Personal Vision

This, now, beloved, a second letter to you I write, in both which I stir up your pure mind in reminding <FI>you<Fi> , — read the full passage →

in regard to which ye are able, reading <FI>it<Fi> , to understand my knowledge in the secret of the Christ,

`Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye shut up the reign of the heavens before men, for ye do not go in, nor those going in do ye suffer to enter.

this first knowing, that no prophecy of the Writing doth come of private exposition,

Ye see, then, that out of works is man declared righteous, and not out of faith only;

And having gifts, different according to the grace that was given to us; whether prophecy--`According to the proportion of faith!' — read the full passage →

`Woe to you, the lawyers, because ye took away the key of the knowledge; yourselves ye did not enter; and those coming in, ye did hinder.'

And having come near, Jesus spake to them, saying, `Given to me was all authority in heaven and on earth;

And thou decreest a saying, And it is established to thee, And on thy ways hath light shone.

Wherefore, (as the Holy Spirit saith, `To-day, if His voice ye may hear-- — read the full passage →

and Philip having run near, heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, `Dost thou then know what thou dost read?' — read the full passage →

remain in me, and I in you, as the branch is not able to bear fruit of itself, if it may not remain in the vine, so neither ye, if ye may not remain in me. — read the full passage →

as also in another <FI>place<Fi> He saith, `Thou <FI>art<Fi> a priest--to the age, according to the order of Melchisedek;' — read the full passage →

every Writing <FI>is<Fi> God-breathed, and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for setting aright, for instruction that <FI>is<Fi> in righteousness,

For yourselves have known, brethren, our entrance in unto you, that it did not become vain, — read the full passage →

If, then, any exhortation <FI>is<Fi> in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of spirit, if any bowels and mercies, — read the full passage →

`Let your loins be girded, and the lamps burning,

in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, have understood by books the number of the years, (in that a word of Jehovah hath been unto Jeremiah the prophet,) concerning the fulfilling of the wastes of Jerusalem--seventy years;

It hath been exacted, and he hath answered, And he openeth not his mouth, As a lamb to the slaughter he is brought, And as a sheep before its shearers is dumb, And he openeth not his mouth. — read the full passage →

And to the messenger of the assembly in Sardis write: These things saith he who is having the Seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars: I have known thy works, and that thou hast the name that thou dost live, and thou art dead; — read the full passage →

to whom it was revealed, that not to themselves, but to us they were ministering these, which now were told to you (through those who did proclaim good news to you,) in the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, to which things messengers do desire to bend looking.

by faith a better sacrifice did Abel offer to God than Cain, through which he was testified to be righteous, God testifying of his gifts, and through it, he being dead, doth yet speak.

that ye may not become slothful, but followers of those who through faith and patient endurance are inheriting the promises.

and unto the Son: `Thy throne, O God, <FI>is<Fi> to the age of the age; a sceptre of righteousness <FI>is<Fi> the sceptre of thy reign;

and He gave some <FI>as<Fi> apostles, and some <FI>as<Fi> prophets, and some <FI>as<Fi> proclaimers of good news, and some <FI>as<Fi> shepherds and teachers, — read the full passage →

that the nations be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in the Christ, through the good news,

for also the body is not one member, but many; — read the full passage →

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, a called apostle, having been separated to the good news of God-- — read the full passage →

and now it hath come, that ye may be scattered, each to his own things, and me ye may leave alone, and I am not alone, because the Father is with me;

Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who did give us the well, and himself out of it did drink, and his sons, and his cattle?' — read the full passage →

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God;

and he said to them, `These <FI>are<Fi> the words that I spake unto you, being yet with you, that it behoveth to be fulfilled all the things that are written in the Law of Moses, and the Prophets, and the Psalms, about me.' — read the full passage →

as they did deliver to us, who from the beginning became eye-witnesses, and officers of the Word, --

And having risen thence, he doth come to the coasts of Judea, through the other side of the Jordan, and again do multitudes come together unto him, and, as he had been accustomed, again he was teaching them. — read the full passage →

And having come near, Jesus spake to them, saying, `Given to me was all authority in heaven and on earth; — read the full passage →

Who hath given credence to that which we heard? And the arm of Jehovah, On whom hath it been revealed? — read the full passage →

O the happiness of that one, who Hath not walked in the counsel of the wicked. And in the way of sinners hath not stood, And in the seat of scorners hath not sat; — read the full passage →

That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we did behold, and our hands did handle, concerning the Word of the Life-- — read the full passage →

this first knowing, that no prophecy of the Writing doth come of private exposition, — read the full passage →

who sometime disbelieved, when once the long-suffering of God did wait, in days of Noah--an ark being preparing--in which few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water; — read the full passage →

It had, indeed, then (even the first tabernacle) ordinances of service, also a worldly sanctuary, — read the full passage →

and those indeed are many who have become priests, because by death they are hindered from remaining; — read the full passage →

that through two immutable things, in which <FI>it is<Fi> impossible for God to lie, a strong comfort we may have who did flee for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before <FI>us<Fi> , — read the full passage →

and, `Thou, at the beginning, Lord, the earth didst found, and a work of thy hands are the heavens; — read the full passage →

