Matthew 24:26

He said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”

“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me; and the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, behold, he comes!” says Yahweh of Armies.

He will say, “Build up, build up, prepare the way! Remove the stumbling-block out of the way of my people.”

For this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, make the way of the Lord ready! Make his paths straight!”

Behold, I will do a new thing. It springs out now. Don’t you know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

A highway will be there, a road, and it will be called “The Holy Way”. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it will be for those who walk in the Way. Wicked fools shall not go there.

Sing to God! Sing praises to his name! Extol him who rides on the clouds: to Yah, his name! Rejoice before him!

I will make all my mountains a road, and my highways shall be exalted.

Only let your way of life be worthy of the Good News of Christ, that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your state, that you stand firm in one spirit, with one soul striving for the faith of the Good News;

Give diligence to present yourself approved by God, a workman who doesn’t need to be ashamed, properly handling the Word of Truth.

For this is he, of whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’

Go through, go through the gates! Prepare the way of the people! Build up, build up the highway! Gather out the stones! Lift up a banner for the peoples.

Behold, he speaks openly, and they say nothing to him. Can it be that the rulers indeed know that this is truly the Christ?

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

to the end he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Yes, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence; and in moral excellence, knowledge;

Who is this who comes up from the wilderness, leaning on her beloved? Under the apple tree I aroused you. There your mother conceived you. There she was in labor and bore you.

“Come near to me and hear this: “From the beginning I have not spoken in secret; from the time that it happened, I was there.” Now the Lord Yahweh has sent me with his Spirit.

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Yahweh comes.

Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.

But there was a certain man, Simon by name, who used to practice sorcery in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, making himself out to be some great one,

that he might present the assembly to himself gloriously, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without defect.

However God’s firm foundation stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let every one who names the name of the Lord depart from unrighteousness.”

“Now, behold, Yahweh has kept me alive, as he spoke, these forty-five years, from the time that Yahweh spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. Now, behold, I am eighty-five years old, today.

The children of the Kenite, Moses’ brother-in-law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the south of Arad; and they went and lived with the people.

Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and fell on him, and killed him; and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.

I have not spoken in secret, in a place of the land of darkness. I didn’t say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek me in vain.’ I, Yahweh, speak righteousness. I declare things that are right.

Most certainly I tell you, among those who are born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptizer; yet he who is least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he.

They said, “Some say John the Baptizer, some, Elijah, and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”

In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, “Have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs to seize me? I sat daily in the temple teaching, and you didn’t arrest me.

I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you didn’t arrest me. But this is so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled.”

The child was growing and becoming strong in spirit, and was in the desert until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

For no one does anything in secret while he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, reveal yourself to the world.”

Therefore also we make it our aim, whether at home or absent, to be well pleasing to him.

so that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense to the day of Christ,

Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.

looking carefully lest there be any man who falls short of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and many be defiled by it,

But the man who shall be unclean, and shall not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from among the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of Yahweh. The water for impurity has not been sprinkled on him. He is unclean.

You shall diligently keep the commandments of Yahweh your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he has commanded you.

I have proclaimed glad news of righteousness in the great assembly. Behold, I will not seal my lips, Yahweh, you know.

You are all beautiful, my love. There is no spot in you.

Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance!

As these went their way, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you didn’t believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. When you saw it, you didn’t even repent afterward, that you might believe him.

For there will arise false christs, and false prophets, and they will show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones.

Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

Then the high priest tore his clothing, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Behold, now you have heard his blasphemy.

and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and God’s Kingdom is at hand! Repent, and believe in the Good News.”

They were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.

And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways,

He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

When John’s messengers had departed, he began to tell the multitudes about John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

Blessed are those servants, whom the lord will find watching when he comes. Most certainly I tell you that he will dress himself, make them recline, and will come and serve them.

Blessed is that servant whom his lord will find doing so when he comes.

“So be careful, or your hearts will be loaded down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day will come on you suddenly.

Every day Jesus was teaching in the temple, and every night he would go out and spend the night on the mountain that is called Olivet.

but I prayed for you, that your faith wouldn’t fail. You, when once you have turned again, establish your brothers.”

But when it was now the middle of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple and taught.

Jesus therefore cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, “You both know me, and know where I am from. I have not come of myself, but he who sent me is true, whom you don’t know.

Now very early in the morning, he came again into the temple, and all the people came to him. He sat down and taught them.

I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you. However he who sent me is true; and the things which I heard from him, these I say to the world.”

All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them.

Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews, but departed from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim. He stayed there with his disciples.

Jesus answered him, “I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues, and in the temple, where the Jews always meet. I said nothing in secret.

Pilate answered, “I’m not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered you to me. What have you done?”

beginning from the baptism of John, to the day that he was received up from us, of these one must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”

“Go stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.”

For before these days Theudas rose up, making himself out to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves. He was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were dispersed, and came to nothing.

Now when the synagogue broke up, many of the Jews and of the devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas; who, speaking to them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.

Paul, as was his custom, went in to them, and for three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures,

The whole city was filled with confusion, and they rushed with one accord into the theater, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul’s companions in travel.

For indeed we are in danger of being accused concerning today’s riot, there being no cause. Concerning it, we wouldn’t be able to give an account of this commotion.”

Men will arise from among your own selves, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.

As they were trying to kill him, news came up to the commanding officer of the regiment that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.

Aren’t you then the Egyptian, who before these days stirred up to sedition and led out into the wilderness the four thousand men of the Assassins?”

backbiters, hateful to God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

who will also confirm you until the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

For if a man thinks himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love,

that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without defect in the middle of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you are seen as lights in the world,

For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

saying, “I will declare your name to my brothers. Among the congregation I will sing your praise.”

Many will follow their immoral ways, and as a result, the way of the truth will be maligned.

Therefore, beloved, seeing that you look for these things, be diligent to be found in peace, without defect and blameless in his sight.

Everyone who has this hope set on him purifies himself, even as he is pure.

He carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet-colored beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.

And on her forehead a name was written, “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”

The voice of one who calls out, “Prepare the way of Yahweh in the wilderness! Make a level highway in the desert for our God.

In those days, John the Baptizer came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying,