Coming on the clouds of heaven

Coming on the clouds of heaven

Scripture:-

²⁶ “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. ²⁷ For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ²⁸ Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. ²⁹ “Immediately after the distress of those days “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky,  and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’³⁰ “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. ³¹ And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

³² “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. ³³ Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it^[e] is near, right at the door. ³⁴ Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. ³⁵ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. Matthew 24:26-35

Observation:

The Lord had prophesied of the initial signs of the false Christs, the earthquakes, the plagues, the wars and rumors of wars. Next would come the worldwide persecution of Christians and the resulting falling away of most from the faith because of it. Now comes the seventh seal spoken of in the book of Revelation, the Lord’s Second coming itself. And these are the signs accompanying His coming. Firstly, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. This seems to indicate an unprecedented eclipse of the sun that will cause a heavenly blackout. Secondly, the stars will fall from the sky. We are familiar with shooting stars, asteroids that come from space and fall onto the earth. Here we will probably be seeing meteors and asteroids falling upon the earth on an unprecedented scale. Thirdly, the heavenly bodies will be shaken. Study of Astronomy shows that the interaction of gravity between the sun and the earth and the other planets are beautifully aligned to hold all the heavenly bodies in their current places. The emergence of a new black hole or a large scale asteroid shower could easily upset completely the delicate order of the planets and stars as they are. Only a slight deviation in the rotation of the earth could cause life itself to become extinct on our planet.

On the earth itself, there will be a great earthquake as mentioned many times in other Scriptures. Against this backdrop, we will see the sign of Jesus Christ in Heaven, for He will come on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. Against the darkest night, His glory will certainly shine most glorious, and everyone will know that He is truly the Son of God.

                                                                               

Strong and glorious in the air, the Lord will then call His angels to gather His elect from the 4 winds. Who is the elect? Throughout the New Testament, the term for elect refers to true Christian believers, Jew or Gentile. The elect gathered here consist of true Christians still living at that time and also the dead Christians who would come back to life in the first resurrection.

This gathering into the air is thus, the precise point when the “Rapture” will happen. Note that this happens “after the distress of those days”. Therefore, it is after the Great Tribulation, not before as often inferred to by pre-tribulationists. 

The Lord then closes off this prophecy by declaring how this generation of mankind will certainly not pass away before these things have happened, and how although heaven and earth will pass away, His words will never pass away.

Application:-

Remember clearly and absolutely that we are not to believe anyone who tells us that Christ is here or there. When Christ comes, it will be in power and glory in the skies, and everyone will know for themselves for sure.

All the peoples of the earth will mourn at the Lord’s coming because they were not prepared, and they had made the wrong choice, putting their allegiance with the Beast and thus would share in its accursed faith. We have been warned beforehand through this prophecy so that we have no excuse. We must wait for the Lord to come, no matter what trouble or hardship we must face before that. Here’s where faith comes in, for we can only believe that this will happen although it has yet to do so. We really need to pray to God to increase our faith and maintain our faithfulness to Him.

Many are called, but few are chosen (elected). How do we know we are part of the elect? If we have Christ in us, we certainly are. Do we have a close relationship with the Lord? Do we love Him? Do we know that we are dearly loved? The Lord knows His own. If we know we belong to Him, we can be assured that we are part of the Elect.

Praise the Lord that His Words are forever and they will never pass away. Let us endeavor to read and know His Word and let it assimilate within us, that it may change us, strengthen us and motivate us.

Prayer

We thank You, Lord, for Your great prophecy and for giving us great hope. We thank You, Lord, that we can view all things in perspective to the greatness and certainty of Your second coming. As prophecy is fulfilled before our eyes, we become more and more assured that Your Word will come true in every manner and form. Even in the midst of tribulation, give us Your strength and perseverance that we may overcome. How we need You, Lord. We thank You for Your promise that You would be with us always, to the very end of the age.

We thank You, Lord, for calling us, for choosing us, for drawing us to You. Let us always remain in Your presence O Lord, always faithful to Your name. We thank You, Lord, that Your Words are forever, unfailing and true. Strengthen us and help us Lord we pray, even as we approach the end time events to come. In Jesus name, Amen.

