of thy Name which thou has given me, that they may be one, as we are. Whilst I was with them, I kept them by that revelation, and I have guarded them; and not one of them has been lost, except that lost soul--in fulfillment of Scripture. But now I am to come to thee; and I am speaking thus, while still in the world, that they may have my own joy, in all its fullness, in their hearts. I have given them thy Message; and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world, even as I do not belong to the world.

For these are the Tidings that we heard from the first--that we are to love one another. We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the Evil One and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? It was because his life was bad while his brother's was good. Do not wonder, Brothers, if the world hates you.


God, who, of old, at many times and in many ways, spoke to our ancestors, by the Prophets, has in these latter days spoken to us by the Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.

In the Beginning the Word was; and the Word was with God; and the Word was God. He was in the Beginning with God; Through him all things came into being, and nothing came into being apart from him. read more.
That which came into being in him was Life; and the Life was the Light of Man; And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness never overpowered it. There appeared a man sent from God, whose name was John; He came as a witness--to bear witness to the Light that through him all men might believe. He was not the Light, but he came to bear witness to the Light. That was the True Light which enlightens every man coming into the world. He was in the world; and through him the world came into being--yet the world did not know him.




For as I was going about, looking at your sacred shrines, I came upon an altar with this inscription--'To an Unknown God.' What, therefore, you worship in ignorance, that I am now proclaiming to you. The God who made the world and all things that are in it-- he, Lord as he is of Heaven and Earth, does not dwell in temples made by hands, Nor yet do human hands minister to his wants, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives, to all, life, and breath, and all things.

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!' 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; read more.
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.


True, God looked with indulgence on the days of men's ignorance, but now he is announcing to every one everywhere the need for repentance, Because he has fixed a day on which he intends to 'judge the world with justice,' by a man whom he has appointed--and of this he has given all men a pledge by raising this man from the dead."

This was his reply-- "The time has come for the Son of Man to be exalted. In truth I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains solitary; but, if it dies, it becomes fruitful. He who loves his life loses it; while he who hates his life in the present world shall preserve it for Immortal Life. read more.
If a man is ready to serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there my servant shall be also. If a man is ready to serve me, my Father will honor him. Now I am distressed at heart and what can I say? Father, bring me safe through this hour--yet it was for this very reason that I came to this hour-- Father, honor thine own name." At this there came a voice from Heaven, which said: "I have already honored it, and I will honor it again." The crowd of bystanders, who heard the sound, said that it was thundering. Others said: "An angel has been speaking to him." "It was not for my sake that the voice came," said Jesus, "but for yours. Now this world is on its trial. Now the Spirit that is ruling this world shall be driven out;



Remember, God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them down to Tartarus, and committed them to caverns of darkness, to be kept under guard for judgment. Nor did he spare the world of old; though he preserved Noah, the Preacher of Righteousness, and seven others, when he brought a flood upon the godless world.

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!' 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; read more.
and that by the same means the world which then existed was destroyed in a deluge of water.


Yet there is a philosophy that we teach to those whose faith is matured, but it is not the philosophy of to-day, nor that of the leaders of to-day-men whose downfall is at hand. No, it is a divine philosophy that we teach, one concerned with the hidden purpose of God-that long-hidden philosophy which God, before time began, destined for our glory. This philosophy is not known to any of the leaders of to-day; for, had they known it, they would not have crucified our glorified Lord.

After saying this, Jesus raised his eyes heaven-wards, and said: "Father, the hour has come; honor thy Son, that thy Son may honor thee; Even as thou gavest him power over all mankind, that he should give Immortal Life to all those whom thou has given him. And the Immortal Life is this--to know thee the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent as thy Messenger. read more.
I have honored thee on earth by completing the work which thou has given me to do; And now do thou honor me, Father, at thy own side, with the honor which I had at thy side before the world began. I have revealed thee to those whom thou gavest me from the world; they were thy own, and thou gavest them to me; and they have laid thy Message to heart. They recognize now that everything that thou gavest me was from thee; For I have given them the teaching which thou gavest me, and they received it, and clearly understood that I came from thee, and they believed that thou has sent me as thy Messenger. I intercede for them; I am not interceding for the world, but for those whom thou has given me, for they are thy own-- All that is mine is thine, and all that is thine is mine-- and I am honored in them. Now I am to be in this world no longer, but they are still to be in the world, and I am to come to thee. Holy Father, keep them by that revelation of thy Name which thou has given me, that they may be one, as we are. Whilst I was with them, I kept them by that revelation, and I have guarded them; and not one of them has been lost, except that lost soul--in fulfillment of Scripture. But now I am to come to thee; and I am speaking thus, while still in the world, that they may have my own joy, in all its fullness, in their hearts. I have given them thy Message; and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world, even as I do not belong to the world. I do not ask thee to take them out of the world, but to keep them from Evil. They do not belong to the world, even as I do not belong to the world.

