Jesus of Nazareth, More Than An Avatar by R.S. Rood - HTML preview

 

Jesus of Nazareth

More Than an Avatar

Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." John 14:9 NIV

As time goes by, more and more people have come to regard God and the Bible as largely fictitious and especially the notion of God becoming man in the person of Jesus of Nazareth; this in spite of the Bible's clear declaration that it is factual. But, as time goes by, the rapid advance of information technology is beginning to make it more, not less, believable and easier to understand.

To quote an old saying , truth is often stranger than fiction. As science advances, it has become increasingly transparent how little we really know about reality-as-it-is. Things that we thought we knew have had to be modified and sometimes unlearned. Concepts once thought to be pure science fiction, black holes for instance, have turned out to be very real.

The following article, a recently revised chapter in my earlier book, A Gamers' Guide to the Gospel, hopes to shed just a little more light on a subject that the Church has wrestled with for two thousand years.

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Friar Frump trudged the dusty roads of Stonefalls Province, making for Fort Virak and the Zabamat Dolmen, while keeping a wary eye out for trouble along the way. The massive orc templar was bareheaded now, clad in the robes and sandals of his order rather than the full plate armor and helm of his younger days. He had been just Frump then, and later Major Frump and finally just Frump once more. A healing staff was slung across his back in place of the greatsword that had separated many a foe from its head.

Friar Frump sat on a suitable size rock a little off the road, wiping the sweat from his brow and the bald head of his tonsure. He had managed to avoid enemies so far this morning, for which he was thankful, but the situation at the fort and dolmen would be different. He would heal and protect as best he could and leave the killing for others. Thirty years in the king's army and thirteen more as a mercenary had more than quenched his appetite for blood.

After prayer and a draught from his water skin, he pushed himself up with his staff and continued on his way.

Friar Frump isn't real, yet in a way he is. Because Friar Frump is in me, in my head, and I am in him. I am also in Basemath, a raven haired, undead, teenaged necromancer and she is a killer. They should not have broken into her crypt and disturbed her long sleep, for she had been sealed in there for a reason. They paid and now many others would pay.

Friar Frump and Basemath are two of several characters that I play, or have played, in the game world of Elder Scrolls Online. In Fallout 76, I am Old John Dirt, a fifty something war veteran with a cowboy hat and a burn scar covering half his face.  I have played many others, of all descriptions, in many game worlds down the years but they all have one thing in common. They are avatars; pixilated characters on the screen of your choice or your VR (virtual reality) headset and in conjunction with your brain. In the near future they may actually be "in" your brain and, for all practical purposes, transport you into another realm.

When I am role playing Friar Frump, and I am "in" him and he in me, he appears on the screen before me and also on the screen of my daughter in another part of town, the screens (and heads) of random guildmates and random players around the country and sometimes in other parts of the world. He "exists" in the files and components of personal systems and server banks, coming and going through waves, wires and cables in the ground, under water, in the air and in space. And in minds, mine and others.     

But what has all this to do with Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, and with his Father and the Spirit, the Trinity, God in three Persons?

Especially since the Enlightenment (which has served to both enlighten and darken the minds of many) it has been thought sophisticated to regard God and Christianity as just another superstitious relic from humanity's childhood, its ignorant past.

Christianity holds that God is and was and always will be, without beginning or end. He is an eternally self-existing entity consisting of three persons who are of one essence and one mind. He is the creator and sustainer of the cosmos and in no way dependent upon it.  Science speculates a similar thing about a self-generating and evolving cosmos, which may consist of one universe or many and may or may not possess intelligence of some nature. Measured by the scientific knowledge, expertise and standards of our present day, neither concept is provable or unprovable. Both are faith positions, whether their adherents acknowledge it or not. Strictly speaking, the human race has neither the collective brain power nor the gear to dismiss God from the picture. But that doesn't keep it from trying.

The eminent scientist and expounder of science, Carl Sagan, pronounced at the beginning of his renowned Cosmos series that, "The Cosmos is all that is or was or ever will be." Such was his belief, his faith statement, without an ounce of scientific evidence to back it up. Sagan called science a "candle in the dark" and, used intelligently, it is. But there are those who hold the candle at arm’s length, peer into the darkness beyond the little circle of light and confidently declare what is, and what is not, out there.

Albert Einstein was not so bold. He once asked his physics students how much of reality that they thought the human race collectively possessed. They put their heads together and, to their credit, came up with a little less than two percent. The great physicist said that he would accept that as an answer but thought that the figure was too high.

Do some deep diving into science, into Physics and Cosmology and the like, and you will see that it is always and ever a work in progress; establishing, modifying and retracting facts along the way in the never-ending pursuit of reality-as-it-is.

