Signs Pt. 4

Mat 24:23  Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

Sign Fourteen-

Mat 24:24  For there shall arise false Christs,

Sign Fifteen-

and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Mat 24:25  Behold, I have told you before.

Mat 24:26  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.

Has anyone ever told you that Christ was here or there?  No one has ever told me that. However, this list from Wikipedia reveals that there have been quite a few who have made the claim to be Christ- these are FALSE CHRISTS and FALSE PROPHETS.

'19th century

    John Nichols Thom (1799–1838), a Cornish tax rebel who claimed to be the "saviour of the world" and the reincarnation of Jesus Christ and his body temple of the Holy Ghost in 1834. He was killed by British soldiers at the Battle of Bossenden Wood, on May 31, 1838 in Kent, England.

    Arnold Potter (1804–1872), Schismatic Latter Day Saint leader; he claimed the spirit of Jesus Christ entered into his body and he became "Potter Christ" Son of the living God. He died in an attempt to "ascend into heaven" by jumping off a cliff. His body was later retrieved and buried by his followers.

    Bahá'u'lláh (1817–1892), born Shiite, adopted Bábism later in 1844, he claimed to be the prophesied fulfillment and Promised One of all the major religions. He founded the Bahá'í Faith in 1866. Followers of the Bahá'í Faith believe that the fulfillment of the prophecies of the second coming of Jesus, as well as the prophecies of the 5th Buddha Maitreya and many other religious prophecies, were begun by the Báb in 1844 and then by Bahá'u'lláh. They commonly compare the fulfillment of Christian prophecies to Jesus' fulfillment of Jewish prophecies, where in both cases people were expecting the literal fulfillment of apocalyptic statements.

    William W. Davies (1833–1906), leader of a Latter Day Saint schismatic group called the Kingdom of Heaven located in Walla Walla, Washington from 1867 to 1881. He taught his followers that he was the archangel Michael, who had previously lived as the biblical Adam, Abraham, and David. When his son Arthur was born on February 11, 1868, Davies declared that the infant was the reincarnated Jesus Christ. When Davies's second son, David, was born in 1869, he was declared to be God the Father.

    Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, India (1835–1908), claimed to be the awaited Mahdi as well as (Second Coming) and likeness of Jesus the promised Messiah at the end of time, being the only person in Islamic history who claimed to be both.  He claimed to be Jesus in the metaphorical sense; in character. He founded the Ahmadiyya Movement in 1889, envisioning it to be the rejuvenation of Islam, and claimed to be commissioned by God for the reformation of mankind.

20th century

    Haile Selassie I (1892–1975) did not claim to be Jesus and disapproved of claims that he was Jesus. But the Rastafari movement, which emerged in Jamaica during the 1930s, believes he is the Second Coming. He embodied this when he became Emperor of Ethiopia in 1930, perceived as confirmation of the return of the Messiah in the prophetic Book of Revelation 5:5 in the New Testament but is also expected to return a second time to initiate the apocalyptic day of judgment. He is also called Jah Ras Tafari, and is often considered to be alive by Rastafari movement members.

    George Ernest Roux (1903–1981), called the "Christ of Montfavet" or "Georges-Christ", founder of the Universal Christian Church (now named the Universal Alliance) in France, claimed to be Jesus, then God. He presented himself as a persecuted prophet to carry out the law of love unfulfilled by God's representatives, including Jesus.

    Ernest Norman (1904–1971), an American electrical engineer who co-founded the Unarius Academy of Science in 1954, was allegedly Jesus in a past life and his earthly incarnation was as an archangel named Raphiel. He claimed to be the reincarnation of other notable figures including Confucius, Mona Lisa, Benjamin Franklin, Socrates, Queen Elizabeth I, and Tsar Peter I the Great.

    William M Branham (April 8, 1908 – December 24, 1965) though never directly claiming to be Jesus himself, Branham promoted himself as the final prophet "Elijah"  and claimed that Elijah of this day was the Lord Jesus Christ.

    Krishna Venta (1911—1958), born Francis Herman Pencovic in San Francisco, founded the WKFL (Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith and Love) Fountain of the World cult in Simi Valley, California in the late 1940s. In 1948 he stated that he was Christ, the new messiah and claimed to have led a convoy of rocket ships to Earth from the extinct planet Neophrates. He died on December 10, 1958 after being suicide bombed by two disgruntled former followers who accused Venta of mishandling cult funds and having been intimate with their wives.

