Archive for the 'Religion' Category

“1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. 2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.” – Revelation 11:1-2

At the end of the ten-part series on Matthew 24 that concluded last week, in Part Ten, we gave this broad, unqualified thumbnail sketch of life in Jerusalem prior to the siege and Israel’s destruction.

As background to this passage in Matthew 24, civil order is falling apart leading up to 70AD. Leader is turning against leader (kingdom) and tribe against tribe (nation). The century-long, openly cozy arrangement between the Sanhedrin civil leadership in Jerusalem and the Caesars of Rome is on shaky ground because Jewish infighting has begun. Many on the ruling council believed on Jesus, and many did not (brother against brother).

The relationship has to fall apart as the Jews rebel against Rome because the Lord of Hosts is bringing judgment. Keep in mind; God needs an army to effect His wrath. That army is Roman; they are the world power at that time; this fits the prophetic judgment practice throughout Scripture. “Great tribulation” was coming. This also fits with the historical accounts and the hyperbolic language patterns of Scripture. Do your research.

Ken Gentry has given a documented and well-qualified thumbnail of events just prior to Rome’s full-scale operations against Jerusalem. Here’s a snip:

In AD 66, after a dreadful period of procuratorial incompetence, Israel revolted against her oppressive Roman governor Gessius Florus. By late October / early November, C. Cestius Gallus (the Roman legate of the Syrian province which included Judaea) led a Roman military force to Jerusalem in an attempt to put down the uprising. He assembled “an army of over thirty thousand men in Antioch—the whole of one of the Syrian legions, XII Fulminata, and vexillations from the others, ten auxiliary units, and large contingents supplied by Agrippa, who led his force in person, and two other client kings, Antiochus IV of Commagene and Sohaemus of Emesa” (M. Smallwood). But after surrounding Jerusalem, he unexpectedly withdrew for reasons that are unclear (J.W. 2:18:9–19:9 §499–555; Tacitus, Hist. 5:10).

The article is about Revelation Chapter 11, in which is the much disagreed upon 42 months of treading by the Gentiles. It’s an interesting primer. Read the rest of the well-documented events and his take on Revelation 11.

Note: Instead of linking these posts about being a witness for Jesus Christ, we’ll tag them “Gospel Witness” at the bottom. You’ll find them all, by clicking this Tag, as we post them over time on no particular schedule.

But don’t wait; here is some background about being a witness for Jesus Christ. (I was tired when it was written; it ain’t pretty, but the info is solid.) And here is specific technical instruction on how to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the form of a Gospel Primer. Get started right away, souls are dying and you’re losing your civilization.

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“He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.” Proverbs 10:5

It is a high privilege and an unspeakable honor to be given the precious opportunity to lead a lost soul into the Kingdom of God. Through opening our Bible and sharing the Word of God, we offer opportunity after opportunity for lost sinners, under the power and conviction of the Holy Spirit of God, to come to the fullness of faith in Jesus Christ and get saved. Soul winners gather the Lord’s harvest. When He points out that you failed even to enter the battlefield, what will you say? Don’t bring shame to your Father.

You can learn how to be good at sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You can be a soul winner. You are already the exact right witness for a whole host of people that need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You need a few tools, putting your hand to the plow so that Holy God can more fully put you to use for His preeminent glory.

Being good at soul winning is more about being faithful to the Lord than talent or ability. God brings fruit through our faithfulness to go and tell the Gospel to whoever will listen.

“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” John 15:16

Soul-winning is a mission-specific ordination of the Father through His Son to all Christians (Acts 1:8). We are to bring forth good fruit for the glory of Father God. Some of the fruit that remains are new converts, true converts to Jesus Christ.

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8

And so there you are, at the uttermost part of the earth, right where God put you. All Christians are witnesses for Jesus Christ. You are either a bad witness or a good witness in all that you do. We should be good witnesses and endeavor to get better at witnessing. We become soul winners by being good witnesses through taking our Bible and sharing verses with lost sinners.

Sharing verses with lost sinners from the Bible invites the Holy Spirit into a conversation to bring conviction to the heart of the lost sinner. By this means, they realize their need for Jesus, trust Jesus through the cross, and accept the offer of salvation. (Romans 10:17)

“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10

Soul winners seek that which was lost. Please don’t show up before the throne of God Almighty empty-handed. Soul winners bring in the Lord’s bountiful harvest of precious souls.

“Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” John 15:8

Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is not a passive state of being. It is an active faith while being about the Father’s business. One primary task in this business is to share the Gospel with everybody to bear fruit for the King.

Jesus, in Mark 16, commands us to fulfill the Great Commission:

“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15

The very first duty under this commission is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with lost souls. If they have faith and believe in Jesus Christ, they will get saved.

“Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.” Luke 8:11

As witnesses for Jesus Christ, we often share our testimony. As messengers of Christ’s Gospel we tell the simple Gospel truth; Christ’s crucifixion for our sin, death, burial, and resurrection. As soul winners we plant those precious seeds from the Word of God by being prepared and regularly seeking opportunities to share the Gospel. Soul winners bring lost sinners all the way to the point of asking Holy God for salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord. A soul winner tells people what great things Christ has already done for them by sharing verses of scripture that show the lost sinner his need, and specifically the Gospel.

“And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.” Matthew 4:19-20

The fruit of the Christian is to be fishers of men, sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ while bringing lost sinners to the foot of the cross so that Holy God can convict them of their eternal soul’s condition. A soul winner is a fisher for those souls Holy Father God desires to save.

“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he that winneth souls is wise.” Proverbs 11:30

“He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” Psalm 126:6

“How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” Romans 10:14-15

The glad tidings of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ to bring eternal life are the greatest thing that a Christian can ever share with a lost sinner, “so shall ye be my disciples.”

“An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.” – Proverbs 21:4

Don’t be deceived by the soft peddlers of the new religion. There are indeed some things that God hates. God hates pride, and the Bible doesn’t say one good word about it. God hates a proud look. But worse, are you trying to do good, plowing row after row of charitable works? This is admirable, perhaps, but why do you consider that it needs to be done? Why are things so broken? Why do men need charity at all? Neither be deceived by your own mind. The world is broken. By doing charitable things, you admit that. Why not just call it sin? That’s why everything is broken. There is none righteous, no, not one; sin has wreaked havoc across the globe for as long as men can remember. It may seem right to be involved in charity, but the ends thereof are death by charity alone.