I am the True Vine, and my Father is the Vine-grower. Any unfruitful branch in me he takes away, and he cleanses every fruitful branch, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the Message that I have given you. read more.
Remain united to me, and I will remain united to you. As a branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains united to the vine; no more can you, unless you remain united to me. I am the Vine, you are the branches. He that remains united to me, while I remain united to him--he bears fruit plentifully; for you can do nothing apart from me. If any one does not remain united to me, he is thrown away, as a branch would be, and withers up. Such branches are collected and thrown into the fire, and are burnt. If you remain united to me, and my teaching remains in your hearts, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be yours. It is by your bearing fruit plentifully, and so showing yourselves my disciples, that my Father is honored. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; remain in my love. If you lay my commands to heart, you will remain in my love; just as I have laid the Father's commands to heart and remain in his love. I have told you all this so that my own joy may be yours, and that your joy may be complete. This is my command--Love one another, as I have loved you. No one can give greater proof of love than by laying down his life for his friends. And you are my friends, if you do what I command you. I no longer call you 'servants,' because a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have given you the name of 'friends,' because I made known to you everything that I learned from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you, and I appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that should remain, so that the Father might grant you whatever you ask in my Name. I am giving you these commands that you may love one another. If the world hates you, you know that it has first hated me. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world--that is why the world hates you.

"My time," answered Jesus, "is not come yet, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it does hate me, because I testify that its ways are evil.





I am the True Vine, and my Father is the Vine-grower. Any unfruitful branch in me he takes away, and he cleanses every fruitful branch, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the Message that I have given you. read more.
Remain united to me, and I will remain united to you. As a branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains united to the vine; no more can you, unless you remain united to me. I am the Vine, you are the branches. He that remains united to me, while I remain united to him--he bears fruit plentifully; for you can do nothing apart from me. If any one does not remain united to me, he is thrown away, as a branch would be, and withers up. Such branches are collected and thrown into the fire, and are burnt. If you remain united to me, and my teaching remains in your hearts, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be yours. It is by your bearing fruit plentifully, and so showing yourselves my disciples, that my Father is honored. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; remain in my love. If you lay my commands to heart, you will remain in my love; just as I have laid the Father's commands to heart and remain in his love. I have told you all this so that my own joy may be yours, and that your joy may be complete. This is my command--Love one another, as I have loved you. No one can give greater proof of love than by laying down his life for his friends. And you are my friends, if you do what I command you. I no longer call you 'servants,' because a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have given you the name of 'friends,' because I made known to you everything that I learned from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you, and I appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that should remain, so that the Father might grant you whatever you ask in my Name. I am giving you these commands that you may love one another. If the world hates you, you know that it has first hated me. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world--that is why the world hates you. Remember what I said to you--'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have laid my Message to heart, they will lay yours to heart also. But they will do all this to you, because you believe in my Name, for they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have had no sin to answer for; but as it is, they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them such work as no one else ever did, they would have had no sin to answer for; but, as it is, they have both seen and hated both me and my Father. And so is fulfilled what is said in their Law--'They hated me without cause.'

"My time," answered Jesus, "is not come yet, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it does hate me, because I testify that its ways are evil. Go yourselves up to the Festival; I am not going to this Festival yet, because my time has not yet come."

Do not love the world or what the world can offer. When any one loves the world, there is no love for the Father in him; for all that the world can offer--the gratification of the earthly nature, the gratification of the eye, the pretentious life--belongs, not to the Father, but to the world. And the world, and all that it gratifies, is passing away, but he who does God's will remains for ever.

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!' 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; read more.
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.

"Do you take me for a Jew?" was Pilate's answer. "It is your own nation and the Chief Priests who have given you up to me. What have you done?" "My kingly power," replied Jesus, "is not due to this world. If it had been so, my servants would be doing their utmost to prevent my being given up to the Jews; but my kingly power is not from the world."

Alas for the world because of such snares! There cannot but be snares; yet alas for the man who is answerable for the snare! Verse ConceptsNecessityWoeDenunciationsCausing Others To StumbleSure KnowledgeWoe To The WickedTemptationOvercoming AdversityOvercoming Obstacles

Dear friends, do not trust every inspiration, but test each inspiration, to see whether it proceeds from God; because many false Prophets have gone out into the world. This is the way by which to know the inspiration of God--All inspiration that acknowledges Jesus Christ as come in our human nature is from God; while all inspiration that does not acknowledge Jesus is not inspiration from God. It is the inspiration of the Anti-Christ; you have heard that it was to come, and it is now already in the world. read more.
You, my Children, come from God, and you have successfully resisted such men as these, because he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. Those men belong to the world; and therefore they speak as the world speaks, and the world listens to them.

Dear friends, do not trust every inspiration, but test each inspiration, to see whether it proceeds from God; because many false Prophets have gone out into the world. This is the way by which to know the inspiration of God--All inspiration that acknowledges Jesus Christ as come in our human nature is from God; while all inspiration that does not acknowledge Jesus is not inspiration from God. It is the inspiration of the Anti-Christ; you have heard that it was to come, and it is now already in the world. read more.
You, my Children, come from God, and you have successfully resisted such men as these, because he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. Those men belong to the world; and therefore they speak as the world speaks, and the world listens to them.