STORY OF JESUS CHRIST
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Quotes Of Jesus Christ
new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
Jesus Christ
All my authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Jesus Christ
All the commandments: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not kill, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and so on, are summed up in this single command: You must love your neighbor as yourself.
Jesus Christ
And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.
Jesus Christ
As surely as I am the living God, everyone will kneel before me, and everyone will confess that I am God.
Jesus Christ
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.
Jesus Christ
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears by voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
Jesus Christ
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.
Jesus Christ
Every knee will bend before me, and every tongue shall give glory to God.
Jesus Christ
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and everyone who humbles himself will be exalted.
Jesus Christ
For God so loved the World that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Jesus Christ
For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his soul?
Jesus Christ
I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Jesus Christ
I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus Christ
If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.
Jesus Christ
If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.
Jesus Christ
It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Jesus Christ
Let me into your lives, your world. Live on me, so that you may become truly alive.
Jesus Christ
Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to cast a stone.
Jesus Christ
Little children, you are from God, and have conquered them; for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in this world.
Jesus Christ
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
Jesus Christ
My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.
Jesus Christ
Open the door to me, as I have opened myself for you.
Jesus Christ
See, I have set before you this day life and good, death and evil... I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life.
Jesus Christ
So I say to you, Ask and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ
All my authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Jesus Christ
All the commandments: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not kill, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and so on, are summed up in this single command: You must love your neighbor as yourself.
Jesus Christ
And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.
Jesus Christ
As surely as I am the living God, everyone will kneel before me, and everyone will confess that I am God.
Jesus Christ
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.
Jesus Christ
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears by voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
Jesus Christ
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.
Jesus Christ
Every knee will bend before me, and every tongue shall give glory to God.
Jesus Christ
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and everyone who humbles himself will be exalted.
Jesus Christ
For God so loved the World that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Jesus Christ
For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his soul?
Jesus Christ
I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Jesus Christ
I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus Christ
If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.
Jesus Christ
If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.
Jesus Christ
It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Jesus Christ
Let me into your lives, your world. Live on me, so that you may become truly alive.
Jesus Christ
Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to cast a stone.
Jesus Christ
Little children, you are from God, and have conquered them; for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in this world.
Jesus Christ
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
Jesus Christ
My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.
Jesus Christ
Open the door to me, as I have opened myself for you.
Jesus Christ
See, I have set before you this day life and good, death and evil... I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life.
Jesus Christ
So I say to you, Ask and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.
Jesus Christ
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Life of Jesus Christ
One of the mysteries of the Bible has always been where Jesus was during his twenties. There is a huge gap in the biography from puberty until about three years before the crucifixion. The simplest inference is that he was working as a carpenter with his father and that nothing remarkable happened to him during this period. This prosaic scenario, Jesus as a salt-of-the-earth working man, is in character with the rest of what we know about him, and there is no good reason to invalidate it.
One rumor that has circulated for years has been that Jesus went to India during this time. There were well-established trade routes, so it would not be impossible. If Alexander the Great got there several centuries earlier, why not Jesus?
This book is the source of that rumor. In the late nineteenth century a Russian, Nicolas Notovitch, published a travelogue of a trip through India, into Kashmir, eventually reaching Ladakh in Tibet. At this point, the book takes a sensational turn. A lama informs him that Jesus is revered as a Boddhisattva, under the name Issa, by a splinter sect of the Tibetan Buddhists. While Notovitch is convalescing from a broken leg, an ancient manuscript read to him about Issa. This tells of Jesus trekking to India to study the Vedas and Buddhism. Jesus stirs up a caste war against the Brahmins and has to leave India. Then Jesus returns home, stopping off briefly in Persia, where he preaches against Zoroastrianism. This account was supposed to have been written shortly after Jesus' death.