The abomination that causes desolation

The abomination that causes desolation

Scripture:

“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— ¹⁶ then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁷ Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. ¹⁸ Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. ¹⁹ How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! ²⁰ Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. ²¹ For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.

²² “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened Matthew 24:15-22

Observation:

First were the false Christs, the wars and rumors of wars, the earthquakes, famines and plagues, all coming in greater and greater frequency. Then the Lord prophesied of the worldwide persecution of all His disciples. And the Lord now gives us an even closer look of this time by referring to the prophecy of the Old Testament prophet Daniel.

Specifically the prophet Daniel prophesied that the abomination of desolation would be set up in God’s holy temple, and that the daily sacrifice to God would be taken away. In Biblical language, idols are typically called “abominations”, and in all likelihood, an idol will be set up there to be worshipped instead of the true God. During the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, who was a type of Anti-Christ, he set up the statue of Jupiter in God’s temple, and took away the daily sacrifice. Apparently, archaeological studies indicate that the statue of Jupiter or Zeus has been relocated in Italy, recast as the prominent statue of St.Peter in  Rome today, with its feet kissed by devotees until its toes are nearly worn away. Some theologians even surmise that this very same idol will be transported back to Jerusalem to be this abomination that causes desolation.

An interesting point to note about this prophecy is that for this to happen, there must be a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem and that the daily sacrifice to God must be resumed. Since the temple was destroyed almost 2,000 years ago, and Israel ceased to exist as a nation, all this totally could not be envisaged. However, Israel has against all odds, reappeared again suddenly in 1948 as a country, and has become very powerful in a short time. A famous mosque now stands where the temple used to be situated, but there is a growing movement within Israel lobbying for the temple to be rebuilt. In fact, the temple utensils and sacred items, the priest robes and training of the Levites has already begun! End time prophecy is coming true right in our lifetime! Some experts have estimated that it will only take less than 1 year to rebuilt the temple, which some also infer may be built next to the famous Mosque in a compromise probably brokered by the great peacemaker between the Jews and the Muslim nations who will be the AntiChrist himself.

When this happens, the Lord warns specifically those living in Judea in advance, to flee to the mountains, not taking anything from their house or even getting a cloak. How dreadful it would be especially for the nursing mothers or those pregnant, for they would not be able to flee quickly.

Now this prophecy will come true and nothing can change that, but the Lord indicates that prayer can shift the timing when this prophecy occurs. Specifically, we are asked to pray that it will not happen in winter or on a Sabbath, which will make the flight even harder than it already is. The Lord speaks of distress unequaled from the beginning of the world until now and never again. This distress is spoken off as the Great Tribulation in the Book of Revelation. If those days were not cut short, no one would survive, but interestingly, for the sake of the elect, they are shortened. Who are the elect? Those who belong to Jesus - us who are chosen.

Application:

Watch carefully the proceedings that are happening in Israel today, for they hold the key to tell us our proximity to the coming of the abomination of desolation and the Great Tribulation. Specifically watch for the rebuilding of the third temple that is already being strongly advocated. In the mean time, it is also a call for us to be vigilant and aware of the events to come, keeping ourselves strong in the Lord.

In accordance with the Lord’s word, also pray that this day will not happen in winter or on a Sabbath. Even now, just as those in Judea will be forced to take flight, the Lord’s disciples everywhere may also well be prepared to take flight, to the mountains or the wilderness, to escape the coming persecution. In light of this, we must be prepared not to be too attached to our property and belongings and comfort in life, which can all change in an instant. We all need to pray more and ask the Lord for wisdom.

Thank God that He chose us, calling us from the beginning, knowing us by name. Seek and pray that we will always remain in the Lord, who is the vine, and we are the branches. In Him, we are secure, even if death comes upon us.

