44 Bible Verses about Revelation, Responses To

"Listen, a sower went out to sow,

He added, "Anyone who has ears to hear, let him listen to this."

Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches: 'The conqueror I will allow to eat from the tree of Life which is within the paradise of God.'

At that time Jesus spoke and said, "I praise thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding all this from the wise and learned and revealing it to the simpleminded; yes, Father, I praise thee that such was thy chosen purpose. All has been handed over to me by my Father: and no one knows the Son except the Father ??nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and he to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

He thrilled with joy at that hour in the holy Spirit, saying, "I praise thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for concealing this from the wise and learned and revealing it to the simple-minded; yes, Father, I praise thee that such was thy chosen purpose." Then turning to the disciples he said, "All has been handed over to me by my Father: and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son, and he to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."

The Father who sent me has also borne testimony to me himself; but his voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, his word you have not kept with you, because you do not believe him whom he sent. You search the scriptures, imagining you possess eternal life in their pages ??and they do testify to me ??40 but you refuse to come to me for life.

No one is able to come to me unless he is drawn by the Father who sent me (and I will raise him up on the last day). In the prophets it is written, and they will be all instructed by God; everyone who has listened to the Father and learned from him, comes to me.

So the Jews gathered round him and asked, "How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus replied, "I have told you, but you do not believe; the deeds I do in the name of my Father testify to me, but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep.

Now for all the Signs he had performed before them, they did not believe in him ??38 that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: Lord, who has believed what they heard from us, And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? This was why they could not believe; for Isaiah again said, He has blinded their eyes and made their hearts insensible, to prevent them seeing with their eyes and understanding with their hearts and turning for me to cure them.read more.
(Isaiah said this because he saw his glory and spoke of him.)

Jesus said to him, "Philip, have I been with you all this time, and yet you do not understand me? He who has seen me has seen the Father. What do you mean by saying, 'Let us see the Father'?

Those who are doomed to perish find the story of the cross 'sheer folly,' but it means the power of God for those whom he saves. It is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the sages, I will confound the insight of the wise. Sage, scribe, critic of this world, where are they all? Has not God stultified the wisdom of the world?read more.
For when the world with all its wisdom failed to know God in his wisdom, God resolved to save believers by the 'sheer folly' of the Christian message. Jews demand miracles and Greeks want wisdom, but our message is Christ the crucified ??a stumbling-block to the Jews, 'sheer folly' to the Gentiles, but for those who are called, whether Jews or Greeks, a Christ who is the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the 'foolishness' of God is wiser than men, and the 'weakness' of God is stronger than men.

None of the Powers of this world understands it (if they had, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory).

there the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, to prevent them seeing the light thrown by the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God.

The unspiritual man rejects these truths of the Spirit of God; to him they are 'sheer folly,' he cannot understand them. And the reason is, that they must be read with the spiritual eye.

and he said to them: "The open secret of the Realm of God is granted to you, but these outsiders get everything by way of parables, so that for all their seeing they may not perceive, and for all their hearing they may not understand, lest they turn and be forgiven."

This is why I speak to them in parables, because for all their seeing they do not see and for all their hearing they do not hear or understand. In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled: You will hear and hear but never understand, you will see and see but never perceive. For the heart of this people is obtuse, their ears are heavy of hearing, their eyes they have closed, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they understand with their heart and turn again, and I cure them.

so he said, "It is granted you to understand the open secrets of the Reign of God, but the others get it in parables, so that for all their seeing they may not see, and for all their hearing they may not understand.

Why do you not understand my speech? Because you are unable to listen to what I am saying. You belong to your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires; he was a slayer of men from the very beginning, and he has no place in the truth because there is no truth in him: when he tells a lie, he is expressing his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. It is because I tell the truth, that you do not believe me.read more.
Which of you can convict me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? He who belongs to God listens to the words of God; you do not listen to them, because you do not belong to God."

Besides, their minds were dulled, for to this very day, when the Old Testament is read aloud, the same veil hangs. Veiled from them the fact that the glory fades in Christ! Yes, down to this day, whenever Moses is read aloud, the veil rests on their heart; though whenever they turn to the Lord, the veil is removed.

Therefore God visits them with an active delusion, till they put faith in falsehood, so that all may be doomed who refuse faith in the Truth but delight in evil. Now we are bound always to thank God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you as the first to be reaped for salvation, by the consecration of your spirit and by faith in the Truth;

Now we have received the Spirit ??not the spirit of the world but the Spirit that comes from God, that we may understand what God bestows upon us. And this is what we discuss, using language taught by no human wisdom but by the Spirit. We interpret what is spiritual in spiritual language.

Jesus answered him, "You are a blessed man, Simon Bar-jona, for it was my Father in heaven, not flesh and blood, that revealed this to you.

Jesus replied, "Truly, truly I tell you, no one can see God's Realm unless he is born from above." Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother's womb over again and be born?" Jesus replied, "Truly, truly I tell you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter God's Realm.read more.
What is born of the flesh is flesh: what is born of the Spirit is Spirit. Do not wonder at me telling you, 'You must all be born from above.' The wind blows where it wills; you can hear its sound, but you never know where it has come from or where it goes: it is the same with everyone who is born of the Spirit." Nicodemus answered, "How can that be?" Jesus replied, "You do not understand this? ??you, a teacher in Israel!

and I will ask the Father to give you another Helper to be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth: the world cannot receive him, because it neither sees nor knows him, but you know him, because he remains with you and will be within you.

