The Beginning of the End Reveals a New Beginning

We left off with Jesus explaining to the Pharisees the infinite gap between heaven and hell, and the eternal tribulations awaiting those in the latter destination (see Are You Afraid or Jubilant Over the Second Coming – 2?)

Now, as He and His apostles continue with their ministerial travels, Jesus receives a message from Mary, * relaying that her brother Lazarus was extremely ill.

*[The Bible tells us that this ‘Mary’ was the one that poured expensive perfume upon Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair (Jn. 11:2); it also tells us that Jesus loved Mary, her sister Martha, and Lazarus (Jn. 11:5)].

Jesus responds to this message by speaking to the apostles:

“Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” Jn. 11:4 NLT

Christ is saying that Lazarus would not die in the final sense of the word (at this time). Instead, this is a situation that would be one which would serve as yet another opportunity to witness the power of God, through Jesus Christ.

(By miraculous healing God grants us an insight into the disease-free age to come…By leaving us ill he reminds us we are part of a fallen world. J.C. Ryle)

And to press His point home, Jesus delays His journey to Lazarus by two additional days. As they prepare to leave for Bethany, (Lazarus’ home), Jesus explains:

“Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.” Jn. 11:4 NLT

The disciples are thinking to themselves that Lazarus is literally sleeping. Jesus perceives this, and reveals the correct situation and the ‘why’ of His timing:

“Lazarus is dead. And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.” Jn. 11:14, 15. NLT

(The death of true Christians is ‘sleep’ and not annihilation. It is a solemn and miraculous change no doubt, but not a change to be regarded with alarm…they will rise again by and by, refreshed and renewed, after the image of the Lord. The grave itself is a conquered enemy. It must render back its tenants safe and sound, the very moment that Christ calls for them at the last day. J.C. Ryle)

When they arrive at Bethany, (two miles from Jerusalem), Jesus is told that Lazarus has been entombed for four days. Martha ran to Him, saying that Lazarus would not have died if He would have been there, because she knows that Jehovah grants all His Son’s requests.

Christ told Martha that Lazarus would rise again; but she interpreted His reply to mean Lazarus’ resurrection at the end of time. He corrects her:

“I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me will never ever die. Do you believe this Martha?” Jn. 11:25, 26. NLT

Martha answered in the affirmative and ran home and sent her sister Mary to Jesus. She approaches Him with a few mourners, all of them weeping. Jesus responds with deep compassion:

When Jesus saw her sobbing, and the Jews who had come with her also sobbing, He was deeply moved in spirit [to the point of anger at the sorrow caused by death] and was troubled, and said, “Where have you laid him?”

They said, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. Jn. 11:33 – 35. AMP

(Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens – Jesus the Son of God – let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses… Heb. 4:14, 15. CSB)

Approaching the tomb, Jesus asked for the stone covering the entrance to be removed. Martha protested, saying that the stench would be intolerable. Jesus replies:

“Did I not say to you that if you believe [in Me], you will see the glory of God [the expression of His excellence]?” Jn. 11:40 AMP

As they roll away the stone, Jesus gazes heavenward and speaks to His Father:

“Father, thank you for hearing me. You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” Jn. 11:41, 42. NLT

(The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful words. Heb. 1:3 CSB)

(…he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf. Heb. 7:25 NLT)

Suddenly, Christ draws upon His divine authority over life and death, and shouts:

“Lazarus, come forth!” Jn. 11:43 NKJV

(“Should I ransom them from the grave? Should I redeem them from death? O death, bring on your terrors! O grave, bring on your plagues! For I will not take pity on them. Hs. 13:14 NLT)

(…Christ himself was an Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned. And he is God, the one who rules over everything… Rm. 9:5 NLT)

And out Lazarus came – wrapped up like a mummy! Everyone was astonished. Some of the people came to believe in Christ; others choosing to remain small-minded, ran off to tell the Pharisees.

Well, you know that raising the dead did not sit well with the Pharisees; so, they called a meeting of the governing council, (the Sanhedrin), to devise a plan to be rid of Jesus, before more people came to believe that He was the Messiah. They were also afraid that Jesus’ ascension in spiritual standing would downgrade their own.