And this know thou, that in the last days there shall come perilous times, — read the full passage →

yes, indeed, and I count all things to be loss, because of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, because of whom of the all things I suffered loss, and do count them to be refuse, that Christ I may gain, and be found in him,

one body and one Spirit, according as also ye were called in one hope of your calling; — read the full passage →

with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love, — read the full passage →

for by grace ye are having been saved, through faith, and this not of you--of God the gift, — read the full passage →

and all things He did put under his feet, and did give him--head over all things to the assembly, — read the full passage →

there is not here Jew or Greek, there is not here servant nor freeman, there is not here male and female, for all ye are one in Christ Jesus;

for as many as to Christ were baptized did put on Christ; — read the full passage →

we by nature Jews, and not sinners of the nations, — read the full passage →

but their minds were hardened, for unto this day the same vail at the reading of the Old Covenant doth remain unwithdrawn--which in Christ is being made useless--

whether, then, I or they, so we preach, and so ye did believe.

for I delivered to you first, what also I did receive, that Christ died for our sins, according to the Writings, — read the full passage →

And some, indeed, did God set in the assembly, first apostles, secondly prophets, thirdly teachers, afterwards powers, afterwards gifts of healings, helpings, governings, divers kinds of tongues; — read the full passage →

For I--I received from the Lord that which also I did deliver to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was delivered up, took bread, — read the full passage →

And all these things as types did happen to those persons, and they were written for our admonition, to whom the end of the ages did come,

for as in one body we have many members, and all the members have not the same office, — read the full passage →

As regards, indeed, the good tidings, <FI>they are<Fi> enemies on your account; and as regards the choice--beloved on account of the fathers; — read the full passage →

for sin over you shall not have lordship, for ye are not under law, but under grace.

knowing that Christ, having been raised up out of the dead, doth no more die, death over him hath no more lordship;

because of this, even as through one man the sin did enter into the world, and through the sin the death; and thus to all men the death did pass through, for that all did sin; — read the full passage →

Having been declared righteous, then, by faith, we have peace toward God through our Lord Jesus Christ, — read the full passage →

Because of this <FI>it is<Fi> of faith, that <FI>it may be<Fi> according to grace, for the promise being sure to all the seed, not to that which <FI>is<Fi> of the law only, but also to that which <FI>is<Fi> of the faith of Abraham, — read the full passage →

therefore do we reckon a man to be declared righteous by faith, apart from works of law.

wherefore by works of law shall no flesh be declared righteous before Him, for through law is a knowledge of sin. — read the full passage →

concerning His Son, (who is come of the seed of David according to the flesh, — read the full passage →

which He announced before through His prophets in holy writings--

and of the multitude of those who did believe the heart and the soul was one, and not one was saying that anything of the things he had was his own, but all things were to them in common.

and all those believing were at the same place, and had all things common,

assuredly, therefore, let all the house of Israel know, that both Lord and Christ did God make him--this Jesus whom ye did crucify.'

The former account, indeed, I made concerning all things, O Theophilus, that Jesus began both to do and to teach, — read the full passage →

And Thomas answered and said to him, `My Lord and my God;'

`And I, the glory that thou hast given to me, have given to them, that they may be one as we are one;

`And not in regard to these alone do I ask, but also in regard to those who shall be believing, through their word, in me; — read the full passage →

and no more am I in the world, and these are in the world, and I come unto Thee. Holy Father, keep them in Thy name, whom Thou hast given to me, that they may be one as we;

`I have yet many things to say to you, but ye are not able to bear <FI>them<Fi> now; — read the full passage →

`But I tell you the truth; it is better for you that I go away, for if I may not go away, the Comforter will not come unto you, and if I go on, I will send Him unto you;

`And when the Comforter may come, whom I will send to you from the Father--the Spirit of truth, who from the Father doth come forth, he will testify of me;

and the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and remind you of all things that I said to you.

nor reason that it is good for us that one man may die for the people, and not the whole nation perish.'

if them he did call gods unto whom the word of God came, (and the Writing is not able to be broken,)

and other sheep I have that are not of this fold, these also it behoveth me to bring, and my voice they will hear, and there shall become one flock--one shepherd.

and He who sent me is with me; the Father did not leave me alone, because I, the things pleasing to Him, do always.'

it is having been written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God; every one therefore who heard from the Father, and learned, cometh to me;

Jesus, therefore, said to them, `Verily, verily, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread out of the heaven; but my Father doth give you the true bread out of the heaven;

After these things Jesus went away beyond the sea of Galilee (of Tiberias), — read the full passage →

`And the Father who sent me Himself hath testified concerning me; ye have neither heard His voice at any time, nor His appearance have ye seen;

When therefore the Lord knew that the Pharisees heard that Jesus more disciples doth make and baptize than John, — read the full passage →

And they said one to another, `Was not our heart burning within us, as he was speaking to us in the way, and as he was opening up to us the Writings?'

And he said unto them, `O inconsiderate and slow in heart, to believe on all that the prophets spake! — read the full passage →

In that hour was Jesus glad in the Spirit, and said, `I do confess to thee, Father, Lord of the heaven and of the earth, that Thou didst hide these things from wise men and understanding, and didst reveal them to babes; yes, Father, because so it became good pleasure before Thee.

And Jesus answering said to them, `Having gone on, report to John what ye saw and heard, that blind men do see again, lame do walk, lepers are cleansed, deaf do hear, dead are raised, poor have good news proclaimed;

And he, having lifted up his eyes to his disciples, said: `Happy the poor--because yours is the reign of God.

`The Spirit of the Lord <FI>is<Fi> upon me, Because He did anoint me; To proclaim good news to the poor, Sent me to heal the broken of heart, To proclaim to captives deliverance, And to blind receiving of sight, To send away the bruised with deliverance,

he shall be great, and Son of the Highest he shall be called, and the Lord God shall give him the throne of David his father, — read the full passage →

and at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a great voice, saying, `Eloi, Eloi, lamma sabachthani?' which is, being interpreted, `My God, my God, why didst Thou forsake me?'

and the inscription of his accusation was written above--`The King of the Jews.'