“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” – Proverbs 14:12

The charitable works in and of themselves have no effect on your sin or on your eternal state, which is death. They might make you feel good, but the best you can conceive won’t save you no matter how right it feels to accomplish what are otherwise good deeds. The Almighty declares in Isaiah 55:8, “ For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.” You will be judged, every man, according to your works. And then you will be found guilty. Marvel not; God knows your secrets.

“For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” – Ecclesiastes 12:14

Holy God will bring every work into judgment and not simply the ones you think will tilt the balance or cover the multitude of your wickedness. There is no balance; the standard is holiness, and you can never appertain to it under your own efforts. You’ve done evil already; you, by your works, are guilty of sin. No law can justify the guilty, for you are ungodly before the law of God. The Almighty is the highest Lawgiver, the great and terrible Judge of the quick and the dead. You’ve got secrets so shameful that you would never dare to tell a soul, but God sees them all. Your works mock God, but the secrets reveal your true self to Him. Face it; you do evil without even considering any consequence. But the Judge of all creation will bring every work into account. You must know that, deep in your mind, why else would you be trying to be a good person on the outside. There is a judgment with every secret thing, both good and evil.

“But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” – Romans 4:5

But to him that worketh not? To him, that doesn’t try to cover his inequity with charitable deeds? How can this be? It seems so strange. God doesn’t go by what you hold out to be good and evil, correct or wrong. Self-righteousness is the biggest obstacle for many who otherwise would come to the fullness of the knowledge of Christ Jesus: to accept that God is God; that hurdle is pride. Your rules, your works, your own efforts at being good; do you see the problem? It’s you; it’s all about you, what you want, what you think and say and do, and how you measure yourself. That’s pride. God hates a proud look!

You stand this day before the Judge of all creation from whom you need mercy. Those needing mercy don’t proffer their resume of good deeds; that’s not mercy, it’s self-justification, that’s pride! You need forgiveness; you need God to be God, for you’re a mortal man hurtling toward an uncertain death with no natural way to be sure what comes next. Your body will give out and soon expire; you can’t stop it. You need the favor of God Almighty, the only true and worthy King. He wants you to have the grace of His complete and determinant pardon, which requires unconditional surrender by you, bringing a personal relationship through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

Salvation is not to him that tries to justify himself, but to him that believes on the God that has the power and authority to truly justify. God doesn’t justify the self-justified, the self-righteous, the baptized, the churchgoer, or the religionist. God doesn’t justify the kind, helpful, charitable, caring, and giving. God justifies the ungodly. You need Him; there’s no other way, no other truth, no other life eternal but by Christ Jesus.

Salvation is not because of who you are or what good things you do, but because of who He is. For He is the God of all glory who created things seen and unseen, things known and unknown, the bringer of revelation yet to come, the provider of all for all, the One that makes it rain on the just and the unjust alike; it is God that justifies the ungodly.

He is God, and you are not. Only God could make a way that doesn’t count deeds, but one of pardon to those that are doubtless guilty for the sin which reigns unto death, even the death of your soul. But to them that believe in the power of Christ Jesus, your faith can be counted for righteousness. Do you get that? Your deeds cannot justify, but your faith can be counted for righteousness! You can be taken from sin and death trying to be good enough to justified by belief and further made righteous by faith! This isn’t mere pardon; this is complete restoration above the prior estate through resurrection unto eternal life. This is the grace of God Almighty, to save that which was lost, who is calling all that would come by faith unto the glorious salvation in Christ Jesus.

Someone godly paid your way. Jesus Christ, the virgin born, only begotten Son of the living God, was crucified, executed in the most brutal ways that you, an ungodly prideful wicked sinner, might be made free from the works of self-justification. As of a precious Lamb without spot, Jesus’ blood was tendered. Your debt has been paid in full. Jesus did no sin because there was no sin in Him. That’s how He is ample payment for you. His works, His good deeds were all good, and there were no secrets between Him and Father God, no accounts to settle. This way, He can cover your sin by His blood and wipe away your ledger with God because, you being ungodly, but Jesus Christ being worthy of God, He took your place being reckoned among the transgressors, yet He was without sin, that you might be made righteous in Him. He died for the ungodly; the just for the unjust. He died for you.

Jesus Christ dying for you according to the Old Testament scriptural prophecies was God’s plan. Accept Him as payment. Here’s the best part, though; he didn’t stay dead. Jesus wasn’t just another guy that spoke of love and kindness and then died? No, He rose again from the grave the third day just as He said He would. He was seen by dozens and dozens of witnesses after His resurrection and was even seen of above 500 brethren at once, declaring, “…Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”

“Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins” Colossians 1:11-14

Without merit, you can have the forgiveness of sins, being bought with His blood, redeemed. God, having created and made you, can translate you out of the kingdom of death and hell, into the kingdom of His own Son, with all saints being made fit to see God face to face, not guilty but full of thanksgiving to behold His glorious power which strengthens us with His might, only to find that God is love to those that love Him enough to come to Him by faith. We love Him, because He first loved us. It’s God that justifies the ungodly.

A mea culpa, (via WRSA) but why not call it what it is?

“26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” – Romans 1:26-32

Everyone comes to the realization of sin in their own time, in their own way. Most deny it when faced with it. This post isn’t against the author of the linked piece. It’s Christian instruction and what used to be common knowledge.

Verse 28 of Romans 1 says of sodomites that “God gave them over to a reprobate mind.” Sodomy running rampant in your country isn’t a sign of judgment; it is judgment. The Holy Bible says that God will wreck your entire civilization over the course of generations that you may fill up the measure of your iniquity, bringing your Descendants to faith by repentance, crying out for forgiveness from Him. Yeah, I don’t like it either, but we don’t get a vote; He is God, we are not.

God’s chief attribute is that He is holy. He is perfect first, before all other things. A people do not mock His created order except under severe penalty, which is death. Those that do such things are “worthy of death.” And so the unrepentant will die in eternity, and the West along with them because the Church is no more. If the individuals in your civilization are worthy of death, then your society, which also becomes worthy of death, will not stand.

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness” – Romans 1:18

When people know the truth but identify good as bad and evil as good, they hold the truth in unrighteousness, and the wrath of God abides on them being revealed from heaven against that people. Romans 1:18 is the difference between national blessings bestowed by God or national curses for rejection of righteousness; God handing your civilization over to wickedness.

“Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” – James 1:15

I feel sorry for sodomites. Their mind is not their own; they have been handed over to vile affections and the unnatural use of their body. A little sodomy is ok, but we shouldn’t teach children about it? This is not a serious-minded position. There is no such thing as a little bit of sin against God. Sin begets more sin. God is Judge, and the penalty is death.

The scary part is that so few understand what’s happening to America and the depths of where we are headed. The American Church is false and therefore has no more influence.

When your Church has no response to sin, you have no Church! American Christians, if that’s what they are, have no answers to what’s happening. They are also blinded. The American Church hasn’t a clue as the people there are busy watching porn and football, playing video games, getting abortions, and handing their children to the State to raise because they couldn’t be bothered. The American Church says, well, maybe there isn’t anything that bad as sin. These, too, will burn! You teach the whole counsel, the whole ordinance of God, or you are false. Either the church of the living God calls evil against men and God sin, or there is no church at all.

Don’t expect the State to solve this problem. It can’t. Even if the State wanted to solve sin, it lacks the capacity to do that which only God retains authority over. This duty falls to the church.

This isn’t only about sodomy; that’s just one sin of many. Most sinners, and all men are sinners, like just a little private sin. But that’s not how sin works. Sin is the gateway drug to sin and more sin. You can’t have a little indulgence on the side; that’s not how sin works. Sin isn’t the result of what we do; it’s what we are, at our core. We are cursed and produce evil at every turn. The more we do it, the more we want it.

“Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” – Ecclesiastes 8:11

Always and forever, men misunderstand God’s patience and longsuffering in love as tolerance, but it is not so. They go so far as to say, where is God? But be sure, your sin will find you out. Sin is sin; it violates God’s created order; the sentence will be passed and executed.

“But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.” – Ecclesiastes 8:13

In God’s economy, there are two kinds of people; them that believe on the Lord to the saving of their soul and them that don’t. Among them that don’t, some are wholly wicked and perverse. God makes clear that He is sore displeased with those people, has turned them over to a reprobate mind, blinded them to Him, and that they need to be, depending on the nature of it, put out of society or killed for the preservation and good order that a people walk not as animals but upright before the Judge of all. Some people actively make war on God, and they need to be dealt with. That’s what the laws of Western Civilization have reflected for hundreds of years until recently.

“Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools” – Romans 1:22

If anybody can claim to be anything and nobody may call it a sin, we have lawlessness; it’s anarchy. They are as animals! Equality is government-created anarchy attempting to invert creation itself, causing a state of corruption not only civil and legal but, most importantly, moral; it’s an open insurrection in rebellion against Holy and Almighty God!

The fundamental Christians are right. They keep their women home and dress them modestly. Their women obey their menfolk, and their children keep silent until addressed. They homeschool and teach; yes, ma’am, and yes, sir! They train their children daily in the moral code of Holy God. They do these things so that perverts and freaks don’t lay hold of their women and children and turn their family and all of society to follow after the wickedness of sin! Do they still sound crazy; or seem a little extreme? Maybe they’re on to something and not so foolish after all. Oh, and they still call sin, sin.

Creation is God’s; His created order is ordained that it might go well with you and that your days may be long upon the land. You either operate within His order or are cursed, damned to suffer the consequences, both personally and as a civilization.

God doesn’t compare us to each other, He holds out holy as the standard, and no cursed man can attain. But you can be forgiven, even delivered from your sin. God can deliver the drunk to be sober. God can deliver the addict to clean, the deviant to a lovely heart with pureness of mind; only the Lord can reform the wicked. God can restore a man, a marriage, a family, a nation if only you would submit to His authority.

God doesn’t just forgive sin through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ; He can deliver the sinner from His affliction. And which is the greater miracle, to be forgiven or made whole? Forgiveness is not a license to sin; go and sin more.

Here is Part One. All of the parts of this series are linked in that one place.

As background to this passage in Matthew 24, civil order is falling apart leading up to 70AD. Leader is turning against leader (kingdom) and tribe against tribe (nation). The century-long, openly cozy arrangement between the Sanhedrin civil leadership in Jerusalem and the Caesars of Rome is on shaky ground because Jewish infighting has begun. Many on the ruling council believed on Jesus, and many did not (brother against brother).

The relationship has to fall apart as the Jews rebel against Rome because the Lord of Hosts is bringing judgment. Keep in mind; God needs an army to effect His wrath. That army is Roman; they are the world power at that time; this fits the prophetic judgment practice throughout Scripture. “Great tribulation” was coming. This also fits with the historical accounts and the hyperbolic language patterns of Scripture. Do your research.

One could make the case to point out; “this generation” had violated most every one of the commandments God gave in Deuteronomy 27:14-26 and thereby brought these curses upon themselves.

Matthew 24, verses 15 and 16:

Verse 15 refers to Romans, who are not Levitical Priests but unclean (abominable), being in the holiest of holies in the Temple. Many surmise this to be perhaps a Roman general. There is no person “The Antichrist,” so it’s not that.

“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains” – Matthew 24:15-16

This is the signal event. Now the disciples know the answer to “when.” When the disciples see Roman soldiers in the Temple, this is the sign; it’s time to flee Judea into the mountains.

Verses 17-22 are the “Great Tribulation” verses in Matthew 24. Let’s look at the parallel “Great Tribulation” verses from Luke 21:

“20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. 21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. 22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 23 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. 24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” – Luke 21:20-24

Luke 21, verse 23 declares: “wrath upon this people.” Yes, upon that generation. This passage seems pretty plain to understand. When Roman armies begin to surround Jerusalem, this, again, is the signal event. When the disciples saw troops in the religious, cultural, social, and civil center (Temple) and beginning to surround the city with men and equipment, it was time to go. Jesus is making a very practical point. Jesus mentions Jerusalem and Judea specifically. The capital was, in fact, laid siege by the Romans within that generation. All these things came to pass just as Jesus prophesied them to occur.

Verses 23-27:

“23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have told you before. 26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. 27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” – Matthew 24:23-27

These verses should also be read in conjunction with Luke 17:22-37. The parallel passage to Matthew 24 is in Luke 21. But, “I have told before” (about the false Christs that will arise) in verse 25 would indicate that Jesus has already told His disciples not to be deceived by these soon-coming events. He is reminding them. That section of Luke 17 doesn’t appear to be out of place when understood in this context.

