OUR FATHER WHO GAVE HIS ONLY SON

After their last supper,  The Lord Jesus, in Matthew chapter 26 verses 31 - 35, prophesied to His disciples that it was not only Judas who would stumble that evening but rather all of them. 

31 Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:

‘I will strike the Shepherd,

And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

32 But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”

33 Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are [g]made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.”

34 Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”

35 Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!”

And so said all the disciples.

In this passage, the Lord Jesus referenced Zechariah chapter 13 verse 7 which reads this way;

“Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, Against the Man who is My Companion,” Says the Lord of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered; Then I will turn My hand against the little ones.

Locked into the scriptures written centuries before, was the behaviour of the disciples when their leader was arrested and taken for trial.

The Lord of Hosts, calling the weapon of the state against His Shepherd, a man whom He named His companion (a glimpse into the nature of Jesus being One who was alongside God the Father ), foretells that the sheep would scatter.

When Jesus said this to His disciples, the apostle Peter declared that he would never deny Jesus but Jesus, to make a point that the scriptures cannot be broken, described the specific circumstances (a cock crowing three times) that would surround Peterˋs denial to which Peter replied that he would not deny Jesus even to the point of death.

The other disciples also made the same profession but the scriptures were indeed unbreakable and within a few hours, the disciples were scattered when Jesus was apprehended by the authorities in the garden of Gethsemene.

If a non-metaphoric shepard were to be struck, real sheep would scatter and so it was not against nature that the disciples were prophecied to scatter in the face of an attack on their master. 

When Jesus ressurected and the disciples were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, they no longer had the nature of sheep but rather the nature of their master and they boldly testified about Jesus in the face of the ones who had plotted His death.

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER WHO GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON

The Lord Jesus, as they were eating the last supper, instituted the rite of  communion where the bread was broken and shared to represent His body that was to be broken and the wine that was shared that represented His Blood that was to be spilled for the remission of sins. This scene, to be repeated for two millenia so far, was for the commemoration of the Lordˋs death until He returned in glory.

26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”

27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

With the handing out of the wine, the Lord clicked the stopwatch to indicated that from that moment, they would no longer be sharing anything until the kingdom of God had been made acceesible to His disciples and they shared the wine of the Spirit.

From that moment, the totality of the plan of the salvation of mankind was going to be accomplished including the trials, the scourging, the crucifixion, the death, the burial, the descent into hell, the ressurection, the ascent into heaven, and the redemption of mankind.  All these eternally momentous events were going to occur before they shared wine in the kingdom of God.

A hymn was sang to mark the moment in time and they left to the mount of olives where the unstoppable chain reaction would begin when the Son of Man was handed over into the hands of sinners.

Amen.

2

OUR FATHER GAVE HIS ONLY SON TO REDEEM MANKIND AND NOW HIS TIME WAS AT HAND

The Lord Jesus, with the day of His suffering set for the next day, begins the final protocols that needed to be instituted before hand.

Starting with the Last Supper, the Lord was approached by His disciples about where to set up the passover meal.  He instructed them to go into the city and find a man who had the facilities and  been briefed beforehand and to tell him that the time had come and to provide the required space and victuals.

17 Now on the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?”

18 And He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.” ’ ”

19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.

Once it was evening, Jesus sat down with the twelve disciples and as they ate, the Lord Jesus broached the fact that someone in their midst was going to betray Him. This was a shock  to the group of men and they each began to try make it known the to the others  that they were not involved in treachery against Him. They all asked the Lord to testify that it wasnˋt they who were involved. 

The Lord announced that the one who dipped a piece of bread into the broth at the same time that He did was the one who was going to betray Him and that the person who was going to do it was better off never to have been born because of how agregious the act of betraying the son of man was.

Judas, knowing that it was he who dipped at the same time as Jesus, asked if it was he who was going to betray Jesus and Jesus answered that it was.

20 When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve. 21 Now as they were eating, He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”

22 And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, “Lord, is it I?”

23 He answered and said, “He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me. 24 The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.”

25 Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, “Rabbi, is it I?”

He said to him, “You have said it.”

Thus the sequence of events that led to the death of the Lord Jesus began in earnest and the identification of the person who would turn Jesus over into the hands of His enemies was the first of the steps.