    Ahn Sahng-Hong (1918–1985), a South Korean who founded the World Mission Society Church of God in 1964, who consider him the Second Coming of Jesus. The church believes that his wife Zahng Gil-Jah is "God the Mother," who they believe is referred to in the Bible as the New Jerusalem Mother (Galatians 4:26, and that Ahn Sahng-Hong is God the Father

    Sun Myung Moon (1920–2012), believed by members of the Unification Church to be the Messiah and the Second Coming of Christ, fulfilling Jesus' unfinished mission. Church members ("Unificationists") consider Sun Myung Moon and his wife, Hak Ja Han, to be the True Parents of humankind as the restored Adam and Eve.

    Jim Jones (1931–1978), founder of Peoples Temple, which started off as an offshoot of a mainstream protestant sect before becoming a personality cult as time went on. He claimed to be the reincarnation of Jesus, Akhenaten, Buddha, Vladimir Lenin, and Father Divine in the 1970s. Organized a mass murder suicide at Jonestown, Guyana on November 18, 1978.

    Marshall Applewhite (1931–1997), an American who posted a famous Usenet message declaring, "I, Jesus—Son of God—acknowledge on this date of September 25/26, 1995: ..." Applewhite and his Heaven's Gate cult committed mass suicide on March 26, 1997 to rendezvous with what they thought was a spaceship hiding behind the comet Hale-Bopp.

    Yahweh ben Yahweh (1935–2007), born as Hulon Mitchell, Jr., a black nationalist and separatist who created the Nation of Yahweh in 1979 in Liberty City, Florida. His self-proclaimed name means "God, Son of God." He could have only been deeming himself to be "son of God", not God, but many of his followers clearly deem him to be God Incarnate. In 1992, he was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced to 18 years in prison.

    Laszlo Toth (1940–), Hungarian-born Australian who claimed he was Jesus Christ as he vandalized Michelangelo's Pietà with a geologist's hammer in 1972.

    Wayne Bent (1941–), also known as Michael Travesser of the Lord Our Righteousness Church. He claims; "I am the embodiment of God. I am divinity and humanity combined." He was convicted on December 15, 2008 of one count of criminal sexual contact of a minor and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor in 2008.

    Ariffin Mohammed (1943–), also known as "Ayah Pin", the founder of the banned Sky Kingdom in Malaysia in 1975. He claims to have direct contact with the heavens and is believed by his followers to be the incarnation of Jesus, as well as Shiva, and Buddha, and Muhammad.

    Mitsuo Matayoshi (1944–), a conservative Japanese politician, who in 1997 established the World Economic Community Party based on his conviction that he is God and Christ, renaming himself Iesu Matayoshi. According to his program he will do the Last Judgment as Christ but within the current political system.

    José Luis de Jesús Miranda (1946–), Puerto Rican founder, leader and organizer of Growing in Grace based in Miami, Florida, who claims that the resurrected Christ "integrated himself within me" in 2007.

    Inri Cristo (1948–), a Brazilian astrologer who claims to be the second Jesus reincarnated in 1969, Brasília is considered by Inri Cristo and his disciples as the “New Jerusalem” of the Apocalypse.

    Thomas Harrison Provenzano[34] (1949–2000), an American convicted murderer who was possibly mentally ill. He compared his execution with Jesus Christ's crucifixion.

    Shoko Asahara (1955–), founded the controversial Japanese religious group Aum Shinrikyo in 1984. He declared himself "Christ", Japan's only fully enlightened master and the "Lamb of God". His purported mission was to take upon himself the sins of the world. He outlined a doomsday prophecy, which included a Third World War, and described a final conflict culminating in a nuclear "Armageddon", borrowing the term from the Book of Revelation 16:16. Humanity would end, except for the elite few who joined Aum. The group gained international notoriety in March 20, 1995, when it carried out the Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway. He has been sentenced to death, and is awaiting execution.

    David Koresh (1959–1993), born Vernon Wayne Howell, was the leader of a Branch Davidian religious sect in Waco, Texas, though never directly claiming to be Jesus himself, proclaimed that he was the final prophet and "the Son of God, the Lamb" in 1983. In 1993, a raid by the U.S. BATF, and the subsequent siege by the FBI ended with Branch Davidian ranch burning to the ground. Koresh, 54 adults and 21 children were found dead after the fire extinguished itself.

    Hogen Fukunaga (1945–) founded Ho No Hana Sanpogyo, often called the "foot reading cult," in Japan in 1987 after an alleged spiritual event where he claimed to have realized he was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ and Gautama Buddha.

