A Sign Is Fulfilled, What Does It Mean?

LUKE 21-

… And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. 

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. 

  For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 

  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. 

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. 

When you see…

…flee.

Jews led away captive- truth.

Jews led into all nations as captive-truth.

Jews throughout our entire history are an OUTCAST people in many ways.

Jews political and religious.

Jerusalem-homeland Israel- trodden down of the nations until the TIMES of the nations are fulfilled.  I say nations because the same word for Gentiles is nations.

Jerusalem belonged to God's people, the Jewish people for a long time and the Romans razed the temple to the ground and overtook Jerusalem completely. There have been a succession of other nations being in control of Jerusalem and many thought it impossible for Jerusalem to ever belong to the Jewish people again.  This is TRUTH. Up until 1948.  Only 70 years ago.  From the year 70 to the year 1948…  for 1, 878 years Jerusalem was out of Jewish control. Jesus said that a time WOULD come when Jerusalem would NO longer be under the control of others.

Jesus told us that the city would be surrounded by armies and it was.

Jesus told us that Jerusalem would be taken over by non-Jewish nations and would one day revert to the Jewish people again, and it was.

People who listened to the prophecies, people who knew the signs and saw them acted and were spared death when Jerusalem was taken over in the year 70.

What are the people who see this sign, the sign that occurred in 1948, with a subsequent war in 1967, and yet another milestone in 1980 when Jerusalem was declared the actual capital of the Jewish people, what were they supposed to do?

Luke 21 -… And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. 

 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. 

 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. 

We are to take heed to ourselves.

Why? Because our hearts could be overcharged with surfeiting, with drunkeness, with cares of this life.

We are to take heed that these things DON'T happen. That we don't let ourselves be fooled into looking away from the signs, from the truth of our Savior's return.

Satan would have us NOT concern ourselves with Jesus returning. Satan would have us put it off to the future just far enough that it doesn't interfere with our day to day present life.  If we can keep pushing it to the future just out of our current reach we won't treat it as a reality, right? We'll treat it as that 'someday' with the little voice of Satan whispering in our ears, that someday will never come.  We will get so caught up in cares of this life that we won't be prepared for Jesus.

What does it mean to be prepared for Jesus? How can being caught up in cares keep us from salvation?

These are good questions and by the grace and will of our Savior we will study on them tomorrow, praying for comprehension, for enlightenment, for the Holy Spirit guiding us in all things.

All in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, now and FOREVER.

Prophecies- Watch Until Jesus Returns.

Prophecies.

Matthew

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.

Mark

And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you: 

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

Luke

And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them. 

Signs -

Many would come in Jesus' name to DECEIVE.  This prophecy has been fulfilled time and time again.

Matthew

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. 

 Mark

And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. 

For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows. 

Luke

But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by. 

Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: 

 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. 

Again- these prophecies have occurred - wars, commotions, earthquakes are common place all over the world, famines tragically seem endless, pestilences, fearful sights and great signs from heaven.

Matthew

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.

Mark

But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them. 

And the gospel must first be published among all nations. 

 But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost. 

 Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. 

 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 

Luke

 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake. 

 And it shall turn to you for a testimony. 

Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: 

 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. 

And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. 

And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. 

But there shall not an hair of your head perish. 

 In your patience possess ye your souls. 

Signs, and there are a lot of them, but remember so much will have taken place, in fact ALL of this will have come to pass by the time our Savior returns.

People may have noticed that some of these signs seem to have occurred endlessly throughout time since the prophecy was made. Each generation has had people hating on Christ followers, right? We have had wars somewhere in the world through time as well, yes? While some of the signs do seem endless there are others which have definite occurrence and not more than once.

Matthew

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

Mark

 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: 

  And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house: 

And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. 

  But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 

And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. 

 For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. 

Luke

 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. 

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. 

  For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 

  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. 

Let's talk more in depth about this prophecy-

Jerusalem surrounded with armies. When did the Christ followers living IN Jerusalem see armies surrounding the city? In 66 AD it happened and history reveals this as fact. The armies appeared but did not lay siege to the city just yet. The Christ followers who were there and recalled the prophecy of Jesus quickly left and they were NOT in Jerusalem when it was destroyed in 70 AD.

A very specific time frame is here for this prophecy- we can historically place this prophecy.