Judas left the venue shortly after to fulfill his end of the agreement he had made with the religious leaders for thirty pieces of silver and by the next night, Jesus would be dead.

Have mercy on us O God.

4

OUR FATHER WHO GAVE HIS ONLY SON TO SAVE THE WORLD

Matthew chapter 26 verse 14 - 16 records the event where Judas Iscariot decided that he could benefit the most by betraying Jesus into the hands of the religious leaders.

He asked them what price they would pay to get Jesus and they agreed on thirty pieces of silver.

14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. 16 So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.

The book of Zechariah chapter 11 verses 12 - 13 aludes to this event thusly;

12 I told them, “If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.” So they paid me thirty pieces of silver.

13 And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord.

This prophecy appears to capture the words fo Jesus speaking of the ˋhandsomeˋ price of thirty pieces of silver that they paid to get Jesus but in a cryptic way, revealing that the money was paid out and then returned and that the money was laundered by the aquisition of a potterˋs field.

4

OUR FATHER WHO HONORS THOSE WHO HONOR HIS SON

Matthew chapter 26 verses 6 - 13 captures a moment when a woman, inspired by the Holy Spirit, approached the Lord Jesus and poured an expensive frangant oil on His head as he sat at the table.

Jesusˋ disciples were annoyed that so much money was wasted instead of being put towards a good cause like helping the poor. 

6 And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. 8 But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.”
10 But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. 11 For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. 12 For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. 13 Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”

Jesusˋ response to the complaints of the disciples revealed a glimpse behind-the-scenes of the preparations being made for Jesusˋ crucifixion and burial.

As the time approached for Jesus to give Himself into the hands of the authorities, the preparation for His burial were underway and the pouring of the fragrant oil represented the physical version of what was happening in the spiritual realm.

The womanˋs sacrifice and obedience to the prompting of the Spirit immortalized her participation in the story of the salvation of mankind and as Jesus foretold, her actions are  still being read and studied two thousand years later.

John chapter 12 verse 26 says this:

If any man serve Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall also My servant be. If any man serve Me, him will My Father honor.

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER WHO SENT HIS SON TO DIE FOR THE SINS OF THE WORLD

Matthew chapter 26 verses 1 - 5 records the change in the atmosphere that occurred two days before the Passover feast when the Lord Jesus finished teaching His followers about His return in great glory as the judge of the whole world but He predicted that first, He was going to be delivered into the hands of the authorities to be crucified.

At that time, the plot to kill Jesus intensified as the Pharisees, scribes and the elders of Israel gathered at the residence of Caiaphas the high priest and planned  

1 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, 2 “You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

3 Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, 4 and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. 5 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”

The people of Israel were gathering in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and the religious and political leaders, as they planned to eliminate Jesus, realised that it would be disruptive and cause unrest and chaos with all the people in the city and so they were constrained in what they could do at the time but with trickery, they intended to ensnare Jesus and kill Him.

24

OUR FATHER WHOSE KINGDOM IS RIGHTEOUS KINGDOM

The Lord Jesus, giving the last parable before the dominos that led to His cricifixion began to fall, described a scene where He would be arriving in great glory accompanied by holy angels and He will occupiy a great throne of glory.

All the nations of the earth will be gathered before Him and as a judge, He will separate these nations into two categories: The sheep and the goats. The sheep will be placed on His right side and He will bless them and welcome them into the kingdom they have inherited. The Lord gives the reason for their inclusion in this first group is that they;

• When Jesus was hungry, they gave Him food
• When Jesus was thirsty, they have Him drink
• When Jesus was unknown, they welcomed and included Him
• When Jesus was naked, they gave him clothes
• When Jesus was sick, they visited Him
• When Jesus was imprisoned, they came to see Him

Those who were blessed were confounded because they had no recollection of doing these things for Jesus but He informed them that everytime they helped the people in the margins with no status, no voice and no strength, they were directly helping Him.

31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

In contrast, those who were placed on the left side of the throne, classified as goats, were those who did not undertake to minister to those on the lowest rungs of society and by failing to do so, let Jesus languish in their midst and were now to face eternal judgement.