Prayer:

We thank You, Father, for the many warnings in prophecy that You have given us, that we may be prepared and not caught unawares when these things happen. We fear for the future O Lord, for the great suffering and distress that awaits us, but we trust in You, O Lord, that these things must happen, even as You prepare a new home, a new world for us.

Keep us safe in Your arms O Lord. Prepare us, and sustain us, for all that we are destined to face. In accordance to Your Word, O Lord, we pray that this event will not take place on a Sabbath or during winter.

Most will turn away from their faith

Most will turn away from their faith

Scripture:-

“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. ¹⁰ At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, ¹¹ and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. ¹² Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, ¹³ but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:9-14

Observation:

The signs of the earthquakes, the wars, the false Christs and the plagues have already come and everyone can see they are becoming more frequent and more serious. However, the sign the Lord speaks of in this portion of Scripture has certainly not happened yet. It is referring specifically to a worldwide scale attack on all Christians by each and every nation, where we who follow Christ will be persecuted and put to death because of our faith.

Many Christians put their faith in the so-called “Rapture” theory where they think they will be scooped up to Heaven and avoid the terrible persecution and death spoken of here. However, when Jesus says “you” in this passage, He is referring to His disciples, and we who are His disciples must be included here.

What is the consequence of this persecution? Most (the majority, nearly all) will turn away from their faith. Some preach “once saved always saved” but how can one turn away unless he has already turned to the faith in the first place?  How can the love of most grow cold unless it was at one time hot? By saying only those who stand firm to the end will be saved automatically infers that those who do not stand firm to the end will not be saved. The church today has allowed an easy-going and bless-me gospel to infiltrate the church whereby Christians expect only blessing and prosperity from God in a time when the exact opposite seems to be brewing just round the corner.

False prophets will come and have already come to prepare the sheep for the slaughter. Those whose faith only expects blessing without understanding that there is also persecution will quickly fall away. False prophets with sweet words will easily cajole the masses to follow the Anti-Christ and his one-world religion. Will we be among those who give in to avoid persecution and immediate death?

One natural result from the persecution is that it will cause the Christians to scatter just like in the book of Acts, and as persecution drives us deeper into the rural areas and outskirts, we will bring the gospel as we go, and in so doing bring the gospel to the whole world. This then will precipitate the end which comes with the second coming of Jesus Christ.  

Application:

How strong is our faith, really? Would we really die for our faith? Would we allow our beloved family members to die or suffer or be separated from us? How deep and genuine is our love for Christ? False or shallow love will quickly be exposed. Only a deep love for Christ that surpasses our love for ourselves, even for our family members, can survive the coming persecution which is called the Great Tribulation. Every prophecy in the Bible has come true, and based on the timeline, this next prophecy looks to be just round the corner.

Let us soberly pray to God for mercy that we may be prepared should this persecution come upon us. Pray for our family members, our church brothers and sisters to be strong. Ask God for a deeper revelation concerning the aspect of persecution in the Christian walk. Educate our loved ones of this prophecy and encourage one another to be prepared and walk closely with the Lord. Start committing portions of Scripture to memory even now, when there is still easy access to it. A situation like in North Korea may well occur worldwide in a short time, and there will be a famine of the true Word of God.

Prayer:

Father in Heaven, have mercy on us we pray for we are so unprepared for the challenges that are to come. We bring our beloved family members before You and pray that You have mercy and grace upon them. Where possible, Lord, spare us we pray from the suffering and death that is prophesied for all Christians during the time of tribulation. Give us Your wisdom and knowledge we pray, that we may know where to go and what to do when such times come upon us. Give us the discipline to read and know Your Word even when we have the time now. Forgive our carelessness and wanton waste of our time. Draw us close O Lord to You. Let our love be strong and deep so that it will not grow cold and so that we will not turn away from our faith, even in the face of intense persecution. Help us, Lord we pray. Teach us to live by Your Spirit. In Jesus name, Amen

False Christs and wars, earthquakes and plagues

False Christs and wars, earthquakes and plagues

Scriptures:-

Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. Matthew 24:1-7

Observation:-

“How great this temple is”, thought the disciples as they marveled at the beauty of the temple. They even beckoned at their Master to look, but to their shock, He instead prophesies how the temple will be completely destroyed with not one stone left on another. This came true in 70 A.D. when the future emperor Titus overthrew the Jewish rebellion in Jerusalem and destroyed this Second Temple and also much of Jerusalem, confirming the fulfillment of the Lord’s prophecy.