Of course, this caused quite a stir. Max Müller sent a letter to the monastery where Notovitch had claimed to have made the discovery, and they disavowed any knowledge of such a manuscript. There are many things that don't add up in the "Life of Saint Issa." First of all, no authentic Hindu or Buddhist text from that period references Jesus or any of the events described in Notovitch. Jesus is described as having studied in the Orissa area, but the ceremonial complexes, particularly the Jagannath temple in Puri, date to the 12th century CE, over a millennium later. Jesus is called Issa in this account, but this is an Islamic name for him which was not used until much later.
This concept, however, has refused to die. Other travelers to Tibet, such as Swami Abhedenada, Nicholas Roerich, and others claimed that they have been told similar stories by monks. Possibly the monks were just catering to what the visitor wanted to hear, a known problem for field ethnologists. The controversial Ahmadiyya Muslims believe that Jesus survived the crucifixion, and then fled to India, where he died of old age. The 'channeled' Aquarian Gospel of Jesus repeats Notovitchs' narrative with much embellishment. The "Jesus in India" story was also incorporated by Elizabeth Clare Prophet.
On the balance, there may be some core truth to this hypothesis which has yet to be uncovered. There are some parallels between the traditional stories of Krishna and Christ (not to mention the similar names). The Hindus were well aware of the Greeks, and the Egyptian Hermetic and Gnostic schools were more than likely influenced by Hinduism. Buddhism and Christianity have more in common than their adherents are usually willing to admit. It may not have happened exactly as in Notovitch claimed, and there may not be an 'Issa Sutra' gathering dust in some remote Tibetan lamasery. However, there are many points of similarity between the first millennium religious movements of the Near East and India which remain to be explored
The babe in the manger: 6 BC
The babe in the manger: 6 BC
Nothing is known of the life of Jesus other than what is recorded in the fourGospels, written down some fifty to eighty years after his death. No trace of him survives in any contemporary historical record. Nevertheless the Gospels, based on a continuous oral tradition deriving from those who knew him, contain more detail than can be assembled about anyone else of comparable obscurity in his own time.
The evidence of the Gospels suggests that Jesus is born in about 6 BC - revealing an initial error in thechronologyof the Christian era.
Luke is the only evangelist to tell the story of Mary and Joseph travelling south from their home in Nazareth to Bethlehem. The reason for the journey is that the Roman emperor has ordered a census of the population, and Joseph - descended in the story from KingDavid - must register in his ancestral home near Jerusalem. In Luke's account the birth takes place in a stable, because there is no room in the inn. Local shepherds, alerted by an angel, come to the stable to marvel at the child.
Joseph and Mary then take the infant to Jerusalem, to be presented in the Temple, before returning to Nazareth where Jesus has a peaceful childhood.
Matthew, the only other evangelist to deal with the birth and infancy of Jesus, tells an entirely different and much more troubled story. Three wise men of the east, orMagi, follow a star which leads them to Bethlehem. Unfortunately they tellHerod, king of Palestine, that they are on their way to see the newly born King of the Jews. To eliminate his rival, Herod orders the massacre of all the male children in Bethlehem under the age of two.
An angel warns Joseph, telling him to escape with his family to Egypt. After Herod's death another angel tells them that it is safe to return home. There is some evidence of a census in 6 BC and Herod dies in 4 BC. So the two separate accounts, put together, imply a birth date of around 6 BC.
Nothing is known of the life of Jesus other than what is recorded in the fourGospels, written down some fifty to eighty years after his death. No trace of him survives in any contemporary historical record. Nevertheless the Gospels, based on a continuous oral tradition deriving from those who knew him, contain more detail than can be assembled about anyone else of comparable obscurity in his own time.
The evidence of the Gospels suggests that Jesus is born in about 6 BC - revealing an initial error in thechronologyof the Christian era.
Luke is the only evangelist to tell the story of Mary and Joseph travelling south from their home in Nazareth to Bethlehem. The reason for the journey is that the Roman emperor has ordered a census of the population, and Joseph - descended in the story from KingDavid - must register in his ancestral home near Jerusalem. In Luke's account the birth takes place in a stable, because there is no room in the inn. Local shepherds, alerted by an angel, come to the stable to marvel at the child.