41 “Then He will also say to those on the  left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

44 “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

This sobering event reminds us that a primary preoccupation of the Lord is the care of the weak and lowly for He very strongly identifies with them and He has given all people  an unlimited credit card such that anything given to the poor and any expense undertaken on their behalf is charged to Him and he will repay it.

As Proverbs chapter 19 verse 17 says;

He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, And He will pay back what he has given.

This unconditional contract removes any excuse that we may have from helping the poor. 

Have mercy on us O God.

8

OUR FATHER WHO GAVE US HIS SPIRIT AND HIS POWER TO PROFIT HIS KINGDOM

The Lord Jesus, in Matthew chapter 25 verses 14 - 30, continuing to teach His followers about the kingdom of Heaven, used a parable to explain to them how to be profitable servants during his absence.

In the parable of the talents, Jesus told them of a man who was to travel to a distant country and so divided some of his holdings among his servants to take care of and then went on his way. When the man returned, he assessed the performance of each servant based on what they had done with the assets he had left them. 

14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’

26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.

29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

In this parable, the man was Jesus Himself and His followers were the servants to whom the money was consigned. The money represented any deposit of the Spirit of God who supplied the spiritual gifts and power left in the charge those who followed Jesus.

This portion of the gifting and power of the kingdom of God given into our care consists of what is revealed to us as requirements in the kingdom of God for which we are also given unique abilities that we can use to attended to and fulfill them.

In the case of the first and second servants who was given five and two talents respectively, they traded and invested what was given to them and they were able to return double their masters original goods.

What does the trading and investing represent? In the corporeal world, if one were given an amount of cash to administer, one could buy a business or invest in projects that yielded dividends after a period. Carefully managing the portfolio would result in the growth of the value of the holding over time and when the owner of the asset called to draw upon the investment, the deposit would worth more than the initial fund.

Translating these principles into spiritual terms as they relate to the kingdom of God,  what is being proposed is that we handle our own revelations of the kingdom of God and the individual abilities and strengths that are bestowed on us as opportunities to invest in the growth of the kingdom of God with the understanding that what we have been given and how we steward them will be used to guage what we can be entrusted with in the kingdom to come.

In the parable, the third servant displeased his master because he was risk averse and decided to safely bury what he was given so that when the master returned, he could return to him exactly what he was given.

The master argued that if risk aversion was the operating principle, the third servant should have at least placed the money in a low-risk, interest-bearing savings account so that when the master returned, his money could have gained some interest instead of being static and perhaps suffering the ravages of inflation.

This suggestion by Jesus translates into the spiritual realm as an option to serve in other peopleˋs ventures and ministries to take advantage of their successful investments that more gifted people are able to manage and as a result, what was given to the servant would be put towards a growing investment and when Jesus returned, would find that the servant has contributed to another personˋs successfull efforts and would be able to realise interest on His investment.

The third servant, in effect, was given an investment of gifts and power in his life and what he returned to his master was himself alone. The expectation, however, was that each person, having been given a deposit of the Spirit of God, would be able to present other people to his Lord who had been won over to the kingdom of God by the investment of their time and gifts and even if the person could not directly win over souls, could at least join in to help the fishers of men who were successfully netting the souls of men for the kingdom.

Have mercy on us O God.

12

OUR FATHER WHO ALONE KNOWS THE TIME AND DAY OF THE END OF THE AGE Part 7

Matthew chapter 25 verses 1 - 13 records another parable that contrasts the end-of-the-age experiences of the servants of the kingdom of heaven who were wise and those who were foolish.

1 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

This parable is another warning that perpetual vigilance is required for all those who would be entrusted with the things of the kingdom of heaven.

The scene is described where ten virgins were tasked with going out to meet the bridegroom as he arrived into town so they could escort him and his entourage to the wedding venue. 

Five of the ten were wise and attentive. They kept their lamps ready and had reserves of oil in case the bridegroom was delayed.

On the other hand, the foolish virgins were not vigilant and fell asleep while they waited fo the bridgroom. When the call finally came that the bridegroom was enroute, they awoke and realized that the oil for their lamps was low and they did not have enough to go out to welcome the bridgegoom.

In a panic, they asked the five wise virgins to share their oil with them but the wise ones knew that they needed all the oil they had and if they split it out, they would all run out and everyone, including the out-of-towners, would be left standing in the dark trying to grope their way to the wedding venue.