Many false men would appear and try to lead the elect away into believing that they were the returning Christ. We show verse 27 with verses 23-26 to point out that the events spoken of by Jesus Christ were of coming in great power and glory, with terrible tribulations to behold as He implemented judgment on that generation. He would not be the teaching meek Galilean again but as the Lord of Hosts coming on clouds of power (Matthew 24:30) unmistakable in His glory.

Verse 27 is a wonderful view of apocalyptic language. The coming of Christ was unmistakable, with great power and years of tribulations, as the eyewitnesses to these events tell it. There was no “light pollution” from cities back then. When lightning cracked the sky from horizon to horizon, God’s fantastic display of power was something incredible to behold. So too was the coming of the Son of man. (Luke 17:24)

Verse 28:

“For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.” – Matthew 24:28

This verse references the banner of the Roman legions (Luke 17:37). The “world” at that time, especially Israel, was under military occupation by the Romans. The Roman soldiers would carry a banner with an eagle depicted on it. Everyone would have known precisely what Christ meant when he said: “there will the eagles be gathered together.”

Everyone hated to see the Roman bands of soldiers marching into their district. It meant nothing good was about to happen. The plain meaning of Matthew 23 and 24 is that judgment was at hand, and it would be the Roman armies used by the Lord of Hosts to destroy the Temple. This would fulfill the Old Testament ending the prior religious system of animal sacrifices. Jesus Christ, the only true spotless Lamb of God, was soon to be the final sacrifice once for all, and then the Gospel would be preached throughout the empire. Then the end would come in 70AD, and with the Temple, all of Jerusalem would soon be destroyed, and Judea and greater Israel with it. The law and prophets (OT) were being fulfilled in Christ.

Interestingly, in Jeremiah 19:7-8, though probably not related, we see similar prophetic language. There are other sections of Scripture, too, where the wicked are left to be torn by wild animals as they are eaten. That Jesus brings this prophetic language to a practical level about the Roman armies destroying Jerusalem is proof that He is God. The men He’s talking with are Jews. They would understand the references and know that it was the banner of the Roman legions to which He referred.

Verses 29-31 are hyperbolic language typical of an Apocalypse (Revelation of God). It fills one with awe and wonder at the things of God. Christ would soon ascend to have all power over heaven and to rule events on earth. Being seated at the right hand of Power, His authority was on display as He drove the armies of destruction to His purposes in the first century. Read Hebrews 12:24-29. Jesus is not only shaking the sons of men but the sons of God in earth and in heaven. Everything is changing; nothing of the old is to be left.

Verse 34 is the last “this generation” statement in the discourse. Based on the last question (Matthew 24:3): “…and (what shall be the sign) of the end of the world?” We must decide if the topic shifts away from what would affect those disciples and that generation to “the end.” Most think that the subject changes to a much distant future second physical coming at “the end of the world.” They say that Jesus is answering the second half of the second question about the end.

At any rate, be ready. If it is “the end,” consider studying this section in conjunction with Second Peter, who also, under the power of the Holy Spirit, likens the end to the days before the flood, as does Jesus here. But God’s covenant promise in Genesis 9 will not be broken, so the end of the world comes by fire the second time. There are those also who see  Matthew 24 in a double sense, both as the destruction of Jerusalem and as a foreshadowing of events in the second coming. And, of course, some refuse to acknowledge what is plainly meant by Jesus in connection with the events that did take place in that generation.

I have my doubts that the topic shifts away from the first century after the final “this generation” statement. The end of the world, a consummation of the age, was upon them. The Jewish worship system and the Jewish estate were ending with it. Christianity was born and changed the whole world (the Roman Empire) as they knew it. These birth pains were all part of the inception of the New Covenant, a better covenant with all men that by the grace of God, salvation had come to the Jew first and also to the Gentile, extending to the heathen in the uttermost parts of the earth and by these means; the church of the holy and almighty living God was birthed as Christ ended the age. The Gospel entered in as a flood and has been rising ever since, giving God’s own Son a new bride.

Matthew 24 is the end of the age; Anno Domini, the year of the Lord, has arrived.

The weak and beggarly attitude of those who profess Christ but deny His power to conquer every aspect of society as God puts all enemies under the feet of Jesus is destroying the church and civilization with it. If only they could understand the power that lives in them to bring in His kingdom. God, open their blinded eyes!

It’s not precisely known when the end of the world will be. When He returns, I want to be found tending to His vineyard, hand to the plow, bearing fruit in serving my Master.

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We don’t necessarily agree with everything in these resources. They may help.

https://www.kennethgentry.com/olivet-discourse-made-easy-book-by-gentry/

https://libertyfellowshipmt.com/Store.aspx#!/The-Destruction-Of-Jerusalem-DVD-By-Pastor-Chuck-Baldwin-PASTOR-BALDWINS-MOST-REQUESTED-MESSAGE/p/147743354/category=15986016

https://www.amazon.com/Destruction-Jerusalem-Absolute-Irresistible-Christianity/dp/0967831725

Here is Part One. All of the parts of this series are linked in that one place.

Before reading this installment, read the quoted text that’s the first half of Part Eight, and come back.

Note: We’re going to make some unqualified statements. TCJ is not the proper format for book-length material. (Insert “too late” joke here.) But more importantly, you must do the research to reach your own conclusions.

“That all these things came to pass in that generation, that is, before the overthrow of the Jewish capital, is questioned by many exegetes. We must therefore make appeal (a) to well authenticated facts, and (b) then inquire how far the facts really fulfill the import of the prophecy.” – M. S. Terry

That’s your task. Perhaps what you know is right, perhaps not. In the endnotes, we’ll link some study resources. Unless you drink of the water yourself, you won’t know for sure. Is God worth it? How badly do you want the truth in the face of what the American Churches are teaching? Something is wrong with Christian teaching in America. The church is not supposed to be scrimping by cowering in fear of the world. Christian victory over sin and the world start with the correct doctrine, which lends power to the believer to declare to the wicked that Christ is King! I believe the false teaching of Matthew 24 and the entire gospel narrative is a critical reason that His church is not dominating family, culture, society, business, and government. If the gates of hell shall not prevail against His church, why are we losing?