Intrigued, the disciples later ask Jesus when the temple will be destroyed, and what will be the sign of the Lord’s coming and the end of the age. The Lord begins with a warning for all His disciples not to be deceived. He foretells that many will come in His name and claim to be the Messiah, deceiving many.

Before 1900, the number of men (and sometimes women) claiming to be Jesus Christ were few and far between. However, since 1900, the number of false Christs have risen, and some are even influencing thousands or even millions around the world today. These include the Australian Alan John Miller who has set the Twitterverse ablaze by his claims of having been Jesus Christ, Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda who refers to himself as Jesus Christ made man and has thousands of followers in Puerto Rico and Apollo Quiboloy, leaderof the Kingdom of Jesus Christ church who has misled thousands in the Philippines, claiming he is the appointed son of God. We are told to watch out for these deceivers. Corresponding to the book of Revelation, this sign is the first of the seven seals, depicted by the rider on the white horse, who comes with a bow but no arrow, representing deceivers set out to conquer.

The second sign Jesus speaks of is the increase in wars and rumors of wars. Only since the 1900s, we have seen two World Wars which has inflicted widespread death and suffering.

Research by Professor Mark Harrison as reported in historytoday.com showed that “Between 1870 and 1913, the frequency of ‘pairwise’ conflicts (the numbers of pairs of countries involved in conflicts) increased on average by 6% per year. The frequency of wars increased by 17% per year in the period of the First and Second World Wars, and by 31% per year during the Cold War. In the 1990s, the frequency of wars between states rose by 36% per year. “ And this research did not include civil wars, which has also been increasingly frequent. Today, rumors of wars continue to abound with North Korea and Iran continuing to look threatening. This corresponds to the second seal, the coming of the rider on the red horse in Revelation 6, who takes away peace from the earth and cause people to kill each other.

The third sign Jesus spoke off was famines and earthquakes in various places. In the 20^th century, there was little talk of famine, but in the 21^st century, famine is a serious problem, with the world approaching 10 billion people with no increase in food supply. 925 million people worldwide go hungry every day and 5 million children die of starvation every year according to the World Food Program. Earthquakes have also been on the rise in terms of frequency and severity. As reported in endtimesonline.net:-

While earthquakes have been a part of our human history since the dawn of time, large earthquakes have been increasing in frequency and ferocity in recent decades.  The US Geological service and other scientific earthquake authorities have shown that the number of earthquakes above 6.0 on the richter scale have grown exponentially over the last 10 years.  The overall frequency of annual earthquakes has grown by five times since 1970.   There have been more earthquakes above 6.5 on the richter scale in the last 10 years, than the previous 80 years put together.

This sign corresponds to the fourth seal, which talks about the rider on the pale horse, named Death with Hades following closely behind him. He was given the power to kill by sword, famine and plague.

Interestingly, these signs were likened by the Lord to birth pains of the end times. That means, as the end draws closer and closer, all of these will happen with increasingly alarming frequency and severity. In the last 100 years or so, we have indeed seen this happening – false Christs, wars, earthquakes and famine becoming increasingly frequent and serious.

Application:

Jesus told his disciples these signs so that they would be prepared. No one knows the day or hour that Jesus will return, but we will certainly know when the time is drawing closer by observing the signs around us with reference to prophecy in the Bible.

A common human reaction, even among Christians is to avoid end times discussions or information. We would rather think about more pleasant things. However, the signs are there, and we must be wise to heed the warnings and be prepared.

For one, we must be on the watch out not to be deceived by false Messiahs who claim to be Jesus Christ or the Son of God. He will not come as a human being again in the way He came 2000 years ago. Anyone who says He is here or there does not speak the truth, for when Jesus comes, everyone will certainly know as He appears in the skies.