The only solution for the foolish virgins was to go out to buy more oil for their lamps from the after-hours oil retailers and at mid-night, while they were gone, the bridegroom arrived and only the five wise virgins were available to meet the bridegroom as they.

The five virgins and the bridegroom and his escorts joined up and they went to the wedding venue and closed the door.

The five foolish virgins finally found an oil dealer willing to open shop for them in the night but by they time they returned, the wedding was already underway. They knocked on the door asking to be let in but the bridgroom did not recognize them and did not want wedding crashers to interupt the proceedings and they were turned away.

The lessons that we can derive from this parable are;

• Stay alert to listen and watch for the signs of the Lordˋs arrival
• Do not be asleep during the time when preparations are being made
• Each person is responsible for and must attend to their own preparedness
• Keep reserves of annointing so that we can endure through delays
• Acquire annointing oil while it is yet day for it is harder to acquire it in the night 
• Going out to meet the bridegroom to welcome him is how he recognizes us. If we sleep and get preoccupied with other things instead of finding him and personally walking with him to the wedding venue, we will not be known.

Have mercy on us O God.

24

OUR FATHER WHO ALONE KNOWS THE TIME AND DAY OF THE END OF THE AGE Part 6

The Lord Jesus, in Matthew chapter 24 verses 45 - 51, advises His disciples to be faithful in carrying out their service so that when their master returned unexpectedly, they would be found going about their Fatherˋs business. Those who are consistent in their service of God would be blessed when they are found occupied by their work in the Lordˋs household when He returns. Such a servant would be entrusted with all that the master had.

On the other hand, a servant, having concluded that his master was not returning any time soon, reverts to a carnal way of living and works to gain dominance over the other servants as though he were their master. He indulges himself in very carnal appetite and sets a bad example for everyone in the household.

45 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. 47 Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. 48 But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, 51 and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

When the master returns, the evil servant is caught by surprise and found to have been an untrustworthy steward of his masterˋs business and he is consigned to the outer darkness where there is weeping in deep regret over failing to take the things of his master seriously.

Have mercy on us O God.

24

OUR FATHER WHO ALONE KNOWS THE TIME AND DAY OF THE END OF THE AGE Part 5

Matthew chapter 24 verses 36 - 44 records the Lord warning His followers that His return would be a complete surprise to everyone including the angels of heaven and some manuscripts record that even the Lord Jesus Himself did not know the day or hour of His return.

The Lord compared His return with the onset of the great flood of Noah where people were going about their daily lives eating and drinking and starting families when suddenly, the opportunity to enter the ark was no longer available and the door of the ark was closed and the destruction of the flood carried them away. 

In the same way, people, not believing that the end of the age of grace was soon to arrive, would continue living as they alway had until suddenly, the gift of the free salvation that Jesus acquired for mankind was no longer being offered.

36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

The return of the Lord Jesus will be sudden and will have no overt precursors. Life will carry on as normal right until the last second. People working together on farms or in factories will discovery that some people in their midst have disappeared into thin air and realize that they have been left behind.

The Lord Jesus explains that the reason for the secrecy is so that the kingdom of darkness would not be able to anticipate the day of the Lord and make plans to patrol the perimeter with his angels in order to interfere with (or  thwart ) the Son of Manˋs invasion of the earth.

The secret is tightly kept in order to catch the kingdom of darkness off-guard but the Lord advises His followers to be perpetually vigilant so that when the trap is sprung, they would be found to be in good standing in the kingdom of God and be caught up with Him in the clouds.

Amen.

24

OUR FATHER WHO ALONE KNOWS THE TIME AND DAY OF THE END OF THE AGE Part 4

Matthew chapter 24 verse 32 - 35;

32 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When it branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! 34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

Amen

12

OUR FATHER WHO ALONE KNOWS THE TIME AND DAY OF THE END OF THE AGE part 3

In Matthew chapter 24 verses 29 - 31, Jesus reveals the events that would occur immediately after the great tribulation;

29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will 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 great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

As the end approaches, the persecution on the people of God would intensify as economic pressure and subtle deceptions carried out by the world systems flush believers out of hiding where they are killed. If these days were not shortened, as Jesus said in verse 22, no Christian at that time would physically survive the trials.

When this period ends, distinct signs would occur in the heavens where the sun will go dark along with the moon and not in the form of an eclipse but rather as a general dimming of the sun that will plunge the whole earth into darkness at the same time.

In the spiritual realm, the stars will fall from heaven as their dominion in spiritual places collapses. The spiritual powers that rule over territories and nations will be  shaken by a severe quake in the spiritual realm.

It is then that the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky as a light show of glory and splendor and power. All the people on earth, when they see this sign circling the globe, will know that the King of Glory, whom they had abandoned or rejected, was now returning and they will see Him on the clouds of heaven, no longer as a preacher entering Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey but now as the One of exceedingly great  power and glory.

As the whole world watches the frightening spectacle, a blast of trumpets will reverberate and the Lord Jesus will send His angels to gather His chosen ones from every corner of the earth and all His elect from all the places in heaven that they are.

Have mercy on us O God.

12

OUR FATHER  WHO ALONE KNOWS THE TIME OR THE DAY OF THE END OF THE AGE part 2

The Lord Jesus had just outlined for His disciples, in Matthew chapter 24 verses 3 - 14, a list of general events that would occur as an indicator of the time of His return. He then, in verses 15 - 28, zoomed in on a specific event whose occurence signalled a state of emergency. 

This is an event that was spoken of by the prophet Daniel ( in the book of Daniel 9 v. 27 and Daniel 11 v. 31) and Jesus tells his followers that when they see the abomination of desolation standing in the Holy place, then each person in the south of Israel (Judea) must flee to the mountains as fast as humanly possible because the great tribulation will have began and this event would be more severe than anything that have ever happened or will ever happen.

15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.

This tribulation will be so terrible that if its duration were not constrained by God, no human beings would be saved but for the sake of the ones chosen, the time of the tribulation if shortened.

During these desperate times, with people under immense pressure, there will be words circulating that the Messiah has arrived and it will be very tempting to run out after these false messiahs and false prophets especially when they are displaying supernatural power.

The Lord describes what the deceptions will be like and how to respond. People will hear rumours that the Messiah has touched down in the desert but he warned us not to go out to the desert to see for ourselves.

Others will hear that the Messiah has made an appearance in some inner chambers and secret offices but the Lord warned us not to believe that either.

These are traps that are set to capture people who have even a modicum of hope in the appearance of a Messiah. When people arrive in the desert to see the ˋmessiahˋ, they are rounded up and when they enter buildings to seek the ˋmessiahˋ in secret rooms, they are captured.

23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand.

26 “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.

The Lord then tells His followers what the genuine indicator of His arrival would be; As lightning strikes in the east and flashes across the sky to the west, the Lordˋs arrival will be an unmistakable phenomenon of light in the sky that could not be imitated by false messiahs. People claiming to be the messiah who mysteriously appear in the desert and in hidden rooms are false messiahs because the appearance of the real messiah will be overt, public and visible to every person on earth.

Wherever the carcass is, there the eagles (Note, most translations render this word as ˋvulturesˋ instead of ˋeaglesˋ) will be gathered together. This phrase indicates the danger of being misled by the claims of the false messiahs and false prophets. If anyone falls for the deception and goes to the location given, they will be devoured by the vultures who will await them there.

Have mercy on us O God.

24

OUR FATHER WHO ALONE KNOWS THE TIME AND DAY OF THE END OF THE AGE

In the book of Matthew chapter 24 verse 3 - 14, the Lord Jesus, while sitting on the Mount of Olives, was approached by His disciple for a private consultation. They had heard him speak of His return at the age and they were trying to understand how it would affect them.

They wanted to know;

• When the described events would occur
• What indicators would mark Jesusˋ return
• What indicators would mark the end of the age

3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

The Lord answered the last question about the signs that would mark the end of the age first by giving them a list of conditions that would converge that would be the harbinger of the end of the dispensation that His ministry was about to innugurate;

These items were pertaining to the world at large;

• Many false christs will appear claiming to be Jesus
• Wars will proliferate wround the world
• Rumours of wars will be constantly circulating
• Major geopolitical upheavals will roil the earth
• Famines will scourge the earth
• Pestilences will sweep nations
• Major geological events like earthquakes will strike all over the world

These items were partaining to the Church;

• Persecution and murder of Christians will be widespread
• Christians will be hated for the sake of the name of Jesus
• Some Christians will betray one another and hate one another
• False prophets will arise in their midst with deceptions that will capture many
• Many in the church will become lawless
• Many will have their love for God grow cold
• The gospel of the kingdom would be preached in all the world

The Lord gave a guideline to His followers on how to respond if they are embroiled in those times. He said that they would participate in the global effort to  preach the gospel to the whole world as a witness and those who endured through these difficulties with their faith intact even at the end, would be saved.

