We Are to WATCH Now!

Jesus didn't just say this--

Mat 7:21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 

Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 

Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 

I often repeat this because of the importance it has for me. Many are going to think they are Christ's, that Christ knows them, but they aren't Christ's and He  doesn't know them and they won't find out until it's too late. I DESPERATELY do not want to be numbered with those NOT knowing Jesus!

This next parable on the Kingdom of Heaven is another take on this very thing once again--

Mat 25:1  Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 

Mat 25:2  And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 

Mat 25:3  They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 

Mat 25:4  But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 

Mat 25:5  While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 

Mat 25:6  And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 

Mat 25:7  Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 

Mat 25:8  And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 

Mat 25:9  But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 

Mat 25:10  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 

Mat 25:11  Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 

Mat 25:12  But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 

Mat 25:13  Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. 

But he answered…  verily, I say unto you, I KNOW YOU NOT.

No! I don't want to hear those words!

We are warned! This is a warning to us all.

Ten virgins were all set to go and meet the bridegroom, all ten of them were ready they all had oil in their lamps. The only difference between them was five had extra oil while the other five did not.

In fact, they all fell asleep all ten of them had to be woken up. When they all woke up five realized they didn't have enough oil in their lamps and they wanted those who had extra to give it to them, but the ones who had the extra couldn't give it to them or they'd run out. The ones with the extra told those with burned out lamps to go find someone to sell them oil.  However after they left to go find a seller the bridegroom came and the five with oil in their lamps went with him to the marriage and the door was shut.

Too late the five who did not have extra oil came back to the marriage and banged on the door wanting to be let in but it was too late and he says to them from the other side of the door…Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

Now, logic tells us that the bridegroom could have known all ten virgins, they'd all been told about the marriage and all were ready to begin with. Had all ten taken extra oil they'd all gone into the marriage. That extra oil made all the difference between the bridegroom knowing and not knowing the ten virgins. That extra oil allowed five of the virgins to enter into the marriage feast. Even when the other five returned with their oil it wasn't good enough, it was too late. The window of opportunity had closed.

OUR WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY FOR SALVATION WILL CLOSE.

WE MUST BE PREPARED NOW!

We are told-  Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. 

WATCH!

The Kingdom of Heaven is available to everyone, but not everyone wants the Kingdom of Heaven, not really. Maybe in some abstract way they want it, but the reality of it isn't there.

Truthfully this is going to be a horrific reality for many-

Luk 17:26  And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 

Luk 17:27  They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 

Luk 17:28  Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 

Luk 17:29  But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 

Luk 17:30  Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. 

Eating, drinking, marrying, buying, selling, planting, building… life was going on as normal when sudden destruction came for those in Noah's day and in Lot's day. It will be NO different when our Savior returns.

Those who are expecting an email, text, or an emergency broadcast warning to flash across their phones, computers, televisons and such to tell them that Christ is on His way and to get ready, are going to found wanting because there isn't going to be any such thing. The warnings are all around us, we need to be ready ALWAYS not make some special pact with ourselves to get ready when we believe Christ's return is imminent- it does NOT work that way for anyone!

If you are happily and readily waiting for a guest you don't wait until they are at your door to make preparations for them.

We know Christ is going to return, we know this for a fact and we are to be ready for Him always.

It's SUCH an amazing blessing that we can't know when, it truly is! Because not knowing has given the blessing of being prepare to many generations of people that they wouldn't have really had if they believed it wouldn't be for thousands of years and most certainly not in their lifetime so just wait until it's closer to be prepared. How many would have been lost having had that mindset and lost their lives before they truly committed their lives to Christ?

The not knowing is truly a blessing enabling us to be ready ALWAYS. And if we don't want to be ready always do we truly even want to ever be Christ's or is it some mind game we play with ourselves?

We need to WATCH now, right NOW.

Please, Lord, let us WATCH NOW.

Is Heaven Shut to You?

Heaven can be shut.

Shutting Heaven, now there is a concept I believe many would be horrified to contemplate. Already anyone who has read this is probably thinking there is no way heaven can be shut to anyone, but it's true, and they are not my words, but the words of God.

Mat_23:13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

You shut up the kingdom of Heaven.

You don't go in yourself.

You don't let anyone else go in.

