Catholic Bible 101

Matthew 16:19: I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven,and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

Matthew 18:18: Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 

Luke 10:16: "He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me."

Luke 1:13: But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.  And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth;  for he will be great before the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.

Luke 18:15-17: Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them; and when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them.  But Jesus called them to him, saying, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." 

Acts 16:31: And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved,you and your household."

1 Corinthians 1:16: I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any one  else.

(**NOTE -  The above verses show that the Holy Spirit can come to infants, even before they're born; that infants belong to the Kingdom of God; that other household members can be saved through the belief of another; and that whole households were baptized, which would include infants in most Jewish families of the first century).

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Mark 7:18-19: And he said to them, "Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a man from outside cannot defile him, since it enters, not his heart but his stomach, and so passes on?" (Thus he declared all foods clean.)

Acts 10:9-16: The next day, as they were on their journey and coming near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. And he became hungry and desired something to eat; but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance and saw the heaven opened, and something descending, like a great sheet, let down by four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air.  And there came a voice to him, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." But Peter said, "No, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean." And the voice came to him again a second time, "What God has cleansed, you must not call common." This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.

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The Last Rites 

James 5:14-15 : "Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven."

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Matthew 10:38-39: and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.

Colossians 1:24 : "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh and I complete what is lacking in Christ's affliction for the sake of his body, that is, the church"

Romans 8:16-17: It is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God,  and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Acts 9:15-16: But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;  for I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name."

Romans 5:3-5: More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing thatsuffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,  and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.

2 Corinthians 1:5: For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.

Philippians 1:29-30: For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christyou should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,  engaged in the same conflict which you saw and now hear to be mine.

Phillipians 3:8-11: Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ  and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith;  that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,  that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

2 Timothy 2:3:  Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 11:24-26:  By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,  choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered abuse suffered for the Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he looked to the reward.

1 Peter 2:20-21:  For what credit is it, if when you do wrong and are beaten for it you take it patiently? But if when you do right and suffer for it you take it patiently, you have God's approval.  For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

1 Peter 4:1:  Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same thought, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin

1 Peter 4:13: But rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

1 Peter 5:8-10: Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour.  Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of your brotherhood throughout the world.  And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you.

Revelation 2:10: Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life..

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Mark 10:2-12:  Jesus said to the Pharisees, "God made them male and female.  For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother, and the two shall become as one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no man must separate..."

Romans 7:1-3: Do you not know, brethren -- for I am speaking to those who know the law -- that the law is binding on a person only during his life?  Thus a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives; but if her husband dies she is discharged from the law concerning the husband.  Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.

1 Corinthians 7:10-16: To the married I give charge, not I but the Lord, that the wife should not separate from her husband  (but if she does, let her remain single or else be reconciled to her husband) -- and that the husband should not divorce his wife.  To the rest I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her.  If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him.  For the unbelieving husband is consecrated through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is consecrated through her husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but as it is they are holy.  But if the unbelieving partner desires to separate, let it be so; in such a case the brother or sister is not bound. For God has called us to peace.  Wife, how do you know whether you will save your husband? Husband, how do you know whether you will save your wife? 

(**NOTE -- Here we see the power of one person's faith in Christ sanctifying the rest of the family, including infants.  Why?  Because the family is one in Christ, even if only one member is a believer.)

Ephesians 5:22-33: Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.  As the church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands.  Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,  that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.  Even so husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.  For no man ever hates his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, as Christ does the church,  because we are members of his body.  "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."  This mystery is a profound one, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church;  however, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

(**NOTE -- Here Paul compares the sacrament of marriage between a man and a wife with the relationship Christ has with His Church - That they are one, and not separate entities.  That is why Jesus said in Luke 10:16 - "He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me."  People who reject the teachings of the Church because of their personal opinions would do well to remember this- they aren't just rejecting what the Pope says;  they are rejecting what Jesus says.)

Hebrews 13:4: Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled; for God will judge the immoral and adulterous. 

John 19:26-27: When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son!"  Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

(**Note - Just as Eve became the mother of all of the living at the foot of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, Genesis 3:20, just so, Mary becomes our mother at the foot of the cross, also called a tree in Acts 5:30. John was standing in for all of the Church here.  Notice how Jesus uses the universal term "Woman" here, rather than "Mother", and how he does not address the disciple John by his name.  This implies that Jesus is referring to The Church as a whole, rather than just John and Mary.)