Science is necessarily handicapped in that it can only legitimately accept what it can "see" at the moment as being "real". No microscope, no germs --- of course they couldn't exist or so went the truth of the day, doctors routinely making their hospital rounds, going from patient to patient without bothering to wash their hands in between. A thick, ''up to date at the time" science book that my parents had in our home revealed our very own Milky Way as the only galaxy in existence, rather than the numberless galaxies known to the field of astronomy today. No Pluto either, planet or otherwise. Dinosaurs depicted as dragging their tails along the ground. Every elementary school child today knows better than that.

Christianity holds that everything that is, was or ever will be exists within God the Father, within his mind. God the Spirit and the God the Son coexist with him from eternity. The Apostle Paul, quoting the Cretan philosopher Epimenides, argued "For in him we live and move and have our being." Speaking through the prophet Jeremiah, God declared, "Do I not fill heaven and earth?" He is Creator separate from his creation. He could will the cosmos out of existence and still remain. The concept that the cosmos or any part of it is part of God is totally alien to Christian doctrine.

God the Father is spirit, a reality currently out of reach of our best knowledge. Jesus told a woman at a well in ancient Samaria that "God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth." Considering the fact that our still primitive science can only account for roughly five percent of the mass-energy content of the cosmos while so-called dark matter and dark energy account for the other ninety-five percent, it is naive to dismiss the concept of a spiritual reality, unprovable though it may be at the moment, as mere superstition.

Let's not be tripped up by the concept of one God eternally coexisting in three Persons, as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Son and Spirit are not mere extensions of the Father, but are Persons in their own right. All are continually present and in communication with one another.  God stoops to accommodate himself, to make himself known, to the very small child that humanity is within a vast cosmos that may very well contain many other beings of greater or lesser intelligence. Since all of creation exists within the mind of God, God the Father cannot be "seen". To a certain extent, God may be known through the creation itself, regardless of the fact that portions of it at least are broken. This is called general revelation. It is the Father, working through the Spirit and the Son, who not only created and sustains the cosmos but seeks to reveal himself to and establish a personal, family relationship with his children, wherever within his creation they may be. And this we label special revelation.

Let's not be tripped up either by the creation accounts portrayed in the early chapters of the Bible. All the libraries and server banks in the world could not contain the historical and scientific data that has been simplified into a story that even a child can understand and presented to a long ago family of people still very much childlike in its knowledge and understanding.

In spite of objections to the contrary, Christian and otherwise, the universe in which we find ourselves appears to have originated from a point roughly 13.8 billion years ago, measured by our timescale, and continues to expand and evolve. Our solar system, Sun and planets, including planet Earth, is measured at roughly 4.54 billion years.

The facts as to how life arose and developed on this planet are sketchy at best, regardless of what science and/or religion may presume and present. The recent reality of humankind's ability to modify and even create life forms serves to give our "solid opinions" pause. And we're just getting started. We cannot put our finger on how a (proposed for the argument) Creator planned and created, on what may have arisen and developed on its own and on what factors and actors were involved initially and down the line. In case you are wondering, my own position (always open to modification and correction) is that of theistic evolution with modification; that is to say that God is the initial creator and allows the cosmos to evolve or unpack, largely by design, but can step in at any moment to do whatever he so chooses.

Imagine, if you will, our far descendents discovering a habitable planet somewhere out there among the stars. Some life forms are tinkered with; we introduce a few of our own and go our merry way. Millions of  years later, some group of alien scientists takes it upon themselves to declare how, when and why things are as they are on this world.

Human beings, Homo sapiens sapiens (yes, that is correct), are, as to physical form, a mammalian species of primates most closely related to earlier, now extinct branches of the anatomical "family tree". Over long spans of time, with their large brains, increasingly complex forms of communication and opposable thumbs, they developed into rather clever creatures. Chimpanzees are the closest primate match living today, and in spite of possessing a nearly 99% DNA match to humans are light years apart in intelligence.

But then, a relatively short time ago in earth's history, something happened to exponentially kick human intelligence into a higher gear. The super simplified account in the Bible relates that a human couple possessing superior intelligence and a conditional immortality were placed within an enclosed colony of pristine environment, with the duty to procreate, fill the earth and tame it. Their physical bodies were formed from the elements of the planet they were to occupy, the exact method not given. We can speculate direct creation or a germline taken from the preexisting human population and modified. In either case, both those within and without the colony were sexually and genetically compatible.

God could have populated the cosmos with intelligent beings without the capacity to disobey him; they would be "bots" of one form or another and they would have their place in the order of things but they would not be children in the full sense of the word. God desired children to share the cosmos that he had created, but children must be endowed with genuine free will. The humanoid population groups outside of the colony did not have that ability, but were driven by their primitive, innate natures.

