BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you and your children within you to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” Luke 19:42-44
ENCOURAGING WORD:
The day is going to come when many will hear the same thing that Jesus said to the Jews in the verse that I just read. “Because you did not know the time of your visitation.” Jesus was holding the Jews accountable to know and understand prophecy. When He says in the opening verses “because you did not know the time of your visitation.” He was referring to Daniel 9: 24-27, specifically verse 25. If the Jews would have know the day that the command to restore and build Jerusalem was given, they could have done the math, and it would have given them the exact day that Jesus Christ rode into Jerusalem on a donkey proclaiming Himself to be the Messiah. This prophecy that was given in the Old Testament in the book of Daniel, and Jesus expected them to know the time of His visitation. When He came into Jerusalem, they should have known it was time to meet their long awaited Messiah. But guess what, they didn’t study prophecy, so they had no idea when their Messiah was going to appear. The same thing is happening these days in which we live. We don’t know the exact day of the Rapture, but if you are here during the Seven Year Tribulation, you will be able to calculate the exact day of His second coming in the same way that Daniel prophesied His first coming. I’m not going to get into the math at this time because it is a whole nother study. I’ll just tell you this, if you are here when the “Abomination of Desolation” takes place which will be at the midpoint of the Seven Year Tribulation, you can calculate 1260 days from that event and you will come to the exact day that Jesus will return at His second coming. This is written in the scriptures and understood only by those that have read and studied the Bible with the Holy Spirit as their guide. No Pastors or Priests will teach this because they are ignorant of what will take place in the end days. God has given us prophecy after prophecy about the end of days. Every prophecy that He has given, has either happened, is happening as we speak, or is about to happen in the very near future.
When the Jews rejected Jesus as their Messiah, what was the result? They were scattered all over the world in disbelief for about two thousand years. These two thousand years were filled with persecution and hatred from almost every nation. As we should all be aware of, the worst persecution came during the Holocaust that started around January 30,1933. This happened because the Jews didn';t think it was important enough to hear what the Prophets had to say. If they had, this event would never have happened.
The Holocaust was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews, alongside members of other persecuted groups, at the hands of Nazi Germany. Despite its far reaching and ongoing impact, the exact date on which the genocide started is difficult to distinguish and the subject of some debate.
The Nazis began the widespread implementation of their plan to kill all Jews within reach — known as the “Final Solution” — under the cover of World War Two.
Using 1939 as a starting point for the Holocaust does not, however, consider the less systematic killings or the other forms of persecution that occurred before the war. It also fails to show how Nazi policy towards Jews evolved over time. This same thing is going to happen to those that missed the Rapture, but have trurned to Jesus during the Tribulation. At first it will be a few, then as time goes on, perscution of these tribulation saints will grow and get more widespread as the days continue. Satans plan will be to rid the world of Jews first, then those that accepted Jesus during this time.
As a result, the acual date of the holocaust that has become commonly associated with the start of the Holocaust is January 30, 1933, the day on which Hitler became chancellor of Germany. This is also the point at which our timeline of the intensification of anti-Semite action begins.
The rejection of Jesus is a significant theme in the New Testament, highlighting the resistance and unbelief He faced during His earthly ministry. This rejection is depicted in various forms, from the disbelief of His own family and hometown to the outright hostility of religious leaders and the general populace. One of the earliest accounts of Jesus' rejection occurs in His hometown of Nazareth. After teaching in the synagogue, the people were initially amazed at His wisdom and miraculous powers. However, their amazement quickly turned to skepticism and disbelief. We read this in;
Mark 6:3; "Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? Are His sisters not here with us?" Their familiarity with Jesus' earthly family led them to doubt His divine authority, resulting in their rejection of Him. Jesus remarked, Mark 6:4; "A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives, and in his own home"
For those that don’t know what this is referring to, it is saying that those closest to you, if you choose to serve the Lord, will be the ones that reject you most. I find this to be so true. Those that I have known since childhood will have nothing to do with me as far as my service to Jesus goes. Many that I have met on Face Book that didn’t know me previously have accepting me as a respected teacher of the Word of God. Those that have known me since childhood knew what I was like back then and can’t accept the transformation that took place in me. I don’t blame them, because they have no understanding of Gods Word and how God is using the most unlikely people to get His message out about His soon return. Think about the people Jesus used to share the Gospel back when He walked the shores of the Galilee. It was weathered Fisherman, tax collectors and other lower than average walks of life. Jesus didn’t use the Pharisees or Sadducees which were the religious of the religious. Why do you suppose that was? Jesus came to teach a New Covenant, one that defied all the laws of the Old Covenant. Today, Jesus is still using the most unlikely candidates to proclaim His soon return. If I were not one of those that He chose to share His Word, I would have a hard time accepting some of those that He did choose as a messenger of His Word also. The religious leaders of that time, particularly the Pharisees and Sadducees, were among the most vocal in their rejection of Jesus. They perceived Him as a threat to their authority and traditions. Despite witnessing His miracles and hearing His teachings, they accused Him of blasphemy and sought to discredit Him. We read in; John 8:58-59; “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.” Jesus was proclaiming to be the voice of the burning bush which spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai. This claim to divinity incited the leaders to attempt to stone Him, illustrating their deep-seated rejection. We read in the next verse where God told Moses to refer to Him as “I am” God said to Moses, tell them (The Hebrews) that I am has sent you.