While some of the prophecies truly are wide spread, others are not and we need to study these, all of these. Our watching and praying is endless. We will never be able to stop watching and praying right up until our Savior returns!

More on this tomorrow by the GRACE and WILL of our LORD. All through HIS LOVE!

Prophetic Signs - From Jesus.

Let's talk about signs- prophetic signs.

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

Mat 24:2  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. 

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? 

The disciples of Jesus heard their Savior say- Don't you see ALL these things? I'm telling you, all the stones of this temple will be thrown down, not a single stone will be left on top of another.

What a thing to tell them! Their beloved temple, the holy temple, the temple their priests serviced, the temple they went to in order to make sacrifices so their sins could be forgiven, the temple they prayed towards when they weren't able to be there in person, the temple where the ark of the covenant was, and upon that ark the mercy seat of God.  Jesus told them their temple would no longer exist! To them this surely meant the end of the world, and the return of their Savior.

The disciples wanted to know WHEN these things would happen, and WHAT would the SIGNS be.

Many years would pass before the Savior would return and He knew this, Jesus knew that it was going to be thousands of years later and He gave signs that would span those years at very significant intervals.

In the three gospels bringing God's truth to us we are given three point of views of many of the same situations, and this is true with the prophetic signs as well.  Let's read them all, they are very lengthy reads for a daily Bible Study, but please read them and tomorrow by the GRACE of our Lord, by the WILL of God we will study them more in depth. We must study them, we must because we are TOLD to watch, to be ready. Please, Lord, we would be ready for You!

Mat 24

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. 

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 

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

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

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, 

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

 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 

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

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

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. 

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

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

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

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

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

 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; 

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, 

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

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

 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 

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

But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 

While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 

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

Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 

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

 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. 

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. 

 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 

 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 

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

 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. 

 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. 

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

 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. 

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

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

 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. 

 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. 

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. 

 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. 

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: 

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

  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: 

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

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

 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. 

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

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: 

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: 

 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 

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: 

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: 

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

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

 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 

 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 

  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. 

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: 

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

  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. 

  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? 

 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. 

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

Mark 13

And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here! 

And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 

 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 

Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled? 

And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you: 

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

 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. 

For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows. 

 But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them. 

And the gospel must first be published among all nations. 

 But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost. 

 Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. 

 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 

 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: 

  And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house: 

And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. 

  But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 

And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. 

 For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. 

 And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days. 

  And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not: 

  For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. 

But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things. 

 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, 

And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. 

And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 

 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven. 

 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near: 

So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. 

  Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. 

 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. 

 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. 

  Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. 

For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. 

Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: 

Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. 

And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch. 

Luke 21

And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said, 

 As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 

And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass? 

And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them. 

But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by. 

Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: 

 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. 

 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake. 

 And it shall turn to you for a testimony. 

Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: 

 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. 

And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. 

And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. 

But there shall not an hair of your head perish. 

 In your patience possess ye your souls. 

  And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. 

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. 

  For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 

  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. 

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. 

And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 

Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. 

And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 

 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. 

And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; 

When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. 

So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. 

 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. 

 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. 

  And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. 

 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. 

 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. 

And in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives. 

 And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him. 

Truthful Signs.

Mat 6:10,13  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 

… For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. 

Thy kingdom COME.

Thine IS the kingdom.

Mat_24:42  Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

Mat_25:13  Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

Mar_13:34  For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.

Mar_13:35  Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning

Mar_13:37  And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.

Luk_21:36  Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

1Th_5:6  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

2Ti_4:5  But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

1Pe_4:7  But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.

Rev_3:3  Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

WATCH.

Dan 2:44  And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. 

Dan 2:45  Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure. 