The prototype couple, Adam and Eve in the Bible, were created with free will, God centered and conditionally immortal. God was at the center, self and all else at the peripheral. Despite being instructed beforehand what the result of disobedience would be they allowed themselves to be seduced by a spiritual class being of high order before producing their first child and were sucked into its rebellion with the result that the core of their spiritual being was flipped. Self was now at the center, God and all else at the peripheral with death, physical and spiritual, the end result. This is the essence of the Fall as portrayed in the Bible. Exiled from the birthing colony, the pair's descendents interbred with the planet's unmodified inhabitants and in short order the physical and intellectual enhancements diluted away. It would seem that God had been outmaneuvered, but that is not the end of the story.

Although God the Father is minutely and intimately aware of every aspect of the cosmos, past, present and future (insofar as he has established it) he cannot "go" anywhere within it because the cosmos is in him. God the Spirit and God the Son can do just that. Here is a rather crude but hopefully helpful analogy. I did not create the game world of Elder Scrolls Online and I cannot "go" there in the flesh. But, as Friar Frump, I can. I can go where I want. I can get stuff. I can make things happen and things happen to me, good and bad. I can relate to others, real or imaginary. Now, I'm not implying that the cosmos is a game world but check it out; as far as science can determine, it is constructed of and powered by code.

In the world of ancient human history, things were a hot mess. Chaos reigned supreme. The planet that God had intended to put in good order was a no man's land of catastrophe, disease and death. The human inhabitants, conjoined with rebels of a spiritual order , forgot the Creator of reality and worshipped a fantasy card deck of phony gods and goddesses to no good end.

But God had intentions. Around 2150 BCE, he chose Abram ben Terah, a wealthy inhabitant of  Ur of the Sumerians in what is now Iraq, and called him to leave his country and his father's household and travel to the land of Canaan.  Promising to give a significant portion of the land to him and his descendants, he would change his name to Abraham and declare that he would make him, although elderly and childless at the time, the father of many nations.

And so it came to be; Abraham would become the forefather of the Israelites, Edomites and a number of the Arabic peoples. Following a lengthy sojourn in Egypt, the Israelites would go on to occupy the portion of Canaan that God had promised to Abraham and which became the nation of Israel. This small stretch of territory in the Middle East, bordered on the west by the Mediterranean and rather insignificant in and of itself, lay between the major world powers of antiquity. Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome and lesser kingdoms passed through it on their way to trade and to war and therefore sought to control it for their own interests. It was the perfect place and time span in history to execute a plan.

The history of all the above, as recorded in the Bible is fascinating. When the prototype couple of the birthing colony fell in with a spiritual arch rebel and were expelled into the broken world outside, God made a promise that one of their descendants would defeat the enemy and bring the rebellion to a close. That descendant is Jesus of Nazareth, God the Son, melding with human flesh and changing the outcome forever.

To reiterate what I said earlier, Creator God exists from eternity as three persons of one essence and one mind. As God the Father, he cannot "go" anywhere within his creation although he is intimately connected with his creation because creation exists in him. Nothing exists outside of God; that is an absurdity for there is no "outside" in which it could exist.

God the Spirit can and does act anywhere within creation at any time. He can be in any or all places simultaneously as, in conjunction with the Father and the Son, the Triune God sees fit. He inspired God's prophets of old and, since the return of God the Son, Jesus Christ, to the Father, indwells God's earthly children.

The prototype couple who God had intended to multiply and use to bring Earth into good order were not intended to die, physically or spiritually, nor were their offspring. But they had sinned in direct disobedience to God, disfiguring the core of their being, and die they would; it was inevitable. The humanoid population that they interbred with had not sinned for they had not been given a directive from God nor were they capable of obeying it; nonetheless, they were subject to death as are all life forms native to this planet. God could have chosen to wipe the earth clean of its mongrel population and chose not to. He did destroy a significant portion of it through a major catastrophe, the record of which is not only recorded in simplified form in the Bible but in many other legends passed down through population groups worldwide.

The Triune God works in his own time and in his own way, utilizing planning and methods far above primitive human understanding. We possess what we have been given through his word in the Old Testament (or First testament as it is coming to be called) and in the New Testament. And, through science and technology, we are slowly but surely coming to grasp the intricacies of his work.

Since the proto couple's disfigurement and it's likewise corrupted offspring's interbreeding with the existing primitive population, the human race has been in a physical and spiritual death loop. If Adam and Eve had not fallen, they would have grown and matured in obedience to God into an eternal state of being far beyond any threat of death or corruption. In crude game terminology, they would have completed the tutorial and leveled up, but no. Was it game over for the inhabitants of planet Earth? For some it was and for some it is but that complicated mystery can best be the subject of another article.