    Marina Tsvigun (1960–), or Maria Devi Christos, is the leader of the Great White Brotherhood.[39] In 1990 she met Yuri Krivonogov, the "Great White Brotherhood" founder, who recognized Marina as a new messiah and later married her, assuming in the sect the role of "John the Baptist", subordinate to Tsvigun.

    Sergey Torop (1961–), a Russian who claims to be "reborn" as Vissarion, Jesus Christ returned, which makes him not "God" but the "word of God." He founded the Church of the Last Testament and the spiritual community Ecopolis Tiberkul in Southern Siberia in 1990.

    Maurice Clemmons (1972 – 2009) an American felon responsible for the 2009 murder of four police officers in Washington state, repeatedly referred to himself as Jesus, and said his wife Rozena was Eve, which he went on to describe as the "Goddess of all things holy".

21st century

    David Shayler (1965–) was a former MI5 agent and whistleblower who, in the summer of 2007, proclaimed himself to be the Messiah. He has released a series of videos on YouTube claiming to be Jesus, although has not built up any noticeable following since his claims.

    Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez (1990-). In November 2011, he fired nine shots with an AK-47-type rifle at the White House in Washington D.C., believing himself to be Jesus Christ sent to kill U.S. President Barack Obama whom he believed to be the Anti-Christ.

    Alan John Miller (1962–), more commonly known as A.J. Miller, a former Jehovah's Witness elder member and now leader of the Australia-based Divine Truth movement. Miller claims to be Jesus Christ after reincarnating in the 20th century with others to spread messages that he calls the "Divine Truth". He delivers these messages in seminars and various forms of media, along with his current partners Mary Suzanne Luck and Rozena, the latter who identifies herself as the returned and chic Mary Magdalene.

    Lia Eden (1947 -), born as Lia Aminuddin in Makassar, Indonesia. In 1998, she claimed that she met the angel Gabriel several times, convincing her that she was Imam Mahdi or Messiah who brought the prophecy of the world security and justice before the doomsday. In another occasion, she also claimed that she was the reincarnation of Mother Mary and her son, Ahmad Mukti as the reincarnation of Jesus. She wrote a 232 page book "Perkenankan Aku Menjelaskan Sebuah Takdir" (meaning "Let Me Explain a Destiny"). She gathered around 100 pupils and spread her teaching in a religious group called Salamullah Pilgrim. The Indonesian Council of Ulema banned this new sect for false Koran teaching. In 2006, Eden was sentenced to two years in prison for religious blasphemy. In 2009, she was once again sentenced for another two years in prison for the same case.

*******

And these are just the KNOWN people who have claimed to be Christ or a Prophet.

There have been many, many of these people ever since Jesus died and was resurrected, and Jesus told us this would happen.   Twenty-three in the 20th century and already four in the 21st century, and like I mentioned these are just the notable ones.

Most people would say all of these people were/are mentally handicapped, and they might be right. Does it explain all the people who choose to follow them? Some might say it does, that they are all crazy, and again, maybe they'd be right.  All I know, whether crazy or not, they are claiming to be JESUS or PROPHETS from GOD, just as we were told they would.

Mat 24:23  Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

Sign Fourteen-

Mat 24:24  For there shall arise false Christs,

Sign Fifteen-

and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Mat 24:25  Behold, I have told you before.

Mat 24:26  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.

Believe it not.

How will Christ return?

Act 1:9  And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

Act 1:10  And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;

Act_1:11  Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Rev_1:7  Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

1Th_4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first

1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

1Th 4:18  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

When our Savior returns it will not be a quiet event tucked away in some remote corner of the earth as person born of a man and woman. Our Savior returning will not be in the spirit form inhabiting the body of another human being. When Christ returns it will be for a PURPOSE, a WORLDWIDE purpose. He won't set foot on earth and call men and women unto Him.

The Bible clearly tells us that we will MEET the LORD IN THE AIR.

The Bible clearly tells us that the DEAD IN CHRSIT will RISE and also MEET the LORD IN THE AIR.

Obviously the dead are NOT already with Christ if they need to rise to meet Him in the air, and obviously Christ's second coming isn't going to be in any sort of secret manner whatsoever.

We cannot imagine how, beyond televised events, but EVERY EYE will see the LORD when He returns, not just a few.

Those who PIERCED CHRIST will see His return. How is that possible? With GOD ALL things are possible. 

We love to imagine zombies and such, especially these last several years with their television series and all, going beyond the occasional movie. In fact some people believe zombies could be a reality. People believe all sorts of things but when it comes to the inexplicable Biblical pronouncements, for some reason they draw the line there and say it's impossible.  To billions of people over the years our technology today was impossible. The earth being round was impossible at one point in our history. 