Now to the text, three important points need to be made first. One, there is a change of scene but not of topic. In Matthew Chapter 24, Jesus with His disciples leave the temple, have a brief exchange, and then go to the Mount of Olives. The location changes, but the discourse continues about the wrath that abides on that generation. Secondly, we remain squarely between 2 “this generation” statements; Matthew 23:36 and Matthew 24:34. There is no way around these facts except to make up some other circumstance and meaning behind these verses. Thirdly, lest your mind begins to wonder, in verse 24:16, Jesus refocuses us by referring to them that be in Judea. Who is to hear and know how to react to this discourse? He’s speaking to His disciples about that generation and specific events in and around Judea.

“And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.” – Matthew 24:1

As they leave the temple, the disciples show Him the magnificence of the structure. Read Mark 13:1 and Luke 21:5. The disciples may have brought up the temple because Jesus just said, “…your house is left unto desolate” (Chapter 23, verse 38), speaking of the temple. We couldn’t know for sure, but He may have indicated the temple during that statement. It’s widely agreed that “your house” refers to the temple. “Your house” may also refer to the entire Jewish estate under the Law of Moses.

So, the disciples point out how great an edifice the temple is to behold, and surely it was, but judgment is being passed; Jesus makes His decree:

“And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” – Matthew 24:2.

It would be a stretch to claim to know what specifically Jesus was indicating by any gestures, but it doesn’t matter; God destroyed everything, within sight of their location, in that generation. Firsthand accounts explain that the temple was decimated, utterly leveled to the ground.

Jesus moves to the Mount of Olives, where the disciples ask two questions. Having just heard the (seven) woes (Matthew 23:13-31) against that generation and the declaration of the desolation (Matthew 23:38) and destruction of the temple as they walk off the temple grounds (Matthew 24:2), His disciples ask the questions. The Bible shows two questions, but the second one contains two points they seek to understand.

“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” – Matthew 24:3

When shall these things be? What shall be the sign of thy coming? And (what shall be the sign) of the end of the world?

Note carefully that they didn’t ask what things. They knew what things! The disciples ask “when” because Jesus just told them what. “What” are the destruction of the temple and all that’s been pronounced against that generation from the days of John the Baptist forward. The disciples need to know when because they will be there in Judea!

Suppose that God told you the city you live in was going to be destroyed; what would you ask? Would you say; Oh, we don’t much care about that; tell us about thousands of years from now? Or would you ask; really, when? And what will be the indicator (sign) that the time is imminent?

The topic has NOT changed from Matthew 23, only the physical location of Jesus and those with Him. As we’ve endeavored to show in this series of posts, these questions from the disciples are not asked in isolation. We are coming to the end of a three-year-long training of the disciples. This topic of the coming judgment of God is leveled many times at that generation by both the prophets and Jesus.

The wider context of the entire New Testament is the ending of the Old Covenant and the bringing in of the New Covenant. Matthew 24 is not randomly placed or outside of this context. Jesus (the bridegroom) is not patching an old garment or filling an old wineskin (Mark 2:20-22); He’s making a New Covenant with all men.

Verses 4-5:

“4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” – Matthew 24:4-5

Many men claimed to be Christ, but they could not deceive God’s elect. You will need to study this yourself. The facts of, for example, the Babylonian captivity are painstakingly detailed, and Christian Scholars readily point to the historical records of men. Still, some Christians refuse to examine the first-century history of the events prophesied by Jesus in Matthew 24.

Verses 6-8:

“6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.” – Matthew 24:6-8

Know first that wars and rumors of wars have existed since before the flood. What could Jesus be talking about? Jesus told His disciples that they were not to be troubled by hearsay and rumors because the end is not yet. Still needing to know when, Jesus tells them that these are the “beginning.” (of sorrows.)

You will have to study these verses, perhaps from the material listed below, along with Jewish and Roman historians of that time. Also, the words kingdom and nation should be examined closely in the New Testament. When Jesus mentions kingdoms and nations and earthquakes, He may be looking afar off to other parts of the Roman Empire, but we doubt that He is looking forward in time. This is about the first century as He addresses the men before Him. We’re still between two “this generation” statements, and He shortly (verse 16) brings the discourse back locally to Judea.

Nation and kingdom can also denote local rulers and the tribes of the 12 sons of Jacob.

As to verse 09, Remember first what our Lord told the apostles in Chapter 10:

“21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. 23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.”  – Matthew 10:21-23 )Verse 23 of Matthew 10 is discussed in Part Three.)

Here is verse 9:

“Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.” – Matthew 24:9

The things described in Matthew 24 are not delivered to casual observers or observers at all. These disciples had their charge; their mission had clearly been stated and taught over three years. None of Matthew 24 is an intellectual exercise. Jesus had already told these men that they would die for Him. They actually need the information imparted here to carry out their training and the orders given by the Son of God. The two questions in verse 3 are no abstraction of a vaguely foreseen future thousands of years off.

Hated by all nations can mean all the tribes of the sons of Jacob, but indeed Christians are hated the world over up to this day. Well, the Christians that carry out the mission of Christ are hated. The fake ones get along just fine.

Verses 11-13:

“11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” – Matthew 24:11-13.

Many suppose these verses to be about us today. That may be a proper application for edification so that we are warned against these things. But John says that the spirit of antichrist was already at work in the world (1 John 4:3) after the resurrection. We doubt that these verses point expressly to some far future day. It’s been this way from the very start. Take heed and be warned today, but these verses don’t change the date of the destruction of Jerusalem.

Jesus tells them, “he that shall endure unto the end” So, this is not “when” either.

Some use these verses to show how Christianity is defeated and shrinks back as the Second Advent approaches. But this contradicts the many “Kingdom of Heaven” parables, especially the Mustard Seed and Leaven parables (Matthew 13:31-33, discussed in Part Six). Instead of rightly seeing Matthew 24 and Revelation as the first-century consummation of the Old Covenant order and bringing in the New Covenant with Christ, they see these two prophetic scriptures as the Second Advent Only. Either we win by conquering sin and the world through the power of the Holy Spirit in us, or we deny the power of God unto salvation. The notion that it’s all going to worsen and that Christians should hold on tight to the end is born out of a false understanding and, therefore, false teaching of Matthew 24 and Revelation; now is the Kingdom of God and of His Christ through the power of Gospel.

