Study Desk

He also taught them, "Keep a sharp lookout for those who teach religious rules! They like to ride around with their fancy tack and hand tooled saddles.

"When you see these things start to happen, be careful, but be ready also. You will be arrested in the towns and beaten right inside the churches. You will stand trial because you ride for me. This may sound bad, but it is a great opportunity for you to tell others about the free gift I give everyone who rides for me.

Jesus continued, "It's going to get so bad in the end that people will turn against the ones they love the most. They'll turn in their brothers, their kids, their parents, and anyone else for a little reward and these people will be killed because they ride for me.

If you ride for me, people are going to hate you and want you dead. But the cowboy who rides all the way to the end for me will be saved.

"Be ready to hightail it for the hills when you see the Antichrist at the altar of the church.

If you are gathering cattle and see it, don't go back for a change of clothes, just whip and spur out of there!

It'll be a real bad time for those who are nursing children.

In fact, the times will be so hard that unless God intervenes, and he will, not a single follower of mine would survive. But for the sake of those who ride for me, God will step in and help.

There will be many counterfeits who will come and do things that will amaze people. Some who ride for me will be deceived, too.

God's Chosen One, his Son, the Top Hand, will send his angels out to gather all his cowboys and cowgirls who ride for his brand and gather them together from the furthest parts of the earth all the way to heaven. Not one will be left behind."

In the same way, when you see all these things happening, you know that the Top Hand is riding out of the gate and coming for you.

I'm telling you the truth when I say that those who ride for me during that time, not all of them will die before all of this I've told you about happens.

It's kind of like the wagon boss leaving the ranch and telling each of the cowboys what jobs they are supposed to do while he is gone. He even puts one cowboy at the gate to watch for his return.

That could have been sold for three hundred silver pieces and the money could have taken care of many poor people!" Then they all started giving the woman a hard time and scolding her.

But Jesus shut them up right quick. "Y'all leave her alone. She hasn't done anything to you, but she has done something extremely nice for me.

You will always have the poor to help, but you will not always have me around. She tried to do something special for me and I appreciate it.

She has prepared my body for burial before I'm even dead.

While this was going on, Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus's cowboys, rode off to meet with the bigwig preachers and religious lawmakers for the sole purpose of double-crossing his boss.

He will betray me because God said it would happen, but it would be better for the double-crossing cur dog if he'd never been born."

While they were eating, he took some bread, gave thanks to God for it, and shared pieces of it with all his cowboys. After handing some to everyone, he said, "This bread is for y'all and it represents my body that I also give for y'all."