How could the scribes and Pharisees do such a thing?! We comprehend how people can choose of their own accord not to go to heaven, but to stop others, those who are entering to go in?! About now you're thinking thank goodness we don't have scribes and Pharisees any more. Truthfully though, there are a lot of people who through deceit and spiritual treachery have shut heaven to many people. The door is shut and a lot of people don't even realize it and when they do, it will be too late. They are positive in their minds that when the Lord returns and heaven is to finally be the home of all who are asleep in Christ or alive in Christ when He returns, that they are going to be among them.

The Kingdom of Heaven as we've learned is promised to those who choose God, who choose salvation, who live for God in truth, in sincerity. David, a beloved of God still sleeps in His grave unaware of the passing of time waiting for the return of Christ to earth to call him to be with Him and make heaven his home. The Bible tells us this.

Act 2:34 For David is not ascended into the heavens

And not only is David still sleeping death's sleep but so are the following-

Heb 11:4 By faith Abel …

Heb 11:7 By faith Noah…

Heb 11:8 By faith Abraham…

Heb 11:20 By faith Isaac…

Heb 11:21 By faith Jacob…

Heb 11:22 By faith Joseph…

Heb 11:31 By faith the harlot Rahab…

Heb 11:32 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets

Heb 11:39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:

Heb 11:40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

THEY RECEIVED NOT THE PROMISE.

But they WILL receive the promise of the Kingdom of Heaven.

1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first

The kingdom of heaven will be open to all who belong to Christ, but to those who do not… it will be shut.

Jesus' words…

Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Heaven will be shut.

The scribes and Pharisees are deceivers. And today there are MANY who follow in their footsteps- seemingly pillars of the community, leaders of the church. They are those who shut the kingdom of heaven - teaching and guiding others with lies! Deceiving those who listen to them into believing they have truth when they have none. Teaching them that truth does not matter, tradition mean more than truth- LIES!

Mar 7:6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

Mar 7:7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Mar 7:8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

Mar 7:9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

Mar 7:13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

How many traditions of man have been passed down through the years that have caused the word of God to have no effect on a person's heart? How many traditions are followed right now today, in place of following the truth in the Word of God. How many are going to lose out on the Kingdom of Heaven preached by our Savior because they would rather hold fast traditions just like the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus' day?

Yes, the way to heaven can be shut and will be shut to many people because their hearts are not truly with God and His will, but with the traditions of man and their own will.

According to our world today and popular opinion almost all people go to heaven immediately upon dying. And I have to shout that out because almost ALL people have loved ones -even the worst of people have those who believe they are in heaven. These are lies based on the traditions of man and find no solid exegetical basis in the Word of God. Yet the Word of God tells us FEW are going to find the narrow way. The Word of God tells us that MANY are going to think they are God's but they aren't. With these truths we would do well to open the Word of God and study like we've never studied before. Pray like never before, and seek truth like never before. We need to have the eye salve given to us by Christ so that the truth may penetrate through the scales of man's traditions blinding us. Please, LORD, please! Open our eyes! Give us the truth! We would be YOURS, we want You to KNOW US! Please Lord, in the day of Your return we want to be called to meet You in the air! We do NOT want to hear the words to get away from You!! Please, Lord, please! Open the Kingdom of Heaven to us! Please! Your will be DONE now and forever!

Kingdom Ready.

Mat 22:1  And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, 

Mat 22:2  The KINGDOM OF HEAVEN is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, 

An arranged marriage for a king's son.

Mat 22:3  And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. 

Servants of the king are sent to call those who were asked to come to the king's son's wedding.  However, when they were called, they chose not to come.

Mat 22:4  Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. 

Mat 22:5  But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: 

Mat 22:6  And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. 

In shocked surprise that the guests did not readily desire to attend the wedding, the king told other servants to tell the invited guests just how important and special things were,  that everything was ready for their enjoyment. A wedding feast was prepared- oxen and fatlings were all killed and would be available for them to enjoy.

When the servants told this to the guests who already said they weren't going, they weren't enticed at all! They laughed to think the king thought his wedding feast preparations would change their minds. Instead of following the servants back to the king, one of them went back to his farm, and another to his wares he was selling. Those people who were left grabbed the servants of the king and ridiculed them, beat them and ultimately killed them.