With God nothing is impossible and while we cannot fathom something, God can fathom all things.

I believe His word!

I believe the proven prophecies.

I have to believe the signs our Savior gave us.

Our Savior told us that we aren't to believe ANY that claim to be here or there, because He knew that He would NEVER return to earth in the manner many false Christ's and prophets would portray.

Mat 24:24  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.

We have to remember that some of these false Christs and false prophets will show GREAT SIGNS, GREAT WONDERS!

Not all of the false Christs and prophets will be wild-eyed, crazy talking, charismatic people luring others in with their smooth talking. There will be those who will show GREAT SIGNS, GREAT WONDERS.   What could these signs and wonders be?  We do know this--

Rev 13:11  And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

Rev 13:12  And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

Rev 13:13  And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men

He makes fire come down from heaven in the sight of men.

Can you visualize this?

A false Christ, a false prophet who is able to make FIRE come down from heaven, and it's NOT some magician's optical illusion!

This is truth!

And Jesus says that false Christ's and false prophets will show GREAT SIGNS and GREAT WONDERS- that IF it were possible they would deceive the VERY ELECT!

That's how incredibly convincing they will be.

Have we seen the last of those portraying false Christ's and prophets, I do not believe so, my Bible tells me we haven't and there are some pretty convincing  imposters yet to come.

We must WATCH!

We must know the SIGNS!

Our Savior would have us know.

Please LORD, help us to KNOW, to WATCH, to be among the VERY ELECT! YOURS, wholly YOURS!

Signs continued

Mat 24:3  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?

Jesus mingled the signs of the end of the world with signs of the coming destruction of Jerusalem.

Sign One-

Mat 24:4  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

Mat 24:5  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Sign Two-

Mat 24:6  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.

Sign Three-

Mat 24:7  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:

Sign Four-

and there shall be famines,

Sign Five-

and pestilences,

Sign Six -

and earthquakes, in divers places.

Sign Seven-

Mat 24:9  Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you

Sign  Eight-

and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

Sign Nine-

Mat 24:10  And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

Sign Ten-

Mat 24:11  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

Sign Eleven-

Mat 24:12  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

Sign  Twelve-

Mat 24:14  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.

Sign Thirteen-

Mat 24:15  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:)

Mat 24:23  Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

Sign Fourteen-

Mat 24:24  For there shall arise false Christs,

Sign Fifteen-

and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Mat 24:25  Behold, I have told you before.

Mat 24:26  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.

Sign Sixteen-

Mat 24:29  Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened

Sign Seventeen-

 and the moon shall not give her light,

Sign Eighteen-

and the stars shall fall from heaven,

Sign Nineteen-

and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken

Sign Twenty-

Mat 24:37  But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Mat 24:38  For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

Mat 24:39  And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Sign Twenty-one -

Mat 26:2  Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.

The last sign given was the first to be fulfilled.

Jesus wanted His disciples to know that all He said WOULD come to pass.  He sealed His sayings with the final prophecy of His betrayal and death and it occurred just as He said it would.

Signs-

Sign Twenty-one -Jesus' betrayal and death- Fulfilled beyond any doubt.

Sign Twenty- As the days of Noe were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage- This is a sign of peoples unbelief, a sign of them being so completely unconcerned with the coming of the Lord that it is business as usual. Obviously those in Noah's day who were drinking, eating and marrying right up until Noah entered the ark, did NOT believe they were in any danger whatsoever. Look around you. Do people live with the expected return of their Savior? Or have they heaped upon themselves a worldly life that shouts to everyone that they are not concerned that Jesus is really coming to take His people to heaven while Satan's people are destroyed.  

Yes, I can hear all the excuses now about having to live our lives, Jesus understands. I can hear the excuse that it's been almost two thousand years since Jesus died and if people stopped marrying none of us would be here.  But it doesn't say to STOP marrying, it's a sign that people will be UNCONCERNED with Jesus' return just as in the days of Noah, not ONE person was worried about a flood coming.  You can get married- two people who believe in Christ's imminent return can marry while knowing the reality of what they are doing.  I say REALITY, because for all of us- Jesus is coming- some to life everlasting and some to death everlasting.  We will live our lives with this real expectation or without it, there is no in between.  Honestly, for the last couple thousand years I'd much rather have lived and died with the expectation of my Savior returning, than not.

More tomorrow by the grace of our LORD. We must study, we must watch, and we must PRAY.