Joseph and Mary then take the infant to Jerusalem, to be presented in the Temple, before returning to Nazareth where Jesus has a peaceful childhood.
Matthew, the only other evangelist to deal with the birth and infancy of Jesus, tells an entirely different and much more troubled story. Three wise men of the east, orMagi, follow a star which leads them to Bethlehem. Unfortunately they tellHerod, king of Palestine, that they are on their way to see the newly born King of the Jews. To eliminate his rival, Herod orders the massacre of all the male children in Bethlehem under the age of two.
An angel warns Joseph, telling him to escape with his family to Egypt. After Herod's death another angel tells them that it is safe to return home. There is some evidence of a census in 6 BC and Herod dies in 4 BC. So the two separate accounts, put together, imply a birth date of around 6 BC.
The Story of Jesus Christ
In
the beginning was the Word [Christ], and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through
Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
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For
by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and
invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things
have been created through Him and for Him.
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God
made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their
kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw
that it was good. Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image,
according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and
over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and
over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." God created man in
His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created
them.
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Everything was good with man, and between man and God. God
provided all their needs. Continual fellowship with God was their joy. God
had given them everything they needed for complete fulfillment. He cared for
them as a loving mother would her newborn baby:
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God
blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill
the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the
birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that
is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding
seed; it shall be food for you; and to every beast of the earth and to every
bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I
have given every green plant for food"; and it was so
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God
saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And the man and his
wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
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Man rebels against God’s authority
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Although Adam and Eve were created in the image of God, they
were not God, so they were required to live in total dependence on God.
Therefore Satan longed to see Adam and Eve rebel against God, seeking independence
of Him, just as he had done, so that they would die spiritually. God had told
Adam and Eve:
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"From
any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you
will surely die."
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Satan lied to Eve about the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil, and both she and Adam fell for it. They picked from the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil in an attempt to live independent of God--in
control, on their own--and to seek fulfillment apart from Him:
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Now
the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God
had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall
not eat from any tree of the garden'?"
The woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'" The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. |
God had warned, "in the day that you eat from it you will
surely die." Adam and Eve did not die physically the same day that they
ate of the tree—they died spiritually. Their spiritual death was immediately
evident:
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Then
the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and
they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. They heard
the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and
the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among
the trees of the garden. Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to
him, "Where are you?"
He said, "I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself." And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" The man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate." Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" And the woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." |
Therefore
the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground
from which he was taken. So He drove the man out; and at the east of the
garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned
every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.
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Adam’s and Eve’s spiritual death affected, not only themselves,
but all people who have been born since then. All people have inherited
spiritual death from Adam. We are all born spiritually dead:
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Therefore,
just as through one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death through
sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.
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For
the wages of sin is death.
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Thus all human dysfunction can be traced back to the point at
which Adam and Eve died spiritually and became separated from God. We were
designed to be filled with the Spirit of God and to have continual fellowship
with God, our Creator. God was supposed to be at the center of our work and
relationships. We were designed to get our contentment and fulfillment from
Him. Without the Spirit of God, we are dysfunctional, like a two-legged
table. Sin separates us from God:
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But
your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your
sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.
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God wanted to reestablish fellowship with man, but it is
impossible for God, who is perfectly holy, righteous, and just, to have
fellowship with sinful humans. God cannot coexist with sin. God’s plan,
therefore, was to provide a sacrifice as payment for man’s sin, which would
not only bring forgiveness to man, but allow man to again be filled with the
Spirit of God. God could then reestablish fellowship with man through the
Holy Spirit.