Mat 22:7  But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 

The king was told what happened and he was furious! He had his armies go to those defiant, murdering invited wedding guests who refused to attend the wedding of the prince and enjoy the celebration, and he had them destroyed. Their entire city was burned to the ground for their evil.

Mat 22:8  Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. 

The king told his servants the wedding is still ready to be undertaken, but those he'd initially called to be wedding guests were not worthy to be called- which was proven by their actions.

Mat 22:9  Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. 

Because the wedding needed guests the servants were told to go into the highways to those who hadn't as yet been invited and as many as they could find there, tell them to come to the wedding feast.

Mat 22:10  So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. 

Not discriminating between any of the people, not caring who it was they asked- their backgrounds unchecked, the servants told all bad and good to follow them to the wedding feast and they did, the wedding feast was now filled with guests.

Mat 22:11  And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: 

Mat 22:12  And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. 

The king went out to look at the new guests, expecting all of them to be properly attired for the wedding. To not be properly attired meant they had no respect for where they were. So, even as they were gathered from all over to come to the wedding, they had to be prepared to attend the wedding. Bad or good they needed the wedding garments on, not their street clothes, not their everyday attire. So expecting to see the place filled with men and women all in their proper wedding attire, the king wasn't happy to see a guest without the proper wedding garment on. The king went to the man and even called him Friend, because his friendship that day had most obviously been extended to the man and to all the strangers from the highways there when they were invited to such a prestigious occasion. He asked the man why he'd come to the wedding if he weren't going to wear a proper wedding garment, the appropriate clothing that all should wear?  And the man had nothing to say, no answer to give, he couldn't give a reason why he'd decided he didn’t need to put on the proper clothing.

Mat 22:13  Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

Mat 22:14  For many are called, but few are chosen. 

The king realized the man had no excuse whatsoever for such disrespect, that he could not defend his actions so He told his servants to tie him up and take him away. To remove him from the wedding and cast him out into a most sorrowful, painful place.

The king said- many were called to come to the wedding, but ultimately only a few were accepted.  Obviously few were accepted because of their own choices. The many refused to come when called, they came and did not truly desire to be there because if they did then they'd have been properly readied for the occasion.

This PARABLE of the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN reveals that God has invited people to be with Him in His heavenly kingdom and those He invited refused the only way possible to obtain the heavenly kingdom. They instead chose to kill the One offering them entrance to the kingdom. Others were then offered the way to the Kingdom of Heaven and they eagerly accepted the way, yet even among those eager to be accepted as worthy of the Kingdom, there were those whose hearts aren't truly for the Kingdom. To be Kingdom worthy is to be clothed in the righteousness of Christ, to belong to Christ, to be known by Christ. So while many will refuse, and many will try to be there in their own righteousness, only those who are Christ's will ultimately belong in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Heaven is the place we long for, to be in the Kingdom that Jesus preached is what we desire above all. Make this our reality, our treasure right now, Heavenly Father. Make heaven our reality, our now, not some far off place that un-Biblically accepts only the dead spirit beings. Don't let heaven be thought of falsely as just a receptacle of the body-less dead, a place where generation after generation dead spirits of supposed good people keep embracing the newly dead relatives. Don't let heaven's truth be a lie to us that the Devil has concocted to deceive so many. We know Your word tells us that we are NOT heaven bound until the last trump is sounded, not until Christ comes to get us and bring us back to heaven with Him. Your word tells us these truths, let us holdfast to those truths. Let us belong truly to Christ Jesus in all sincerity, through HIS righteousness, please, Father. We would be Yours, we would see Jesus, we would be Heaven bound, Kingdom ready. All by the grace and mercy, the will of our Lord and Savior- Jesus Christ, now and forever!

Kingdom Longing.