We should also not be surprised of the events around us – war and terrorism, disease and famine and earthquakes. These things must happen, and we need not fear them but trust in the Lord. If we are caught in one of these events, do not worry, but continue to hope in the Lord. With Christ, we can face all things. Life on earth is only temporary, and even if we lose our life on earth, we are safe and secure in Jesus in Heaven. Where possible, we should also do our part to help those afflicted by these occurrences.

Prayer:-

We thank You and praise You, Lord, that You foretold these things way before hand that we may be prepared and not be surprised. Help us heed Your warnings, Lord, and stay close to You, in these end time. Where possible, Lord, enable us to be a blessing, and open doors how we may help with those afflicted by these end time troubles. Give us Your wisdom and purpose in all things. Let us stand secure to the end. In Jesus name, Amen. 

Justice, mercy, faithfulness

Justice, mercy, faithfulness

Scripture:

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!

“You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Matthew 23:23-39

Observation:

Woe! Woe! Woe! Woe! Four more times the Lord lambasts the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law, bringing their complete woes to the number of perfection, seven.

In the fourth woe, the Pharisees are condemned for neglecting the more important parts of the law – justice, mercy and faithfulness. Although they gave their tithes faithfully, they did not practice the more important things God requires. Justice speaks of fairness, but the Pharisees were showing favoritism to the rich and disdaining the poor. Mercy speaks of compassion for those in need, but the Pharisees even mercilessly exploited the weak. Faithfulness speaks about doing what is right consistently, always seeking to do the right thing from God’s point of view. The Pharisees had their eyes clouded by materiality and pride so that they acted out of self-interest rather than a sense of always trying to do the right thing.

In the fifth woe, the Pharisees were likened to having a cup or dish very well cleaned on the outside but having all sort of filth within, a very vivid picture of what it means to be a hypocrite. Greed and self-indulgence were explicitly named here, typical characteristics most of us would easily be guilty of.

In the sixth woe, the Pharisees were compared to whitewashed tombs, looking beautiful on the outside but dead on the inside. Hypocrisy and wickedness were specially named here, and the way the Pharisees plotted to kill Jesus showed how evil their hearts were indeed.

Finally, in the last woe, the Pharisees are chided for pretending to be righteous themselves by decorating the graves of the righteous and boasting how they would not have participated in shedding the blood of the prophets if they had been alive then, The Lord exposes them by declaring how their very statement proves that they are indeed the ancestors of the murderers of old.

In a closing statement, the Lord then prophesies how God longed to gather the children of Israel together like a hen gathering her but chicks. Jerusalem herself was destined to be left desolate.

Application:

From the woes to the Pharisees, we can learn several important points regarding what God values and what He detests.

Again, the key point here is how we must beware of hypocrisy in our lives, when what we do does not correspond to what we tell or show others. Also, do we value and practice justice, mercy and faithfulness in our lives? Or are we self-indulgent and greedy for our own pleasures and desires.

Remember the imagery of the hen and her chicks. Our God loves us like a mother loves her children. Though we are wayward and stray away from the right path, our God is ever ready to take us back and restore us when we turn back to Him. It is His nature to forgive, to love, to welcome back and restore. Still, he will not force us to do what we do not want and as such, we must be careful to keep our hearts and ears soft to His Word and guidance lest we fall to a point that we can no longer find a way of return.

Prayer:

We praise You and worship You O Lord, for Your great and precious love to us. Help us O Lord and sustain us that we might be saved. Forgive our hypocrisy, for we are all hypocrites in one way or another. There is always selfishness and self-indulgence in our hearts. Forgive our sins O Lord, but change us by Your Spirit.

Strengthen Your qualities O Lord deep in our hearts, of justice and mercy and faithfulness. Let us be compassionate as You are compassionate, just as You are just. Let us seek and desire to be faithful just as You, Lord are faithful! Help us walk in Your ways. May Your name be praised forever O Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

                         

The first 3 woes

The first 3 woes

Scripture:

 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.  “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.

“Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.

Matthew 23:13-22

Observation:

Woe after woe fires away at the Pharisees and teachers of the law! They are charged first and foremost as being hypocrites, people who do not practice what they preach, who say one thing and then do the exact opposite. Every Christian had best beware of the charge of hypocrisy, a common accusation leveled against us by unbelievers. The first woe depicts the Pharisees refusing to enter the door to the kingdom of heaven, but instead shutting the door in people’s faces, preventing those who are trying to go in from doing so. It is bad enough not being able to enter Heaven. How much worse for those who prevent others from going in….

The second woe speaks of the futile efforts of the Pharisees, who travel over land and sea to win a single convert, yet only end up in making another Pharisee even worse than themselves. The Lord calls them “sons of hell?, strong words indeed for the Pharisees and Teachers but it is to hell that they are headed and they did not even know it.  Do we influence others for better or worse?

The third woe condemns the Pharisees for making gold more important than the temple. They created the ridiculous law that if anyone swears by the temple, it amounts to nothing while if a person swears by the gold of the temple, they are bound. As the Lord pointed out, it is the temple that makes the gold sacred. Likewise, they made swearing by the gift of the altar binding while swearing by the altar not binding. Again, it is so clear that it is the altar that makes the gift sacred. Man-made laws such as these only served to expose the heart of the lawmakers who valued money and gifts more than God’s temple or God Himself. Where are our priorities? Is money or possessions more important to us than God?

Application:

Beware of hypocrisy. In humility, ask God to show us where we may have acted in a hypocritical manner, and ask Him to help change us. Praise God that in Jesus, we have found the way to the kingdom of Heaven. Yet, we need to also be careful that we are not by our behavior preventing others from entering the kingdom.

Would others consider us “sons of hell” or “sons of god”? We need to be careful to control our anger, to let our light shine before men that they may praise our Father in Heaven.

The Pharisees allowed greed and materiality to cloud their minds so that they thought the gold was more important than the temple and that the gift was more important than the altar. God is always first. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. All the gold and all the wealth in the world belongs to Him. Ultimately, it is God that matters most and we need to remember that.

Prayer:

We praise You and thank You, Lord, for Your great love and mercy. Forgive us we pray O Lord, for the times when we have been hypocritical and careless in our conduct or quick to lose our temper. Help us O Lord, live in a way worthy of You. Help us to learn to let our light shine before men that we may glorify You. Lead us away from temptation we pray, from the greed and materiality that drives the world. Help us remember that You O Lord provide all our needs and we need only look to You. We praise You and love You, Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

The Pharisees exposed

The Pharisees exposed

Scripture:

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

“Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.

“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Matthew 23:1-12

Observation:

Pompous and arrogant, the Pharisees and teachers of the law loved to sit at the places of honor at banquets. They delighted in being given the most important seats in the synagogue. They loved it when others called them Rabbi or “Teacher”, when people greeted them with respect in the marketplaces. They had the appearance of being important, of being somebody of note, and they secretly hoarded jealousy of their contemporaries who were famous than they.

Then came along Jesus, who exposed the dark secrets of their heart, who paid no respect to them but spoke out against them without fear or favor. Here was a man who would mix with tax collectors and sinners, yet heal the sick and raise the dead. The Lord was an enigma to them, and they knew not how to handle him.

“You preach and teach, but do not practice what you say. You build up heavy, cumbersome rules to impose on the people but don’t even lift a finger to help them. Everything you do is done for people to see. You love the praises of men, but do not have the true priorities of God in your heart.” Jesus would often rebuke them plainly to their horror and indignation.

Instead, the Lord preached a radically different message from the way of the world. “The greatest among you will be your servant. Those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Application:

The flaws of the Pharisees are atypical of our own human nature. It is easy to condemn them, yet we would do better to search ourselves to see how we may have become like them.

Do we like them chase after position and fame in life at all cost? Are we proud and arrogant and think of ourselves more than we ought? Do we like the Pharisees do all that we do for the benefit of others to see?   

