Bible verses about "homecoming" | Twentieth_Century

¹ My children, I am writing to you to keep you from sinning; but if any one should sin, we have one who can plead for us with the Father--Jesus Christ, the Righteous-- ² and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but for those of the whole world besides. ³ And by this we know that we have learned to know him--by our laying his commands to heart. ⁴ The man who says 'I know Jesus,' but does not lay his commands to heart, is a liar, and the Truth has no place in him; ⁵ but, whenever a man lays his Message to heart, in that man the love of God has indeed reached its perfection. By this we know that we are in union with God-- ⁶ He who professes to maintain union with God is himself bound to live as Christ lived. ⁷ Dear friends, it is no new command that I am writing to you, but an old command, which you have had from the first. That old command is the Message to which you listened. ⁸ Yet, again, it is a new Command that I am writing to you-- manifest in Christ's life and in your own--for the Darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining. ⁹ He who says that he is in the Light, and yet hates his Brother, is in the Darkness even now. ¹⁰ He who loves his Brother is always in the Light, and there is nothing within him to cause him to stumble; ¹¹ while he who hates his Brother is in the Darkness, and is living in the Darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the Darkness prevents his seeing. ¹² I am writing, Children, to you, because your sins have been forgiven you for Christ's sake. ¹³ I am writing, Fathers, to you, because you have learned to know him who has been from the Beginning. I am writing, Young Men, to you, because you have conquered the Evil One. I write, Children, to you, because you have learned to know the Father. ¹⁴ I write, Fathers, to you, because you have learned to know him who has been from the Beginning. I write, Young Men, to you, because you are strong, and God's Message is always in your hearts, and you have conquered the Evil One. ¹⁵ Do not love the world or what the world can offer. When any one loves the world, there is no love for the Father in him; ¹⁶ for all that the world can offer--the gratification of the earthly nature, the gratification of the eye, the pretentious life--belongs, not to the Father, but to the world. ¹⁷ And the world, and all that it gratifies, is passing away, but he who does God's will remains for ever. ¹⁸ My Children, these are the last days. You were told that an Anti-Christ was coming; and many Anti-Christ's have already arisen. By that we know that these are the last days. ¹⁹ From us, it is true, they went out, but they had never belonged to us; for, if they had belonged to us, they would have remained among us. They left us that it might be made clear that they do not, any of them, belong to us. ²⁰ You, however, have received consecration from the Holy One. ²¹ You all know--But I am not writing to you because you do not know the Truth, but because you do know it, and because nothing false can come from the Truth. ²² Who is a liar, if not the man who rejects the truth that Jesus is the Christ? He is the Anti-Christ--The man who rejects the Father and the Son. ²³ No one who rejects the Son has found the Father; he who acknowledges the Son has found the Father also. ²⁴ As for you, let what you were told at the first be always in your thoughts. If, then, what you were told at the first is always in your thoughts, you yourselves will maintain your union both with the Son and with the Father. ²⁵ And this is what he himself promised us--The Immortal Life! ²⁶ In writing thus to you, I have in mind those who are trying to mislead you. ²⁷ But you--you still retain in your hears that consecration which you received from the Christ, and are not in need of any one to teach you; but, since his consecration of you teaches you about everything, and since it is a real consecration, and no lie, then, as it has taught you, maintain your union with him. ²⁸ Yes, my Children, maintain your union with Christ, so that, whenever he appears, our confidence may not fail us, and we may not be ashamed to meet him at his coming. ²⁹ Knowing him to be righteous, you realize that every one who lives righteously has received the new Life from him.