A king, a wedding for a Son, invited guests. These are all things we can relate to and this is why Jesus was using a parable to expound yet again on the message He came to give to people- the gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus' ministry is all about the Kingdom of Heaven and His preparing a way for people to obtain the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus revealed the way to the kingdom through Himself.  If we are to only live for this awful world we are born into then we would have no hope. Living for the Kingdom of Heaven is our hope for life as we know we were intended to live. You know and I know that the miseries of life far outweigh the joys. We know that the pains of living seem to last much longer than the joys of living. We comprehend especially as we grow older and older that our joyful, truly misspent youth is fleeting while our aging selves linger on and on feeling the heavy weight of this sinful world. So much time and effort, so much money is spent trying to recapture youth to drag our youth with us into our aging. The saying goes you're only as old as you think, or when you stop doing childish things you grow old, there are many such sayings that tout youth over aging because most of us felt better in our younger years.  Some even skip the young adult longing and go right to the child's longing where there are little to no responsibilities to take on. Longing for the days of youth and we do this because we are seeking a time in our lives that is more bearable than the time we exist in now and foresee we will be existing in the future. We want better! And we want this instinctively! We want this because we know there has to be a better way than what exists for us now.

The Kingdom of Heaven exists for us in promise, a believable promise made comprehensible as reality through prophetic means. God has given us all the proof any of us would ever need to comprehend the reality of His coming kingdom. And there is no wonder at all why He tells us to set our affections there in heaven and not here on earth.

More study on the following parable tomorrow- by the grace and will of our LORD JESUS CHRIST!

Mat 22:1  And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, 

Mat 22:2  The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, 

Mat 22:3  And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. 

Mat 22:4  Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. 

Mat 22:5  But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: 

Mat 22:6  And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. 

Mat 22:7  But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 

Mat 22:8  Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. 

Mat 22:9  Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. 

Mat 22:10  So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. 

Mat 22:11  And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: 

Mat 22:12  And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. 

Mat 22:13  Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

Mat 22:14  For many are called, but few are chosen. 

First or Last, Greatest or Least, Let Us Belong to You Lord!

Fairness.

A sense of fairness is truly wanting things to be equal for all, right? For true fairness to exist people would have to be the same in all ways, an assembly line of flesh robots. The sheer fact that we are all instantaneously created with differences- if not outside (as in the case of twins or other identical multiple births), then inside we are different. From our first formed thought the differences begin no matter what the outside stimulus may be. Once there are noted differences then fairness becomes subjective according to those differences.

Before anyone gets their hackles up, yes, I agree right here and right now that there are certain actions of fairness that can be given to all based on a majority likeness.

We are all human and therefore have rights above those of the creatures that are not human- it doesn't matter what sort of human you are, you have those rights. Some might beg to differ even on this point though because of the evil that might exist in a human being, they might want the rights of that human rescinded and have him or her treated something less than human, the vilest of creatures, the lowest of insects. Of course now the lover of that lowest of insects and vilest of creatures will be up in arms saying they have rights too. It's just the way of things. There are many people who think some other people especially those who harm the innocents- children and animals- are nothing more than the scum of the scum of the earth. Yet, that scum person has basic human rights, right? It's all so subjective.

Fairness.

We want fairness for all, but in things too numerous to number there is no fairness. In the following parable of Jesus' He tells of treating the last laborer who labored for only a very short time, the same as the laborer who was there for a full day's work. The laborer that worked hard for hours and hours thought he should be given more money for his hard work than the man who worked only a single hour. It would seem fair, right? He wanted to be paid by the hour not the day, yet the agreement with the man who hired him was to be paid a penny for the entire day. An agreement was struck and the one who hired did not break that agreement with his actions, yet the one who worked several hours felt cheated. Read the parable--

Mat 20:1  For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. 

Mat 20:2  And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 

Mat 20:3  And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 

Mat 20:4  And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. 

Mat 20:5  Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. 

Mat 20:6  And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? 

Mat 20:7  They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. 

Mat 20:8  So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. 

Mat 20:9  And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. 

Mat 20:10  But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. 

Mat 20:11  And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, 

Mat 20:12  Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. 

Mat 20:13  But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? 

Mat 20:14  Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. 

Mat 20:15  Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? 

Mat 20:16  So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen. 

Did the goodman of the house speak justly when He said 'Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own?'

Receiving the promised payment was a just and fair transaction. Had no others been hired that day the laborers who worked all day would have had no squabble with their agreed upon wages. There was an agreement and the terms of that agreement did not change at all.