As civilization advances (I can hardly say matures), one of the major obstacles to belief, aside from belief in God himself, is how an eternal God can possibly enter human form and walk the earth. In the Old or First Testament there are a number of examples of God appearing in visible form apart from examples of angelic agents; these are called theophanies. He communicated with Adam and Eve in the Eden colony. He, along with two angels, appeared to Abraham as they headed to the corrupt city of Sodom and not only talked with him face to face but shared a meal. He called Moses from within a burning bush, commissioned him to lead the enslaved Israelite population out of Egypt and spoke with him face to face on their journey to the land promised to Abraham. He appeared as a man to Gideon and directed him to deliver the Israelites from the hand of the Midianites and to the parents of Samson in promising them a son to deliver Israel from the Philistines. It has long been acknowledged that these are temporary manifestations of God the Son, the preincarnate Christ, and can rightly be referred to as avatars. The Bible makes it clear that God the Son, in conjunction with the Father and the Spirit, was not only the active agent in bringing about and sustaining the cosmos but able to personally work within it. Designers and programmers of any game world can enter into their own creation in a super primitive imitation of reality-as-it-is. Am I suggesting that we are living within a simulation? No, although the concept has been seriously proposed more than once, but do you see the similarity?

Seduced by an angelic arch rebel, Adam and Eve had fallen and caused the newly minted race to be nipped in the bud. Very well, God would take full responsibility upon himself  for baking free will into the equation

and start afresh in bringing children of eternity to the birth. There are a number of references in the Old or First Testament beyond God's promise to Eve that indicate a personal, future coming of God the Son in the flesh to deal with the situation. Many are cryptic, some more clear. The few quotations below are from the NIV version, published by Zondervan.

Isaiah 9: 6,7 8th century BCE "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this." The prophet Isaiah is obviously referring to one more than a man.

Micah 5:2 8th century BCE. "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times".  Ancient times equates to days of eternity, meaning from before the beginning of creation.

Daniel 7: 13,14  6th century BCE, although this early date is disputed. Some place it in the 2nd century BCE. "In my vision at night I looked, and there was before me one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshipped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed."  The book of Daniel is an example of highly symbolic apocalyptic literature, as is the New Testament Book of Revelation.

Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 Stunning prophesies of the crucifixion and resulting victory of Christ and their meaning written many hundreds of years before the events.

The New Testament can be read through in its entirety in short order. The combined and greatly condensed history of the birth, three year ministry, trial, crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, God the Son melded with human flesh, is recorded in the accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Matthew and John were two of Jesus' original twelve disciples. Mark was a protégé of original disciple Simon Peter. Luke the physician and historian gathered firsthand accounts of original and later disciples, accounts of those who knew them and very probably Jesus' mother and other family members. Luke also follows up his gospel with a short history of the early church, including the conversion and traveling ministry of former arch-enemy of Christians, Saul of Tarsus, better known as the Apostle Paul. Letters to the early church, written by original disciples John and Peter, Jesus' brothers James and Jude, the Apostle Paul and an unknown author of the book of Hebrews, possibly Paul, make up the balance of the New Testament, with the apocalyptic prophesy, Revelation, closing it out.

The Bible, taken as a whole, makes clear that the only way for the plight of the human race, undone at Eden, to be restored to wholeness and immortality was for God the Son himself to take human form, resist the temptations and attacks of the arch rebel and his minions and walk in total obedience to God his Father. He must succeed where our proto pair failed. He is called the second or last Adam.

And succeed he did. He accomplished exactly what he had foretold in advance, that he would be tried, crucified, die, be buried and restored to life on the third day. Jesus died, the just for the unjust, to take the penalty of disobedience off of the hapless humans who believe in him and own him and take it upon himself. This divine transaction comes with an iron clad guarantee, that those whom the Son of God has redeemed, his life for theirs, will live with him for eternity. They are sealed with God the Spirit to begin the transformation of their eternal natures and that is the redeemed human nature which will enter at bodily death into the very presence of God, the husk of their old natures, ever a troublesome burden, having been stripped off at death and discarded like a worn out set of clothes.

All that the enemies of God, human and demonic, accomplished was to set the stage of their own defeat. The prophets of old proclaimed and Jesus reiterated God's total victory at the cross. Jesus proclaimed in advance exactly what would transpire and carried it out to the letter. As the so named second Adam, and with Adam's conditional immortality, he succeeded where Adam had failed. His wounds from the vicious scourging and the nails of the cross did not kill him. He had made it clear beforehand that no one would take his life, but that he had the power, given him by the Father, to lay it down of his own accord and the power to take it back again. When the full penalty of human sin had been taken upon himself, he declared that it was finished and released his spirit. At that moment there was an earthquake and the heavy veil of the Temple, which separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, and into which the Jewish high priest could only enter once a year on the Day of Atonement carrying with him the blood of the sacrificial offerings, was torn in two from top to bottom. The old symbolic system , merely a shadow of things to come, was finished. Jesus himself had become, for all eternity, the sacrificial offering, the redeemer, and it was more than enough.

