What About the Future?

Our Lord's "Olivet Discourse" found in Matthew 24-25; Mark 13; and Luke 21, gives us a very clear picture of what the future holds for those who follow Him.  Though John does not record the teaching from the Mount of Olives, he does tell us about the Lord's encouragement for the present and His promise for the future in John 14:1-6 where he writes, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. ² In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. ⁴ And you know the way to where I am going.” ⁵ Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

John's excursion into the realm of the "throne room on high" in Revelation further establishes the new home for the saints...for all who call upon the Lord and follow Him.  His promised return evokes a prayer on the lips of all believers, "Amen! Come Lord Jesus!" (Revelation 22:20)

For our study this Sunday, April 23rd, in Matthew, we are looking through the veil and into the future as Jesus speaks very succinctly about what lies ahead. He speaks about the Destruction of the Temple, both the physical temple in Jerusalem and the Temple of His own body.  The bigger picture He paints is the language of pain and suffering on behalf of the whole world (John 3:16) quickly followed on the third day of His rebuilding of this Temple, in His Resurrection from the dead.

Since, like us today who would like to see signs (we best not be too critical of the people in that day who wanted a sign), Jesus tells the disciples what must take place.  Many horrendous events will take place over a lengthy period, however He says, "the end is not yet." (24:6)  This is followed by the "gospel of the kingdom being proclaimed throughout the whole world...and then the end will come." (vs.14)  

The next big event will be "...the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel."  (vs.15). See link: https://www.gotquestions.org/abomination-desolation.html.  A Great Tribulation will take place for 3 1/2 years when God pours out His wrath on the anti-christ and all who follow him.  Just prior to the revealing of the "anti-christ" the Apostle Paul describes how the Church will be "caught up" (harpazō), in the Greek from which we get "raptured." (1 Thess. 4: 17).  The Bride of Christ will be spared the last 7 years (3 1/2 of fake peace and 3 1/2 of terrible destruction).

After those 7 years prior to which the Church has been raptured, Christ will return and victoriously establish His 1,000 year reign on His throne in Jerusalem.

Jesus further explains the coming kingdom in the parable of "The Fig Tree" (vss.32-35) and He challenges us all to remain faithful in light of His imminent return (24:36-25:30).

The closing words of the "Olivet Discourse" concern judgment wherein Jesus describes the people who remain after the "Great Tribulation" will be placed in two groups: those whom He calls "Sheep" (the righteous) and those whom He calls "Goats" (the cursed).  It is interesting that both animals look similar but their character is called into question.  The "Sheep" are very trusting animals while the "Goats" are by nature very rebellious and independent.  It is the "Sheep" who are invited to come into fellowship with the King while the "Goats" are sent into "eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." (25:31-46)

As believers, we are to keep focused on the soon coming of our Lord, remain faithful in all that has been given us to do, and share the gospel of the kingdom with all people in every corner. Whether that corner is small (our own family, friends and neighbors) or across the nation and around the world, it is the "Talent" we have been given while the "Master" is away.  Remember, He is coming back soon and He deserves our very best effort.  Lets not become lackadaisical in our commitment to Jesus, but rather remain faithful to the end.

If you knew for sure that Jesus was coming for you next week, what changes would you make in your life? 

12 THINGS ABOUT THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST YOU MAY NOT KNOW

In place of my weekly blog and in light of the commemoration and celebration of the Death, Burial and Bodily Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, I decided to share a timely article by Dr. Joe McKeever written in 2014.  This article is applicable in reminding all followers of Jesus of the significance of His Resurrection.  Please read this article and then share it with your friends and relatives, maybe even your children and grandchildren who are struggling with this foundational principle of our faith. (1 Corinthians 15:12-20).  May God bless us all as we turn our attention to this Passion Week and Resurrection Sunday ... Gene.
Because HE LIVES!
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There is more to the resurrection of Jesus Christ than typically meets the eye.  This is not an optional minor doctrine, friend.  This is one of the load-bearing columns, a pillar on which a thousand realities hang.  --- Dr. Joe McKeever

"But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of those who sleep..." (1 Cor. 15:20)
Even those who have served God all their lives need reminding of the importance of the resurrection of Jesus sometimes. Those new to the faith enjoy learning the full dimensions of the new life they have received in Christ.