Many years passed before the sacrifice was provided. The delay was necessary in order to bring events that would make people understood that we needed a Savior, and to know for sure who the Savior was. God chose to carry out His plan primarily through the people of Israel. The Israelites were chosen to foretell the coming of the Messiah, to illustrate our need for a Savior through their wars and other circumstances, and ultimately to give birth to the Messiah Himself. First, God gave laws to the Israelites so that all people would see that they could not live up to God’s perfect standards. God wanted all people to see that we need a Savior: |
The
Law was given through Moses. God spoke all these words, saying,…
"You shall have no other gods before Me. "You shall not make for yourself an idol, … "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, … "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. "Honor your father and your mother, … "You shall not murder. "You shall not commit adultery. "You shall not steal. "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor." |
Nevertheless,
… a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ
Jesus,
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because
by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight;
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for
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
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Indeed,
there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never
sins.
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"There
is none righteous, not even one.
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[Therefore],
all who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written:
"Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in
the Book of the Law."
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Why
the Law then? It was added because of transgressions,
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for
through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.
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Therefore
the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be
justified by faith.
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God had the people of Israel sacrifice animals to temporarily
cleanse them from their sins. This illustrated that sin is cleansed only
through the shedding of blood. Jesus is called the Lamb of God because He was
the ultimate and final sacrifice for sin.
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Even
the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood. For when every
commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law,
he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool
and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying,
"THIS IS THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT WHICH GOD COMMANDED YOU."
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And
according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood,
and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
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[However,]
it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
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But
God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us.
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He
[Christ] has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
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[He]
gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil
age, according to the will of our God and Father.
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Having
now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God
through Him.
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Christ
redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us.
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For
the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ
Jesus our Lord.
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For
by grace you [are] saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the
gift of God;
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And
the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is
in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of
God does not have the life.
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Hundreds of years before Christ came to earth, God announced to
the people of Israel through prophets that He would send a Messiah--a Savior.
God used several prophets, most of whom lived at different times and never
knew one another. God described many details of Christ’s life so that the
nation of Israel would not miss the Savior when He came. God did not want an
imposter to be mistaken for the Messiah.
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"But
as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah,
From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are
from long ago, From the days of eternity."
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"Therefore
the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child
and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.
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For
a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government
will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
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Rejoice
greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation,
Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
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As
a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His
knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will
bear their iniquities.
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Christ comes to earth
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Out of love, God the Son was sent to earth by God the Father.
Christ had to come to earth, because forgiveness and life could not be
provided without payment for the sin of the human race:
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By
this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only
begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is
love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the
propitiation for our sins.
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(Jesus
Himself said,) "For God so loved the world,
that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not
perish, but have eternal life."
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Therefore,
since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook
of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the
power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of
death were subject to slavery all their lives.
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The
Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.
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Therefore,
He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a
merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation
for the sins of the people.
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And
the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of
the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
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What
was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes,
what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of
Life--and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim
to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to
us--what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may
have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and
with His Son Jesus Christ. These things we write, so that our joy may be made
complete.
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We
have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of
the world.
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Jesus stated plainly why He came to earth-- to give forgiveness
and life to those who place their trust in Him:
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Jesus
then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to
you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My
Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. 33 "For the bread of God is that which comes down out of
heaven, and gives life to the world." 34 Then they said to
Him, "Lord, always give us this bread." 35 Jesus said to
them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes
to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.
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"For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but
the will of Him who sent Me. 39 "This
is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose
nothing, but raise it up on the last day. 40 "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who
beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will
raise him up on the last day."
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"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal
life. 48 "I am the bread of life. 49 "Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and
they died. 50 "This is the
bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not
die. 51 "I am the living bread
that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live
forever
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"For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the
world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
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"For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.
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"Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets;
I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.
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"I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who
believes in Me will not remain in darkness.
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"I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
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Overview of Jesus' life on earth
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While Jesus was on earth, he lived as a man. Although He was
still God, He lived in total dependence on the Father instead of exploiting
His supernatural power. Jesus had perfect and constant fellowship with the
Father.