Revelation 12:17: Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.

Revelation 12:1-6: And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery.  And another portent appeared in heaven; behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his heads.  His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, that he might devour her child when she brought it forth; she brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne,  and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which to be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

(**NOTE - Mary appeared like this in Mexico, as Our Lady ofGuadalupe.  Guadalupe is taken from the Aztec word "coatlaxopeuh", pronounced quat - la-supe.  "Coa" means serpent, "tla" means the, and "xopeuh" means "to crush", so Mary is "One Who Crushes the serpent".  The Aztecs used serpents as their symbols, and were very big into human sacrifice, at the time of Mary's appearance at Tepeyac, Mexico, in 1531.  Following her appearance there, most, if not all of the human sacrifices were stopped, and millions of people there converted to Catholicism.)

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Genesis 14:18: And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High. 

Malachi 1:11: For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense is offered to my name, and a pure offering; for my name is great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts.

Hebrews 12:22: But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to a judge who is God of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks more graciously than the blood of Abel.

Mark 6:34-44: As he went ashore he saw a great throng, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, "This is a lonely place, and the hour is now late;  send them away, to go into the country and villages round about and buy themselves something to eat."  But he answered them, "You give them something to eat." And they said to him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?"  And he said to them, "How many loaves have you? Go and see." And when they had found out, they said, "Five, and two fish."  Then he commanded them all to sit down by companies upon the green grass.  So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties.  And taking the five loaves and the two fishhe looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all.  And they all ate and were satisfied.  And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.

1 Corinthians 10:16-18: The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.  Consider the people ofIsrael; are not those who eat the sacrifices partners in the altar?

Luke 22:19-20: And he took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." And likewise the cup after supper, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood." 

Ecclesiastes 5:10: He who loves money will not be satisfied with money; nor he who loves wealth, with gain: this also is vanity.

Psalm 49:16-19: Be not afraid when one becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases. For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him.  Though, while he lives, he counts himself happy, and though a man gets praise when he does well for himself, he will go to the generation of his fathers, who will never more see the light. 

Luke 16:19-25: "There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.  And at his gate lay a poor man named Laz'arus, full of sores,  who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.  The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried;  and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Laz'arus in his bosom.  And he called out, `Father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send Laz'arus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame.'  But Abraham said, `Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.

Luke 18:24-25: Jesus looking at him said, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!  For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

Luke 21:1-4: He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury;  and he saw a poor widow put in two copper coins.  And he said,"Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them;  for they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all the living that she had."

1 Timothy 3:2-3: Now a bishop must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, dignified, hospitable, an apt teacher,  no drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and no lover of money.

1 Timothy 6:10: For the love of money is the root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs.

2 Timothy 3:1-5: But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of stress.  For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,  inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, fierce, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding the form of religion but denying the power of it. Avoid such people.

Hebrews 13:5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, "I will never fail you nor forsake you." 

James 1:11: For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

James 2:5-6: Listen, my beloved brethren. Has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you, is it not they who drag you into court?

James 5:1-5: Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure for the last days.  Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.  You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 

Quote from the Saints - "We should have no more use or regard for money in any of its forms than we have for dust. Those who think it is worth more, or who are greedy for it, expose themselves to the danger of being deceived by the Devil."

St. Francis of Assisi

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1 John 5:16-17: If any one sees his brother committing what is not a mortal sin, he will ask, and God will give him life for those whose sin is not mortal. There is sin which is mortal; I do not say that one is to pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin which is not mortal.

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Matthew 5:20: For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 13:49:  So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous,

Matthew 6:20: for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe. When he heard him, he was much perplexed; and yet he heard him gladly.

Luke 1:5-6:In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

Luke 2:25: Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, andthis man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

Luke 23:50: Now there was a man named Joseph from the Jewish town ofArimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man,

Romans 3:10: as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one;"

(**NOTE - Here Paul is quoting Psalm 14 --"as it is written"-- which is talking about atheists)

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Mark 13:13: and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.

1 Corinthians 9:27: but I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

2 Peter 2: 20-22: For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overpowered, the last state has become worse for them than the first.  For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.  It has happened to them according to the true proverb, The dog turns back to his own vomit, and the sow is washed only to wallow in the mire.

1 Corinthians 10:12: Therefore let any one who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

Galatians 5:4: You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.

