Intriguing & thought-provoking
Matthew 11:15: “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”
Ca you recall the first time you heard these words of Christ? I recall hearing them while I was still in high school. Even now, after all of these 50+ years, they still give me pause for reflection.
Mark 4:9 “And he said: He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”
Luke 8:8 “And other some fell upon good ground; and being sprung up, yielded fruit a hundredfold. Saying these things, he cried out: He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”
John 8:43 “Why do you not know my speech? Because you cannot hear my word“.
Matthew 13:13 “Therefore do I speak to them in parables: because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand”
Matthew 13:16 “But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.”
Matthew 13: 41-45 “The Son of man shall send his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all scandals, and them that work iniquity. And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the just shine as the sun, in the kingdom of their Father. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in a field. Which a man having found, hid it, and for joy thereof goeth, and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
Matthew 15:10 “And [Jesus] having called together the multitudes unto him, he said to them: Hear ye and understand.”
Mark 4: 11-14 “And he said to them: To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but to them that are without, all things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand: lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. And he saith to them: Are you ignorant of this parable? and how shall you know all parables? He that soweth, soweth the word. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown, and as soon as they have heard, immediately Satan cometh and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.”
Luke 8:13 “Now they upon the rock, are they who when they hear, receive the word with joy: and these have no roots; for they believe for a while, and in time of temptation, they fall away.”
Luke 8:18 “Take heed therefore how you hear. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given: [MORE] and whosoever hath not, that also which he thinketh he hath, shall be taken away from him.”
John 8:47 “He that is of God, heareth the words of God. Therefore you hear them not, because you are not of God.”
John 10:16 “And other sheep I have, that are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.”
What does Christ mean? “Cannot hear?”
God Bless you!
Patrick
“72” Were sent out in Christ name
Why “72”? And WHY are numbers in the bible signifient?
by: Patrick Miron [& agapebiblestudy.com]
Luke 10: 1-5 “And after these things the Lord appointed also other seventy-two: and he sent them two and two before his face into every city and place whither he himself was to come. And he said to them: The harvest indeed is great, but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send labourers into his harvest. Go: Behold I send you as lambs among wolves. Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes; and salute no man by the way. Into whatsoever house you enter, first say: Peace be to this house.”
Anytime one encounters a number in the bible, it’s important to ask if the number itself has significance. This is based on Jewish Tradition where numbers often have a meaning of their own, known by all, and understood by all for who the teaching or message is immediately intended for.
“In sacred Scripture numbers usually have more significance than their quantitative indicators. More often than not, even when a number is used to indicate a certain quantity, the individual number given may point beyond the numerical value to a symbolic significance. At other times the number given is not to be taken literally and may represent an approximate value, a symbolic value, or may represent hyperbole-an exaggerated value. For example, the six day period of Creation may not be literal but may represent a symbolic period of time that was perfected on the seventh day when God rested-7 being one of the four “perfect” numbers. Or the number of the 144,000 heavenly souls marked with the “seal of the living God” in Revelation chapter 7 may suggest, as Bible scholars both ancient and modern have interpreted it, a number reflecting the symbolic perfection of redeemed man in terms of the “perfect” number 12 which signifies perfection of government in Scripture. 144,000 is the square of 12.”
http://www.agapebiblestudy.com/documents/the%20significance%20of%20numbers%20in%20scripture.htm: Much additional information can be found on this web site.
ONE: In sacred Scripture “one,” ehad, in Hebrew, represents unity and is the quintessential number of monotheism, the worship of one God.
TWO: This number can mean difference, division or double portion.
THREE: In sacred Scripture the number three represents that which is solid, real, substantial, and something in its completeness. This number usually indicates something of importance or significance in God’s plan of salvation by identifying an important event in Salvation History. This number operates as a “sign-post” in Scripture study for the reader to “pay attention” to the significance of the next event.
FOUR: The number four represents God’s creative works, especially works associated with the earth:
FIVE: This is the number of power and Divine grace.
SIX: Both man and the serpent were created on the sixth day, therefore, the number six represents both man and rebellion. In the Greek alphabet the number six is not represented by an alphabetic letter but is instead represented by a symbol called the “stigma.” In Revelation 13:18 the number of the Beast is written not as 666 but is instead is written with the Greek symbols for 600 and 60 and 6. In his book Numbers in Scripture, E.W. Bullinger observes that these three symbols correspond to first and last letters of the Greek word for Christ = CHRISTOS, with the symbol of the serpent in between the two other numbers of 666 [see Numbers in Scripture page 49]. Perhaps this arrangement can be seen to be Christ the Messiah crushing the serpent as God told the serpent in Genesis 3:15: I shall put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he will crush your head and you will strike its heel.
SEVEN: Spiritual perfection and fullness or completion. It is the number of Covenant and of the Holy Spirit.
EIGHT: sh’moneh in Hebrew, from the root shah’meyn “to make fat” or “to cover with fat” which means to super-abound. The first of a new series: there are seven days in a week; the 8th day is the beginning of a new series of days. It is the number of salvation, resurrection, and new birth/regeneration.
NINE: This number is related to the number six, being the sum of its factors (3×3=9, and 3+3=6). It is significant of the end of man and the sum of all man’s works. Nine is therefore the number of finality or judgment.
TEN: Perfection of divine order
ELEVEN: disorder: 10 + 1 or 12 – 1; also disorganization, lack of fulfillment, imperfection
TWELVE: Perfection of government. Twelve is the number of the Church, both the Old Covenant Church of Israel founded by twelve physical fathers (the twelve sons of Jacob-Israel) and the New Covenant Church founded by twelve spiritual fathers (the twelve Apostles). This number also has a relationship with multiples of twelve END QUOTES
So dear friends we can now understand the core message in the choice of using “72.” It does NOT necessarily means that Christ ACTUALLY chose “72” additional disciples, even though it might have been?
Here “72” represents [6x 12] = “72.” The “6” here represents both man, and mans natural tendency to rebel against change and authority. While the “12” represents both the responsibility and the necessary POWER of independent-“GOVERNANCE.”
The message then becomes that man [all mankind] is commanded by God, to “go forth and preach the [His] GOOD NEWS”; but the 6 x 12 lacks perfection and or competition, that the number “84” [7 x 12] would lend to the teaching. So the entirety of the message then is that this mandate becomes an ON-GOING; NEVER-ENDING task for humanity. It applied when Christ was here on earth, and it applies [perhaps even more urgently] to us today; to [1] Know the Good News; [2] to Live the Good News and to [3] SHARE the Good news as God grants us the opportunity to do so.
The “real-kicker” though is that the ability to KNOW the fullness of God’s “Good News“, and therefore the ability to share it [we can’t share what we ourselves do not have] resides exclusively within the confines of the Catholic Church.
Mt. 15:18-19 “And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, [singular] and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.”
Jn. 17:18-19 “As thou hast sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for them do I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth”
Jn.20:21-22 “He said therefore to them again: Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent me, I also send you. When he had said this, he breathed on them; and he said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost.
Mk. 16:14-15 “At length he appeared to the eleven as they were at table: and he upbraided them with their incredulity and hardness of heart, because they did not believe them who had seen him after he was risen again. And he said to them: Go ye into the whole world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Mt. 28: 16-20 “And the eleven disciples went into Galilee, unto the mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.”
And NOW dear friends, you know! Amen!
What does it mean to be a Believer and Follower of Jesus Christ?
Another: I AM A Catholic Lesson
By Patrick Miron
God: does it really matter to Him, how we worship, praise and Glorify Him, so long as we do, worship, praise and Glorify Him? Can and does God accept whatever manner that we personally choose in order to remain within our own “comfort zone” over what He has directly commanded and ordained?
What does it mean from our God’s perspective to actually BE a follower of Jesus Christ? Is humility a necessary virtue to attain heaven? Yes it is.
“Lord teach u to pray”
Matthew 6:9-13New International Version
“This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name, your kingdom come,
your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.”
Take special notice of the 3td petition in the Lord’s Prayer: “Lord teach us how to pray” [Luke 11:1-4] “your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
The message here is clear and unambiguous: cf. YOUR Will my God, must be done here on earth exactly as it is accomplished in heaven, if we are to comply with what we are saying and praying. So now we ask just how is God’s will accomplished in Heaven?
There can be only one correct answer: fully, completely, humbly and obediently. Nothing less fulfills God’s Divine and Perfect will.
Matthew 19:17 … “If you would enter life, keep the commandments.”