Here again, we are reminded of having the humility of a little child. Instead of thinking we know so much, and presume to be so much better than others, we need to be humble like little children, trusting God to help us and teach us.

We need to heed the words of Jesus, to humble ourselves and be exalted in His time rather than exalting ourselves and being humbled and brought to shame after our time of glory has passed. The general principle here is that all who follow Christ should keep a low profile, and not chase after fame and glory, but be soberly humble, aware that all that we have, including our position in life is given by God, and we need to be accountable to Him at the end of the day!

Prayer:

Turn us O Lord, we pray, from the ways and attractions of the world. The multitudes seek after fame and glory and popularity, but let our hearts instead pursue You instead O Lord. Let us not be like those who do not practice what they preach, but instead be committed to follow You, and share with others confidently based on what we do. Teach us Lord to always be humble, even as Your Spirit teaches us. Let us not exalt ourselves, but humble ourselves and receive Your commendation in due time. Praise You, Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

When God entered time

When God entered time

Scripture:

While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” “The son of David,” they replied. He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says, “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies under your feet.”’ If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions. Matthew 22:41-46

Observation:

The crowd went still. Not a Pharisee said a word. They were thoroughly stunned and at a loss how to answer Jesus’ question. They were old men, teachers of the law who had studied the Scriptures for years and years. Yet, they were completely perplexed at the Lord’s question.

The Scripture had been clear, and every Jew knew this. The Messiah would be the Son of David. The Messiah was to come from King David’s lineage as the Lord had promised His beloved servant, the man who was after God’s own heart. Consider the Psalm where David, by the Spirit, calls the Messiah “Lord”?  How can he call the Messiah Lord, when the Messiah is not even conceived yet, being prophesied to only come as one of David’s descendants many years after.

With the bird’s eye view we now have of the completed Scripture, we can easily explain now how this comes about because the Lord who is the Messiah has always been, even before the creation of the world. David, in his time on earth, already knew the Lord personally, and rightly called Him, Lord, while also knowing that one day in the future, He would appear on the earth as David’s own descendant.

The error of the Pharisees was that they did not understand time as God understands it. God Himself is timeless. He always is, yesterday, today, tomorrow. He is unchanging. Time itself is created by God for the earth, but God Himself is above time. He could have come down to earth as a man, at any point of history at all that He so chose. In the future, when this heaven and earth ends, we who belong to Jesus will also enter into this timelessness. We are used to the concept forever as time that goes on and on. Rather, the correct concept is that time ceases for us and we enter the eternity of God that is always present, always is.

Application:

Praise our Father in Heaven for His timelessness, His eternity. Praise God that He is above time, and He holds all of history in His hands. Thank Him that He has come to us specifically in our time to meet us, to save us, to call us unto Him. Thank Him that He is real in our lives and provides us with all we need. We may feel we have lost time. We may have many regrets. Stop now, but focus on the Lord who holds all time in His hands! He is able to quickly restore the years that the locust has stolen. He was able to so quickly restore Job and with so much more! Submit our time to Him!

Meditate on how the Lord blessed King David by choosing to use his lineage to bring forth the Messiah. Pray to the Lord to use our lineage to for His purposes, to bring forth strong men and women of faith who will be mightily used by Him for His purposes! Just as He shaped the lineage of David, so too He can shaped ours!

Prayer:

We praise You and thank You, Lord, that You created time. You hold all history in Your hands. You chose to enter our time, our history, at just the right moment to bring salvation to us. You allow all things to happen according to Your perfect timing and purpose. We submit our time to You, O Lord. Teach us to live in our time not according to our perspective but Yours.

Our lives on earth are but for a few years. Teach us to live fruitfully that we may bless others. Strengthen and heal us we pray O Lord. Restore us O Lord the years that the locust has eaten. Restore us O Lord, like Job, in the second season.  

We commit our children, our lineage to You as well O Lord. Though the years left for this earth be few, we pray Lord for Your grace to raise up powerful men and women who will serve You. In Jesus name, Amen.