Hebrews 6:4-6: For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,  and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come,  if they then commit apostasy, since they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt.

Hebrews 10:26-29: For if we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,  but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire which will consume the adversaries.  A man who has violated the law of Moses dies without mercy at the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the man who has spurned the Son of God, and profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and outraged the Spirit of grace? 

1 Samuel 10:6: Then the spirit of the LORD will come mightily upon you(Saul), and you shall prophesy with them and be turned into another man.

1 Samuel 16:14: Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him.

(**Note--The example of Saul)

Philippians 2:12: Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;

Matthew 13:18-23: "Hear then the parable of the sower.  When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown along the path.  As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.  As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."

Romans 11:22: Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you too will be cut off.

Revelation 2:4-5: Yet I hold this against you: you have lost the love you had at first. Realize how far you have fallen. Repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

Luke 15:32: "It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'"

1 Timothy 2:5: For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus

Hebrews 9: 15: Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred which redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant.

Hebrews 12:24: and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks more graciously than the blood of Abel

(**NOTE - Jesus is the one mediator of the new covenant, the mediator between God the Father and man, which did away with all of the Old Testament ritualistic works and animal sacrifices.  Many Protestants confuse this phrase "one mediator" with intercessory prayer, which Paul says is a very good thing in 1 Timothy 1:2-3.  Asking a very much alive Saint (Luke 20:38) to pray for you has absolutely NOTHING to do with the "one mediator" of the New Covenant scripture.  Saints, as well as people on earth, can lead us to Jesus Christ, who then leads us to God our Father.  Romans 8:38-39 says that not even death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, and that would include the prayers of saints in heaven.) 

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2 Thessalonians 2:15: "So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter."

(**NOTE --For the first 4 centuries after Jesus,  all teaching of scripture was by oral tradition, since the Bible in its present form was not approved of by the Catholic Church until the Councils of Rome (382 AD), Hippo (393 AD), and Carthage (397AD)).

Romans 5:12: Wherefore as by one man sin entered into this world and by sin death: and so death passed upon all men, in whom all have sinned.

Isaiah 22:20-22: " In that day I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah,  and I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your girdle on him, and will commit your authority to his hand; and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open."

Matthew 16:18-19: "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

Nehemiah 8:1-8: And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the LORD had given to Israel.  And Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could hear with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month.  And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law.  And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden pulpit which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithi'ah, Shema, Anai'ah, Uri'ah, Hilki'ah, and Ma-asei'ah on his right hand; and Pedai'ah, Mish'a-el, Malchi'jah, Hashum, Hash-bad'danah, Zechari'ah, and Meshul'lam on his left hand.  And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people; and when he opened it all the people stood.  And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God; and all the people answered, "Amen, Amen," lifting up their hands; and they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground. Also Jesh'ua, Bani, Sherebi'ah, Jamin, Akkub, Shab'bethai, Hodi'ah, Ma-asei'ah, Keli'ta, Azari'ah, Jo'zabad, Hanan, Pelai'ah, the Levites, helped the people to understand the law, while the people remained in their places.  And they read from the book, from the law of God, clearly; and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.  

Acts 8:29-31:And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join this chariot."  So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?"  And he said, "How can I, unless some one guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

2 Peter 1:20: First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation,  because no prophecy ever came by the impulse of man, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

(**NOTE - Trying to understand the meaning of scripture IN ITS ENTIRETY without an instructor would be like trying to understand the Theory of Relativity without Einstein as a teacher.  No subject that is learned in school is learned without an intelligent instructor teaching it to us. Only when it comes to our salvation and the Bible do some people erroneously assert that we can do it all by ourselves. If you need a teacher for calculus, Latin, and physics, you most certainly need one for the Bible - Your salvation is at stake, after all.  The bible was written in Hebrew and Greek, in vastly different cultures, thousands of years ago, with different idioms and different meanings to words.  Trying to understand all of that with 21rst century English WITHOUT an interpreter and guide is very foolish indeed.)

John 1:41-42: He first found his brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, "So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas" (which means Peter).

(**NOTE - The above scripture totally negates the protestant argument that Jesus called Peter "petros" or "petras", which is Greek.  Jesus spoke Aramaic, which means that he called Peter "Cephas", which means "Rock" in Aramaic.)