Verse 14:

The Gospel entered in as a flood and has been rising ever since. Before the destruction of the old religion, the Gospel was preached into all the (Roman Empire) world, spreading the good news unto all men through belief by faith. The Gospel was well established before the destructive event upon the old. In terms of the span of the entire course of human history, this appears to be one event; the Kingdom of God was born. Then the end of everything the apostles knew; history, society, and culture, all of which revolved around the Mosaic Law and the temple; it was all over. Since this Gospel witness is ongoing today, many conclude that this verse also stretches into far history.

“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” – Matthew 24:14

Jesus tells them that once they’ve preached in all the world, “then shall the end come.” Then shall be the end of former estate, the Old Testiment, will be completed and with it that entire system of worship is ended. They’ve been trained for this; this is their task; preaching the Gospel to every creature unto the uttermost part of the earth is what disciples do.

Here is Part One. All of the parts of this series are linked in that one place.

No marks, no comments, no verse or chapter markings, no headings; read this, read it five times if you must:

“Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.”

In Matthew 23:33, here is yet another direct assault on this generation by our Lord.

“Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” – Matthew 23:33

“34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: 35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.” – Matthew 23:34-35

Verse 34: Jesus tells the Jews that they will kill, crucify, and scourge the teachers and preachers (Prophets and wise men and scribes) of the now coming New Covenant. This indicates that Jews will be persecutors of the disciples in a significant way. They followed the disciples around Judeaizing them (Acts 15:1), and when that didn’t work, they simply killed them or, more often, did what they did to Jesus, got Rome to do their dirty work for them. This was all fulfilled in the first century as the siege 67-70AD approached. Jesus is in the temple proclaiming these things while looking real people in the eye; Pharisees, Herodians, Sadducees, scribes, civil and religious leaders, and other people of all ranges. These things are not said in some mystical or strange manner that needs to be decrypted. These are direct prophetic threats against that generation from God Almighty; you are guilty!

Verse 35: all the righteous blood shed upon the earth (Land or Judea), from the first murder after the fall of man right up to the last murder (Zacharias son of Barachias) that took place in the temple as the Roman armies approached. This generation was to pay for it all. This is horrifying; the holy righteous, just lawgiver determining the wrath of all those sins upon that generation. Of course, the threat is not idle; verses 34 and 35 are one sentence, there is payment for persecuting God’s men.

“Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.” – Matthew 23:36

How could this be anything other than the very people Jesus is speaking with as He accuses them in the most public manner? The temple was not only a worship center; life in Jerusalem revolved around it. It was a meeting place and social center. This isn’t a private conversation that’s taking place. It’s hard to know how many hundreds or thousands may have heard this.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” – Matthew 23:37

Verse 37 is beautiful in showing God’s longsuffering, but He is holy, and we see God’s wrath in judgment as patience runs out. Here too, is His abiding desire for mercy and reconciliation with those that seek Him. It pricks the heart to consider God’s mercy on our despicable country if only we would come to Him acknowledging His authority and our need for reconciliation; we, too, are a wicked and perverse generation. Don’t be deceived; there is no reason to celebrate what will come upon that generation; God’s judgments are sure and continue today. This verse also offers excellent instruction in righteousness for believers; that they falter not. Stay steadfast to the end, enduring in the hope of the knowledge that we will see Him as He is and will be like Him.

“Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.” – Matthew 23:38

Daniel 9:26 says in part, “…and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary, and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.” (See Luke 21:20)

The word prince is lower case. However, Daniel likely did not know that those people would be the Roman armies of the first century. And see Daniel 9:27, in which “that determined” is the judgment of God upon that generation; the 70 weeks was drawing to a close in the first century.

Some say in verse 38, Jesus may be referring to His (for He is God) absence from the temple. As we’ve explained, there is no need for a temple because the body of Christ is the temple of a new and better covenant with all men.

Vox.

I reached out to Stephen Gutowski, the founder of TheReload.com and a longtime reporter on the gun beat, for the latest episode of Vox Conversations. Gutowski is pro-gun, but he’s also a good-faith voice in this space, and I was looking for someone who could make his side of the argument intelligible to people who don’t understand it.

We talk about my own ambivalence on this issue, the blind spots on the left and right, how he makes sense of America’s obsession with guns, and if he thinks we can ever find a way out of the scorched-earth debate we seem to be stuck in.

Notice the term categorization and scorched earth policies the writer uses right up front.  Only someone who is willing to compromise is debating in “good faith.”  Second, anyone who likes to shoot, for hunting, or sporting purposes like three-gun, two-gun, precision rifle, or simply range shooting, has an “obsession with guns.”  Or anyone who believes that all gun control laws are an infringement upon liberties is obsessed.

Next in our little survey of this conversation, “pro-gun” Stephen Gutowski makes the following statement.

I think that there’s often a lack of focus on trying to come up with real solutions for gun violence. [The gun-control movement is] often looked at instinctively as attempts to restrict gun ownership or gun rights. But restricting gun ownership is not the only thing you can do to address gun violence. So there’s just not enough focus from the right on all the potential solutions that might make a difference without necessarily impacting individual gun rights.

Take note.  Restricting gun ownership isn’t the only thing you can do to address violent, and also take careful note that in order to be a legitimate and good faith advocate for gun rights, you must engage a debate about things you can do to reduce violence.  Much more on that in a moment.  Next, the “pro-gun rights” guys says this.

The president likes to say that no amendment is unlimited, and, frankly, he’s right there.

Next up, here’s that time-honored tradition of asserting that a piece of metal can change human psychology.

How much training is enough? I’m a veteran; I was trained to use a pistol and a rifle, but that was 20 years ago. I’ve barely fired any guns since I left the service. I don’t think I’m prepared to walk around town with a gun on my hip. And that’s not because I can’t shoot, it’s because possessing a gun can change the dynamics of an otherwise trivial confrontation and not being prepared for that responsibility is dangerous, and I worry that most people have even less training than I do.

[ … ]

My worry is that having a gun increases the likelihood that a bad interaction will escalate needlessly. There are a lot of people who think they’ll be safer with a gun, and in some cases, they surely will be, but often pulling a gun in order to neutralize a situation only intensifies it.

Sure, a potential rape victim is only intensifying the situation if she pulls a gun.