All in HIS LOVE!

Signs

Signs of the Times.

Num_14:11  And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?

Signs.

We all want them, don't we? We long for signs to point the way to us.  In fact many of us take some of our moments of good fortune and call them signs of even better things to come, or pessimistically  we utter a low 'uh oh', because things are going too good that must mean it's a sign of something really bad to come. 

We like when other people give us signs, especially if we are looking for a romantic connection. We'll look for hints (signs) that someone likes us.

We look for signs in a lot of ways.  In our jobs we'll look for signs that things are looking good for a promotion. We'll note signs that aren't so favorable and then we'll let those signs guide our behavior, hoping to turn things around.  When we ignore the signs all around us we end up in a lot more trouble than we would have, had we paid attention to the signs.

Some people who end up getting divorced lament their inability to realize that something was wrong in their relationship.  Some say it was completely out of the blue, they never suspected their spouse was unhappy.  But those same people, once they've had time to really think it through, realize that there were a lot of signs, they just didn't pay attention to them.  Very, very rarely do divorces happen to those who are completely blissful in their marriages. Communication lines get closed off along the way and sometimes things go on that way for so long it seems like things are NORMAL for your marriage so of course you say you didn't realize things were bad because you accepted the bad as being normal for your marriage. 

Signs.

The Hebrews as an entire race of people were enslaved by the Egyptians for 400 years. They longed to be free from their slavery and when their freedom came it wasn't by the hand of man. They didn't have an army fighting for them on one side while another army fought against their freedom on the other. There was no great revolt, no power struggle, no usurping the dictatorship of the Pharaohs and replacing it with a new régime. The Hebrews were given a deliverer. This deliverer went to the Pharaoh and told him to free the Hebrews. Of course that didn't work, the Pharaoh had no incentive to listen, no reason to release his slave labor which provided for so much of the work all around them. The Pharaoh had NO desire whatsoever to free his Hebrew slaves. So, the  Pharaoh had to be encouraged and encouraged he was by God working through Moses to bring all manner of punishments down on Pharaoh for not listening. Those punishments were meant as SIGNS, revealing the POWER of God for the Hebrews. The punishments would hurt ONLY the Egyptians and not the Hebrews, a sure sign that the Hebrews were being supernaturally protected by an invisible force beyond the full comprehension of humanity. God, a living, breathing God who truly interacted with His people was showing those people that He was FOR them.

Sign after sign, after sign, after sign was given.  The Hebrew people began to believe that God truly wanted their freedom and in that freedom He wanted their utmost happiness.  By the time God was done revealing His power to the people - both Egyptian and Hebrew- they were eager to part ways.

Freed from slavery by God to become true people of God.

Yet, that whole generation of adults freed would end up dying in the wilderness before reaching the promised land because they were very quick to forget the signs they'd received from God and selfishly only desired their own happiness.  Their selfishness was appalling and God couldn't let any of them into the promised land.

Today we want signs.

The signs are all around us and yet so many of us simply ignore them in favor of keeping our lives unaffected by anything that might call us to make any real decided action outside of our normal routines.

Read the following--

Mat 24:3  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?

Mat 24:4  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

Mat 24:5  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Mat 24:6  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.

Mat 24:7  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

Mat 24:8  All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Mat 24:9  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.

Mat 24:10  And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

Mat 24:11  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

Mat 24:12  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

Mat 24:13  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Mat 24:14  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.

Mat 24:15  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:)

Mat 24:16  Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

Mat 24:17  Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:

Mat 24:18  Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

Mat 24:19  And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

Mat 24:20  But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

Mat 24:21  For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Mat 24:22  And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

Mat 24:23  Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

Mat 24:24  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.

Mat 24:25  Behold, I have told you before.

Mat 24:26  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.

Mat 24:27  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.

Mat 24:28  For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

Mat 24:29  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:

Mat 24:30  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.

Mat 24:31  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.

Mat 24:32  Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:

Mat 24:33  So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

Mat 24:34  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

Mat 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Mat 24:36  But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

Mat 24:37  But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Mat 24:38  For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

Mat 24:39  And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Mat 24:40  Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Mat 24:41  Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Mat 24:42  Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

Mat 24:43  But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

Mat 24:44  Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

Mat 24:45  Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

Mat 24:46  Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

Mat 24:47  Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

Mat 24:48  But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;

Mat 24:49  And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;

Mat 24:50  The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,

Mat 24:51  And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Mat 25:1  Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

Mat 25:2  And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

Mat 25:3  They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:

Mat 25:4  But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

Mat 25:5  While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

Mat 25:6  And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

Mat 25:7  Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

Mat 25:8  And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

Mat 25:9  But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

Mat 25:10  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

Mat 25:11  Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

Mat 25:12  But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

Mat 25:13  Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

Mat 25:14  For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.