They plotted to kill Him, but Jesus traveled on…

Time passed. It was the beginning of 30 A.D. – the time that Christ set out to make His final journey to Jerusalem, to bring the perfection of His Father’s saints to fruition.

Jesus and the apostles travel through Samaria and Galilee; and as they did, they encountered (you guessed it), those persistent and pernicious Pharisees! They wanted to corner Christ by asking Him to tell them the exact time when the Kingdom of God would come.

He retorts by telling them that they are looking at the Kingdom of God right now – embedded in Christ and in the hearts of all who follow Him. He then turns to His apostles and says:

“The time is coming when you will long to see the day when the Son of Man returns, but you won’t see it. People will tell you, ‘Look, there is the Son of Man,’ or ‘Here he is,’ but don’t go out and follow them.

“For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so it will be on the day when the Son of Man comes.” Lk 17:22-24. NLT

“For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. See, I have warned you about this ahead of time.” Mt. 23 – 25. NLT

“You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.” Mt. 24:44 NLT

Jesus is warning us to beware of imposters, His return will be global in its impact, and it cannot be humanly predicted timewise.

He then reveals the nature of humankind that will precede His second advent:

“But first the Son of Man must suffer terribly and be rejected by this generation. When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all.

“And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business – eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building – until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

“Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed.” Lk. 17:25 – 30. NLT

(Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions.

These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. 1 Jn. 2:15 – 17. NLT)

Jesus is stressing the urgency of imparting salvation through Him to others, instead of leaving them to their ignorant and cavalier attitude, towards their eternal disposition. Why? Because that attitude leads to one’s eternal undoing – when He returns, your chance to be His, is over, and you will be forever stuck with the ramifications of your decision:

“On that day a person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. A person out in the field must not return home. Remember what happened to Lot’s wife!” Lk. 17:31, 32. NLT

You must be ready when He is – having both feet in the kingdom. You are either with Him, joined in eternal life and love, or you are one of those who are ‘left behind’ in the great ‘sifting’ of all the people who have ever lived:

“That night two people will be asleep in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour together at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.” Lk. 17:34, 35. NLT

“That is the way it will be at the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked people from the righteous, throwing the wicked into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Mt. 13:49, 50. NLT

So, being ‘left behind’ is definitely not a great destination:

“Where the corpse is, there also the vultures will be gathered.” Lk. 17:37 CSB

Don’t you be a ‘left behind.’ Grab ahold of that Jesus love – immerse and reflect…

Goodnight and God bless.

Preparing For Christ’s Return

Jesus warned us that before He shows up, there would be imposters that would precede Him:

“The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look here!’ Do not go out or follow them! For as lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.” Lk. 17:22 – 24. ESV

The Son of God knows we will long for our Savior’s return, making us vulnerable to the false claims of others who profess to be the Messiah, or, at least pretend to know His whereabouts.

Moreover, Jesus is stressing the fact that His return will be global in its impact. And, it will unfortunately catch many by surprise:

“And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will also be in the days of the Son of Man. They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise as it was in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.” Lk. 17:26 – 30. NKJV

We have to be ready for Jesus’ return. Furthermore, we have to impart the urgency of accepting Christ to others, instead of leaving them to blindly steep in their ignorance with regards to their eternal disposition. Why? Because that ignorance will lead to their eternal undoing.