Have mercy on us O God.

12

OUR FATHER WHOSE SENT HIS SON TO SAVE THE WORLD

In the book of Matthew chapter 24 verses 1 - 2, the Lord Jesus, having castigated the religious leaders in the temple, departed from there and as they went, the disciples were showing Jesus the buildings of the temple in all their glory.

The Lord gave them a grave prophecy by saying that as improbable as it seemed at the time, every one of the massive buildings of the temple would be  torn down to the foundation leaving no stone standing on another.

This prophecy was fulfilled about 40 years later in the year 70 AD when the Roman army, after a long siege, sacked the city of Jerusalem and tore down every stone of the temple.

1 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

With the loss of the temple, the customary and religious practices of Judaism halted and went into a state of dormancy with no temple sacrifies and dedications.

To replace the lost religious functions, the religious leaders of Israel devised a system of traditions that laid out a variety of substitutionary practices that have been observed by the disperate groups of the children of Israel since that time.

However, there are multiple prophetic references to a rebuilt temple and the resumption of the original religious practices that will be one of the harbingers of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER WHOSE SON WAS SENT TO DIE FOR THE WORLD BUT WILL RETURN IN GLORY

The condemnation of the religious leaders concluded in Matthew chapter 23 verses 37 - 38 with the pronoucement of judgement over the city of Jerusalem for it had been the practice of those in it to kill prophets and stone messengers sent from God.

The Lord Jesus revealed that His desire through the history of the city was to gather all of her inhabitants under His wings but the people of the city were not willing to be subject to their God and as such, struck those who were sent as emmisaries from God.

This track record would continue with the Lord Himself where He would fall into the hands of the scribes and the Pharisees and he would be condemned to death and be crucified outside the walls of the city.

The judgement on Jerusalem was that it would soon be left desolate of spiritual importance and they would not see the Lord Jesus again until they fulfiled the prophecy that they would bless the Messiah who would be coming in the name of the Lord.

When the Messiah came to them on the colt of a donkey as desribed in Matthew chapter 21, the religious class could not be induced to say ˋblessed is He who comes in the name of Lordˋ but the time will come when He returns on a white horse, and every eye will see Him returning in glory and they will say, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.

37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 See! Your house is left to you desolate; 39 for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

Amen

12

 OUR FATHER ESTEEMS HIS PROPHETS

The Lord Jesus concluded His indictment of the  religious class with a scathing reference to the religious lineage that the scribes and Pharisees has descended from.

They had tried to distance themselves from their spiritual heritage of assaults and murders of the prophets sent by God  by paying hommage at the tombs of prophets who their fathers had killed.

Here, the Lord brings in the concept of spiritual inheritance that bequethed the sins of the father upon the sons when they partake in rebellion against the plan of salvation of God.

Because the scribes and Pharisees had called themselves the sons of those who had persecuted the prophets of old (with the disclaimer that if they had been alive at the time, they would not have participated in the murder of the prophets), the bloodshed spilled by their forebearers all the way back to the murder of the righteous priest Abel by Cain was on their heads. The Lord also mentioned a prophet named Zachariah whom the religious classes murdered in the temple. (This could either have been a prophecy of a murder that did take place in about 60 AD in the temple where a person called Zacharia Baruch was killed in the temple or a reference to Zacharia who was the father of John the Baptist or the prophet named Zachariah mentioned in the Book of Ezra or the book Zachariah. 

Prophetic identification of the Zechariah who was murdered in the temple may be the most accurate interpretation because it would capture the span between the murder of the first righteous priest and the murder of the last righteous priest who was killed in the temple in Jerusalem in 60 AD before it was destroyed in 70 AD as Jesus prophesied. This is speculation but a possible 

Mathew chapter 23 verses 29 - 26 records the final article this way;

29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you buid the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’

31 “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. 33 Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? 