¹ Seeing, therefore, that there is on every side of us such a throng of witnesses, let us also lay aside everything that hinders us, and the sin that clings about us, and run with patient endurance the race that lies before us, ² our eyes fixed upon Jesus, the Leader and perfect Example of our faith, who, for the joy that lay before him, endured the cross, heedless of its shame, and now 'has taken his seat at the right hand' of the throne of God. ³ Weigh well the example of him who had to endure such opposition from 'men who were sinning against themselves,' so that you should not grow weary or faint-hearted. ⁴ You have not yet, in your struggle with sin, resisted to the death; ⁵ and you have forgotten the encouraging words which are addressed to you as God's Children-- 'My child, think not lightly of the Lord's discipline, do not despond when he rebukes you; ⁶ for it is him whom he loves that he disciplines, and he chastises every child whom he acknowledges.' ⁷ It is for your discipline that you have to endure all this. God is dealing with you as his Children. For where is there a child whom his father does not discipline? ⁸ If you are left without that discipline, in which all children share, it shows that you are bastards, and not true Children. ⁹ Further, when our earthly fathers disciplined us, we respected them. Shall we not, then, much rather yield submission to the Father of souls, and live? ¹⁰ Our fathers disciplined us for only a short time and as seemed best to them; but God disciplines us for our true good, to enable us to share his holiness. ¹¹ No discipline is pleasant at the time; on the contrary, it is painful. But afterwards its fruit is seen in the peacefulness of a righteous life which is the lot of those who have been trained under it. ¹² Therefore 'lift again the down-dropped hands and straighten the weakened knees; ¹³ make straight paths for your feet,' so that the lame limb may not be put out of joint, but rather be cured. ¹⁴ Try earnestly to live at peace with every one, and to attain to that purity without which no one will see the Lord. ¹⁵ Take care that no one fails to use the loving help of God, 'that no bitterness is allowed to take root and spring up, and cause trouble,' and so poison the whole community. ¹⁶ Take care that no one becomes immoral, or irreligious like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. ¹⁷ For you know that even afterwards, when he wished to claim his father's blessing, he was rejected--for he never found an opportunity to repair his error--though he begged for the blessing with tears. ¹⁸ It is not to tangible 'flaming fire' that you have drawn near, nor to 'gloom, and darkness, and storm, ¹⁹ and the blast of a trumpet, and an audible voice.' Those who heard that voice entreated that they might hear no more, ²⁰ for they could not bear to think of the command-- 'If even an animal touches the mountain, it is to be stoned to death;' ²¹ and so fearful was the sight that Moses said-- 'I tremble with fear.' ²² No, but it is to Mount Zion that you have drawn near, the City of the Living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to countless hosts of angels, ²³ to the festal gathering and assemblage of God's Eldest Sons whose names are enrolled in Heaven, to God the Judge of all men, to the spirits of the righteous who have attained perfection, ²⁴ to Jesus, the intermediary of a new Covenant, and to the Sprinkled Blood that tells of better things than the blood of Abel. ²⁵ Beware how you refuse to hear him who is speaking. For, if the Israelites did not escape punishment, when they refused to listen to him who taught them on earth the divine will, far worse will it be for us, if we turn away from him who is teaching us from Heaven. ²⁶ Then his voice shook the earth, but now his declaration is-- 'Still once more I will cause not only the earth to tremble, but also the heavens.' ²⁷ And those words 'still once more' indicate the passing away of all that is shaken--that is, of all created things--in order that only what is unshaken may remain. ²⁸ Therefore, let us, who have received a kingdom that cannot be shaken, be thankful, and so offer acceptable worship to God, with awe and reverence. ²⁹ For our God is 'a consuming fire.'

¹ Let your love for the Brethren continue. :24 Give our greeting to all your Leaders, and to all Christ's People. Our friends from Italy send their greetings to you. ² Do not neglect to show hospitality; for, through being hospitable, men have all unawares entertained angels. ³ Remember the prisoners, as if you were their fellow-prisoners, and the oppressed, not forgetting that you also are still in the body. ⁴ Let marriage be honoured by all and the married life be pure; for God will judge those who are immoral and those who commit adultery. ⁵ Do not let your conduct be ruled by the love of money. Be content with what you have, for God himself has said-- 'I will never forsake you, nor will I ever abandon you.' ⁶ Therefore we may say with confidence-- 'The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?' ⁷ Do not forget your Leaders, the men who told you God's Message. Recall the close of their lives, and imitate their faith. ⁸ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and to-day--yes, and for ever! ⁹ Do not let yourselves be carried away by the various novel forms of teaching. It is better to rely for spiritual strength upon the divine help, than upon regulations regarding food; for those whose lives are guided by such regulations have not found them of service. ¹⁰ We are not without an altar; but it is one at which those who still worship in the Tabernacle have no right to eat. ¹¹ The bodies of those animals whose blood is brought by the High Priest into the Sanctuary, as an offering for sin, are burnt outside the camp. ¹² And so Jesus, also, to purify the People by his own blood, suffered outside the gate. ¹³ Therefore let us go out to him 'outside the camp,' bearing the same reproaches as he; ¹⁴ for here we have no permanent city, but are looking for the City that is to be. ¹⁵ Through him let us offer, as our sacrifice, continual praise to God--an offering from lips that glorify his Name. ¹⁶ Never forget to do kindly acts and to share what you have with others, for such sacrifices are acceptable to God. ¹⁷ Obey your Leaders, and submit to their control, for they are watching over your souls, as men who will have to render an account, so that they may do it with joy, and not in sorrow. That would not be to your advantage. ¹⁸ Pray for us, for we are sure that our consciences are clear, since our wish is to be occupied with what is good. ¹⁹ And I the more earnestly ask for your prayers, that I may be restored to you the sooner. ²⁰ May God, the source of all peace, who brought back from the dead him who, 'by virtue of the blood that rendered valid the unchangeable Covenant, is the Great Shepherd of God's Sheep,' Jesus, our Lord-- ²¹ may God make you perfect in everything that is good, so that you may be able to do his will. May he bring out in us all that is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be all glory for ever and ever. Amen. ²² I beg you, Brothers, to bear with these words of advice. For I have written only very briefly to you. ²³ You will be glad to hear that our Brother, Timothy, has been set free. If he comes here soon, we will visit you together. ²⁴ Give our greeting to all your Leaders, and to all Christ's People. Our friends from Italy send their greetings to you. ²⁵ May God bless you all.