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Leviticus 18:17: You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and of her daughter, and you shall not take her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter to uncover her nakedness; they are your near kinswomen; it is wickedness.

Matthew 5:28: But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Gen. 38:8-10: Then Judah said to Onan, "Unite with your brother's widow, in fulfillment of your duty as brother-in-law, and thus preserve your brother's line." Onan however, knew that the descendants would not be counted as his; so whenever he had relations with his brother's widow, he wasted his seed on the ground, to avoid contributing offspring for his brother. What he did greatly offended the Lord, and the Lord took his life too."

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Deuteronomy 30:19-20: "I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the LORD, your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him."

 Proverbs 1:24: "Because I called and you refused, I extended my hand and no one took notice"

2 Corinthians 8: For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own free will,

Philemon 1:14: but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own free will.

Matthew 15:19:  Jesus said to His "For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, unchastity, theft, false witness, and blasphemy."

Ephesians 5:5: "Be sure of this, that no immoral or impure or greedy person, that is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God."

Colossians 3:5: Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Revelation 21:8: But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, as for murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their lot shall be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death."

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Job 22:29: For God abases the proud, but he saves the lowly.

Job 35:12:There they cry out, but he does not answer, because of the pride of evil men.

Proverbs 8:13:The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.

Proverbs 11:2:When pride comes, then comes disgrace; but with the humble is wisdom.

Proverbs 16:18:  Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 29:23: A man's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.

Isaiah 2:11, 17:The haughty looks of man shall be brought low,and the pride of men shall be humbled; and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day. And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the pride of men shall be brought low; and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.

Tobit 4:13: So now, my son, love your brethren, and in your heart do not disdain your brethren and the sons and daughters of your people by refusing to take a wife for yourself from among them. For in pride there is ruin and great confusion; and in shiftlessness there is loss and great want, because shiftlessness is the mother of famine.

Sirach 10:12-13: The beginning of man's pride is to depart from the Lord; his heart has forsaken his Maker. For the beginning of pride is sin, and the manwho clings to it pours out abominations. Therefore the Lord brought upon them extraordinary afflictions,and destroyed them utterly.

Sirach 27:15,28: The strife of the proud leads to bloodshed, and their abuse is grievous to hear.  Mockery and abuse issue from the proud man,  but vengeance lies in wait for him like a lion.

Matthew 18:4: Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 23:12: whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Mark 7:21-23: For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery,  coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man.

Luke 1:51: He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts,

2 Timothy 3:2: For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,

James 4:6: But he gives more grace; therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." 

1 John 2:16: For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world.

(**NOTE - The devil's sin was pride, because he wanted to be God. Then he infected Adam and Eve with that same sin, be telling them that they would be as gods if they ate of the forbidden fruit.  So don't be like the devil - be like Jesus, who humbled himself by being obedient unto death on a cross (Philippians 2:8), for YOU.  Being humble means to put the will of God first in your life, and your will dead last (..."Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven".)  And always remember, no matter how much money you make, or whatever great thing you accomplish in life, you are no better or worse than the lowest beggar in the eyes of God, and you can't do anything without Jesus (John 15:5)).

1Timothy 3:15: "If I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth."

Matthew 16:18: And I tell you, you are Peter,  and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death  shall not prevail against it.

Ephesians 5: 23: For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior

Matthew 18:17-18: If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.  Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven

Ephesians 1: 20-23: which he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places,  far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come;  and he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church,  which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. 

Colossians 1: 18:  He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent.

Isaiah 6:1-7: In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple.  Above him stood the seraphim; each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory." And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!" Then flew one of the seraphim (*seraphim means "burning one") to me, having in his hand a burning coal which he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth, and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin forgiven."

2 Maccabees 12:43-45: "He then took up a collection among all his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice. In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, inasmuch as he had the resurrection of the dead in view; for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been useless and foolish to pray for them in death. But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be freed from this sin.".

Matthew 5:25-26: “Make friends quickly with your accuser, while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison; truly, I say to you, you will never get out till you have paid the last penny.” 

Matthew 12:31-32: Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.  And whoever says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

Matthew 18:32-35: Then his lord summoned him and said to him, `You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought me;  and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?'  And in anger his lord delivered him to the jailers, till he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."

Mark 9:49: For every one will be salted with fire.