When Jesus returns, the jig is up. You’re forever stuck with the ramifications of your decision. When He comes, He’s only ushering His sheep (the children of God) through the gates of heaven:

“On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise who is in the field not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife.” Lk. 17:31, 32. ESV

You need to be ready when Christ returns, to have both feet in the kingdom. Jesus will accept no straddling, no fence sitters (like Lot’s wife). You are either with Christ, joined to Him for eternal life and love, or, you become one of those who are ‘left behind’ in the great sifting of all the people who have ever lived:

“I tell you, on that night there will be two in bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. There will be two women grinding at the same place: one will be taken and the other will be left.” Lk. 17:34, 35. NASB

And being ‘left behind’ does not look like a good place to be:

“Where the body is, there also the vultures will be gathered.” Lk. 17:37 NASB

Jesus tells us to persist in prayer as we await for that glorious day. He told a parable that drove this point home. In it, Jesus weaves a story about a widow who suffered an injustice at the hands of an adversary. Distraught, she took her plight to an unbelieving and unjust judge, whose initial response was to ignore her pleas. However, she persistently returned to him again and again until he finally ruled in her favor, just to be rid of her. The point is, that her persistence in seeking a just outcome brought her the desired result. Likewise, God (being the ultimate ‘just’ judge), will not let the persistent prayers of His children go unanswered.

Christ also begs this question of us:

“Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” Lk. 18:8 NKJV

When Jesus returns, there will be many who have given up their faith and hope. That’s why He urges His followers to hold steadfast to theirs.

Jesus also warns us against believing that our ‘self-righteousness’ will gain us access into the kingdom. That path is doomed to failure. Only the true righteousness conferred upon us by Jesus Christ will open those doors.

He illustrates this with another parable, wherein a Pharisee and a tax collector (considered to be the lowest form of scum in the social strata of that era) went to a temple to pray. The Pharisee boasted about his self-righteousness, declaring that he was so much better than all of the sinners around him. The tax collector, on the other hand, would not even raise his eyes towards heaven. Furthermore, he beat his chest and cried out to God, begging Him to have mercy because of His sins. Jesus concludes the parable:

“I tell you that this man went down to his house justified rather than the other, for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Lk. 18:14 NKJV

During Jesus’ travels, He was approached by a rich man who told Him that he keeps the Ten Commandments and wants to know what else He must do to have eternal life. Jesus responds:

“If you wish to be perfect [that is, have the spiritual maturity that accompanies godly character with no moral or ethical deficiencies], go and sell what you have and give [the money] to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me [becoming My disciple, believing and trusting in Me and walking the same path that I walk.]” Mt. 19:21 AMP

Jesus is not telling him to make himself a pauper; He’s revealing his disobedience to the first of the Ten Commandments by making riches his god. Sadly, the man could not part from his possessions and went his own way. He left because in spite of his riches, his soul was stricken with poverty.

Wealthy people are not necessarily wicked. They can enter the kingdom of heaven if they don’t idolize their possessions. Wealth is a blessing from God – both for the possessor and for whom the possessor blesses with his or her wealth, to forward the kingdom of God.

Lastly, Jesus leaves us with this:

“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” Mt. 19:29, 30. NKJV

Jesus is speaking metaphorically. You don’t have to literally leave your house or family to be able to follow Him. You just have to make sure that you don’t make ‘gods’ of them by putting them before Christ. The last sentence in this scripture teaches us that one must serve for the sake of serving and out of a love of God – not for the sake of being rewarded.

Are you ready for the second coming of Christ? You can be. Jesus has just spelled it all out: Don’t follow ‘false shepherds,’ cling to Jesus for you salvation, walk in the word of God to the best of your ability, persist in prayer, nurture your faith and hope, let go of the ways of the world and what it considers righteousness (i.e. self-righteousness), use your abundance for good works and put Jesus first in your life.

If you love Jesus, He has already done the work. Your heavenly gate is wide open…

Goodnight and God bless.

False Messiahs

Now, as He and His apostles continue with their ministerial travels, Jesus receives a message from Mary, * relaying that her brother Lazarus was extremely ill.

When they arrive at Bethany, (two miles from Jerusalem), Jesus is told that Lazarus has been entombed for four days. Martha ran to Him, saying that Lazarus would not have died if He would have been there, because she knows that Jehovah grants all His Son’s requests.

Jesus and the apostles travel through Samaria and Galilee; and as they did, they encountered (you guessed it), those persistent and pernicious Pharisees! They wanted to corner Christ by asking Him to tell them the exact time when the Kingdom of God would come.

He then reveals the nature of humankind that will precede His second advent:

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