The agreement with all those hired after those first laborers was for whatever the goodman of the house desired to give them.  He told each of the following groups- 3rd, 6th, 9th and 11th hour groups whatsoever was right that's what he'd give them.  Surely those four groups, especially those hired in that last hour did not imagine they'd be paid the same as those who worked all day. The goodman had said he'd give them what was right and to the goodman it was right to give them a full day's wage.

Why do you suppose that is? Is it because the goodman realized that those men hired after the first would have been willing to do the work of the first had they the opportunity to be hired then? Was it because they agreed to work without actually knowing what their wage would be and were willing to accept very little for even just an hour's labor? The goodman did realize these things, just as God realizes the hearts of ALL who come to Him. There is not a single person who belongs to God that their heart isn't revealed to Him fully. A Christ follower of fifty years with a pure heart dedicated to God will receive NO greater reward than the very last person who gives their life to God in the last moment possible before all probation is closed. The Christ follower of fifty years does not deserve a greater reward, the reward of the Kingdom of Heaven is enough for the hardest, longest laborer for Christ.

The Kingdom of Heaven is so amazing, it is beyond comprehension, the gift of the kingdom is complete and utter fairness without any contention for first and last, greatest and least.

Who remembers this…

Mat 20:20  Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. 

Mat 20:21  And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. 

Mat 20:22  But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. 

Mat 20:23  And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father. 

Mat 20:24  And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren. 

Mat 20:25  But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 

Mat 20:26  But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 

Mat 20:27  And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 

Mat 20:28  Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. 

Our sinful warped hearts and minds have accepted the idea of greater and lesser being things that are not of God. Who is the greatest Christ follower? The one who seemingly has little contention with following a Christian prescribed life? The one who isn't outwardly committing offenses against God? We have NO way to judge the heart NONE.  Jesus said this too--

Luk 18:9  And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 

Luk 18:10  Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 

Luk 18:11  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 

Luk 18:12  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 

Luk 18:13  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 

Luk 18:14  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. 

To all outward appearances the Pharisee was God's chosen, God's follower, God's prime example of how to live for Him… yet inside the Pharisee was a worse sinner than the man who lived his life committing acts that God knowingly said were not of Him. The sinner recognized His sin, the Pharisee did not.

WE DO NOT KNOW THE HEARTS, not even our own.

We can only pray at the feet of our Savior, begging Him to forgive us all our known and unknown sins. We can only beg Him to keep us from ALL evil, including the evil of self-righteousness. To open our eyes to our sins so we are not caught up in Satan's evil, deceptive traps. We can only pray that we in our very low estate can belong to HIM, by His mercy and grace- through no merit of our own.

First or last, greatest or least-- please let us belong to You and be with You in the Kingdom of Heaven. Please.

Comfort One Another.

There are words of comfort in this awful world. Yes, I said it, awful world. Does this make me a naysayer, a pessimist, one of those people who can't see the good in everything? Maybe, probably, you know what, who cares…it is the truth.

This world is awful in so many ways. Even Jesus did not like this world.

Mar_4:19  And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

Joh_8:23  And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.

Joh_12:31  Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

Joh_14:30  Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.

Joh_18:36  Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

Rom_12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

1Co_3:19  For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.

2Co_4:4  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Mat 4:8  Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 

Mat 4:9  And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 

Mat 4:10  Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 

Eph_2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience

Eph_6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

This world has rulers of darkness, a prince of power, a spirit working in disobedience, a god who blinds minds, a devil who owns all the kingdoms of this world, worries, deceit, lusts. This world gives us pain in all forms without regard to anything- not even the innocence of unaccountable youth, or the feeble minded innocence of the aged. You can learn of the world's injustice easily. Caught up in a protective bubble where you don't even allow the world's noise- it's news, it's actions in your life- refusing to seek others knowing the risk of pain from them is high, even then tragedy can strike in a moment for you- there is no escape from the horrors of this world we live in. We simply adjust to the horrors as being commonplace, expectable, lamenting them briefly and moving on to preserve what sanity we have. We strive to find the joy among all the heartache and pain running rampant through our lives. We cling to moments of joy given, we soak up the laughter, we long for the elusive true moments of peace amid the chaos knowing none of these things lasts for long.

