His Kingdom Come

Matthew 24:1–14

Allegedly the Mayan calendar ends on December 21, 2012 and thus the world must end on that date as well.  Jesus tells us no one knows the day or time of His return.  If the Mayan calendar turns out to be right it will be an accident.  While Jesus doesn’t give us a date He does give us some of the signs of the coming end.  He said we would hear of wars and rumors of wars and that we’d see famines and earthquakes; these all were simply the beginning of the birth pains.  Friends, there have been all of these in abundance since Jesus ascended into Heaven.  He wasn’t saying these are signs but only the symptoms of the coming end.

In His description in today’s reading Jesus goes on to say that the disciples would be delivered up to tribulation and put to death. This did come to pass as all but one of the Apostles died violently for their faith and many followers (disciples) of Christ have been murdered since.  By the way, notice He says Christians will be delivered up to tribulation.  This may put a bit of a crimp in the argument of the pre-trib rapture folks.  Those that subscribe to that point of view believe that all Christians will be taken up in the rapture before the tribulation mentioned in Revelation takes place.  This statement by Jesus doesn’t necessarily mean that we won’t be taken up, but I don’t see conclusive proof that we will be either.  Regardless Jesus consistently warns people that following Him will come with hardship so pre-trib or not don’t expect an easy ride.  (By the way, I don’t take a position on pre, mid, and post trib rapture.  I don’t feel there is enough information to say with certainty in any case.)

Well, I have digressed.  The persecution of the saints is also something that is to be expected on the way to the end.  In fact, the trouble that Christians will face as we proceed to the end of days will be so severe that many will fall away.  The last few verses of today’s reading give us cause for concern and state specifically when the end will come.

Matthew 24:9-14 ESV

“… and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

So, we will have a hard time as the days come to an end.  We will be hated by all nations!  The end, however, will come when the Gospel has been proclaimed throughout the whole world – that’s probably why they all will hate us.  When the end comes brother everyone will have heard the truth.  The Gospel, since the time of Jesus has headed west from Jerusalem.  Today it continues west from China where thousands are accepting Christ daily.  Soon the Gospel will come full circle coming back to Jerusalem from the east.  Then my brothers Christ will return and His will be done.  His kingdom will come.  Don’t fall away brothers.  Persevere until the end.  Your reward comes at a price but it is well worth the struggle.

Have a blessed day!

Your brother and servant in Christ,

Bill

Dying to self, living to serve!

Heart Felt Faith

Matthew 23

Jesus has been telling the Jews that the promise of God to Abraham and his descendants will now be offered to the Gentiles because their faith has been external rather than internal.  In other words their faith was all about appearances and did not penetrate down to their heart.  This was a problem then for the Jews as it is for Christians today.  There are those who go to church regularly, donate funds to the church, and even accept a place of honor in the church as deacons or elders but they are Christians only outwardly; inside they are still lost and separated from God.

In today’s reading Jesus really lets the scribes and Pharisees have it with both barrels.  We have been hearing parables about them and their empty faith but now Jesus just states it all blatantly to their faces.

Matthew 23:25-28 ESV

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

Fellas, where is your heart?  Is your heart truly dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ?  Does your heart belong to Him?  Is the focus of your life His will or yours?  I hope you will pray for me as I pray for you that your heart will continually be cleansed by the shed blood of Jesus Christ and that your faith will be honest, true, and heart deep.

Have a blessed day!

Your brother and servant in Christ,

Bill

Dying to self, living to serve!

Loving God And Others

Matthew 22:23–46

I love the answer Jesus gives to the Sadducees when they try to test Him in today’s reading.  They didn’t believe in the resurrection of the dead.  They believed that once a person was dead that was the end of it.  The Pharisees, on the other hand, did believe in the resurrection of the dead and so they were in regular conflict with the Sadducees on this and other issues.  A side note here, I was reading a James Michener book called The Source, a fictional work to be sure, but he had a character assert that the concept of the resurrection of the dead did not appear until the advent of Christianity.  Today’s passage shows that this assertion is absolutely false.

The entire Bible actually points to a resurrection of the dead and clearly the concept was familiar to Jews prior to Jesus’ death since they here ask Him about this very thing.  Jesus actually shows us that the Old Testament does affirm resurrection of the dead.

Matthew 22:31-32 ESV

“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.”

So, that is very exciting.  We have definite confirmation in the Old Testament and the New that there is a life after physical death.  There is a resurrection of the dead.

Now, I have often said that if I had to boil the Bible down to one word, as if I would actually do such a foolish thing, that word would be love.  In today’s reading both the liberal and conservative wings of Judaism attempted to trip Jesus up.  You see Jesus wasn’t fitting neatly into either camp.  Having just demolished a cherished belief of the left He will deal with the Pharisees.  A Pharisee lawyer (that’s redundant) asked Jesus to name the greatest commandment.  He was trying to test Jesus, that is to say trap Him on one side or the other of the political divide.  Jesus answered:

Matthew 22:37-40 ESV

“…You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Love the Lord your God and love others as yourself.  Jesus told us that the entirety of the Bible rests upon these twin pillars of love.  It is clearly assumed that we love ourselves but we are being asked to push past that and love God more and others at least as much as ourselves.  The closer you get to that ideal the closer you get to being the man God created you to be.  So get going guys.  Forget about yourself and start loving God with all your being and others as much as yourself.  You will notice an incredible change in your life as you do.

Have a blessed day!

Your brother and servant in Christ,

Bill

Dying to self, living to serve!