Here are an even dozen aspects of the resurrection of Jesus that instruct our minds, inspire our hearts, and inform us all....
1)  No one expected Jesus to rise from the dead.
Jesus' resurrection was as much a shock to the disciples as His death had been. Thomas, known forever as the "doubter" was merely voicing what most of them felt when he declared he would not believe in the risen Lord until he had done his own thorough investigation. (cf. John 20).
2)  Everyone doubted it at first.  Everyone.
Matthew 28:17 says, "And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him.  But some were doubtful."  Only one devoted to the whole truth would include such an incriminating statement in his narrative.  Thank you Matthew.  (And thank you Holy Spirit.)
3)  Only later, after the disciples thought it through and talked it out, did they recall that Jesus had predicted His death and resurrection several times.
The gospels tell of three separate times Jesus tried to prepare the disciples for this world-changing event that lay just ahead.  See Mark 8:31-32; 9:31-32; & 10:33-34. Since they had their minds made up that He was following an entirely different agenda, none of this made sense and their minds refused to accept it. Only later did it fit.  Mark 9:9-10 speaks of the Lord's conversation with James, John and Peter as they descended the Mount of Transfiguration.  "And as they were coming down from the mountain, He gave them orders not to relate to anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man should rise from the dead. And they seized upon that statement, discussing with one another what rising from the dear might mean."

4) The stone was rolled away from the entrance to the tomb NOT to let Jesus out.

But to let the disciples in. The angel said, “Come see the place where He lay.”

5) Jesus appeared only to believers.

The most complete list of His appearances is the one Paul gave in I Corinthians 15.  Just as the believers only were given “many infallible proofs” (Acts 1:3), only believers saw the risen Christ.  (The single possible exception to this may be the Lord’s brother James, who later became head of the church at Jerusalem.)

6) The Lord missed a great opportunity for dramatic effect by not making some “surprise guest appearances” to Herod, Pilate, and the high priest.

Had this been a made-up story as critics have surmised, no writer could have missed the chance for a comeuppance in which the risen Christ dropped in on these men.  But Jesus was not here for dramatic effect. (Anyone doubting that will enjoy seeing how He healed people, e.g., the blind beggar of Jericho. Luke 18:42 says, “And Jesus said to him, ‘Okay, you’ve got it,’ and his eyes were opened.”  (All right, I moderned it up a tad. But that’s about how it went.)

7) Jesus’ opponents did not steal His body, as some have claimed.

We know this for one overwhelming reason: when the disciples began covering Jerusalem with this doctrine (Acts 5:28), the easiest way to put a stop to this business would have been for His opponents to produce the dead body. They didn’t for one simple reason: they didn’t have it.

The next time you hear this foolishness that says “the Jews knew that Jesus expected to rise from the dead, so to stop it from happening, they stole the body and hid it,” remember this: Had they known where the body was, they’d have stopped the gospel movement dead in its tracks. Give me a break.

8) Some of the Jews did remember Jesus’ predictions to rise from the dead.  It’s almost funny that they did, but the disciples did not.

Matthew 27:62ff reads, “Now, on the next day, which is the one after the preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate and said, ‘Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I am to rise again.”  Therefore, they requested and got a Roman guard for the tomb to make it secure.

We are indebted to them for this additional verification of the resurrection.
9) Jesus’ friends did not steal His body.
In the first place, they would have had no reason. They missed the predictions about his death/resurrection and were so disappointed they were leaving town (see Luke 24).
Second, the amazing transformation in these disciples had to have had a cause. They were practically “shot out of cannons” as they busted out of Jerusalem and exploded across the Roman Empire with the message of Jesus.  Many of them died for the gospel.
No one dies for a hoax.

10) The gospel stands or falls on the resurrection of Jesus.

Paul says, “If Christ be not raised, your faith is worthless and you are still in your sins” (I Corinthians 15:17).  He adds, “If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied” (15:19).

This is not an optional minor doctrine, friend. This is one of the load-bearing columns, a pillar on which a thousand realities hang.

11) This same “resurrection power” is available now.