Mat 25:15  And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.

Mat 25:16  Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.

Mat 25:17  And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.

Mat 25:18  But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.

Mat 25:19  After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.

Mat 25:20  And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.

Mat 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.

Mat 25:22  He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.

Mat 25:23  His lord said unto him, Well done, 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.

Mat 25:24  Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:

Mat 25:25  And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.

Mat 25:26  His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:

Mat 25:27  Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.

Mat 25:28  Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.

Mat 25:29  For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.

Mat 25:30  And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Mat 25:31  When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

Mat 25:32  And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

Mat 25:33  And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

Mat 25:34  Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

Mat 25:35  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

Mat 25:36  Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

Mat 25:37  Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

Mat 25:38  When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

Mat 25:39  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

Mat 25:40  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Mat 25:41  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

Mat 25:42  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

Mat 25:43  I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

Mat 25:44  Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

Mat 25:45  Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

Mat 25:46  And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Mat 26:1  And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples,

Mat 26:2  Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.

Jesus ended His discourse on …'and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? ' with this PREDICTION- After the passover He would be betrayed and crucified.

DID IT COME TO PASS? Was He betrayed and crucified after the passover He spoke of?

YES.

So will ALL He spoke come to pass as well?

YES.

Most Christians have NO trouble believing that Jesus was betrayed and crucified.

Most Jewish people, most Moslems, most people of all religions do not doubt that Christ was betrayed and crucified. They might dispute a lot of things, but His famous betrayal and crucifixion isn't often disputed- even by those who believe He wasn't God's Son. They know this man they believe might have been a prophet, or at the least a visionary revolutionary struggling to make the world a better place was murdered, it's history.

Jesus predicted His death, so why don't we take Him seriously  when it comes to all the other things He told us?

He wants us to watch for the SIGNS.

And you can argue that every subsequent generation has believed and not experienced the 'end of the world' or  Jesus' second coming, and you'd be correct.  Our God is LONGSUFFERING. To our God a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years as a day. Our God is NOT A LIAR!  He has made a prediction, a promise and it will ALL come to pass.

There are plenty of signs for us and Satan is fighting to keep us from noticing any of them.

Go ahead, reread the verses above, in fact do so several times.

By the grace of God we'll talk more about them tomorrow, before picking up with - 'The Cost of Discipleship'  once again.

In HIS LOVE!

'Discipleship and the Cross'

Chapter 4- Discipleship and the Cross

Mar 8:31  And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

Mar 8:32  And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.

Mar 8:33  But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.

Mar 8:34  And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Mar 8:35  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.

Mar 8:36  For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

Mar 8:37  Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Mar 8:38  Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

Bonhoeffer- 'Jesus must therefore make it clear beyond all doubt that the "must" of suffering applies to his disciples no less than to himself. Just as Christ is Christ only in virtue of his suffering and rejection, so the disciple is a disciple only in so far as he shares his Lord's suffering and rejections and crucifixion. Discipleship means adherence to the person of Jesus, and therefor submission to the law of Christ which is the law of the cross.

Surprisingly enough, when Jesus begins to unfold this inescapable truth to his disciples, he once more sets them free to choose or reject him. "If any man would come after me," he says. For it is not a matter of course, not even among the disciples. Nobody can be forced, nobody can even be expected to come. He says rather "If any man" is prepared to spurn all other offers which come his way in order to follow him. Once again, everything is left for the individual to decide.'

My thoughts-  So why are we taught that to suffer is to be avoided at all costs? Why are we 'programmed' to believe suffering is something awful? We are taught this. As babies and little children we are being taught to shun all suffering. We are instead taught to indulge all our desires and whims so we don't even begin to take on the tiniest of sufferings.  It's not this way all over the world. There are 'third world' countries where people are raised in a culture of nothing but suffering and children learn very young that this is their lot in life and they learn to make the best of it all.

Jesus taught the disciples that he would suffer, he would be rebuked, he would be put to death and the reaction… Peter began to rebuke Jesus.  The disciples could not imagine their beloved Messiah being caused to suffer, being rebuked, being rejected and ultimately being put to death!  No way! They didn’t want that to happen! But Jesus turned around and REBUKED Peter- calling Peter, Satan.  Telling Peter that he didn't want the things of God, but the things of men.  Isn't that the case for ALL of us?! Jesus continued and told them - 'Whosoever will come AFTER me- le him DENY HIMSELF, take up his CROSS, and FOLLOW me.  Whosoever will SAVE his life SHALL LOSE IT; but whosoever shall LOSE his life for my sake and the gospel's the same shall SAVE it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the WHOLE WORLD, and lose his own soul?'