To give you an example, I was in the grocery store a few weeks ago in southern Mississippi, and there was a guy in line in front of me with a 9-millimeter on his hip. I’ll be charitable and say he didn’t look trained. But the point is that I don’t get what’s going on there. Carrying a concealed gun is one thing, but this guy wanted everyone to see it. To me that’s inviting aggression or it’s just dumb posturing. I don’t buy that he’s seriously scared of being assaulted in the produce aisle.

What am I missing here?

Let me explain what you’re missing here, and then the reader can go read the rest of this silly conversation as he wishes.

When people make the decision to carry and take it seriously, as one might have car insurance or health insurance or life insurance, or carry an emergency suction device for choking victims (I read just recently about a child who was choking on her food and saved by a stranger who just happens to carry such a device as part of their planning for emergencies), they are making the decision to be disciplined about it.

That means carrying even when you don’t like it.  I hate carrying things on my person.  I don’t wear jewelry, I don’t wear watches, and even hate carrying my phone around and won’t do it if I don’t have to.

But in this case, I will carry a firearm because of [we’ll call it] “The practice of discipline.”  For those who are in that category, they may just hate to carry IWB.  It sweats the weapon and corrodes it, it’s uncomfortable, and it’s unnecessary.  No, we’re not trying to prove something.  It’s just the way we choose to carry.  And finally, there was a time in American history when it was considered unlike a gentleman to carry a weapon concealed.  No gentleman, it was thought, would conceal his weapons.  Open carry was the order of the day.  And it’s easier for men to conceal than women.  Men can hide weapons in our girth.  It’s much more difficult for most women to do that.

So let’s get the root of the problem here.  The constitution isn’t a source of rights.  It is a contract and covenant.  The bill of rights constitutes limitations on governmental overreach.  The root of the problem is that no matter what these writers feel about the limitations on amendments, rights (and duties) come from the Almighty.  We’ve discussed this before.

But if you wish for more direct evidence of ownership of weapons in the Scriptures, look no further than what Jesus commanded in Luke 22:36.  Let’s look at the cultural context for a moment.

… for some evidence, see Digest 48.6.1: collecting weapons ‘beyond those customary for hunting or for a journey by land or sea’ is forbidden; 48.6.3.1 forbids a man ‘of full age’ appearing in public with a weapon (telum) (references and translation are from Mommsen 1985). See also Mommsen 1899: 564 n. 2; 657-58 n. 1; and Linderski 2007: 102-103 (though he cites only Mommsen). Other laws from the same context of the Digest sometimes cited in this regard are not as worthwhile for my purposes because they seem to be forbidding the possession of weapons with criminal intent. But for the outright forbidding of being armed while in public in Rome, see Cicero’s letter to his brother relating an incident in Rome in which a man, who is apparently falsely accused of plotting an assassination, is nonetheless arrested merely for having confessed to having been armed with a dagger while in the city: To Atticus, Letter 44 (II.24). See also Cicero, Philippics 5.6 (§17). Finally we may cite a letter that Synesius of Cyrene wrote to his brother, probably sometime around the year 400 ce. The brother had apparently questioned the legality of Synesius having his household produce weapons to defend themselves against marauding bands. Synesius points out that there are no Roman legions anywhere near for protection, but he seems reluctantly to admit that he is engaged in an illegal act (Letter 107; for English trans., see Fitzgerald 1926).

In this passage, Jesus is quite literally ordering His disciples to ignore the Roman laws and disobey them, buy weapons, and be ready to use them.  He is turning His disciples into lawbreakers for the sake of having self defense.

At its roots, these are issues of epistemology (your source of knowledge), ontology, and Biblical law.  Neither author gets that.  To assert that the only ones who are debating “in good faith” are the ones willing to compromise, is to assert that we should be willing to negotiate away God’s law and settle for enslavement rather than liberty.  What God has granted, no man can take away.  Why would a man choose enslavement when God has set him free?

And mark this down for your records.  I had only been exposed to “The Reload” once before, and this time it is even more distasteful.  I don’t consider him to be a legitimate defender of gun rights and will never cite him.  Be careful, Mr. Gutowski, who you befriend.

As for having these debates, this is an ongoing process here on these pages.  We just don’t compromise.  If you believe that you have to compromise to have a debate, I don’t think you understand the word “debate” at all.

Read Micah 7:3

Politics is a waste of time. Wicked reprobate politician A does such and such a sin against corrupt evil politician B? Why do Christians bother watching? We love our sin while reviling others. There’s a whole industry on TV around watching people so that we can tell ourselves; at least I’m not that bad. The person in the mirror is no less guilty before God.

Evil can’t cast out evil. Politicians will never solve what they purport to address because they use more sin to cover sin. It’s silly. Politics is like watching mindless morons walk around in circles bouncing off objects in their path. The problem is; they involve all of us in their nefarious plots.

War is the worst. There is always a conspiracy behind war. All wars have come with a raft of lies. Behind those lies are the lusts of the hearts of men as they desire to consume that which brings them the vainglory of money and power.

“From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” James 4:1-3

We have suspicions about why the church at Jerusalem was lusting for war, but that’s another topic. Almighty God got His vengeance and His glory against all parties involved when He ended the Old Covenant and brought in the New Covenant. Amen.

But, even today, how much more do men desire warfare? Men want wars because they lust for sins all day long. Some men don’t even care what’s at the root of a conflict; they just want to make war. None of this is of God.

Every manner of lie is told to convince the sinner, and all men are sinners, that war is good. Jesus said that the devil couldn’t tear down his own kingdom to bring about good (Luke 11:18). Even if the evil that resides in men wanted to cast out sin with all the fiber of its being, it can’t, and waring for good is absurd.

We’ll finally have the war to end all wars they proclaim. They said that having nukes would end all wars, yet the world has been at war since their first use. Governments will tell you anything to make you feel good about evil. They tell us that we’re the good guys and our cause is just. Are we? Is it? They’ll tell you anything as long as those in power can consume the spoils of war upon their lusts.

There is no good thing behind war. There is just self-defense and just defense for self-preservation in protecting hearth and home. The rest is a grave evil.

“All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, when they hear the words of thy mouth.” Psalm 138:4

How do the kings of the earth turn to God that they no longer lust after wars? When they hear the word of God. How can the false prophets at the king’s table in America speak the truth when they are false? Our leaders are surrounded by false prophets and other “yes” men while chasing after the approval of the Oligarchs. How can they do any good thing at all? How can the rulers of this world hear the Gospel when Christians themselves lust after wars?