We watch. We know that the STONE will destroy ALL earthly kingdoms, His kingdom will NEVER be destroyed. We know this will happen beyond any doubt whatsoever. We can doubt a lot of things, Satan would have us live in a state of constant doubting. But how can we doubt FACTS, TRUTH? It's NOT my truth, these aren't my facts! The word of GOD holds these truths. I've heard more than once that people can interpret things however they want, but how can that be true? Can both be true? I hear people say, "Sure, as long as we love as God wants us it doesn't matter whatever else we believe. I can believe one way and you another, aren't there lots of religions?" Yes, there are a lot of religions, but does that mean they are all true? No, it doesn't. In every religion there can be those who desire only truth and live up to all the truth they are exposed to, but that doesn't make their religion truth. With everyone believing THEIR religion, THEIR beliefs are the true how does a person ever find the REAL TRUTH?  If they can all take their Bibles and show you their truth, what does that mean? I'll tell you what it means, we ALL need to pray and pray hard to know ONLY TRUTH even if it means we have to do away with cherished beliefs we've held for most of our lives. We can get comfortable with traditions passed down from one generation to the next. Traditions that we are told are Biblical based perhaps on a few verses here and there, but not the whole of God's word. If we find a contradiction in God's word we need to study and pray until it is resolved, NOT hide ourselves from seeking the truth because we want to keep our beliefs. This is so vitally important- we are told to STUDY to show ourselves approved to God!

2Ti_2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

There is only ONE truth, and GOD will give it to us.  You might think, sure I'm saying this because I think I have the ONE truth. I will say this… I PRAY ONLY FOR TRUTH and I STUDY, STUDY, STUDY. And I'll say this… show me from the WORD of God where what I believe is NOT truth, show me, allow me to study your truth and if your truth has no contradiction, and needs no tradition of man to uphold it I will be obligated before the LORD to believe.

We need to WATCH for our SAVIOR to return and we ARE given signs, and so many people think it's all too confusing to understand, and that it's all future but truthfully, almost ALL the signs of our Savior's imminent return have occurred already. If you are watching for the wrong signs, you will not be ready. Just like in our lives now, if we are looking at the wrong signs we won't get to our destination no matter how sincere we are in looking at those signs and believing they are the real ones. We NEED TRUTH, only TRUTH.

Tomorrow by the grace of God we will study the signs we need to watch now, right now.

All in the name of our LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, now and forever!!!!!!!

Sleep Before the Kingdom.

Jesus came to…

Mat_4:17  From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Luk 4:18  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 

Luk 4:19  To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 

…preach the gospel- the good news- the kingdom of heaven can be ours through Him.

Too many people are under the impression that we get heaven instantly upon death. Seriously, they believe this- it’s a modern concept because years ago people comprehended death as a sleep. It's a deception with its very roots stemming from Satan's lie at the beginning- 'you shall not surely die.' 

Gen 3:4  And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die

If death is an automatic entrance to the white light of heaven where we meet our Savior- then why does He talk about seeing us after He returns to the skies of earth and calls us to meet Him in the air? Why would the dead need to rise to meet Him in the air? Wouldn't the dead be with Him already? Where is the comprehension of these facts?

Jesus did NOT call Lazarus back from heaven.

Why is the idea of death being a sleep so hard for people to comprehend? Why is it people want immediate access to heaven? Our spirit- our breath returns to God who gave it to us. Who we are in essence is kept safe as we sleep because when our Savior returns and calls for the dead in Him to rise and meet Him in the air, they are brought forth from their graves not only restored in a new immortal body but they are awakened from their long sleep, having only known nothing from that moment of death until the moment of their waking they are instantly in the presence of their Savior.  Unlike years and years in heaven- not in the presence of our Savior because His Word tells us He is in the Most Holy Place making intercession for us right now, not entertaining the newly dead- but rather years in the most peaceful of all sleeps ever. Death's sleep isn't like our sleep now, where we can be troubled with nightmares, with restlessness, with aches and pain. Death's sleep is the best sleep for those who die in Christ and those who do not die in Christ. One will wake to immortality, the other to the second death, the permanent end, to complete non-existence. I'm not making this stuff up…

There is a SECOND DEATH- but when is this preached? When did you last hear about a second death?

 

Rev_2:11  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

Rev_20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Rev_20:14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Rev_21:8  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Rev 20:1  And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 

Rev 20:2  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 

Rev 20:3  And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. 

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 

Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 

There is so much we can comprehend, our Lord will enlighten us if we let Him.

Jesus wants us all to inherit the kingdom of heaven that He came to preach to us, to offer to us, He died so we could have entrance- and He will return for us to give us this entrance to heaven. We need to KNOW without a doubt our Savior will return and SOME people will be alive when He does return. These people will be watching and waiting for Him. These people will recognize the signs He's given. These people will be watching for those signs. These people will suffer greatly, but these people will wholly rely upon Christ Jesus their Savior, and the Holy Spirit, all through God the Father!

