LUKE 12

 The crowds following Jesus had swelled and people were trampled. 

Jesus told His disciples, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisee, which is hypocrisy." Nothing will be kept secret. Also, do not be afraid of those who can only kill the body; but fear Him who not only can kill the body but can send your soul to hell. Know that God values His own more than the sparrows, whom He does not forget. 

Jesus also told them that whoever confesses Him before men, He will confess before God; but he who denies Him before men will be denied before God. Anyone who speaks against Him will be forgiven, but if he blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. Do not worry what you should say when they bring you before authorities because the Holy Spirit will help you.

Then a man in the crowd wanted Jesus to tell his brother to share half of the inheritance, and Jesus said He was not come to arbitrate and warned him of covetousness because life is more than our possessions. Then Jesus gave a parable: A man enjoyed plenty from his fields and decided to build a bigger barn to store all of his goods. He told himself that he could relax for years: "eat, drink, and be merry." But the Lord called him a fool because that night God required his soul, and after his death, his possessions were no longer his but someone else's. 

So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

Jesus told His disciples not to worry about their lives, what they will eat or drink or wear because life is more than food and the body is more than clothing. You cannot add to your life by worrying. God cares for His creation, how much more will He care for you, "O you of little faith?"

Seek the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added to you. 

Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom...For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

Jesus also warned them to be ready and waiting for when the Master returns. Watch and be ready for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Be a faithful and wise steward that when the Son of Man returns will find his servants doing his work. Those who slack will be cut off. 

And those who do not know better will be given less punishment, but to those who knew and still slacked, much more will be required of them. 

Jesus told His disciples that He came to send fire on the earth, but first He must be crucified. Jesus did not come to bring peace, but division. There will be divisions among families where some believe and others do not. 

Finally, He pointed out that Israel knows the sign of the skies, but they are not able to discern the times. 

COMMENTARY

Jesus did not want to judge the man regarding the inheritance with his brother because that is not why He came the first time; He came to save. However, during His Second Coming He will sit in judgement. However, Jesus did warn the man to be careful of covetousness, which is why He told the parable of the foolish rich man who stored up his goods in a barn and then died the next day. His attitude was sinful because he was selfish, self-centered, and materialistic. He coveted wealth and luxury. Better it would be if he stored up his treasures in heaven. Life is not all there is. Man has an eternal soul, and one day he must give an account for his life in the presence of God. 

The parable about the master returning from the wedding pertains to Israel regarding Jesus' Second Coming. When Jesus returns for His Church at the time of the rapture as the bridegroom, He should find His believers ready and doing His will, and they will rise to meet Him in the air. However, where "bridegroom" changes to "thief in the night," that is an unexpected return. That is His Second Coming.

Believers should live in the "expectancy of His return." But we must be working for the kingdom until that day. Christians will appear before the judgement seat of Christ to give an account for their works. It is not a judgment for salvation because that had already been determined. It is for rewards, just as there will be degrees for punishment.  

Second Coming of Christ - 

 

John 14

Jesus continued speaking to the disciples. He comforted them in His own last hours. He promised that though He was going away, He was preparing a place for them with Him in heaven. He promised to "come again and receive [them] to [Himself]..."

Thomas said they do not know where He is going and how can they know the way? 

Jesus replied, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Also, If you know God the Father, from now on, you know Him and have seen Him (because you know and saw Jesus).

Philip actually responded with: "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."

And Jesus had to say it again, like Philip had not been paying attention: Do you not know Me, yet, Philip?

He who has seen Me has seen the Father. Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. 

Jesus also explained that whatever they asked in His name, He will do. And if they love Him, they will keep His commandments. Also God the Father will send them a Helper (His Spirit), "whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but [they] know Him, for He dwells with [them] and will be in [them]." He continued: "I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you."

Jesus will leave the world, but the disciples will see Him because He lives, and in that day they will know that He is in the Father...and he who keeps His commandments, it is he who loves Him. And He who loves Jesus, is loved by the Father, and Jesus will manifest Himself to them. 

from Bible Study Tools

John 5

Jesus went to Jerusalem to a pool called Bethesda where sick people waited to be healed. Jesus saw a man who had an infirmity lying by the pool, waiting. He asked him if he wanted to be made well, and the man said there was no one to put him into the water. Jesus told him to, "Rise, take up your bed and walk." Immediately, the man was made well and took up his bed and walked. 

It was the Sabbath, and the Jews said it was unlawful for the man to carry his bed. The man told them that He who made him well told him to take up his bed and walk. When the Jews asked the man to point him out, Jesus was already gone. 