I have still much to say to you, but you cannot bear it just now. However, when the Spirit of truth comes, he will lead you into all the truth; for he will not speak of his own accord, he will say whatever he is told, and he will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify me, for he will draw upon what is mine and disclose it to you.read more.
All that the Father has is mine; that is why I say, 'he will draw upon what is mine and disclose it to you.'

For all those of our number who are mature, this must be the point of view; God will reveal that to any of you who look at things differently.

May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, grant you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation for the knowledge of himself, illuminating the eyes of your heart so that you can understand the hope to which He calls us, the wealth of his glorious heritage in the saints,

The servant who knew his lord and master's orders and did not prepare for them, will receive many lashes; whereas he who was ignorant and did what deserves a beating, will receive few lashes. He who has much given him will have much required from him, and he who has much entrusted to him will have all the more demanded of him.

He replied, "Because it is granted you to understand the open secrets of the Realm of heaven, but it is not granted to these people. For he who has, to him shall more be given and richly given, but whoever has not, from him shall be taken even what he has.

For the case is that of a man going abroad, who summoned his servants and handed over his property to them; to one he gave twelve hundred pounds, to another five hundred, and to another two hundred and fifty; each got according to his capacity. Then the man went abroad. The servant who had got the twelve hundred pounds went at once and traded with them, making another twelve hundred.read more.
Similarly the servant who had got the five hundred pounds made another five hundred. But the servant who had got the two hundred and fifty pounds went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. Now a long time afterwards the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. Then the servant who had got the twelve hundred pounds came forward, bringing twelve hundred more; he said, 'You handed me twelve hundred pounds, sir; here I have gained another twelve hundred.' His master said to him, 'Capital, you excellent and trusty servant! You have been trusty in charge of a small sum: I will put you in charge of a large sum. Come and share your master's feast.' Then the servant with the five hundred pounds came forward. He said, 'You handed me five hundred pounds, sir; here I have gained another five hundred.' Then the servant who had got the two hundred and fifty pounds came forward. He said, 'I knew you were a hard man, sir, reaping where you never sowed and gathering where you never winnowed. So I was afraid; I went and hid your two hundred and fifty pounds in the earth. There's your money!' His master said to him in reply, 'You rascal, you idle servant! You knew, did you, that I reap where I have never sowed and gather where I have never winnowed! Well then, you should have handed my money to the bankers and I would have got my capital with interest when I came back. Take therefore the two hundred and fifty pounds away from him, give it to the servant who had the twelve hundred. For to everyone who has shall more be given and richly given; but from him who has nothing, even what he has shall be taken. Throw the good-for-nothing servant into the darkness outside; there men will wail and gnash their teeth.

"A nobleman," he said, "went abroad to obtain royal power for himself and then return. He first called his ten servants, giving them each a five-pound note, and telling them, 'Trade with this till I come back.' Now his people hated him and sent envoys after him to say, 'We object to him having royal power over us.'read more.
However he secured the royal power and came home. Then he ordered the servants to be called who had been given the money, that he might find out what business they had done. The first came up saying, 'Your five pounds has made other fifty, sir.' 'Capital,' he said, 'you excellent servant! because you have proved trustworthy in a trifle, you are placed over ten towns.' Then the second came and said, 'Your five pounds has made twenty-five, sir.' To him he said, 'And you are set over five towns.' Then the next came and said, 'Here is your five pounds, sir; I kept it safe in a napkin, for I was afraid of you, you are such a hard man ??picking up what you never put down, and reaping what you never sowed.' He replied, 'You rascal of a servant, I will convict you by what you have said yourself. You knew, did you, that I was a hard man, picking up what I never put down, and reaping what I never sowed! Why then did you not put my money into the bank, so that I could have got it with interest when I came back?' Then he said to the bystanders, 'Take the five pounds from him and give it to the man with fifty.' 'Sir,' they said, 'he has fifty already!' 'I tell you, to everyone who has shall more be given, but from him who has nothing, even what he has shall be taken. And now for these enemies of mine who objected to me reigning over them ??bring them here and slay them in my presence.' "

At present we only see the baffling reflections in a mirror, but then it will be face to face; at present I am learning bit by bit, but then I shall understand, as all along I have myself been understood.

Brace up your minds, then, keep cool, and put your hope for good and all in the grace that is coming to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

We are children of God now, beloved; what we are to be is not apparent yet, but we do know that when he appears, we are to be like him ??for we are to see him as he is.

"Repent," said Peter, "let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins; then you will receive the gift of the holy Spirit.

From that day Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, the Reign of heaven is near."

Repent then, and turn to have your sins blotted out, so that a breathing-space may be vouchsafed you,

I announced to those at Damascus and at Jerusalem in the first instance, then all over the land of Judaea, and also to the Gentiles, that they were to repent and turn to God by acting up to their repentance.

the pain God is allowed to guide ends in a saving repentance never to be regretted, whereas the world's pain ends in death.

(You see, faith must come from what is heard, and what is heard comes from word of Christ.)

No, what it does say is this: ??The word is close to you, in your very mouth and in your heart (that is, the word of faith which we preach). Confess with your mouth that 'Jesus is Lord,' believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, and you will be saved; for with his heart man believes and is justified, with his mouth he confesses and is saved.

what I said, what I preached, did not rest on the plausible arguments of 'wisdom' but on the proof supplied by the Spirit and its power, so that your faith might not rest on any human 'wisdom' but on the power of God.

through whom I have received the favour of my commission to promote obedience to the faith for his sake among all the Gentiles,

whom God the Father has predestined and chosen, by the consecration of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with his blood: may grace and peace be multiplied to you.