Hebrews 12:22-24: “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to a judge who is God of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks more graciously than the blood of Abel. "

Revelation 21:27: But nothing unclean shall enter it, nor any one who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.

1 Corinthians 3:12-15: Now if any one builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw; each man's work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

Hebrews 12:29: "For our God is a consuming fire."

1 Peter 1:7: "The  genuineness  of  your  faith,  more  precious  than  gold  that is perishable  even  though tested by  fire, may  prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

Hebrews 9:27: And just as it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment

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2 Kings 2: 8 Then Elijah took his mantle, and rolled it up, and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground.

2 Kings 13:21 : And as a man was being buried, lo, a marauding band was seen and the man was cast into the grave of Elisha; and as soon as the man touchedthe bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood on his feet.

Acts 19:11 -12: And God did extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to the sick, and diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.

Matthew 14: 35-36: And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent round to all that region and brought to him all that were sick, and besought him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment; and as many as touched it were made well.

Psalm 136 repeats the phrase "for his steadfast love endures for ever" twenty six times.

Matthew 26:39-44: And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, "MyFather, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt."  And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, "So, could you not watch with me one hour?  Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."  Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, thy will be done."  And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.  So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words.

Revelation 4:8: And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all round and within, and day and night they never cease to sing,"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!" 

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2 Maccabees 11-16: He armed each of them not so much with confidence in shields and spears as with the inspiration of brave words, and he cheered them all by relating a dream, a sort of vision, which was worthy of belief. What he saw was this: Onias, who had been high priest, a noble and good man, of modest bearing and gentle manner, one who spoke fittingly and had been trained from childhood in all that belongs to excellence, was praying with outstretched hands for the whole body of the Jews. Then likewise a man appeared, distinguished by his gray hair and dignity, and of marvelous majesty and authority. And Onias spoke, saying, "This is a man who loves the brethren and prays much for the people and the holy city, Jeremiah, the prophet of God."Jeremiah stretched out his right hand and gave to Judas a golden sword, and as he gave it he addressed him thus: "Take this holy sword, a gift from God, with which you will strike down your adversaries."

Matthew 22: 31-32: And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, `I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not God of the dead, but of the living."

Luke 20:35-36: but those who are accounted worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage,  for they cannot die any more, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

Hebrews 13:7: Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God; consider the outcome of their life, and imitate their faith.

James 5:10: As an example of suffering and patience, brethren, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.   

John 17:21-22: so that they may all be one, as  you, Father,  are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you  sent  me.And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one.

1 Corinthians 6:17: But he who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.  

1 Timothy 2:1: First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men

James 5: 16: Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.

2 Peter 1: 3- 4: His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, that through these you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion, and become partakers of the divine nature.

Luke 9:28-31: Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his countenance was altered, and his raiment became dazzling white. And behold, two men talked with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was to accomplish atJerusalem.

Luke 16:19-31: "There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.  And at his gate lay a poor man named Laz'arus, full of sores,  who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.  The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried;  and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Laz'arus in his bosom.  And he called out, `Father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send Laz'arus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame.'  But Abraham said, `Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Laz'arus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.'  And he said, `Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house,  for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.'  But Abraham said, `They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.'  And he said, `No, father Abraham; but if some one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' He said to him, `If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if some one should rise from the dead.

(**NOTE- If a man in hell can communicate with the dead Abraham and ask him to intercede for his living brothers on earth, how much more can we the living communicate with Abraham and the entire Communion of Saints and ask them to intercede for us !)

Revelation 5:8: And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints;

Revelation 8:3: And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne;

Quote from St. Thomas More, before he was martyred by Henry VIII:    "You say you see no reason why we should pray to the Saints since God can hear us and help us just as well, and will do so gladly, as any Saint in Heaven. Well, then, what need, I ask, do you have to ask any physician to help your fever, or to ask and pay any surgeon to heal your sore leg? For God can both hear you and help you as well as the best of doctors. He loves you more than they do, and He can help you sooner. Besides-----His poultices are cheaper and He will give you more for your words alone than they will for your money! "

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Acts 15:11: But we believe that we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will."

Ephesians 2:5: even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

Ephesians 2:8: For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God –

1 Corinthians 13:13: So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

1 Peter 3:21: Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

John 6:53-58:  So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you;  he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.  For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.  He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.  As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me.  This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever."

Matthew 25:34-40: Then the King will say to those at his right hand, `Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;  for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,  I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'  Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink?  And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee?  And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?'  And the King will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.'