Believe it or not, your choice, that wasn't too hard a concept to grasp was it? Jesus Christ, God the Son, fully God and fully man, more than an avatar.

You're not going to be around here long, so who and what do you want to pin your hopes on? Spoiler alert: Here are a few non-starters.

Not the false "prophet" whose followers rampaged across the Middle East, North Africa and Southern Europe, murdering, raping, and enslaving the populace and who hold these and other regions in thrall to this day.

Not the tail chasing, self absorbed path to "enlightenment" offered up by the gurus of Hinduism and Buddhism that has left countries and regions under its spell in darkness, ignorance and poverty.

Not the "old gods and goddesses" of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and the Americas who were as phony as their counterparts in your favorite video game but, made to sing and dance by their demonic puppet masters and the corrupted minds of their followers, reveled in lustful fertility rites and human sacrifice.

Not the shroom poppers, acid droppers, tarot casters, spell casters, crystal ball gazers, palm readers, psychics, channelers, astrologers, science fiction cultists and all of their various and sundry  tripping gaily along in the wrong direction after the pied piper of delusion.

Not the myopic masters of communism who can't see past the end of their foggy glasses but whose  robotic "vision" holds billions of poor thralls in its icy, iron grip.

Not the know-it-alls of scientism who spin speculation into "assured fact".

Did I leave anybody out? Sorry.

Who then? Why, the One all others love to hate, of course!

Many modern "scholars", and I use the term loosely, have declared that Jesus never claimed to be the second person of the Godhead appearing in the flesh. That is pure bunk. Below is a list of testimonies from the New Testament, which, in its entirety, declares Jesus to be the eternal Son of God and coequal with the Father.

Matthew 1:18-25 "This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" (which means "God with us"). (Isaiah 7:14)

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus".

Matthew 3:13-17  "Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"

Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented.

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

Matthew 10:32-33 "Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will also disown before my Father in heaven."

Matthew 11:25-27 "At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

"All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."

Matthew 16:13-17, 20 "When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"

They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"

Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven."

"Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah." (note: this was because the time was not yet right. See also Mark 8:27-30).

Matthew 16:27 (Jesus speaking of himself, using the title Son of Man, since from his incarnation he was fully human as well as fully deity as the Son of God). "For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done."

Matthew 17:1-9 "After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters---one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah."

While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"

When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't be afraid." When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."

Matthew 17:22-23 "When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life." And the disciples were filled with grief."

Matthew 20:17-19 "Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the twelve aside and said to them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!"

Matthew 24:27, 30, 44 (Jesus addressing his disciples) "For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man."

"Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory."

"So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."

Matthew 25:31-33 (From Jesus' parable of the sheep and goats) "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left."

Matthew 26:39,42, 53-54 ( From Jesus' words in the garden of Gethsemane) "Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."

He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done."

"Do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that it must happen in this way?"

Matthew 26:63, 64 (Jesus answers the high priest in the affirmative) The high priest said to him, "I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God." "You have said so," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."

Matthew 27:54 (At the site of crucifixion) When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!"

Matthew 28:16-20 (The final verses of Matthew, known as The Great Commission) Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Mark 1:1 "The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God."

Mark 1:9-11 "At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

Mark 1:23-24 "Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--- the Holy One of God!"

Mark 2:5-12 (see also Luke 5:17-28) "When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, "Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." So he said to the man, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"

Mark 2:27-28 Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

Mark 3:11-12 "Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, "You are the Son of God." But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him."

Mark 5:6-8 "When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God's name don't torture me!" For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of this man, you impure spirit!"

Mark 8:38 "If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulteress and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

Mark 9:2-9 "After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us pit up three shelters---one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)

Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!"

Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead."

Mark 9:30-32 "They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise." But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it."

Mark 9:36-37 "He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, "Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me."

Mark 10:32-34 "They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. "We are going up to Jerusalem," he said, "and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise."

Mark 12:35-37a "While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, "Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David? David himself speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared:

" 'The Lord said to my Lord;
   "Sit at my right hand
    until I put your enemies
    under your feet." '(Psalm 110:1)
David himself calls him 'Lord.’
How then can he be his son?"

Mark 13:26-27, 32 (Jesus referring to the time of his return) "At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens."