A world of chaos surrounds us all, and we all long for peace in a place where everyone TRULY has everyone else's best interests at heart and it shows. We live in a broken world, a society of deceit where people are placed in positions of power only to get caught up in the abuse of that power where wickedness is a way of life. We have governments wanting to rule over even the thoughts of people they consider beneath them. We have governments corrupted so completely, twisted so tightly that they no longer work for the people under their control. The highest bidder gets their way, and the god of this world, the ruler of the darkness of this world, the prince of the power of this world controls them all, giving them sheep's clothing to wear that becomes such a form fitting suit they can't remove it, but allows the wolf beneath to reign unchecked.

So WHERE do we find comfort for each other? WHAT can I say to comfort all who recognize the horrors of their existence in this awful world?

Three words sum things up and hold the weight of so much hope-

Kingdom of Heaven.

'For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.'  1Th 4:16-18

The Kingdom of Heaven Christ preached to us is real, in fact it is a reality like no other. Is it any wonder that the prince of this world has blinded the eyes of the majority to the reality of what is to come? They call it fantasy, fables, lies, deceit, delusion, demented, falsehoods, fiction… so many names associated with the Kingdom of Heaven's reality, so many cover ups and counterfeits.

We are to comfort one another in this awful world with the words of hope being the return of the Lord to take us to the kingdom of heaven with Him, because of Him, through Him, by His grace and mercy, His love.

Dedicated to God.

Mat 19:10  His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. 

Mat 19:11  But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. 

Mat_19:12  For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.

1Co 7:32  But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: 

1Co 7:33  But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. 

1Co 7:34  There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband. 

1Co 7:35  And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction. 

1Co 7:36  But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry. 

1Co 7:37  Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well. 

1Co 7:38  So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better. 

For the Kingdom of Heaven's sake…

Ever since I can remember I always wanted to be married, to have babies, to have a family. Throughout the years occasionally the thought would come to me about what I would do if I never married. I can remember telling my father at my baptism by immersion that I was so glad he came to see me get baptized (he didn't commit himself to coming when I invited him). I was glad because if I never got married, this was like his attending my wedding. No, I wasn't under any delusion that I'd just married God through baptism, not in the slightest. The emphasis was on how important a day it was for me, and how glad I was he was there witnessing my choice to live for God. He saw me as I went under the water and rose up again to newness of life in Christ. The joy I felt was overwhelming. I couldn't stop smiling, I couldn't stop being thrilled to show outwardly my choice to live for God. I'm relating this story to mention that the thought was there- the possibility of my never marrying. Yet still, I desired marriage, prayed for marriage. Set my heart on various eligible men in the small church I belonged to- none of which desired me in any way. Can't say that I blame them, I've never been much of a 'catch' in the looks department and in the personality department either. I'm a strange one for sure.

Getting back to the study… 'some' would make themselves eunuchs- I'm assuming mentally and emotionally, not physically- for the Kingdom of Heaven's sake. These people would choose to give up the life of marriage so they could live for God only, and not have the responsibility, the duty of caring for a family. Their affection, their time would not be divided between family and God. They wouldn't have to make a choice ever for one over the other.

Being married I know all about having to make this choice many times and it is a very hard one, being pulled to please my husband or called to serve my God.  Truly, if one is CALLED to be so, if one can contain themselves, they are better off living solely for God. I've NEVER been one of those people and I never will be, at least not that I can imagine.

For the Kingdom of Heaven's sake…

Dedicating our lives to this end- married or not married is something we need to do. Having faith in the word of God, trusting in the words of our Savior, knowing the reality of the Kingdom of Heaven as something to be desired greatly, as a lifelong aspiration is paramount to living for God. The better world, the perfect world, the world without all the awfulness- this is our hope and it will never be found here on earth not until it is an earth cleansed by fire, purged of all sin by God and God alone. Christ is going to return, He promised and His promises never fail, He cannot lie. Christ is going to return and when He does, He is going to call all those who are His to meet Him in the air. The dead in Him will be called from their graves, those alive in Him will be changed from mortal to immortal and rise to meet Him in the air. We rise up to meet Him, and from there we are taken to the Kingdom of Heaven!

1Th 4:13  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 

1Th 4:14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 

1Th 4:15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 

1Th 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 

1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 

1Th 4:18  Wherefore comfort one another with these words. 

Rev_20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.