Exodus 3:13-15; “Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am” has sent me to you.’ “God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent Me to you.’ “This is my name forever; the name you shall call me from generation to generation.
The broader populace also played a role in rejecting Jesus, particularly evident during the events leading up to His crucifixion. Although Jesus was initially welcomed into Jerusalem with shouts of "Hosanna!" Matthew 21:9; “The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” The mood quickly shifted. Influenced by the chief Priests and Elders, the crowd chose to release Barabbas, "A known Criminal," over Jesus. Pilate, the Roman governor, asked; Matthew 27:22; “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!” One week they were blessing Jesus as their Messiah and the next week they were crying out, crucify Him!
With all this being said, the rejection of Jesus was not unforeseen. The Old Testament contains prophecies that allude to the Messiah's rejection. Isaiah 53:3-5; “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hid their faces He was despised, and we held Him in low esteem. Surely He took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered Him punished by God, stricken by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”
This describes the suffering servant as "despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief” Jesus Himself predicted His rejection, telling His disciples in, Luke 9:22; “And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”
Many teach that Jesus failed in His mission and that was why He was put to death. All this was foretold, and Jesus fulfilled His mission exactly as it was prophesied. Jesus knew that the Jews would reject Him as their Messiah and because of their rejection, that opened heaven’s door to the Gentiles. See, even Satan thought he had won, but think about this. What Satan uses for evil, Jesus uses for good. So, as evil as all this seems back at that time, it turned out to be the greatest gift ever given to mankind. It is called Grace! Because of this event, the Gentile world was welcomed into Gods kingdom through faith and obedience to Gods Word through Jesus Christ, His Son. The rejection of Jesus has profound theological implications. It underscores the hardness of the human heart and the fulfillment of divine prophecy. Despite the rejection, Jesus' mission was accomplished through His death and resurrection, offering salvation to all who would believe. The rejection serves as a reminder of the cost of discipleship and the call to remain faithful amidst opposition.
Now, my point in sharing this with you is we, as the human race are in a similar situation. Most of the world population is ignoring Gods message through His modern day prophets. Jesus even told us in the end days the following;
“Acts 2:17; “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. This verse is ignored, untaught and unbelieved by todays Pastors and Priests. There is a common belief in the church today that the time of the apostles and prophets have ceased, and the spiritual gifts ended with them. The believers of this view claim that since the apostles and prophets were the foundation of the church, there is no longer a need for apostles and prophets since the foundation has been laid. Once again, todays churches are filled with false doctrine concocted by non-other than Satan, Himself.
Let’s look at a passage of scripture that addresses the ministries of the apostles and prophets.
Ephesians 4:7-13; “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, He took many captives and gave gifts to his people.” (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe. So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
Notice, there are five ministries in the list above: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. There is not just apostles and prophets that Christ gave the church, but all five of these ministries Christ gave to His body. People who claim that apostles are no more, would never say that teachers and preachers are no more, would they? No, I don’t think so.
Just as in the days of the Old Testament, people today are rejecting and ignoring what God has written in the Bible which happens to be about 30%. Here is where we need to think things through. The Jews spent about two thousand years in exile and persecution, but that persecution is about to end. They paid a huge price for not knowing Daniels prophecy. If they had known that Jesus was, indeed, their Messiah, they would have had their promised Kingdom and would have never had to go through what they had to endure.
Today, as I mentioned previously, God has called thousands of messengers today to warn the world of what is coming soon. One of the biggest signs that we were told to watch for is the regathering of the Jews just as Jesus prophesied would happen just before He would return. Another sign that we are told to watch for is in the next Bible verse. We read in the following Bible verse. Matthew 24:37-39; “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”
We are living in the days of Noah and have been for quite a while. To show you how close we are to the soon return of Jesus Christ, let me share this with you.
We read in; Luke 21:29-33; “He told them this parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near. “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”
The Fig Tree is one of the symbols of Israel. When it says, “when a fig tree sprouts leaves,” you know summer is near, it is referring to the time when we see Israel become a nation and once again thrive with unbelievable blessings. This happened on May 14, 1948. When it says that the generation that witnesses this event will not pass away until all things have been fulfilled, that is referring to all end time Bible prophecy being completed. Well, my friends, it has been 77 years since this event. The bible refers to a generation in our time as being between 70 -80 years. I would say, the time is near.