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Although
He [Jesus] existed in the form of God, [He] did not regard equality with God
a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a
bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
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Jesus
wept.
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He
became hungry.
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In
the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud
crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard
because of His piety. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the
things which He suffered.
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He
humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a
cross.
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[Jesus
said,]
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The
Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of disciples, That I may know how to sustain
the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My
ear to listen as a disciple. 5 The Lord GOD has opened My ear; And I was not
disobedient Nor did I turn back. 6 I gave My back to those who strike Me, And
My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from
humiliation and spitting. 7 For the Lord GOD helps Me, Therefore, I am not
disgraced; Therefore, I have set My face like flint, And I know that I will
not be ashamed.
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"My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to
accomplish His work.
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"Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of
Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the
Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.
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"I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge;
and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of
Him who sent Me.
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"For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but
the will of Him who sent Me.
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"Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father
is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative,
but the Father abiding in Me does His works.
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"I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work
which You have given Me to do.
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Jesus incurred much suffering for our sake:
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He
[had] no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance
that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, A
man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide
their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
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[He]
committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in his mouth; and while being
reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats,
but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.
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He
was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a
lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its
shearers, So He did not open His mouth.
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He
Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin
and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
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Surely
our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves
esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced
through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The
chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are
healed
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"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to
serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
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Here's what Peter and Martha (Jesus’ friends) said about Him:
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He
said to them, "But who do you say that I
am?" 16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the
Son of the living God."
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Jesus
said to her [Martha], "I am the
resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he
dies, 26and everyone who lives and
believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?" 27 She
said to Him, "Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the
Son of God, even He who comes into the world."
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Here's what demons said about Jesus:
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Whenever
the unclean spirits saw Him, they would fall down before Him and shout,
"You are the Son of God!"
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Demons
also were coming out of many, shouting, "You are the Son of God!"
But rebuking them, He would not allow them to speak, because they knew Him to
be the Christ.
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Jesus claimed to be the sole source of Life--of joy,
contentment, inner peace, and fulfillment. He claimed to be the only way to
everlasting life. Here's what Jesus said about Himself:
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"For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds
the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life"
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"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal
life.
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"I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be
saved, and will go in and out and find pasture."
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"I came that they may have life, and have
it abundantly."
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"I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life
for the sheep."
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"I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger,
and he who believes in Me will never thirst.
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"If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who
believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow
rivers of living water.'"
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"I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk
in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."
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"I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me
will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will
never die. Do you believe this?"
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"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and
I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing."
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"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to
the Father but through Me."
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Jesus even claimed to one and equal with God:
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"For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all
judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the
Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent
Him."
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Jesus
said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you,
before Abraham was born, I am."
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Jesus
said to them, "If God were your Father, you
would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not
even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me."
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And
Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes
in Me, does not believe in Me but in Him who sent Me. He who sees Me sees the
One who sent Me."
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"I and the Father are one."
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" He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you
say, 'Show us the Father'?" "Do you not believe that I am in the
Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak
on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. Believe Me
that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of
the works themselves."
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The Jews realized that Jesus claimed to be equal with God
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The
Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, "How long will
You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."Jesus
answered them, "I told you, and you do not
believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these testify of Me. But
you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice,
and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and
they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My
Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to
snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one."
The
Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, "I showed you many good works from the Father; for
which of them are you stoning Me?"
The
Jews answered Him, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for
blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God."
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Jesus' birth
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In
the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and
keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly
stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were
terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for
behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the
people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a
Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a
baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."And suddenly there appeared
with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He
is pleased."
When
the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to
one another, "Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing
that has happened which the Lord has made known to us." So they came in
a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the
manger.
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The
shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard
and seen, just as had been told them.
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And
when eight days had passed, before His circumcision, His name was then called
Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.
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The
Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the
grace of God was upon Him.