What do we make of this? Seriously, what do we make of those words of our SAVIOR'S?

Are we, like Peter wanting to tell Jesus He is wrong? Do we want to tell Jesus, NO, You shouldn't suffer Jesus, and NO, we shouldn't suffer either, Jesus. No one should suffer, and surely no one who believes you, no one who follows you the Messiah, should be put to death!

IF we act like Peter, if we believe like Peter, then we are acting under the power of SATAN! And Jesus will say to us, just like He said to Peter, 'Get thee behind me, Satan.' 

We can follow the corrupt ways of mankind and especially of the materialistic views of our day and age and we will be disciples of Satan. Or we can follow Christ, but we have to DENY ourselves, we have to PICK UP our CROSS!

We aren't forced, never forced, we must choose our path. We must choose who we will follow.

If we imagine that we can get by in this world without following either God or Satan, think again. When you choose to look to yourself you are not looking to your Creator and most certainly not your Savior.  And when we do not look to God there is only one other place to look- Satan.  Satan loves when you choose to follow your own path because he know that by your rejecting God you are accepting him.

More tomorrow by the GRACE of GOD! Please LORD, help us to LEARN the truth of DISCIPLESHIP and in learning, believe and follow as YOU want us to follow YOU.

With God all things are possilbe

Chapter 3 -Single-Minded Obedience  (continued)

Bonhoeffer-' Obedience to the call of Jesus never lies within our own power. If, for instance, we give away all our possessions, that act is not in itself the obedience he demands. In fact such a step might be precise opposite of obedience to Jesus, for we might then be choosing a way of life for ourselves, some Christian ideal, or some ideal of Franciscan poverty. Indeed in the very act of giving away his goods a man can give allegiance to himself and to an ideal and not to the command of Jesus. He is not set free from his own self but still more enslaved to himself.  The step into the situation where faith is possible is not an offer which we can make to Jesus, but always his gracious offer to us. Only when the step is taken in this spirit is it admissible. But in that case we cannot speak of a freedom of choice on our part.

Mat 19:23  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 19:24  And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Mat 19:25  When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?

Mat 19:26  But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

Bonhoeffer- 'The shocked question of the disciples "Who then can be saved?" seems to indicate that they regarded the case of the rich young man not as in any way exceptional, but as typical. For they do not ask: "Which rich man?" but quite generally "Who then can be saved?" For every man, even the disciples themselves, belongs to those rich ones for whom it is so difficult to enter the kingdom of heave. The answer Jesus gives showed the disciples that they had understood him well. Salvation through following Jesus is not something we men can achieve for ourselves-- but with God all things are possible.

My thoughts--

We must live our lives under the constant tutelage of our Savior, ever learning from Him. His words tell us that He opened His mouth and taught- remember?

Mat 5:2  And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying…

Recognizing our state of helplessness we present ourselves to our Savior and seek to be forgiven by Him. Recognizing our sinfulness and our inability to ever cleanse ourselves of the stains of sin- we must seek the only One who can cleanse us. It is IMPOSSIBLE for us to save ourselves. What has been made possible by our Savior is the ability ask for cleansing, for salvation, for a life in Him.

Are there people who do not recognize their helplessness?

Yes.

Rev 3:16  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked

Neither cold not hot.

Saying- I am rich.

Saying- I am increased with goods.

Saying- I have need of nothing.

What does all that mean? It means there are people, a lot of people, who believe in CHEAP GRACE.  They say they believe and believe they believe but what they are believing is NOT Christ's testimony, but Satan's lies.  These people believe they have all they need and need nothing more and they believe this outside of a TRUE BELIEF IN A TRUE SAVIOR.

Jesus wants us to only believe in HIM and nothing else, not even ourselves, especially not ourselves.

Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

Rev 3:19  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Rev 3:20  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Rev 3:21  To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

Rev 3:22  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

We are rich ONLY in JESUS.

We are clothed ONLY by JESUS.

We can understand ONLY as our Savior gives us understanding.

We MUST REPENT- this is a REAL ACTION of repentance, not lip service mouthing the words without anything to back it up.

We MUST OPEN the door.

Only by opening the door will our Savior come into us and FEED us, sustain us.