Matthew 4:2: And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry.

1 Corinthians 9:27:  but I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Tobit 8:1-9:  When they had finished eating, they escorted Tobias in to her.  As he went he remembered the words of Raphael, and he took the live ashes of incense and put the heart and liver of the fish upon them and made a smoke. And when the demon smelled the odor he fled to the remotest parts ofEgypt, and the angel bound him.  When the door was shut and the two were alone, Tobias got up from the bed and said, "Sister, get up, and let us pray that the Lord may have mercy upon us."  And Tobias began to pray, "Blessed art thou, O God of our fathers, and blessed be thy holy and glorious name for ever. Let the heavens and all thy creatures bless thee.  Thou madest Adam and gavest him Eve his wife as a helper and support. From them the race of mankind has sprung. Thou didst say, `It is not good that the man should be alone; let us make a helper for him like himself.'  And now, O Lord, I am not taking this sister of mine because of lust, but with sincerity. Grant that I may find mercy and may grow old together with her."  And she said with him, "Amen."  Then they both went to sleep for the night.

Hebrews 13:4: Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled; for God will judge the immoral and adulterous. 

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Psalm 51:1-9: Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy steadfast love;according to thy abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.   Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,  and cleanse me from my sin!  For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.   Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in thy sight, so that thou art justified in thy sentence and blameless in thy judgment.  Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,

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Isaiah 5:20: Woe to those who call evil good and good evil,  who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

Isaiah 45:19:I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, `Seek me in chaos.' I the LORD speak the truth, I declare what is right.

Proverbs 14:12: There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

Jeremiah 12:16-17: And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, `As the LORD lives,' even as they taught my people to swear by Ba'al, then they shall be built up in the midst of my people.  But if any nation will not listen, then I will utterly pluck it up and destroy it, says the LORD."

2 Maccabees 6:14-15: For in the case of the other nations the Lord waits patiently to punish them until they have reached the full measure of their sins; but he does not deal in this way with us,  in order that he may not take vengeance on us afterward when our sins have reached their height.

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Exodus 25: 16-20: And you shall put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you. Then you shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. And you shall make twocherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end; of one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. 

Numbers 21: 8-9: And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live." So Moses made a bronze serpent, and set it on a pole; and if a serpent bit any man, he would look at the bronze serpent and live. 

2 Chronicles 3:1-17: Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD inJerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to David his father, at the place that David had appointed, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. He began to build in the second month of the fourth year of his reign. These are Solomon's measurements for building the house of God: the length, in cubits of the old standard, was sixty cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits. The vestibule in front of the nave of the house was twenty cubits long, equal to the width of the house; and its height was a hundred and twenty cubits. He overlaid it on the inside with pure gold. The nave he lined with cypress, and covered it with fine gold, and made palms and chains on it. He adorned the house with settings of precious stones. The gold was gold of Parvaim. So he lined the house with gold -- its beams, its thresholds, its walls, and its doors; and he carved cherubim on the walls. And he made the most holy place; its length, corresponding to the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and its breadth was twenty cubits; he overlaid it with six hundred talents of fine gold. The weight of the nails was one shekel to fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold. In the most holy place he made two cherubim of wood and overlaid them with gold. The wings of the cherubim extended twenty cubits; thecherubim stood on their feet, facing the nave. And he made the veil of blue and purple and crimson fabrics and fine linen, and worked cherubim on it. In front of the house he made two pillars thirty-five cubits high, with a capital of five cubits on the top of each. He made chains like a necklace and put them on the tops of the pillars; and he made a hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains.  He set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the south, the other on the north; that on the south he called Jachin, and that on the north Boaz.

Matthew 4:5-7: Then the devil took him to the holy city, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple,  and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, `He will give his angels charge of you,' and `On their hands they will bear you up,  lest you strike your foot against a stone.'"  Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, `You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'" 

1 Corinthians 3:16-17: Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If any one destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and that temple you are. 

Acts 5:41: Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.

Acts 9:16: for I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name."

Romans 5:3-5: More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,  and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,  and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.

Romans 8:17-18: and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

1 Corinthians 12:26: If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

2 Corinthians 1:5-7: For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken; for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

Phillipians 1:29: For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,

Phillipians 3:8-11: Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith; that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Colossians 1:24: Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,

1 Thessalonians 2:14: For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus which are in Judea; for you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews,

2 Timothy 2:3: Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 4:5: As for you, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

Hebrews 2:10: For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering.