My dear friends in Christ; God is perfect [Mt. 5: 48 “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect]. God desires no less than perfect love be returned to him; which He alone can make possible. In order for man to return: perfect love” to God it must be 1. Freely given & 2. Align fully with His Divine will.
So here’s the critical question:
Can human-invented & engineered faith beliefs and practices, now with thousands of variations to choose from as the search for a church that makes US feel comfortable; a church that teaches only what they want to hear; that preaches easy and fast way’s to be saved; and some even teach that once “Saved” your salvation can’t be lost. Which is sweet music to the ears of the; shall I say; “hard of hearing.”
Matt.13 Verses 15 to 16 “For this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are heavy of hearing,
and their eyes they have closed, lest they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears,
and understand with their heart, and turn for me to heal them.” … [16] But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear”
Verse 16 here is addressed by Christ to His New Chosen People; His Catholic Church. The passage leading up to this fact applies to all other Christian Faiths.
Permit me friends to ask a few really tough; really relevant; and really critical questions:
[1] Can One True God hold to more than just one set of Faith beliefs? Eph. 4:1-7 – NO; impossible!
[2] Is it possible that our One True God could have, or would have waited more than 1,000 years after His death and Resurrection and had established His One God’ with one faith; through His new Chosen people/Church? – No Impossible. God simply could not have waited more than 1,000 years for apostate catholic priest in schism to make their newly invented versions of His faith beliefs known. [Read Heb. 6:4-8] Yet thousands of man-engineered churches and faith’s exist today, long after Jesus had established His one true religion; and all of them ignoring the impossibility of their own chosen church being “God Approved.” Not only not approved or acceptable to God; but also being anti-biblical. Not one time in the history of the bible has God approved of, accepted or even tolerated competing gods and faiths. Not one time!
The priest in schism: Wycliffe and Luther; the apostate Calvin, and Mr. Smith who all decided that they did know more; did know better than God and the one Catholic Church He founded [Mt. 15:15-19] guides [Mt. 28:20] and protects. [Jn. 17:17-19] And the many off-shoots churches in even more recent years who choose to establish new churches, new faith which initially were aimed at usurping powers and authority granted exclusively to the Catholic Church; but now are in competition with each other as well. The Catholic Church alone is able to teach the fullness of Christ truth:
Matthew 7:15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” Know my friend that the concealed wolfs need not know that they are misleading you and actually in competition with what Jesus actually teaches and commands, Truth has to be singular; and it is impossible that God could, would or did wait for whoever established your church to compete with God’s. But true understanding can only come from the Holy Spirit, who will continue to withhold his grace until and unless one actually makes the attempt to discover His necessarily singular; which have existed at least for 1,000 before whoever choose to design a more comfortable faith and church; but certainly not God’s.
Acts 25: 27-32 “And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”
Rom.2 Verses 4 to 8 “Or do you presume upon the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not know that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But by your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. For he will render to every man according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are factious and do not obey the truth, but obey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury.”
Romans 16:20 “Do you not know that if you yield yourselves to any one as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?” Beware my friends of wolf’s in sheep’s clothing:
John.14: 6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.”
John.8: 12 “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” [This “light” means God’s necessary Grace].
John.12: 26 “If any one serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honor him.”
John.15: 1-4-5 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing”
John.20 Verses 20 to 23” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained”
Take Up your Cross and Follow Me
Acts 20: 28-30 Take heed to yourselves, and to the whole flock, wherein the Holy Ghost hath placed you bishops, to rule the church of God, [singular] which he hath purchased with his own blood. I know that, after my departure, ravening wolves will enter in among you, not sparing the flock. And of your own selves shall arise men speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Douay Rheims Bible
John 10:16 “And other sheep I have, that are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd”
Eph. 2: 20-23 “Built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone: In whom all the building, [singular] being framed together, groweth up into a holy temple in the Lord. [Singular] In whom you also are built together into a habitation of God in the Spirit.”
Psalms 127:1 “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.”
Here from Jesus Himself; directly and exclusively to the Apostles and their successors is the command that non-Catholics miss, ignore or don’t have the grace necessary to understand it and accept it as God’s will.
Mt. 28: 16-20 “Now the eleven [remaining] disciples [apostles] went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [YOU!] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded [“commanded here means both taught you and commanded of YOU]; and lo, I am with YOU always, to the close of the age.”
So dear friends, can your ears actually hear what God is saying?
God Bless you; pray much!
Patrick