We MUST OVERCOME- Jesus says- 'to him that overcometh'

We must overcome by living with our SAVIOR and allowing Him to save us.

Our Savior OVERCAME.

What did He overcome? Sin.  He overcame living in this world under Satan's control, proving it is possible for someone to be tempted to the uttermost and overcome. He relied upon His FATHER for all things, teaching us that we must rely upon HIM for all things.  He overcame through the power of the FATHER, why do we ever imagine we can overcome through our own power?

Only by the grace of Jesus is the impossible, possible, and we must NEVER forget this! NEVER!

Please Lord, help us to NEVER forget.

Mat 19:26  But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

Our Savior did not tell us we are saved now go and sin, go and disobey

Chapter 3 -Single-Minded Obedience  (continued)

Bonhoeffer- ' Are we to treat the commandment of Jesus differently from other orders and exchange single-minded obedience for downright disobedience? How could that be possible?

It is possible because there is an element of truth underlying all this sophistry. When Jesus calls the young man to enter into the situation where faith is possible, he does it only with the aim of making the man have faith in him, that is to say, he calls him into fellowship with himself.

In the last resort what matters is not what the man does, but only his faith in Jesus as the Son of God and Mediator.

At all events poverty or riches, marriage or celibacy, a profession or the lack of it, have in the last resort nothing to do with it-- everything depends on faith alone.

So far then we are quite right; it is possible to have wealth and the possession of this world's goods and to believe in Christ-- so that a man may have these goods as one who has them not.

But this is an ULTIMATE possibility of the Christian life, only within our capacity in so far as we await with earnest expectation the immediate return of Christ.

It is by no means the first and the simplest possibility. The paradoxical understanding of the commandments has its Christian justification, but it must never lead to the abandoning of the single-minded understanding of the commandments.

This is only possible and right for somebody who has already at some point or other in his life put into action his single-minded understanding, somebody who thus lives with Christ as his disciple and in anticipation of the end. This is the infinitely more difficult, and humanly speaking "impossible possibility," to interpret the call of Jesus in this paradoxical way.

And it is just this paradoxical element which exposes his call to the constant danger of being transformed into its very opposite, and used as an excuse for shirking the necessity of concrete obedience.

Anybody who does not feel that he would be much happier were he only permitted to understand and obey the commandments of Jesus in a straightforward literal way, and e.g. surrender all his possessions at his bidding rather than cling to them, has no right to this paradoxical interpretation of Jesus' words.  We have to hold the two together in mind all the time.

The actual call of Jesus and the response of single-minded obedience have an irrevocable significance. By means of them Jesus calls people into an actual situation where faith is possible. For that reason his call is an actual call and he wishes it so to be understood, because he knows that it is only through actual obedience that a man can become liberated to believe.'

My thoughts-

We are called.

Joh_12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

Mat_24:14  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.

We are called, all of us.

Can we accept the grace of Jesus Christ without the call to Him?

We can't.

Anymore than we can accept anyone's invitation without there being a one who tenders the invitation.

There is NO invitation without someone inviting, that's an impossibility.

By acknowledging our need of a Savior, our need of forgiveness, we are acknowledging there is a SAVIOR, One who offers us forgiveness.  We are called to a new life, to be born of the Spirit, and we have to ACT on that call. We can ignore it, we can try to change it to suit our own selfishness, making is ineffective, or we can answer the call as it is given to us. As soon as we respond to the call- as soon as we OBEY the invitation and act by accepting the truth of our Savior and the Gospel of the Kingdom He preaches- we have OBEYED and we've OBEYED by FAITH, through BELIEVING.  But if we do not obey we are not acting on faith.

As Bonhoeffer explains in the excerpt above- it is paradoxical.

We cannot separate the two without destroying them both.

Bonhoeffer said this- 'By means of them Jesus calls people into an actual situation where faith is possible. For that reason his call is an actual call and he wishes it so to be understood, because he knows that it is only through actual obedience that a man can become liberated to believe.' 

If the call to be a disciple of our Savior isn't real to us, then we can play act at being a Christian and nothing more. 

Jesus and the gospel He preached MUST be real to us! He preached of His return and the salvation to eternal life with Him- this must be real to us NOW.  In all we do this MUST be real to us!  Obeying our Savior through Faith, having Faith in our Savior through obedience this must be REAL.

Our Savior did not tell us we are saved now go and sin, go and disobey, NEVER did He ever utter those words!

It is by HIS grace, His mercy, His love that we can have faith, that we can be saved, that we can obey!

Please Lord, save us, undeserved of it as we are, please, save us!