Later, Jesus found the man in the temple and told him to sin no more lest a worse thing come upon him. Now the man was able to point Jesus out to the Jews, and the Jews, from then on, sought to kill Jesus because He had "done these things" on the Sabbath.

Jesus responded to the Jews that He was working with His Father. Not only had Jesus broken the Sabbath, but now He made Himself equal to God. 

Jesus told them He does His Father's work; He has power as His Father has power; His Father has committed all judgment to Him; that the Jews should honor the Son as they honor the Father; if they hear His word and believe in God who sent Him they would have everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment; the judgment He exercised was dependent upon the Father's word and will; there were witnesses of the identity of Jesus -- the miracles He did were evidence of His deity and messiahship; also the Scriptures bore witness to who Jesus was.

But the Jewish rulers failed to see the truth. They wanted the miracles, food, and political and military power to overthrow the Roman government, but they did not care about a Messiah who only did the will of God the Father -- to save people from their sins. 

Do not think that I ashall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?

COMMENTARY

John 5 is a turning point in Jesus' ministry. The Jewish rulers now turned their sights on Jesus because He made Himself equal with God the Father. Their excuse was that Jesus broke the Sabbath. How ironic that this caused them to have hatred in their hearts, enough to want to kill him. Which is worse: breaking the Sabbath or murder? Obviously, making arguments that you are equal with God is a clear claim of One's deity. 

Now, the sick man at the pool was just waiting to be made well, and he was staring at the waters. Jesus approached him and wanted to get his eyes off the pool waters and onto the Man with Living Water. As McGee explains, so many people have their eyes fixated on the material things or other people, just waiting, waiting for something to happen. They are blinded and have no sight of Jesus. 

McGee also made a point to show that even on the Sabbath, God is working. He cannot rest because there are lost sheep, and even on a rest day a shepherd will save his one lost sheep. 

Therefore, when Jesus told the man to get up and walk, the man was accused of carrying his bed on the Sabbath. Stupid man-made religious rules! Then he put the blame on Jesus, but he could not find him in the crowd. Not until he saw Jesus in the temple again was he able to point him out, and that is when the Jews approached Jesus for breaking the Sabbath. 

Next, Jesus made numerous claims to being equal with God:

• He is God
• He can do what God does
• He does not contradict the Father, nor the Father contradict the Son
• He can forgive sins
• They share a personal, intimate relationship
• He gives life to whom He will
• He can raise the dead
• The Father gave the Son power to judge man

Jesus told them that NOW is the time when He will give spiritual life; but the hour is coming when He will raise the dead out of the grave. Jesus talked about the two resurrections. One is the resurrection of the saved, which we call the Rapture of the church. Rapture comes from the Greek word harpazo, which means "caught up." The Rapture is in the future at an unknown moment. Jesus will call His own out of the world, both living and the dead. 

After the Tribulation, the dead believers that come out of this seven-year period, together with Old Testament saints, will finish up the first resurrection . They will be raised to live on the earth. This first resurrection is the resurrection of life. 

The second resurrection will be of judgment, called the Great White Throne, when all of the unsaved, of all time, will be raised. They wanted to stand on their works, and they will have the opportunity to be judged by them alone. This will take place after the end of the Millennial period. They had been warned that no one can be saved by his works, but they didn't want to believe. 

Finally, Jesus told the Jews about His witnesses. John the Baptist did bare witness to Him, but there are higher witnesses: His miracles and the Scriptures. The miracles were evidence of His works that He had been sent by the Father, and the Old Testament Scriptures spoke of Jesus as the coming Messiah. 

Ezekiel 39

Continuing on, God told Ezekiel to prophesy against Gog, that He will lead him, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal from the far north against Israel. God will then disable the armies and they will fall to their deaths. Birds and beasts will devour them and fire will consume them. 

God will make His holy name known, and Israel will never be able to profane His name anymore.

After the defeat of the armies from the north, Israel will spend the next seven years using the weapons from the fallen armies for fire. They will plunder all those who plundered them. 

Also, the armies of Gog will be buried in Israel. And for seven months, the house of Israel will bury them until the land is cleansed of the bodies. 

After the bodies are gone, the Lord will set His glory among the nations and they shall see His judgments -- that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity and unfaithfulness to Him; therefore, God had turned His face from them and gave them over to their enemies.

Now I will bring back the captives of Jacob, and have mercy on the...house of Israel; I will be jealous for My holy name after they have borne their shame and all their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me...When I have gathered them out of their enemies' lands and I am hallowed in them in the sight of many nations, then they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who sent them into captivity..., but also brought them back to their land...And I will not hide My face from them anymore; for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel...

COMMENTARY

God is going to defeat the army that comes out of the north against Israel. McGee believes this is Russia, and other nations who join them, and God is going to deal with Russia for its past treatment of the Jews. 