More on this tomorrow… by the grace and will of our LORD!

The Kingdom to Come.

The  coming of our Savior is something that should be on the mind of every Christ follower. When our Savior walked the earth what was the most important thing He talked about? What was the gospel He came to share with humanity?

Mat_4:23  And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom

Mat_11:5  …and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

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.

Mar_1:14  Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God

Mar_1:15  And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Mat 10:7  And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 

Mat_5:19  Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

The kingdom of heaven…  is real.

Jesus said this--

Joh_14:2  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

Joh_14:3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Many mansions… He went to PREPARE a place for us.

He will come again and receive us so we may be with Him in heaven!

He preached the future KINGDOM of HEAVEN when all His followers would be with Him.
 

Act 1:7  And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 

Act 1:8  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. 

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. 

Jesus would return! Why? To claim HIS people!

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. 

The dead IN CHRIST will rise!
The alive IN CHRIST will meet the LORD in the air and we would ALL be with Him forever!

This is the GOSPEL of the KINGDOM, our SAVIOR!  Jesus dying for us so we could live with Him forever in the kingdom of heaven!

Mat 6:10  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 

So, yes, to be a Christ follower is to be waiting for Christ's return, eagerly, longingly, desperately waiting for His return….

More on this tomorrow by the GRACE and WILL of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, now and forever!!!!!!!

Washed In Blood.

Rev_1:5  And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood

Rev_7:14  And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Washed in blood.

Most people have seen television shows, movies, and the like where people have had to deal with blood. There have been various crime shows that have even dealt with people cleaning up after they've committed crimes involving blood. Those shows revealed just how hard it is to do away with all traces of blood. Chlorine bleach at a potential crime scene is a clear indicator of someone doing their best to clean up blood. Chlorine Bleach will destroy all traces of blood, and we know that bleach is a very potent substance.

'Chlorine, a powerful oxidizer, is the active agent in many household bleaches. Since pure chlorine is a toxic corrosive gas, these products usually contain hypochlorite which releases chlorine when needed.'

From <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleach>

Toxic, yes, chlorine bleach is indeed toxic and it can clean blood stains.

Why am I going on and on about this? Because, Christ followers are washed in the blood of the Lamb and made white.  It's contrary to the reality of blood and its staining, and staying power. Blood can't make anything white in our tangible reality. Yet, the SUPERNATURAL POWER of Christ's blood can and does make us clean from the filth of sin- a stain unlike any other in existence. There is NOTHING we can do to rid ourselves of sin's stain, not a single thing. There does not exist anything that can get rid of sin and its filth except the blood of our Savior.

We need to be washed in the spiritual blood of Christ.  Is it any wonder we are given the communion example to follow- where figuratively we are given a constant reminder of our need to be cleansed by the blood of Christ. That blood signifying the DEATH of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Jesus didn't just bleed a little bit, he bled profusely. The whipping alone that he was given was enough to drain a lot of His precious blood. The thorns shoved onto His head piercing the flesh, most likely right to the very bone of His skull, they bled terribly. Our Lord was covered in His own blood as He was placed on that cross and even more blood was spilled as the spikes went into His hands and feet. A horrific bloody mess of torn flesh, our Savior suffered so tremendously- this is what we need to remember all the time.

When our Savior gave that example to the apostles in the upper room He had not yet bleed for any of them, He had not yet given His body but He would, and He did not want any of His followers to forget the greatest sacrifice ever given. He wanted us to use this example from then on until His return, always remembering it is His blood, His sacrifice which cleanses us from sin's insidious stains.

We are washed in blood, our sins are washed in the blood of Christ, our filthy robes are washed in the blood of Christ and made white!

Satan would have us believe sin's stain can never leave us, that it will forever taint our existence. Satan will hold up our sins and taunt us with them trying to lead us to despair of ever being rid of their filthiness. Our Savior wants us to KNOW that our sins are washed, constantly washed in His blood and we are made clean through HIM and HIM alone.  Praise Him! Praise His holy name! Thank you, Lord, thank you eternally, thank you!

Luk 22:14  And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. 

Luk 22:15  And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: 

Luk 22:16  For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. 

Luk 22:17  And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: 

Luk 22:18  For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. 

Luk 22:19  And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 

Luk 22:20  Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.