"But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

Mark 14:61b-62 "Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?"

"I am," said Jesus. "And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."

Mark 15:33-38 (note: these verses are often seriously misunderstood as implying that the Father has turned his back on his Son as he carries the sin of the world on the cross. This is not the meaning. Jesus is quoting the first verse of Psalm 22, written by David hundreds of years prior. The psalm is prophecy, not only declaring exactly what is taking place at the cross, but ending in total victory).

"At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" (which means, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?).

When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah."

Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said.

With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"

Luke 1:26-38 "In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendent of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob's descendents forever; his kingdom will never end."

"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word of God will ever fail."

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May your word to me be fulfilled." Then the angel left her."

Luke 2:8-14 "And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."

Luke 2:23-32 "Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
a light of revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel."

Luke 3:21-22 "When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

Luke 4:33-34 "In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, "Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are---the Holy One of God!"

"Be quiet!" Jesus said sternly. "Come out of him!" Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him."

Luke 4:40-41 "At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them.

Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, "You are the Son of God!" But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah."

Luke 9:28-36 "About eight days after Jesus said this, he took peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters---one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." (He did not know what he was saying.)

While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him." When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen."

Luke 10:16 (Jesus addressing his disciples) "Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me."

Luke 10:21-22 "At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."

 Luke 18:31-34 "Jesus took the twelve aside and told them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again."

The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about."

Luke 20:41-44 "Then Jesus said to them, "Why is it said that the Messiah is the son of David? David himself declares in the Book of Psalms;

" 'The Lord said to my Lord:

   "Sit at my right hand
    until I make your enemies
    a footstool for your feet." '

David calls him 'Lord.' How then can he be his son?"

Luke 22:66-71 "At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and the teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them."If you are the Messiah," they said, "tell us."

Jesus answered, "If I tell you, you will not believe me, and if I asked you, you would not answer. But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God."

They all asked, "Are you then the Son of God?"

He replied, "You say that I am."

Then they said, "Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips."

Luke 23:44-46 "It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he said this, he breathed his last."

John 1:1-18 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God whose name was John (note: referring to John the Baptist). He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God---children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

(John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, "This is the one I spoke about when I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' ") (note: John the Baptist was three months older than Jesus). Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God (note: referring to the Father), but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known."

John 3:12-18 (From Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus) "I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven---the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him."

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son."

John 3:31-36 "The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."

John 4:34 "My food", said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work."

John 5:16-30 "So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. In his defense Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working." For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

Jesus gave them this answer: "Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.

"Very truly I tell you; whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of man.

"Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out---those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me."

John 5:36-47 "I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish---the very works that I am doing---testify that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

"I do not accept glory from human beings, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me. If someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

"But do not think that I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?"

John 6:28-29 "Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the work God requires?"

Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."

John 6: 37-40 "All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day."

John 6:44, 46, 57 "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day"

"No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father."

"Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me."

John 7:14-17 "Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. The Jews were amazed and asked, "How did this man get such learning without having been taught?"

Jesus answered, "My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own."

John 7:28-29 (Jesus speaking) "I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, but I know him because I am from him and he sent me."

John 7:33-34 "Jesus said, "I am with you for only a short time, and then I am going to the one who sent me. You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am you cannot come."

John 8:12-19 "When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

The Pharisees challenged him, "Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid."

Jesus answered, "Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. In your own law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me."

Then they asked him, "Where is your father?"

"You do not know me or my Father," Jesus replied. "If you knew me, you would know my Father also."

John 8:42 "Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come here on my own; God sent me."

John 8:54-58 "Jesus replied, "If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, who you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad."

"You are not yet fifty years old," they said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!"

"Very truly I tell you," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am." (note: "I am" was the name God called himself when meeting Moses at the burning bush---Exodus 3:13, 14).

John 10:14-18 "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me---just as the Father knows me and I know the Father---and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life---only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

John 10:22-42 "Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon's Colonnade. The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly."

Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father's name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one"

Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?"

"We are not stoning you for good work," they replied, "but for blasphemy because you, a mere man, claim to be God."

Jesus answered them, "It is not written in your Law, 'I have said you are "gods"? If he called them 'gods', to whom the word of God came---and scripture cannot be set aside---what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, 'I am God's Son'? Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father." Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp."

John 11:40-44 (From the account of Jesus restoring life to a man dead four days).

"Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?"

So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."

When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."

John 12:44-46, 49-50 "Then Jesus cried out, "Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness."

"For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say."

John 13:20, 31-32 "Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me."

When he was gone, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself and will glorify him at once."

John 14:1-11 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going."

Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."

Phillip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us."

Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Phillip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.”

John 14:23-31a "Jesus replied, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

"All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

"You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world (note: Satan) is coming. He has no hold over me, but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me."