¹ James, a Servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, greets The Twelve Tribes that are living abroad. ² My Brothers, whatever may be the temptations that beset you from time to time, always regard them as a reason for rejoicing, ³ Knowing, as you do, that the testing of your faith develops endurance. ⁴ And let endurance do its work perfectly, so that you may be altogether perfect, and in no respect deficient. ⁵ If one of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask wisdom from the God who gives freely to every one without reproaches, and it will be given to him. ⁶ But let him ask with confidence, never doubting; for the man who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven hither and thither at the mercy of the wind-- ⁷ Such a man must not expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, ⁸ Vacillating as he is, irresolute at every turn. ⁹ Let a Brother in humble circumstances be proud of his exalted position, but a rich Brother of his humiliation; ¹⁰ For the rich man will pass away 'like the flower of the grass.' ¹¹ As the sun rises, and the hot wind blows, 'the grass withers, its flower fades,' and all its beauty is gone. So is it with the rich man. In the midst of his pursuits he will come to an untimely end. ¹² Blessed is the man who remains firm under temptation, for, when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of Life, which the Lord has promised to those who love him. ¹³ Let no one say, when he is tempted, "It is God who is tempting me!" For God, who cannot be tempted to do wrong, does not himself tempt any one. ¹⁴ A man is in every case tempted by his own passions--allured and enticed by them. ¹⁵ Then Passion conceives and gives birth to Sin, and Sin, on reaching maturity, brings forth Death. ¹⁶ Do not be deceived, my dear Brothers. ¹⁷ Every good thing given us, and every perfect gift, is from above, and comes down to us from the Maker of the Lights in the heavens, who is himself never subject to change or to eclipse. ¹⁸ Because he so willed, he gave us Life, through the Message of the Truth, so that we should be, as it were, an earnest of still further creations. ¹⁹ Mark this, my dear Brothers--Let every one be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry; ²⁰ For the anger of man does not forward the righteous purpose of God. ²¹ Therefore, have done with all filthiness and whatever wickedness still remains, and in a humble spirit receive that Message which has been planted in your hearts and is able to save your souls. ²² Put that Message into practice, and do not merely listen to it--deceiving yourselves. ²³ For, when any one listens to it and does not practice it, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror. ²⁴ He looks at himself, then goes on his way, ²⁵ But he who looks carefully into the perfect Law, the Law of Freedom, and continues to do so, not listening to it and then forgetting it, but putting it into practice--that man will be blessed in what he does. ²⁶ When a man appears to be religious, yet does not bridle his tongue, but imposes upon his own conscience, that man's religious observances are valueless. ²⁷ That religious observance which is pure and spotless in the eyes of God our Father is this--to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself uncontaminated by the world.

²⁷ Peace be with you! My own peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, or dismayed.

⁹ After this, in my vision, I saw a vast throng which no man could number, of men from every nation and of all tribes, and peoples, and languages. They stood in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, robed in white, holding palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰ And they are crying in a loud voice-- ' Salvation be ascribed to our God who is seated on his throne and to the Lamb.' ¹¹ And all the angels were standing round the throne and the Councillors and the four Creatures, and they prostrated themselves on their faces in front of the throne and worshiped God, ¹² saying-- 'Amen. Blessing and praise, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might be ascribed to our God for ever and ever. Amen.'