Dispensationalists love “wars and rumors of wars.” It’s disgusting. Preachers say it’s the end, Gog and Magog; the rapture is upon us because the State-run media said so, and you better crosscheck your Scofield bible with the newspaper headlines or live in darkness. They’re being lied to by State Propagandists masquerading as preachers. They abuse the name of our Saviour that they may also consume the money of the war machine upon their lusts. (Matthew 15:4).

American Christians wax sorrowful over abortion then foam at the mouth to bomb foreign lands for some “great good.” How can you be pro-life and pro-war? God sees your lies. The major denominations in America are organs of the State. The American Church seeks government to solve the country’s “social issues” as though they never heard of sin. Apparently, they don’t know what sin is and don’t know Him, the propitiation for it. American Christians are blinded.

All you can do is set your heart toward God, knowing your eternal station while serving Christ in faith. Christians waste countless hours on politics when they should be spreading the Gospel and building Christian communities.

“Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.” Isaiah 53:10

The pleasure of God for you prospers at the hand of Christ. The Lord Jesus was put to grief, an offering once for all, that having been raised from the grave, the Prince of Peace might rule and reign. Being made the seed of Christ, born again, brings salvation and rest. Not war, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only way to bring sinners to repentance.

Note: Acknowledging that this thing has gotten away from us a little, it was not supposed to be this long; one more part after this. Maybe?

Part One  Part Two  Part Three  Part Four  Part Five  Part Six

Read the parable in Matthew 21:33-46 to get the context.

Leading to verses 37 and 38, Jesus is talking about the prophets that were slain because the leadership didn’t want to hear the truth. (See also Matthew 23:35).

In verse 39, Jesus is telling of His soon coming crucifixion. According to the parable, the Son was killed so that the Sanhedrin could steal His inheritance, which is the “Kingdom of His dear Son.” (Colossians 1:13). We can relate this to Christ being the seed of the promise to Abram, Christ’s church, of which we are joint-heirs (Romans 8:16-17) and numbered as the stars (Genesis 22:17-18).

This is very important to understand and not taught in the American Churches. In Part One of this series, we pointed out that John the Baptist warned the Sanhedrin not to claim Abram as their father (Matthew 3:9). We further pointed out that the Sanhedrin did that very thing in John 8:38-39. The Sanhedrin was trying to steal the throne of Christ to become the heir by claiming Abraham as their father. Read Galatians 3:16-17. There was one part of the Abrahamic Promise that the Jews could not fulfill because it wasn’t about them; it was Christ, though He would be the Son of David, He is the only begotten Son of God. Read this passage in Matthew 22:

“41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. 43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, 44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? 45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? 46 And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.” – Matthew 22:41-46

Who is Heir of all things (Hebrews 1:2)? It’s Jesus Christ, it’s not the Jews, and it’s not a country (kingdom) in the Middle East; it’s Jesus, just and only Jesus the only begotten Son of God; He is the heir.

Back to our text in Chapter 21:

“40 When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? 41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.” – Matthew 21:40-41

In verse 41 above, the Sanhedrin testify against themselves, clearly stating what is about to befall them. They knew what was right, but still, they refused to submit to God and His authority. This should be instructive for us today.

In verse 45 of the parable, they got it; Jesus was speaking of them, but still, they refused to act and wouldn’t submit to God.

Christ’s kingdom is not of this world; it’s a people birthed not of the will of the flesh but of God (John 1:13). The Kingdom of God is not birthed by the natal (nation) womb of women but by the Spirit of God (John 3:4-7), making of all that come to Christ one people (Revelation 7:9-10). Jesus is the firstborn, by His resurrection (Colossians 1:18), that you too might be reborn by the Spirit of God (John 3:3). There is no Jew or Gentile (Galatians 3:28), and there is no temple but the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27, John 2:19, Ephesians 1:22-23). Each passage from which these verses are taken has specific contexts, but none are abused here.

Context matters; the broader context in which the entire New Testament is given is critical, as the American Churches turn the Holy Bible into an unknowably mystic manuscript for a mere buffet from which to pick your favorite lifestyle sayings and phrases. Not only is the Word of God abused by taking single verses out of context and making a religion from them, but in expository preaching from sections of Scripture for a personal application while ignoring the context of the entire New Testament that God gave us. The New Testament is also provided so that we can know the purposes for the wrath of His judgment, His merciful grace, and, yes, for instruction in righteousness.

The conditional covenant God gave to Moses had one thing left to be fulfilled, its final chapter in Christ Jesus making a New Covenant in Him when He fulfilled the Law and Prophets (Matthew 5:17, Luke 24:44). The covenant of the promise of a seed given to Abram could not be disannulled by the Law given to Moses (Galatians 3:16-17).

Moving now to Matthew 22:

“1 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, 2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, 3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. 4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. 5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: 6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. 7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.” – Matthew 22:1-7

If you’ve been following along in this series of posts leading up to Matthew 24, this parable should be the least cryptic thing you’ve ever read. In verse 2, Jesus is the Son of God. In verse 3, “This generation” were bidden to His wedding but refused (John 1:11). In verse 4, all was made ready. In verse 5, they made light of it and went back to earthly things (Luke 9:59-60, Mark 10:21-22). In verse 6, all of the Apostles, save John, were slain for His holy name (Matthew 24:9), and a great many first-century disciples were also killed. In verse 7, the King sent forth the Roman armies (Matthew 24:30), destroyed those murderers, and burned their city in 70AD.

When you understand the purposes for which Christ came in giving us a New Covenant, the prophetic language, even when used in the parabolic form (and hyperbolic in Matthew 24 and Revelation), is not a bunch of bizarrely mystical unknowns.

Having laid out His charges in plain language from John the Baptist onward, He tells them God’s plan for them and why God must do it. It seems harsh, but remember; God is not only love and mercy and therefore longsuffering, but also holy, perfect, and just. Justice must be done, or He reduces Himself to the status of a sinful man. Christ became flesh, yet without sin, He overcame being the perfect sacrifice for your sin. He was buried and rose from the grave again the third day. Amen. God will not be made to sin for any reason and certainly not to appease our feelings.