Now, as I mentioned a while back, the Jews suffered for about two thousand years because of their lack of knowledge and disbelief, but those that reject the True Word of God and Bible prophecy today will miss the soon return of Jesus Christ. Because of their lack of knowledge and their ignorance of what Gods Word teaches about salvation, they could suffer for all eternity, not just two thousand years, “All Eternity” I say, “could suffer” because that is if you have rejected Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. If you do not accept Jesus Christ and His free gift of Grace, you will be cast into the Lake of Burning Fire for all eternity. Side note: You can still be saved if you do not know Bible prophecy, because understanding prophecy has nothing to do with being saved. But, if you do not read the Bible, and equip yourself with knowledge of God’s Word, how can you get a personal relationship with Jesus. There will be thousands of people that know the Bible inside and out and still will not go to heaven. If you have a hard time believing what is about to take place, that’s fine, but don’t mock those that God is using to prepare the World for what is in the very near future.
The problem is that those that mock us for sharing Bible prophecy, probably do not know what the rest of what the Bible teaches either, and they won’t be ready when Jesus comes at the rapture of the church. They are being told in the denominational churches that Jesus isn’t coming back soon, so they feel that they have a lot of time to repent and turn to Jesus Christ for their salvation. Very dangerous doctrine! As a matter of fact, when the tribulation begins, they will be deceived into believing that peace has come, and Jesus will return soon to a peacefull world. That will end and all hell will break loose and then they will get it, buti t will be too late. The truth will not hit them until there is nothing that they can do about it. You have time to do something about it now, but that window of opportunity could close soon.
If you reject all that the Bible has to teach and you continue to follow your specific religion which teaches just that, religion, not the Bible, you will very likely stand before Jesus at the White Throne Judgement’ which is the judgment for the dammed. If you do stand before Jesus at the White Throne Judgment, you may see your Pastor or Church Leader there also. Then you can ask them, why did you take us down the wide road that the Bible refers to as the road to destruction. I know this may sound harsh, but I have to share the truth. If the truth hurts, then do something about to. Try to prove the Bible wrong. Good Luck!
I’m going to share a conversation that Jesus had with the Pharisees and the Sadducees.
John 8:40-44; “As it is, you (The Pharisees) are looking for a way to kill Me, (Jesus) a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the works of your own father.”
“We are not illegitimate children,” they (The Pharisees) protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.” Jesus said to them,
(Jesus Speaking) “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; but God sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
Does it sound like Jesus sugar coated the truth, not at all, and either will I. He told it like it was. As a matter of fact, look what they did to Him, They crucified Him. Here is the message that the Holy Spirit brought to me.
John 15:18-25; “If the world hates you, (The Born Again Believers) keep in mind that it (The World) hated Me (Jesus) first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master. ‘If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me (Jesus) hates my Father (God) as well. If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.”
I don’t want to be hated for what I am doing, but if that is the way it must be, then I’m fine with it. I would rather serve Jesus and be hated by the world, than to be loved by the world and rejected by Jesus Christ. Pretty easy choice for me. So, will you join me in sharing the Gospel, or will you continue on the path where you will hear, depart from me you who practice lawlessness. It is your choice. ESV Version. Matthew 7: 23; “And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'
NIV Version. Matthew 7:22-23; “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
You don’t have to hear these words that I just wrote. You can hear the following words; Matthew 25:21; “His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”
It’s not rocket science, believe the truth or reject the truth, its 100% your choice, nobody can make that choice for you! I’ll leave these last words with you. The denominational churches teach that you cannot know if you are saved. Once again, I can rebuke their ignorance with the following Bible verses.
1 John 5:13; “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” What does it say? “You may know,” not think that you have eternal life. I know that I am saved because I know in whom I believe and whose hands I am sealed in.
Romans 10:9-10; “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
Romans 8:1; “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
John 3:16; ““For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.:
Ephesians 1:13-14; “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” Once you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and have become born again into the Holy Spirit, you are then sealed in Him so that nobody can take away what God has given you.
John 10:28-30; “and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
Nobody can snatch you out of the Fathers hands once you are saved and sealed. Not even you! If you don’t know your saved, then there is a good chance that you probably aren’t. Nobody but God can say who is going to heaven or not, but God told us that we can judge people by their fruits.
Matthew 7:15-20; “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”
If you know someone that claims to be a Christian but treats his fellowman with disrespect and hatred, then I can pretty much say to you, he is a false prophet heading for hell. Matter of fact, after talking with someone for about a half hour, I have a good idea whether they are a Christian or not. I get fooled sometime though, because some people appear to be naturally good, without claiming to be a Christian. Only God knows the heart, we can only see the what we see on the outside. It can be very deceiving. Only you know for sure if you are saved or not, You know in whom you believe and whom you serve. But for me and my Family, I know we will serve the Lord.
Mark 12:30; “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.”
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Nobody can separate you from the Love of God, once you receive Jesus Christ…Nobody!
May God bless you with wisdom and knowledge in all that you do!
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