John 15:15 "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you."

John 15:23, 24 "Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father."

John 15:26, 27 "When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father---the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father---he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning."

John 16:12-15 "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you."

John 16:27, 28 "No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father"

John 17:1-25 After Jesus had said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life; that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

"I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

"I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am not of the world. My prayer is not that you would take them out of the world but that you would protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one---I in them and you in me---so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

"Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

"Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."

John 18:10-11 "Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.)

Jesus commanded Peter, "Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?"

John 19:6-7 "As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!"

But Pilate answered, "You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him."

The Jewish leaders insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God."

John 20:16-17 "Jesus said to her, "Mary."

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (Which means "Teacher")?

Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' "

John 20:21 "Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."

John 20:30-31 "Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."

Acts 1:1-11 "In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

Then they gathered around him and asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"

He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "Why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

Acts 2:22-24, 31-36 "Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him."

"Seeing what was to come, he (note: David) spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,

"The Lord said to my Lord:

"Sit at my right hand
  until I make your enemies
  a footstool for your feet."

Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah."

Acts 7:54-56 "When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God. "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."

Acts 9:19b-22 "Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. All those who heard him were astonished and asked, "Isn't he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?" Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah."

Acts 10:34-43 "Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached---how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

"We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen---by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one who God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

Acts 17:1-4 "When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah, he said. Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women."

Acts 17:29-31 "Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone---an image made by human design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead."

Acts 18:27-28 "When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah."

Acts 22:6-16 "About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, 'Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?"

" 'Who are you, Lord?' I asked.

" 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,' he replied. My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.

" 'What shall I do, Lord?' I asked.

" 'Get up,' the Lord said, 'and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.' My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.

'A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly regarded by all the Jews living there. He stood beside me and said, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight!' And at that very moment I was able to see him.

"Then he said: 'The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. You will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard. And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.'

Acts 26:22-23 "But God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen---that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles."

Acts 28:23-24 (Paul in Rome) "They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus. Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe."

Romans 1:1-4 "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God---the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord."

Romans 3:21-26 "But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came through Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood---to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus."

Romans 4:23-5: 2a "The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him (note: Abraham) alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness---for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and raised to life for our justification.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand."

Romans 5:8-11 "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

"Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation."

Romans 5:17 "For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!"

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 7:24,25a "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

Romans 8:1-4 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."

Romans 8:29 "For those God knew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters."

Romans 8:31b-39 "If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all---how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died---more than that, who was raised to life---is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

"For your sake we face death all day long;

  we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." (Psalm 44:22)

  "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 15:5-6 "May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Romans 16:25-27 "Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith---to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen."

1 Corinthians 1:1-9 "Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ---their Lord and ours:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way---with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge---God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."

1 Corinthians 1:22-23 "Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."

1 Corinthians 3:23 "...and you are of Christ and Christ is of God."

1 Corinthians 6:11 "And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

1 Corinthians 8:6 "...yet for us there is but one God, the Father from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live."

1 Corinthians 15:56-57 "The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

2 Corinthians 1:1-3 "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
To the church of God in Corinth, together with all his holy people throughout Achaia:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ..."

2 Corinthians 1:18-20 "But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not "Yes" and "No". For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us---by me and Silas and Timothy---was not "Yes" and "No", but in him it has always been "Yes". For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God."

2 Corinthians 2:14-15 "But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ's triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing."

2 Corinthians 4:4-6 "The god of this age (note: referring to Satan) has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ."

2 Corinthians 5:16-21 "So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God was making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

2 Corinthians 10:5 "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

2 Corinthians 13:14 "May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."

Galatians 1:1-5 "Paul, an apostle---sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead---and all the brothers and sisters with me,

To the churches in Galatia:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Galatians 4:4-7 "But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but God's child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir."

Ephesians 1:1-2 "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To God's holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

Ephesians 1:3-10 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will---to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment---to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ."

Ephesians 1:17-23 "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way."

Ephesians 2:4-10 "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions---it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith---and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God---not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Ephesians 3:10-12 "His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence."

Ephesians 3:14-21 "For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge---that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen."

Ephesians 6:23-24 "Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love."

Philippians 1:1-2 "Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,

To all God's holy people in Jesus Christ at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

Philippians 2:5-11 "In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in the very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death---even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Philippians 3:20-21 "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body."

Philippians 4:19-20 "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen."

Colossians 1:3-4 "We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God's people---."

Colossians 1:13-14 "For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

Colossians 1:15-20 "The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross."

Colossians 2:9-10 "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority."

Colossians 3:1-4 "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you will also appear with him in glory."

Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

1 Thessalonians 1:1, 9b-10 "Paul, Silas and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace and peace to you.
They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead---Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath."

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 "For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep (note: dead), we may live together with him."

2 Thessalonians 1:1-2 "Paul, Silas and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

1 Timothy 1:1-2 "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
To Timothy my true son in the faith:
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord."

1 Timothy 2:5-6a "For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people."

1 Timothy 5:21 "I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism."

1 Timothy 6:13-16 "In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time---God, the blessed and only ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen."

2 Timothy 1:1-2 "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,
To Timothy, my dear son:
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 Timothy 1:9-10 "He saved us and called us to a holy life---not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel"

2 Timothy 4:1 "In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: ---"

Titus 1:1-4 "Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness---in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, and which now at his appointed season he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior,

To Titus, my true son in our common faith:

Grace and peace to you from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior."

Titus 2:11, 13-14 "For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people

"---while we wait for the blessed hope---the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good."

Titus 3:4-7 "But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."

Philemon 1: 1, 3 "Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,
To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker-–
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

Hebrews 1:1-14 "In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

For to which of the angels did God ever say,

"You are my Son;
  today I have become your Father"?

Or again,

 "I will be his Father,
  and he will be my Son"?

And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,

 "Let all God's angels worship him."

In speaking of the angels he says,

"He makes his angels spirits,
  and his servants flames of fire."

But about the Son he says,

"Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever;
  a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
  You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
  therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
  by anointing you with the oil of joy."

He also says,

"In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,
 and the heavens are the work of your hands,
 They will perish, but you remain;
 they will all wear out like a garment.
 You will roll them up like a robe;
  like a garment they will be changed.
  But you remain the same,
  and your years will never end."

To which of the angels did God ever say,

 "Sit at my right hand
   until I make your enemies
   a footstool for your feet"?

Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

Hebrews 3:6a "But Christ is faithful as a Son over God's house."

Hebrews 4:14 "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess."

Hebrews 9:14-15 "How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance---now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant"

Hebrews 9:23-28 "It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him."

Hebrews 10:4-14 "It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:

"Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
 but a body you have prepared for me;
 with burnt offerings and sin offerings
 you were not pleased.
 Then I said, Here I am---it is written about me in the scroll-–
 I have come to do your will, my God!"

First he said, "Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them"---though they were offered in accordance with the law. Then he said, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy."

Hebrews 10:19-22a "Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, ---."

Hebrews 12:1b-2 "And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Hebrews 13:20-21 "Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

James 1:1 "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:
Greetings.

1 Peter 1:3-4 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade."

1 Peter 1:18-21 "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God."

1 peter 2: 4-5 "As you come to him, the living Stone---rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him---you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."

1 Peter 3:18, 21b-22 "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit."

"It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand---with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him."

1 Peter 4:11 "If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen."

2 Peter 1:1-2 "Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:

Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord."

2 Peter 1:16-18 "For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain."

2 Peter 3:18 "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

1 John 1:1-7 "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched---this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin"

1 John 2:1-2 "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father---Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world."

1 John 2:22-25 "Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist---denying the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us---eternal life."

1 John 3:23 "And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us."

1 John 4:2-3 "This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world."

1 John 4:9-10 "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."

1 John 4:13-15 "This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God."

1 John 5:1-12 "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God:  by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

This is the one who came by water and blood---Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. We accept human testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony; God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life."

2 John 3, 7, 9 (2 John has one chapter only) "Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, will be with us in truth and love.

I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.

Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son."

Jude 20,21 24,25 (Jude has one chapter only) "But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy---to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen."

Excerpts from the Book of Revelation The Book of Revelation is a prime example of apocalyptic literature; a genre of prophetical writing that developed in post-Exilic Jewish culture and was popular among early Christians. The obscure and extravagant imagery has led to a wide variety of Christian interpretations down the centuries into the present day. That being said, it honors Father, Son and Holy Spirit from beginning to end. I have kept my quotations to a minimum.

Revelation 1:1-2 "The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw---that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ."

Revelation 1:4-6 "John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia:

Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and father---to him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen."

Revelation 3:19-22 "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

Revelation 5:11-14 "Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders, In a loud voice they were saying:

"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!"

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
forever and ever."

The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshipped."

Note: This scene is in heaven and the Lamb in these verses is referring to Jesus Christ.

Revelation 19:11-16 "I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." (note: quoting Psalm 2:9). He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."

Revelation 21:22-27 "I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life."

Revelation 22:1-5 "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign forever and ever.”

Revelation 22:12-13, 16-17, 20-21 "Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."

"I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the 

  Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star."

 "He who testifies to these things says, 'Yes, I am coming soon.'

  Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

  The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen."

This concludes the quotations from the New Testament.