¹¹ Then Jesus continued: "A man had two sons; ¹² And the younger of them said to his father 'Father, give me my share of the inheritance.' So the father divided the property between them. ¹³ A few days later the younger son got together all that he had, and went away into a distant land; and there he squandered his inheritance by leading a dissolute life. ¹⁴ After he has spent all that he had, there was a severe famine through all that country, and he began to be in actual want. ¹⁵ So he went and engaged himself to one of the people of that country, who sent him into his fields to tend pigs. ¹⁶ He even longed to satisfy his hunger with the bean-pods on which the pigs were feeding; and no one gave him anything. ¹⁷ But, when he came to himself, he said 'How many of my father's hired servants have more bread than they can eat, while here am I starving to death! ¹⁸ I will get up and go to my father, and say to him "Father, I sinned against Heaven and against you; ¹⁹ I am no longer fit to be called your son; make me one of your hired servants."' ²⁰ And he got up and went to his father. But, while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was deeply moved; he ran and threw his arms round his neck and kissed him. ²¹ 'Father,' the son said, 'I sinned against Heaven and against you; I am no longer fit to be called your son; make me one of your hired servants.' ²² But the father turned to his servants and said 'Be quick and fetch a robe--the very best--and put it on him; give him a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet; ²³ And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry; ²⁴ For here is my son who was dead, and is alive again, was lost, and is found.' So they began making merry. ²⁵ Meanwhile the elder son was out in the fields; but, on coming home, when he got near the house, he heard music and dancing, ²⁶ And he called one of the servants and asked what it all meant. ²⁷ 'Your brother has come back,' the servant told him, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has him back safe and sound.' ²⁸ This made him angry, and he would not go in. But his father came out and begged him to do so. ²⁹ 'No,' he said to his father, 'look at all the years I have been serving you, without ever once disobeying you, and yet you have never given me even a kid, so that I might have a merry-making with my friends. ³⁰ But, no sooner has this son of yours come, who has eaten up your property in the company of prostitutes, than you have killed the fattened calf for him.' ³¹ 'Child,' the father answered, 'you are always with me, and everything that I have is yours. ³² We could but make merry and rejoice, for here is your brother who was dead, and is alive; who was lost, and is found.'"

¹⁴ Over all these virtues put on love; for that is the girdle which makes all complete. ¹⁵ Let the Peace that the Christ gives decide all doubts within your hearts; for you also were called to the enjoyment of peace as members of one Body. And show yourselves thankful.

² In my Father's Home there are many dwellings. If it had not been so, I should have told you, for I am going to prepare a place for you.

¹ For we know that if our tent--that earthly body which is now our home--is taken down, we have a house of God's building, a home not made by hands, imperishable, in Heaven. ² Even while in our present body we sigh, longing to put over it our heavenly dwelling, ³ Sure that, when we have put it on, we shall never be found discarnate. ⁴ For we who are in this 'tent' sigh under our burden, unwilling to take it off, yet wishing to put our heavenly body over it, so that all that is mortal may be absorbed in Life. ⁵ And he who has prepared us for this change is God, who has also given us his Spirit as a pledge. ⁶ Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, while our home is in the body, we are absent from our home with the Lord. ⁷ For we guide our lives by faith, and not by what we see. ⁸ And in this confidence we would gladly leave our home in the body, and make our home with the Lord. ⁹ Therefore, whether in our home or absent from our home, our one ambition is to please him. ¹⁰ For at the Bar of the Christ we must all appear in our true characters, that each may reap the results of the life which he has lived in the body, in accordance with his actions--whether good or worthless. ¹¹ Therefore, because we know the fear inspired by the Lord, it is true that we are trying to win men, but our motives are plain to God; and I hope that in your inmost hearts they are plain to you also. ¹² We are not "commending ourselves" again to you, but rather are giving you cause for pride in us, so that you may have an answer ready for those who pride themselves on appearances and not on character. ¹³ For, if we were "beside ourselves," it was in God's service! If we are not in our senses, it is in yours! ¹⁴ It is the love of the Christ which compels us, when we reflect that, as one died for all, therefore all died; ¹⁵ And that he died for all, so that the living should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died and rose for them. ¹⁶ For ourselves, then, from this time forward, we refuse to regard any one from the world's standpoint. Even if we once thought of Christ from the standpoint of the world, yet now we do so no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if any one is in union with Christ, he is a new being! His old life has passed away; a new life has begun! ¹⁸ But all this is the work of God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and gave us the Ministry of Reconciliation-- ¹⁹ To proclaim that God, in Christ, was reconciling the world to himself, not reckoning men's offenses against them, and that he had entrusted us with the Message of this reconciliation. ²⁰ It is, then, on Christ's behalf that we are acting as ambassadors, God, as it were, appealing to you through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf--Be reconciled to God. ²¹ Him who never knew sin God made to be Sin, on our behalf; so that we, through union with him, might become the Righteousness of God.

¹⁹ But Jesus refused. "Go back to your home, to your own people," he said, "and tell them of all that the Lord has done for you, and how he took pity on you."