Paul states his heart’s desire: “…that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings….” (Philippians 3:10).
In 1945, the world saw the destructive power of atomic energy when our country dropped bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Ever since then, we have been devoted to finding positive uses for this energy. Today, nuclear power runs the electricity in my city, sends submarines around the world underwater, and does a thousand other things.  The force that raised Jesus from the dead is the same Holy Spirit power that guided my teaching yesterday, empowered your witness last evening, and answered our prayers this morning.

Plus, I expect it’s this same resurrection power that raises you and me one day.

12) The point of the resurrection is a thousand-fold.  The two biggies are these:

a) The resurrection of Jesus Christ confirmed His identity–every claim He made for Himself, every promise He gave His followers, and every judgment He delivered to the enemy.

b) And this one: He’s still alive today.

When I asked the disciples of a guru what they did with the resurrection of Jesus–“Doesn’t that make him a zillion miles above all these other religious leaders you believe in?”–they answered, “We do not believe anything that happened 2,000 years ago has any possible meaning for us today.”

Such willful blindness.

It has great meaning if that same Lord–the Jesus of Nazareth who walked the dusty lanes of Galilee and the hills of Zion teaching the way of God, the Savior who took our sins on Himself and paid for them by His death on Calvary–is still alive and a loose in our world today.

As He is.

We bow at His feet with Thomas and say, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28).

Jesus Christ is Lord! He is risen and nothing will ever be the same again!

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A native of Alabama and the son of a coal miner, Joe McKeever has been saved more than 60 years, been preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ more than 50 years, and has been writing and cartooning for religious publications more than 40 years.  He put in 42 years pastoring six Southern Baptist Churches (most recently the First Baptist Church of Kenner, LA), followed by 5 years as director of missions for the SBC churches of metro New Orleans.

Offered to All

The Apostle Paul's "Magnum Opus," or the highest message of a writer, is found in 1 Corinthians 15.  In this chapter of his letter to the Church in Corinth which was struggling with many issues not uncommon to the current Church in America, we find his declaration that the doctrine of the "risen Christ" is essential to our faith.  The "Bodily Resurrection of Jesus" was placed into that necessary status when he wrote, "For if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins...But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead..." (vss. 17,20) 

Jim Richards, executive director of the SBTC, or Southern Baptist of Texas Convention, wrote, "The testimony of Jesus Christ is found in every book of the Bible. The Bible is our only reliable witness of the historicity of Jesus and his words. Five times Jesus was seen on the Resurrection Day: Mary Magdalene, the women, Peter, the eleven, and the two disciples traveling to the village of Emmaus."  He went on to say, "The resurrection is the foundation of the gospel. Without the resurrection, the cross is a sad ending of a good man; with the resurrection, the cross is the sufficient sacrifice of the God-man."

There are other essentials which are foundational to our relationship to God, however it is the resurrection of Jesus from the grave, "victorious" over death, which completes the plan of God allowing all who will accept His grace gift to become "children of God."

As we enter this last week of Jesus' ministry called the Passion Week, we see Him continually calling people to Himself as their only hope of salvation.  He is, as John wrote, "King of kings, and Lord of lords" (Rev. 17:14; 19:16), and all who will come to the wedding feast (Matt. 22:1-14), will be honored by the Father, given a white robe wedding garment, and treated to an unending celebration. For those who refuse to come, specifically Israel as a nation and generally all who reject Jesus as the propitiation for sin, there will be "weeping and gnashing of teeth" (vs. 13).

Warren Wiersbe wrote in his commentary on Matthew's Gospel, Be Loyal, "Israel's leaders were guilty of spiritual blindness, hypocrisy and deliberate disobedience to the Word.  Instead of accepting this indictment from Jesus, and repenting, they decided to attack Him and argue with Him.  The result: judgment.  We  should be careful not to follow their example of disobedience."

Faith and Trust in Jesus resulting in eternal salvation is waiting for all, Jew and Gentile, male and female alike, who by their individual confession that Jesus is Lord, will be ushered into the presence of that Kingdom of Heaven as His bride.  Adorned in "white" we will be forever with Him who was the Lamb of God and is now the Groom.  To Him be all power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing both now and forevermore! (cf. Rev. 5:13)