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Jesus' ministry
|
He
[Jesus] began going around from one city and village to another, proclaiming
and preaching the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him.
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And
He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all.
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They
were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having
authority, and not as the scribes.
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Wherever
He entered villages, or cities, or countryside, they were laying the sick in
the market places, and imploring Him that they might just touch the fringe of
His cloak; and as many as touched it were being cured.
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And
He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting
out the demons.
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And
He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons.
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Demons
also were coming out of many, shouting, "You are the Son of God!"
But rebuking them, He would not allow them to speak, because they knew Him to
be the Christ.
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Now
when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in
His name, observing His signs which He was doing.
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All
the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him.
Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, "This man
receives sinners and eats with them."
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The
scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile and to question Him
closely on many subjects
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All
His opponents were being humiliated; and the entire crowd was rejoicing over
all the glorious things being done by Him.
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Some people, including many rulers of the Jews, believed in
Jesus, but would not confess their belief and follow Him because they were
afraid that they would be persecuted by the Pharisees, who were the most
religious Jews of that day. The Pharisees apparently were not interested in
whether or not Jesus was who He claimed to be; they just wanted to protect
their position and power. They were afraid that if multitudes of people
followed Jesus, they would lose their power over the people.
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Therefore
many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him.
But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus
had done. Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council,
and were saying, "What are we doing? For this man is performing many
signs. If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the
Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."
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Nevertheless
many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they
were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the
synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of
God.
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Jesus' arrest and crucifixion
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Now
the Passover and Unleavened Bread were two days away; and the chief priests
and the scribes were seeking how to seize Him by stealth and kill Him
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The
Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking
the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal
with God.
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The
chief priests and the scribes were seeking how they might put Him to death;
for they were afraid of the people. And Satan entered into Judas who was
called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve. And he went away and
discussed with the chief priests and officers how he might betray Him to
them. They were glad and agreed to give him money. So he consented, and began
seeking a good opportunity to betray Him to them apart from the crowd.
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Then
came the first day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be
sacrificed. And Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare
the Passover for us, so that we may eat it."
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When
the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. And
He said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you
before I suffer; for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is
fulfilled in the kingdom of God."
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[After
the Passover dinner with the disciples,] He came out and proceeded as was His
custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. When He
arrived at the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter
into temptation." And He withdrew from them about a stone's throw,
and He knelt down and began to pray, "Father, if You are willing,
remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done." Now
an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. And being in
agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of
blood, falling down upon the ground. When He rose from prayer, He came to the
disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow, and said to
them, "Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not enter
into temptation."
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Immediately
while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, came up accompanied by
a crowd with swords and clubs, who were from the chief priests and the
scribes and the elders.
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They
laid hands on Him and seized Him.
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And
they all [the disciples] left Him and fled.
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They
led Jesus away to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders
and the scribes gathered together.
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Now
the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain testimony
against Jesus to put Him to death, and they were not finding any. For many
were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimony was not
consistent. Some stood up and began to give false testimony against Him,
saying, "We heard Him say, 'I will destroy this temple made with hands,
and in three days I will build another made without hands.'" Not even in
this respect was their testimony consistent.
The
high priest stood up and came forward and questioned Jesus, saying, "Do
You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?"
But
He kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest was questioning Him,
and saying to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed
One?"
And Jesus said, "I am; and you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN." Tearing his clothes, the high priest said, "What further need do we have of witnesses? "You have heard the blasphemy; how does it seem to you?" And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death. |
Early
in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole
Council, immediately held a consultation; and binding Jesus, they led Him
away and delivered Him to Pilate.
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Pilate
then took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown
of thorns and put it on His head, and put a purple robe on Him; and they
began to come up to Him and say, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and to
give Him slaps in the face.
Pilate
came out again and said to them, "Behold, I am bringing Him out to you
so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him."
Jesus
then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said
to them, "Behold, the Man!"
