| Jn 6:51-58 | "He who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has life eternal, and I will raise him up on the last day." | more |
| 2 Cor 4:13 - 5:1 | "Indeed, we know that when the earthly tent in which we dwell is destroyed we have a dwelling provided for us by God...." | more |
| Phil 1:20c-24, 27a | "...for to me life is Christ, and death is gain." | more |
| 2 Tim 2:8-13 | "If we have died with him we shall also live with him...." | more |
| 1 Pet 3 18-22 | "Put to death in the flesh, he was brought to life in the Spirit...." | more |
| 1 Thes 4:13-18 | "....so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope." | more |
| 1 Cor 15:12, 16-20 | "If our hopes in Christ are limited to this life only, we are the most pitiable of men...." | more |
| 2 Mac 7:1-2, 9-14 | "It is my choice to die at the hands of men with the God-given hope of being restored to life by him...." | more |
| Lk 20:34-38 | "God is not the God of the dead but of the living. All are alive for him." | more |
| Jn 11:25-26a | "I am the resurrection and the life...." | more |
| Jn 18:33-37 | "The reason I was born, the reason why I came into the world, is to testify to the truth...." | more |
| Mat 10:26-33 | "And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul...." | more |
| 2 Tim 4:6-8, 16-18 | "....to all who have longed for his appearance." | more |
| Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24 | "For God formed man to be imperishable...." | more |
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P.S.: Your thoughts on these passages are very welcome.
Please e-mail them to: struggling_saintward@yahoo.com
Jn 6:51-58
Jesus said to the crowds of Jews:
"I myself am the living bread
come down from heaven.
If anyone eats this bread
he shall live for ever;
the bread I will give
is my flesh, for the life of the world."
At this the Jews quarreled among themselves,
saying, "How can he give us his flesh to eat?"
Thereupon Jesus said to them:
"Let me solemnly assure you,
if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man
and drink his blood,
you have no life in you.
He who feeds on my flesh
and drinks my blood
has life eternal,
and I will raise him up on the last day.
For my flesh is real food
and my blood real drink.
The man who feeds on my flesh
and drinks my blood
remains in me, and I in him.
Just as the Father who has life sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so the man who feeds on me
will have life because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Unlike your ancestors who ate and died nonetheless,
the man who feeds on this bread shall live for ever."
2 Cor 4:13-5:1
We have that spirit of faith of which the Scripture says, "Because I believed, I spoke out". We believe and so we speak, knowing that he who raised up the Lord Jesus will raise us up along with Jesus and place both us and you in his presence. Indeed, everything is ordered to your benefit, so that the grace bestowed in abundance may bring greater glory to God because they who give thanks are many.
We do not lose heart because our inner being is renewed each day, even though our body is being destroyed at the same time. The present burden of our trial is light enough and earns for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. We do not fix our gaze on what is seen but on what is unseen. What is seen is transitory; what is not seen lasts forever. Indeed, we know that when the earthly tent in which we dwell is destroyed we have a dwelling provided for us by God, a dwelling in the heavens, not made by hands, but to last forever.
Phil 1:20c-24,27a
Brothers and sisters:
Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me life is Christ, and death is gain. If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. And I do not know which I shall choose. I am caught between the two. I long to depart this life and be with Christ, for that is far better. Yet that I remain in the flesh is more necessary for your benefit. Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ.
2 Tim 2:8-13
Beloved: Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David: such is my gospel, for which I am suffering, even to the point of chains, like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, together with eternal glory. This saying is trustworthy:
If we have died with him
we shall also live with him;
if we persevere
we shall also reign with him.
But if we deny him
he will deny us.
If we are unfaithful
he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself.
1 Pet 3 18-22
Beloved: Christ suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God. Put to death in the flesh, he was brought to life in the Spirit. In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison, who had once been disobedient while God patiently waited in the days of Noah during the building of the ark, in which a few persons, eight in all, were saved through water. This prefigured baptism, which saves you now. It is not a removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.
1 Thes 4:13-18
We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep. Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep.
For the Lord himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore, console one another with these words.
1 Cor 15:12,16-20
If Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how is it that some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? If the dead are not raised, then Christ was not raised; and if Christ was not raised, your faith is worthless. You are still in your sins, and those who have fallen asleep in Christ are the deadest of the dead. If our hopes in Christ are limited to this life only, we are the most pitiable of men.
But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
2 Mac 7:1-2,9-14
It happened that seven brothers with their mother were arrested and tortured with whips and scourges by the king, to force them to eat pork in violation of God's law. One of the brothers, speaking for the others, said: "What do you expect to achieve by questioning us? We are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our ancestors."
At the point of death the second brother said: "You accursed fiend, you are depriving us of this present life, but the King of the world will raise us up to live again for ever. It is for his laws that we are dying."
After him the third suffered their cruel sport. He put out his tongue at once when told to do so, and bravely held out his hands, as he spoke these noble words: "It was from Heaven that I received these; for the sake of his laws I disdain them; from him I hope to receive them again." Even the king and his attendants marveled at the young man's courage, because he regarded his sufferings as nothing.
After he had died, they tortured and maltreated the fourth brother in the same way. When he was near death, he said, "It is my choice to die at the hands of men with the God-given hope of being restored to life by him; but for you, there will be no resurrection to life."
Lk 20:34-38
Jesus said to them: "The children of this age marry and are given in marriage, but those judged worthy of a place in the age to come and of resurrection from the dead do not. They become like angels and are no longer liable to death. Sons of the resurrection, they are sons of God. Moses in the passage about the bush showed that the dead rise again when he called the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. God is not the God of the dead but of the living. All are alive for him."
Jn 11:25-26a
Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die... "
Jn 18:33-37
Pilate said to Jesus: "Are you the king of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Are you saying this on your own, or have others been telling you about me?"
"I am no Jew!" Pilate retorted, "It is your own people and the chief priests who have handed you over to me. What have you done?" Jesus answered:
"My kingdom does not belong to this world.
If my kingdom were of this world,
my subjects would be fighting
to save me from being handed over to the Jews.
As it is, my kingdom is not here."
At this, Pilate said to him, "So, then, you are a king?" Jesus replied:
"It is you who say I am a king.
The reason I was born,
the reason why I came into the world,
is to testify to the truth.
Anyone committed to the truth hears my voice."
Mat 10:26-33
Jesus said to the Twelve: "Fear no one. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
"Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father."
2 Tim 4:6-8, 16-18
Beloved: I am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance.
At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24
God did not make death,
nor does he rejoice in the
destruction of the living.
For he fashioned all things that they
might have being;
and the creatures of the world are
wholesome,
and there is not a destructive drug
among them
nor any domain of the
netherworid on earth,
for justice is undying.
For God formed man to be
imperishable;
the image of his own nature he
made him.
But by the envy of the devil, death
entered the world,
and they who belong to his
company experience it.
Thank you for visiting this website,
( http://www.oocities.org/struggling_saintward )
and
may God bless you and those you care about!
Sincerely yours,
Struggling Saintward
(To return to the MAIN MENU, click [ HERE ]. )
P.S.: Your thoughts on these passages are very welcome.
Please e-mail them to: struggling_saintward@yahoo.com