Hebrews 11:26: He considered abuse suffered for the Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he looked to the reward.

James 5:10,13 : As an example of suffering and patience, brethren, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.  Is any one among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise.

1 Peter 1:6-7:  In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials,  so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:20-21: For what credit is it, if when you do wrong and are beaten for it you take it patiently? But if when you do right and suffer for it you take it patiently, you have God's approval. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

1 Peter 4:1,13,15,16,19: Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same thought, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, But rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or a wrongdoer, or a mischief-maker; yet if one suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but under that name let him glorify God. Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will do right and entrust their souls to a faithful Creator.

1 Peter 5:9-10: Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you.

Revelation 2:10: Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

(**NOTE - Anybody that says that Jesus did all of the suffering for us, and that all we have to do is to profess our belief in him to be saved, without the necessity of uniting our suffering (for His Name) to His suffering, is not telling the biblical truth.  And if we aren't suffering for the name of Jesus, are we doing our job as Christians?).

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Bad Traditions (The traditions of the Pharisees and the Jewish culture)

Matthew 15:6: So, for the sake of your tradition, you have made void the word of God. 

Mark 7:4: and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they purify themselves; and there are many other traditions which they observe, the washing of cups and pots and vessels of bronze.)

Mark 7:6-9: And he said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, `This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.'  You leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men.   And he said to them, "You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God, in order to keep your tradition!

Colossians 2:8: See to it that no one makes a prey of you by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ. 

Good Traditions (The Traditions of Paul and the Catholic Church)

1 Corinthians 11:2: I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them to you.  

2 Thessalonians 2:15: So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter.

2 Thessalonians 3:6: Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is living in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. 

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Numbers 30:3-7: Or when a woman vows a vow to the LORD, and binds herself by a pledge, while within her father's house, in her youth, and her father hears of her vow and of her pledge by which she has bound herself, and says nothing to her; then all her vows shall stand, and every pledge by which she has bound herself shall stand. But if her father expresses disapproval to her on the day that he hears of it, no vow of hers, no pledge by which she has bound herself, shall stand; and the LORD will forgive her, because her father opposed her. And if she is married to a husband, while under her vows or any thoughtless utterance of her lips by which she has bound herself, and her husband hears of it, and says nothing to her on the day that he hears; then her vows shall stand, and her pledges by which she has bound herself shall stand.

(**NOTE - This explains Mary's reply to Gabriel in Luke 1:34, "How can this be, since I do not know man"?   We previously learned in Luke 1:27 that Mary was already betrothed to Joseph, so this  question of hers to Gabriel can only mean that this was to be a celibate marriage, because of her previous vow of virginity, like it says in the Book of Numbers.  Otherwise, why would she ask such a question, if she knew she was soon to be married to Joseph?).

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Revelation 17:1-18 : Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who is seated upon many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and with the wine of whose fornication the dwellers on earth have become drunk." And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and bedecked with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her fornication; and on her forehead was written a name of mystery: "Babylon the great, mother of harlots and of earth's abominations." And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her I marveled greatly. But the angel said to me, "Why marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is to ascend from the bottomless pit and go to perdition; and the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will marvel to behold the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he comes he must remain only a little while. As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to perdition. And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. These are of one mind and give over their power and authority to the beast;  they will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful." And he said to me, "The waters that you saw, where the harlot is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the harlot; they will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and giving over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. And the woman that you saw is the great city which has dominion over the kings of the earth."

Revelation 11:7-8: And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends from the bottomless pit will make war upon them and conquer them and kill them,  and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which is allegorically called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.

(**NOTE - The Whore of Babylon is a city, and is probably Jerusalem, because of all of the prophets of God that were martyred there, as well as the handing over of their own Messiah to the Romans to be crucified. The beast is the Roman Empire (Rome was built on 7 Hills.  The Vatican is on one hill, Vatican Hill, which is not one of the 7 hills Rome was originally built on), who teamed up with the harlot Jerusalem to crucify Jesus.  The beast then destroyed the harlot in 70 AD (Revelation 17:16), with the same generation of people present who heard Jesus prophecy that "Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away before all these things take place", Mark 13:30).  The number 666 is the numeric equivalent of "Caesar Nero", the emperor at the time John was writing Revelation (all of the Roman emperors claimed to be gods, and demanded to be worshiped as such).  The dragon of Revelation 12 is the devil, and The Woman of Revelation 12 is the Blessed Virgin Mary, who represents both ancient Israel as well as the Church of Jesus Christ. Click here to read about the historical account of the destruction of Jerusalem.