So
when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying,
"Crucify, crucify!" Pilate said to them, "Take Him yourselves
and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him."
The
Jews answered him, "We have a law, and by that law He ought to die
because He made Himself out to be the Son of God."
Therefore
when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid; and he entered
into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, "Where are You from?"
But Jesus gave him no answer.
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As
a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out
saying, "If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone
who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar."Therefore when Pilate
heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at
a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.
Now
it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour.
And he said to the Jews, "Behold, your King!"
So
they cried out, "Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!" Pilate
said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests
answered, "We have no king but Caesar."
So
he then handed Him over to them to be crucified. They took Jesus, therefore,
and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a
Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha. There they crucified Him, and
with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between.
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When
the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour.
At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?" which
is translated, "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE
YOU FORSAKEN ME?"
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After
this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to
fulfill the Scripture, said, "I am
thirsty." A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so
they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought
it up to His mouth. Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He
said, "It is finished!" And
He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.
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And
the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. When the
centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed
His last, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!"
|
And
all the crowds who came together for this spectacle, when they observed what
had happened, began to return, beating their breasts.
|
Then
the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not
remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked
Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. So
the soldiers came, and broke the legs of the first man and of the other who
was crucified with Him; but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already
dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side
with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.
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When
it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who
himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and
asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And
Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in
his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a large
stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away. And Mary Magdalene was
there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the grave.
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Jesus' resurrection
|
Christ
died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and...He was buried
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But
God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was
impossible for Him to be held in its power.
|
On
the first day of the week, at early dawn, they [Mary Magdalene and others]
came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found
the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find
the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two
men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; and as the women were
terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them,
"Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He
has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying
that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be
crucified, and the third day rise again."And they remembered His words,
and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to
all the rest. Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of
James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the
apostles. But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not
believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in,
he saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at
what had happened.
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After
that, He [Jesus] appeared in a different form to two of them [disciples]
while they were walking along on their way to the country. They went away and
reported it to the others,
|
saying,
"The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon." They began
to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in
the breaking of the bread--
|
but
they did not believe them either.
|
While
they were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst. But they
were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit. And
He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and
why do doubts arise in your hearts? See My hands and My feet, that it is I
Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you
see that I have."And when He had said this, He showed them His
hands and His feet. While they still could not believe it because of their
joy and amazement, He said to them, "Have
you anything here to eat?" They gave Him a piece of a
broiled fish; and He took it and ate it before them.Now He said to
them, "These are My words which I spoke to
you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in
the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be
fulfilled." Then He opened their minds to understand the
Scriptures, and He said to them, "Thus it
is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the
third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in
His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of
these things. And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon
you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on
high."
|
After
that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom
remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James,
then to all the apostles.
|
And
He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed
them.
|
He
said to them, "It is not for you to know
times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will
receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My
witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest
part of the earth."
|
"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has
disbelieved shall be condemned. These signs will accompany those who have believed:
in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new
tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly
poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will
recover."
|
And
after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on,
and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
|
He
was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.
|
And
as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men
in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, "Men of Galilee,
why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from
you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go
into heaven."
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The resurrected Christ
|
Christ conquered sin, death, and Satan. He is alive at this very
moment.
|
Christ,
having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is
master over Him.
|
but
He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right
hand of God,
|
far
above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is
named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
|
Through
death He [rendered] powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the
devil, and [freed] those who through fear of death were subject to slavery
all their lives.
|
When
He [God the Father] had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public
display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.
|
For
this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which
is above every name
|
And
He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all
things to the church.
|
He
is the head over all rule and authority;
|
He
is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
|
In
[Him] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
|
Jesus
Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
|
John's vision of Christ in heaven
|
Then
I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw
seven golden lampstands; and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a
son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His
chest with a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like white wool,
like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like
burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice
was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and
out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun
shining in its strength. When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man.
