The first shall be last and the last first

Readings for Wed., 1/4/17, 2nd Church, Berkeley

SH Isa. 44:6

6 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.

SH Mark 6:30

30 And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.

SH Mark 9:33-40

33 And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? 34 But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. 35 And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. 36 And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, 37 Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me. 38 And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. 39 But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. 40 For he that is not against us is on our part.

SH Matt. 19:24 1st I say, 25, 26, 29, 30

24 …I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? 26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. 29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. 30 But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

SH Matt. 25:31-40

31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

SH Luke 11:24-26

24 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. 25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. 26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

SH Matt. 20:16

16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

Rev. 1:10, 11 (to :), 16 3rd
and, 17 2nd and, 18 (to 2nd ;)
I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great
voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the
last: … and his countenancewas as the sun shineth in
his strength… And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I
am the first and the last: … I am he that liveth,
and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen;

SH 334:24

The Revelator represents the
Son of man as saying (Revelation i. 17, 18): “I am the
first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead
[not understood]; and, behold, I am alive for evermore,
[Science has explained me].” This is a mystical state-
ment of the eternity of the Christ, and is also a reference
to the human sense of Jesus crucified.

SH 466:14

Truth is intelligent; error
is non-intelligent. Moreover, Truth is real, and error is
unreal. This last statement contains the point you will
most reluctantly admit, although first and last it is the
most important to understand.

SH 116:5-19

Science so reverses the evidence
before the corporeal human senses, as to make
this Scriptural testimony true in our hearts,
“The last shall be first, and the first last,” so that God
and His idea may be to us what divinity really is and
must of necessity be, – all-inclusive.
A correct view of Christian Science and of its adapta-
tion to healing includes vastly more than is at first seen.
Works on metaphysics leave the grand point
untouched. They never crown the power of
Mind as the Messiah, nor do they carry the day against
physical enemies, – even to the extinction of all belief in
matter, evil, disease, and death, – nor insist upon the fact
that God is all, therefore that matter is nothing beyond an
image in mortal mind.

SH 269:3, 13

From first to last the supposed coexistence of Mind
and matter and the mingling of good and evil have re-
sulted from the philosophy of the serpent. Jesus’ demon-
strations sift the chaff from the wheat, and unfold the
unity and the reality of good, the unreality, the nothing-
ness, of evil.
The categories of metaphysics rest
on one basis, the divine Mind. Metaphysics resolves
things into thoughts, and exchanges the objects of sense
for the ideas of Soul.

SH 166:28

The balance of power is conceded to be
with matter by most of the medical systems; but when
Mind at last asserts its mastery over sin, disease, and
death, then is man found to be harmonious and
immortal.

SH 62:27-1, 5-6, 9-11

The higher nature of man is not governed by the lower;
if it were, the order of wisdom would be reversed.
Our false views of life hide eternal harmony,
and produce the ills of which we complain.
Because mortals believe in material laws and reject the
Science of Mind, this does not make materiality first and
the superior law of Soul last.

SH 207:15
Body is not first and Soul last, nor is evil mightier than
good. The Science of being repudiates self-
evident impossibilities, such as the amalgama-
tion of Truth and error in cause or effect. Science sepa-
rates the tares and wheat in time of harvest.

SH 427:26-29

Called to the bed of death, what material remedy has
man when all such remedies have failed? Spirit is his
last resort, but it should have been his first
and only resort.

SH 565:13

The impersonation of the
spiritual idea had a brief history in the earthly life of our
Master; but “of his kingdom there shall be no end,”
for Christ, God’s idea, will eventually rule all nations
and peoples – imperatively, absolutely, finally – with di-
vine Science. This immaculate idea, represented first
by man and, according to the Revelator, last by woman,
will baptize with fire; and the fiery baptism will burn up
the chaff of error with the fervent heat of Truth and Love,
melting and purifying even the gold of human character.
After the stars sang together and all was primeval har-
mony, the material lie made war upon the spiritual idea;
but this only impelled the idea to rise to the zenith of
demonstration, destroying sin, sickness, and death, and
to be caught up unto God, – to be found in its divine
Principle.

SH 548:2

Christian
Science separates error from truth, and breathes
through the sacred pages the spiritual sense of
life, substance, and intelligence. In this Science, we dis-
cover man in the image and likeness of God. We see that
man has never lost his spiritual estate and his eternal
harmony.

Isa. 44:6
Mark 6:30
Mark 9:33-40
Matt. 19:24 I say, 25, 26, 29, 30
Matt. 25:31-40
Luke 11:24-26
Matt. 20:16
Rev. 1:10, 11 (to :), 16 3rd and, 17 2nd and, 18 (to 2nd ;)
SH 334:24
SH 466:14
SH 116:5-19
SH 269:3, 13
SH 166:28
SH 62:27-1, 5-6, 9-11
SH 207:15
SH 427:26-29
SH 565:13
SH 548:2186 Mighty God, the first, the last
455 Seek ye first the kingdom of God
213 O God, our help in ages past

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