34 Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, 35 that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

Have mercy on us O God.

4

OUR FATHER WHOSE KINGDOM IS A KINGDOM OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

The Lord Jesus, in Matthew chapter 23 verses 27 - 28, drew on a metaphor to describe and expose the nature of the religious leaders who were leading Israel at that time;

27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Jesus represented the hypocricy of presenting a fascade of purity in public while concurrently living an unclean and predatory life, as tombs that were painted white and made to look aesthetically pleasing but were concealing the remains of corpses and decay.

The indictment here pointed at the deliberate efforts of the scribes and Pharisees to give the impression to their communities that they were ardent followers of all the laws and worthy to be honored and followed but all the while, they were involved in lawless skulldugery.

Have mercy on us O God.

2

 

OUR FATHER WHOSE SON CLEANSES US FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS

Matthew chapter 23 verses 25 - 26 continues with the condemnation of the practices of the religious leaders:

25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.

In this article of indictment, the Lord Jesus used the metaphor of dishes to illustrate the absurdity of the teachings being dispensed by the scribes and Pharisees.

Their fixation on outward appearances was represented by the cleaning of the outside of cups and plates while leaving the inside uncleaned. 

The dishes, representing people who are supposed to be vessels of God, were internally steeped in predatory attitudes while following the creed of self-indulgence.

The Lord Jesus prescribed to the Parisees that they should begin by cleansing the inner parts of the dishes which represented the internal attitudes and intentions.

Once the inner proclivities for abusing other people and being self-indulgent were extricated from the inner lives of people, then the outer appearance would be taken care of. 

This mirrors the teaching of Jesus  in Matthew chapter 15 verse 11 where, in countering the challenge of the Pharisee towards His disiciples for eating without washing their hands, He informed them that ingestion does not make people unclean but rather it is when the internal contents come out in the form of evil words and deeds that causes them to be unclean.

Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”

Have mercy on us O God.

12

OUR FATHER WHO WANTS WIDOWS AND ORPHANS CARED FOR

Matthew chapter 23 verses 23 - 24 continues with the charges that the Lord Jesus brought against the religious leaders who prescribed and enforced the religious practices at that time;

23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 24 Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

 The indictment that was being brought against the scribes and Pharisees was that they were overtly following the laws of God that were easily seen and could be quantified such as giving to the temple ten percent of everything that they gained  including small herbs that would grow incidentally on their properties.

They made a great deal over these tiny observances but when it came to the heavy matters of law such as the administration of justice, mercy and faith, they were silent. 

The Lord declared that the religious leaders needed to do the small things but without neglecting the more consequential obligations of the law. He gave the metaphor of screening out the gnats while letting camels through to illustrate how the scribes and Pharisees, when formulating a code of righteousness to live by, emphasized the smallest points of law to live under such as tithing herbs while skirting the eternally important  portions of the law that dealt with the postures of their hearts towards God and their fellow human beings.

As  the book of James chapter 1 verse 27 says,

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Because of this distortion of perpective and priority, they did not highlight the religious practices that God considered to be faultless, Jesus called the religious leaders of Israel blind guides because they could not see the spiritual landscape that the laws they were handling were pointing to and yet presumed to lead the laity in spiritual matters.

Have mercy on us O God.

4

OUR FATHER WHOSE THRONE IS IN HEAVEN

Matthew chapter 23 verses 16 - 22 says this;

16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’ 17 Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? 18 And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.’ 19 Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? 20 Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. 21 He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. 22 And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.

The Lord Jesusˋ indictment of the the religious leaders continued and in this passage, those who held the offices and the status of spiritual guides were shown to be unseeing and unwise.

Concerning the protocols of oaths and vows, the scribes and Pharisees had synthesized a pattern of swearing for the people to follow but because they had no understanding of the spiritual infrastructure that facilitated the interactions between the corporeal realm and the spiritual realm, they had prescribed inverted procedures where the people were swearing by the transient sacrifices and by the thin veneer of gold that coated the temple walls.

These formulations derailed the earnest and consequential vows and oaths that the people were trying to make before God because their swearing was being underpinned by items that were not registered as valid enforcers of oaths in the spiritual realm.