ABOUT THE RAPTURE & TRIBULATION PERIOD

The battle of Ezekiel 39 will happen before the Tribulation period ends, before Jesus returns. Where will the church be? With Christ. Remember, the church is raptured (taken out of the world) just before the Tribulation period begins. 

McGee used a great example: When God was ready to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham asked if He would do so if 50 righteous people remained in the city. God said no. What about 40 - 30 - 20 - 10? No, no, no! There were not even 10 righteous people left in Sodom; therefore, God removed Lot and his family before he destroyed the city. God will not let the Tribulation come until He takes His church (his born-again believers) out of the world. Then the Tribulation period will begin.

THE REMAINDER OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD

You do not want to be around during this period because God will be judging unbelievers and the earth. And once the invader from the north is defeated, it provides an opportunity for the Antichrist to be the world ruler for the last half of the seven-year Tribulation. At the end of the seven years, Jesus Christ will come to earth to establish His kingdom. Then begins the Millennium Period.

Finally, when Israel recognizes God as Lord and Savior and righteousness prevails, then the nation (or any nation) can experience "the love, mercy, and goodness of God."

SOURCE

Obadiah 1

The Word of God came in a vision concerning Edom (descendants of Esau). God had ordained the enemies of Edom to rise up against her. Edom was a prideful nation, and God said he will use her enemies to bring her down. 

The pride of your heart has deceived you, You who dwell in the clefts of the rock, Whose habitation is high; You who say in your heart, 'Who will bring me down to the ground?'

Other offences God had against Edom: they had done nothing to help Jacob (Israel) in the day of her calamity; they rejoiced over her downfall; they plundered the city afterward; and they prevented the escape of the fugitives. 

For the day of the Lord upon all the nations is near; As you have done, it shall be done to you; Your reprisal shall return upon your own head. For as you drank on My holy mountain, So shall all the nations drink continually; Yes, they shall drink, and swallow, And they shall be as though they had never been. 

But...

...on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, And there shall be holiness; 

In the Millennial Kingdom, there shall be a reversal, in which "the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame; But the house of Esau (Edom) shall be stubble; They shall kindle them and devour them, And no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau," For the Lord has spoken. Judah will destroy Esau. 

And when Messiah sets up His kingdom, the boundaries of Israel will expand to include the land promised to Jacob in his dream, supporting God's promise to Abraham. Israel will be huuuuge.

And the kingdom shall be the Lord's.

COMMENTARY 

Just for reference, Edom is made up of the descendants of Esau, and the Israelites are made up of the descendants of Jacob. Esau and Jacob were twin brothers, sons of Isaac and Rebekah. 

Question: why did God hate Esau? The little book of Obadiah tells us. 

Esau represents the flesh, the old nature; and Jacob represents the spirit, the new nature. We had to wait until Esau became a full grown nation in order to understand why God hated Esau, which was not expressed until Malachi, the final book of the Old Testament. What caused God to hate Esau? Pride.

Pride of the heart is the attitude of a life that declares its ability to live without God.

God has put Esau (Edom) under a "microscope." 

How are the things of Esau searched out! Come, look! Look through the Word of God and look at this man. I hate him. Why do I hate him? It is because of his pride of life. He has turned his back on Me and has declared his ability to live without Me!

Sadly, even when he was one man, Esau chose a bowl of soup over a relationship with God. 

Another reason God hated Esau: Edom became enemies with Israel, and they betrayed them. 

THE DAY OF THE LORD

The day of the Lord begins with the Great Tribulation period. Currently we live in the day of grace (or the day of Christ). In this period, the Holy Spirit is with us, and He shows us the things of Christ. After the removal of the church (believers) from the world, which we call the Rapture, the Day of the Lord will begin, which will be a time of darkness and judgment. After seven years of tribulation, Jesus Christ will return to the earth to establish His Millennial Kingdom. 

Jesus is going to judge the nations of the earth (see Matthew 25). According to McGee, Edom will become a nation again, just as Israel became a nation in 1948. Although God has judged Israel, they have not been completely removed. But according to the book of Obadiah, Israel will be restored, and Edom will be destroyed by Israel. 

At the end of Obadiah, there is the description of how wide the boundaries of Israel will be during the Millennial kingdom. God keeps His promises, and He promised to Abraham a land about 300,000 square miles! 

Finally, Jesus says: "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me" (John 12:32). McGee adds:

Which way are you going...Down the way of pride, pessimism, unbelief, and rebellion...? You who were made in the likeness of God can be restored. You will have to lay aside your pride and come in helplessness to this Savior. He can lift you.