Isaiah 1:21: How the faithful city has become a harlot, she that was full of justice!  Righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers.

(**NOTE - Here we see way back in Isaiah 1 that Jerusalem was prophecied to be a harlot).

Hosea 4:15: Though you play the harlot, O Israel, let not Judah become guilty. Enter not into Gilgal, nor go up to Bethaven, and swear not, "As the LORD lives."

Jeremiah 13:27: I have seen your abominations, your adulteries and neighings, your lewd harlotries, on the hills in the field. Woe to you, O Jerusalem! How long will it be before you are made clean?" 

Ezekiel 16: 2:"Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations...

Ezekiel 16:15-35:  "But you trusted in your beauty, and played the harlotbecause of your renown, and lavished your harlotries on any passer-by.  You took some of your garments, and made for yourself gaily decked shrines, and on them played the harlot; the like has never been, nor ever shall be.  You also took your fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself images of men, and with them played the harlot;  and you took your embroidered garments to cover them, and set my oil and my incense before them.  Also my bread which I gave you -- I fed you with fine flour and oil and honey -- you set before them for a pleasing odor, says the Lord GOD.  And you took your sons and your daughters, whom you had borne to me, and these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your harlotries so small a matter  that you slaughtered my children and delivered them up as an offering by fire to them?  And in all your abominations and your harlotries you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, weltering in your blood. "And after all your wickedness (woe, woe to you! says the Lord GOD),  you built yourself a vaulted chamber, and made yourself a lofty place in every square;  at the head of every street you built your lofty place and prostituted your beauty, offering yourself to any passer-by, and multiplying your harlotry.  You also played the harlot with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, multiplying your harlotry, to provoke me to anger.  Behold, therefore, I stretched out my hand against you, and diminished your allotted portion, and delivered you to the greed of your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd behavior.  You played the harlot also with the Assyrians, because you were insatiable; yea, you played the harlot with them, and still you were not satisfied.  You multiplied your harlotry also with the trading land of Chalde'a; and even with this you were not satisfied. How lovesick is your heart, says the Lord GOD, seeing you did all these things, the deeds of a brazen harlot;  building your vaulted chamber at the head of every street, and making your lofty place in every square. Yet you were not like a harlot, because you scorned hire.  Adulterous wife, who receives strangers instead of her husband!  Men give gifts to all harlots; but you gave your gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from every side for your harlotries.  So you were different from other women in your harlotries: none solicited you to play the harlot; and you gave hire, while no hire was given to you; therefore you were different. "Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD.

Luke 13:34: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!

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Deuteronomy 18:10: There shall not be found among you any one who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, any one who practices divination, a soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer, 

Leviticus 19:26: "You shall not eat any flesh with the blood in it. You shall not practice augury or witchcraft.

2 Kings 17: And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings, and used divination and sorcery, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger. 

2 Chronicles 33:6: And he burned his sons as an offering in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and practiced soothsaying and augury and sorcery, and dealt with mediums and with wizards. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger.

Wisdom 12:4: thou didst hate for their detestable practices, their works ofsorcery and unholy rites,

Galatians 5: Now the works of the flesh are plain: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit,  envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 

Acts 16-18: As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by soothsaying. She followed Paul and us, crying, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation." And this she did for many days. But Paul was annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, "I charge you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And it came out that very hour.

Revelation 21:8: But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, as for murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their lot shall be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death."

Revelation 22:15: Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and idolaters, and every one who loves and practices falsehood.

(**NOTE - God loves you when you trust in Him totally, and He really hates it when you trust in the black art of witchcraft instead.  In Acts 16:18 above, we see that there is actually an evil spirit (satan) present in the slave girl, which is why she was able to prophecy.  In Revelation 21:8 above, St. John compares sorcerers to murderers, fornicators, idolaters, and liars, so be very careful in letting your kids believe that sorcery as seen on TV and in the movies today is all just good harmless fun.  Watching that evil stuff may be opening doors in your child's mind and soul that are very harmful.)

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