The teachings of the religious leaders led people to swear their oaths on the gold that coated the temple walls because, they said, swearing on the temple itself was of no consequence. The Lord Jesus authoritatively illustrated that these teachings were wrong because the gold was not intrinsically sacred or sanctified but rather it was the temple in which God dwelled that was santified and thus oaths needed to be pinned to the temple itself for it was what confered santification to everything else that was in it.

This was also true of the altar which was officially sanctified. The prevailing teaching was that swearing on the altar meant nothing and so it was necessary to swear on the sacrifices that were on the altar. Jesus showed that the altar, which was the instrument of spiritual santification, was what oaths needed to be sworn upon and not the sacrifices that were inately mundane and only gained sanctification by placement on the altar.

The Lord showed that the religious leaders were leading people astray in the matter of having their oaths registered in the spiritual realm and as such, any credit to be gained by swearing an oath and fulfilling it, was lost.

What the scribes and Pharisee had set up was like a fake credit card that people were using to make purchases online. Without their knowledge, the purchases did not go through and when they made payments, they are not recieved and because there is no purchases and there is no payments registered, their credit scores did not improve.

Deutronomy chapter 23 verses 21 - 23 says,; “If you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin. But if you refrain from vowing, you will not be guilty of sin. You shall be careful to do what has passed your lips, for you have voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised with your mouth.

As this passage says, there is no obilgation to swear oaths. If a person did undertake to swear an oath, one would incur a risk of failure to fulfill the oath and invite judgement upon themselves but on the other hand, successfully fulfilling oaths in the spirit increased credibility in the spiritual realm. It is this credibility that people are seeking when they make oaths before God and the system devised by the religious leaders deprived the people of this benefit.

Jesus provided a teaching on swearing oaths that would register the oath before God and His recommendation was to swear by heaven because heaven contained the throne of God and swearing by heaven made the one who sits on the throne the enforcer of the oath. This is a fearful position to be in and thus James advises us not to swear in James chapter 5 verse 12 (But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.) but to grow in maturity in the spirit, we must be able to obligate ourselves to tasks and stewardships in the kingdom of God and to have a track record of fulfilling vows made before God increases our standing before the Lord.

So help us O God.

Amen.

16

OUR FATHER WHO SEEKS WORSHIPPERS IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH

Matthew chapter 23 verse 15 continues with the Lord Jesusˋ indictment of the behaviour of the scribes and Pharisees.

15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

This item of hypocricy involves the presentation of the veneer of righteousness and access to God that was made to people from distant lands who were seeking God in distant lands but once these new adherants were inducted into their religion, they were trained in all the practices of pride and greed that the religious leaders were themselves doing.

This grievous effort of the scribes and Pharisees took people who were moderately steeped in wrong doing and instead of leading them towards righteousness as promised, led them into a worse state than they were before.

This besmirched the name of God and turned sincere seekers of God into enemies of God.

Have mercy on us O God.

4

OUR FATHER COMMANDS US TO CARE FOR THE WELFARE OF WIDOWS AND ORPHANS

Matthew chapter 23 verse 14 captures the next article of indictment for which the religious leaders of Israel would be condemned for;

14 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

As a way of fiancially enhancing their positions, the scribes and Pharisees presented themselves to widows as prayerful spiritual advisors and part of the role they assumed, they ensured that any assets such as houses or lands were bequeathed to them when the widows died and the pharisees would accumulate what the widows left behind.

The Lord Jesus declared that the practice of pretending to be a pious intermediary between the widow and God in order to gain their earthly belongings was going to earn the religious leaders greater condemnation because it was hypocrisy with a predatory angle added to it.

Have mercy on us O God.

4

OUR FATHER WHO SENDS SHEPHERDS TO GUIDE OTHERS TO THE TRUTH

In Matthew chapter 23 verse 13, the Lord Jesus began pronouncing condemnations upon the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocritical conduct and culture where they presented themselves one way before the people but lived self-indulgently in private.

13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. 

The first condemnation against them was for locking people out of heaven by ensuring that the means of accessing heaven by faith was obscured from them.

The religious leaders had no interest or understanding of heaven and thus did not care to go there themselves and made no effort to show the lay people how to get there.

Have mercy on us O God.

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