King James Bible Study – “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” – Mark 8:34
Date: Thursday, November 05, 2020
Chapters: Luke 20-21
Message: Ready For Jesus
Hello My Friend,
I was thinking back to what I said on January 01, 2020, as I am going to be fifty years old in two days, that is a half of a century. I said that this was going to be a year to remember, little did I know that it certainly would be, but not at all what I was expecting. A pandemic that has plagued the earth for almost the entire year, a record number of storms, wildfires, earthquakes, an unsettling amount of hate and discord among so many within their own nations, Christian persecution, immorality like you have never seen, rigged elections, corrupt politicians. What is going on here? I tell you what, this sounds an awful lot like something Jesus said,
[Luke 21:25-28 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. 27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.]
[then look up, and lift up your heads;] While we may not know the hour in which Christ will return, and praise God, He will come for His people first, we do know that the Bible is true and that each day we are one day closer. Look up, wake up, this is not going away anytime soon, in fact, it is going to get worse, if you have not accepted Christ as your Saviour, it is time to do that right now. And we have not seen anything yet, Jesus is the only one who can save us from the worst that is yet to come. No religion will save you, no other belief will save you, ignoring this will not save you. Not even death will save you. As we have been reading through the Gospels, every day this week we have read the parable Jesus gave concerning those who attempt to save themselves or use their religion to save them. There is something interesting that Luke points out.
[Luke 20:13-18 Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him. 14 But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. 15 So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them? 16 He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid. 17 And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? 18 Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.]
[but on whomsoever it shall fall,] The parable is referring to God sending the prophets to warn them of the judgment to come until Jesus came, and of their killing Him. And what Jesus is talking about regarding the cornerstone comes from this verse, [Psalms 118:22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.] Did you know that the second we receive Christ as our Saviour that we are broken? Well, we are broken from the assumption that religion or our own works can save us. And that stone is Jesus, all who fall upon Him may suffer in this world, but they know their suffering will not last, their suffering will end the day we see Jesus in heaven. Those by whom the Stone will fall, they will face Jesus too, only they will suffer much more that anything they will ever suffer, [I Peter 2:6-8 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. 7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.]
The scribes and Pharisee’s may not have understood the parables Jesus spoke, but they did understand that He was speaking about them with that one. From that moment they sought every opportunity they could to catch Jesus say or do something that they could accuse Him of and have Him killed. [Luke 20:19-20 And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them. 20 And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.]
[which should feign themselves just men,] These fools actually thought that they were the ones who were righteous and just. The religious do not want to believe that God will not accept anyone who does not fully believe in Christ as their Saviour. They can be born and raised in a church, believing in and serving God, even be taught about Christ, reenacting His birth, crucifixion, and death, but God will not accept them unless they believe every single truth about Him, that He is the Son of God, that He is sinless, that He was born of a virgin, that He arose three days later, that He is alive today, and that He alone is the only way to God, and heaven. Jesus actually points this out, Luke also gives the testimony of Jesus watching all the rich men casting money into the offertory, and the old widow woman.
[Luke 21:1-6 And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. 2 And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. 3 And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: 4 For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had. 5 And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said, 6 As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.]
[that shall not be thrown down.] The temple was thrown down forty years later as Jesus prophesied, Jerusalem was taken by the Roman armies, under the command of Titus in 70 AD. Today, it is surrounded by a wall that the Muslims built around it, and no one can get in it. There are so many churches and temples, adorned with stained glass windows, altars made of jewels and gold, but they too will be destroyed and thrown down. These men did not know one thing that Jesus was talking about, and yet, they wanted signs to know when it will all come to pass. We all want to know when Jesus will return, even He does not know as God, the Father, has blocked that knowledge from Him right now. The second God gives the word, that is when Jesus will return. However, there will be signs, several, in fact. Jesus describes how it will be before He returns or His people.
[Luke 21:10-15,20-22 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: 11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. 12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake. 13 And it shall turn to you for a testimony. 14 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: 15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. 20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. 21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. 22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.]
[or these be the days of vengeance,] Do you think that all the millenniums of being rejected, mocked, lied about, and used to their advantage has gone unnoticed by God? Oh, He is keeping track of everything, and Jesus will return with a vengeance. Keep in mind that right here Jesus is talking about two things here, the destruction of Jerusalem, and the persecution the Apostles will face for their faith in Him, and what will take place prior to His return before the Tribulation.
[Luke 21:31-36 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. 32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. 33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. 34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. 35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.]
[and so that day come upon you unawares.] This generation, meaning all the people from creation, will not be destroyed until the very last soul to receive Christ gets saved. When God sees that there is only reprobates left on the earth, that is when everything will be destroyed. Do you see why we as, saved, born again Christians need to live our lives to shine Christ upon us? We are not perfect nor should we pretend to be, Christ perfects us through our faith alone in Him, but we need to be more than just a name written in the Book of Life, we need to be a testimony of what Christ has done in our lives. Who cares if the world rejects and gets offended by us, Jesus told us this would happen. Walk tall in the fullness of Christ, and never be ashamed or afraid to tell the world that you belong to Jesus, He will come when we least expect it, [II Peter 3:9-12 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?]
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, You have told us the signs that will lead to Your return, how we can be prepared and ready for Your return, and have already fulfilled Your promise to make redemption possible and permanent for all who believe in and receive You as their Saviour. Thank You, for dying on the cross for me, even as the mess I am, You redeemed me through my faith alone in You. Thank You for teaching me and preparing me for Your return, and for your endless mercies and grace as I fail You daily. Even at my best I do sometimes take for granted what You have done for me, and for that I am sorry. Thank You for Your longsuffering, and still using me, despite my mishaps, and for reminding me that one day all of this will be over, and I will be with You. I love You Jesus, and pray this in Your name, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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