Tag Archives: sun

THE GOSPEL OF MARK – IN A FLASH

Bible Study, ,

IN A FLASH

24 “But in those days, following that distress,
“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
25 the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
26 “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens. Mark 13:24-27

Contrary to current teaching about the end times, Jesus’ arrival on earth will be visible and noisy, not secret and silent. This will be preceded by cataclysmic events in the sky, according to Jesus. The natural universe will react violently to the Creator’s return to earth. Whatever seems permanent and unshakeable will be shaken.

When God appeared on the mountain in the wilderness, His voice shook the earth and the people shook with terror. When Jesus returns to the earth to establish His reign forever, His voice will shake the heavens and everything that is temporary will be shaken and consumed according to Hebrews 12, and only that which is eternal will remain.

What are the things that are eternal and what is temporary and shakeable? According to Hebrews 12:27, what is temporary, shakeable and passing away are created things or, according to Paul, the things that are seen – 2 Corinthians 4:18. That which is not seen is eternal. Jesus said, “My words will never pass away.” The word of the Lord endures forever.  God’s kingdom is unshakeable and remains forever, and the man who does the will of God will live forever ‑ 1 John 2:17.

In the midst of the mayhem of the destruction of everything temporary and perishable, Jesus will return to claim His elect. He will dispatch His angels to the ends of the earth to gather those in whom His Spirit dwells, who fear and know God, who live for Him, in whose hearts the kingdom of God has been growing. They will be confident and unafraid in the midst of the destruction, protected from the consuming fire of God’s holiness, purified by the blood of the Lamb from all sin and fully alive in Christ through the purifying fire of God’s Spirit at work in them.

If people are foolish enough to think that they can put off the day of their repentance until that moment, they will have missed it. It will happen faster than the speed of light. There will be neither time nor opportunity to rethink. The day of grace will be over forever.

51.Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed — 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 5 1 Corinthians 15:51-53

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – A GLORIOUS WELCOME

Bible Study, , , ,

A GLORIOUS WELCOME

“‘It will seem like all hell has broken loose — sun, moon, stars, earth, sea in an uproar and everyone all over the world in a panic, the wind knocked out of them by the threat of doom, the powers-that-be quaking.

“And then – then! – they’ll see the Son of Man welcomed in grand style – a glorious welcome. When all this starts to happen, up on your feet. Stand tall with your heads high. Help is on the way!'” Luke 21:25-28.

What a glorious, terrifying moment! It will be glorious for those who have taken Jesus’ words seriously and terrifying for cynics, sceptics, agnostics, atheists and everyone who chose to believe and follow the counterfeit rather than the truth. So cataclysmic will Jesus’ return be that even the natural world will reel with the enormity of it.

Earth’s population, past and present, will be split right down the middle; those who love Him will welcome Him with overwhelming joy and relief; those who rejected Him will cringe in horror when they discover to their loss that He was telling the truth all the time.

The Apostle Paul wrote to encourage the Thessalonian believers who were suffering at the hands of the Roman emperor (probably Nero) because they refused to acknowledge that Caesar was Lord.

“God is just. He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled…This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of His power on the day He comes to be glorified in His holy people and to be marvelled at among all those who have believed.” 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10a (NIV).

Jesus made enormous predictions. How do we know they are true? Many people have prophesied over the centuries. What are the credentials for believing what they say? In order to verify their trustworthiness, we have to examine their authority, their character and their accuracy.

On what authority did Jesus say these things? He claimed that His authority came from the Father. “‘For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself. And He has given Him authority to judge because He is the Son of Man.'” John 5:26-27 (NIV).

When we examine the character of Jesus, we must find that He was a liar, a lunatic or flawless. He asked His opponents a question that they could not answer: ‘Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me?’ John 8:46 (NIV).

As for the accuracy of His predictions, if He foretold His death and resurrection in uncanny detail and then fulfilled every detail to the letter, is there any reason to doubt any of His other words, prophecies and promises?

In every way Jesus fulfilled the qualifications of an authentic prophet. He foretold the destruction of Jerusalem and it happened. He even told Peter that he would suffer a violent death and Peter died by crucifixion. Accurate fulfilment of His prophetic words gives us reason to take everything else He said seriously, including what He had to say about His return and the consequences of rejecting Him and disregarding His words.

For those who believe in Him, it will be a moment of celebration and vindication. We will experience delirious joy for our union with our Master, release from the obstacles and hindrances of our sinful nature, and vindication that our faith in Him and perseverance in spite of opposition was not in vain.

After Suffering – Glory

Bible Study, , , , ,

AFTER SUFFERING – GLORY

But in those days, following that distress, ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And He will send His angels and gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens (Mark 13: 24-27).

What extravagant language Jesus used to describe the events surrounding His coming! Massive disturbances in the sky, as though the heavenly bodies themselves have to make way for the Son of God, as He comes in great power and glory to sweep up His chosen people from the outer reaches of the universe to accompany Him on His return to earth. What a gathering that will be!

He is the victorious one, but He chooses to share His victory with His beloved people. After all, it was for us that He came to earth, and suffered and died so that He could reconcile us to the Father and call us back into His forever family to share the bounty of His generosity. In an instant, His people will be gathered from everywhere to join Him in His triumphant return.

The terrible events, both in the natural world and in the suffering the enemies of God are inflicting on His people are but the labour pains which will give birth to a new heaven and a new earth. God will deal with those who oppose Him by taking it out on His people.

God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might on the day He comes to be glorified in His holy people and to be marvelled at among all those who have believed. This includes you because you believed our testimony to you (2 Thess. 1:6-10).

Did you get what Paul wrote? He echoed the very words of Jesus – power and great glory; accompanied by the angels and the vast retinue of His people who will be the evidence of His victory – a massive, innumerable gathering of God’s family to celebrate Jesus’ triumph over His enemies.

And what about His enemies? He’ll have His feet on their necks alright! All those who have slaughtered His people in the name of their gods – under His feet. All those who have ignored, maligned and ridiculed His to escape their accountability to Him – under His feet. All those who have propagated lies about Him and done everything to distort and disfigure His Word – under His feet. All those who have lived as though He does not exist – under His feet. And the devil himself who spawned all the rebellion – under His feet. And then the last enemy, death – under His feet!

Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to His Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For He ‘has put everything under His feet’ (1 Cor. 15: 25-27).

Beware, enemies of Jesus, for the Day of Judgment is coming. The door of opportunity is still open. Jesus has paved the way for everyone who believes in Him, who confesses Him as Lord and believes that God raised Him from the dead, to return to the Father. Death will close that door forever. Who, in his right mind, would refuse an offer of eternal life in the presence of the most loving and generous Person ever? Only those who are blinded by the devil and deafened to the voice of God by their own sinful, and stubborn hearts.

To His disciples He said, “Be alert! Be on your guard! Be ready!” To the world He calls,

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on them, and to our God, for He will freely pardon (Isa. 55: 6-7).

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my new book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (copyright 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or kindle version or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

Check out my Blog site – www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com