And He placed His right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am
the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am
alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.
|
Then
I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the
living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of
myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy
is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing." And every created thing which is in
heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in
them, I heard saying, "To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb,
be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever."
|
Your invitation to trust Christ and receive Life
|
Therefore
many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which
are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may
have life in His name.
|
And
there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven
that has been given among men by which we must be saved.
|
For
there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ
Jesus.
|
He
who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not
have the life.
|
[Jesus
said,] "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who
believes has eternal life.
|
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My
voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and
he with Me.
|
If
you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God
raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person
believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses,
resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes in Him
will not be disappointed."
|
The blessings received by those who trust Christ
|
Christ has paid the death penalty for our past, present, and
future sin. We are forgiven. We are free.
|
God,
being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even
when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ
(by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with
Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He
might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ
Jesus.
|
In
Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses,
according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished on us.
|
For
He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom
of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
|
When
you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He
made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,
having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us,
which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it
to the cross.
|
Christ rescued us from slavery to the Law. In Him we have
freedom. Through Him we have received God’s Spirit. In Him we are children of
God.
|
When
the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born
under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we
might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth
the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"
Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir
through God.
|
The
sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God,
who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
|
For
Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
|
Therefore
let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is
proclaimed to you, and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all
things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.
|
But
now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were
bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the
letter.
|
Christ
redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us--for it
is written, "cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"--in order that
in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that
we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
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Therefore
there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law
of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin
and of death.
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For
you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
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It
was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do
not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
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Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every
spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in
Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless
before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus
Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will
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In Christ we can have joy, peace, contentment, and the security
of God's love, no matter what our circumstances
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Jesus
said to them, "I am the bread of life; he
who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.
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"Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you;
abide in My love. "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My
love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.
"These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and
that your joy may be made full.
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"...and no one will take your joy away from you.
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"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may
have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have
overcome the world."
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"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the
world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it
be fearful.
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"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will
give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and
humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy
and My burden is light."
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Who
will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or
persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
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But
in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I
am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of
God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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For
He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE
YOU"
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And
though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him
now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full
of glory
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Now
may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you
will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
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In Christ we have victory over sinful behavior. Christ has given
us His righteousness in exchange for our unrighteousness. His power can
change our bad habits. We are no longer slaves to a destructive
lifestyle. We are no longer slaves to dysfunction. We are no longer slaves to
the sin patterns of our families. In Christ we have new life--His Life!
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[Paul
said,] "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who
live, but Christ lives in me
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Therefore
if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away;
behold, new things have come.
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What
shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May
it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not
know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been
baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through
baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the
glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have
become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also
be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was
crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so
that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from
sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with
Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die
again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He
died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even
so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its
lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments
of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the
dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall
not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
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Now
those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions
and desires.
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Therefore
consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity,
passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
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Put
on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to
its lusts.
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His
divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness
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Now
to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the
presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior,
through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority,
before all time and now and forever. Amen.
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Christ will remove the devil and his agents from the earth, and
lock them up forever
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And
I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is
called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes
are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name
written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe
dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which
are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on
white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may
strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He
treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His
robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF
LORDS."
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And
I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make
war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. And the beast was
seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his
presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast
and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake
of fire which burns with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword
which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were
filled with their flesh.
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Then
I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a
great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old,
who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw
him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not
deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed;
after these things he must be released for a short time.
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When
the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and
will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the
earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them
is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the
earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire
came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them was
thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false
prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
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The New Jerusalem
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Then
I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth
passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new
Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned
for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying,
"Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among
them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any
death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first
things have passed away."And He who sits on the throne said,
"Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for
these words are faithful and true." Then He said to me, "It is
done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to
the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.
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Benediction
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Behold,
he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who
pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to
be. Amen.
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At
the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on
earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
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"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord
God, "who is and who was and who is to
come, the Almighty."
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"And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the
words of the prophecy of this book."
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He
who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I
am coming quickly."Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
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