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Showing posts with label Prophecy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Prophecy. Show all posts

Sunday, July 25, 2021

The Lord Jesus Christ Will Still Return

 The Second Coming of the King

Book of Matthew Chapter 24


The most anticipated day in all of Christianity is the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We know the Lord will return in two stages.

1) The Lord will return first to get His Church out of this world before the Tribulation years, the time of Jacob's Trouble.

1Th 4:14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 

1Th 4:15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 

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. 

He will meet His Church in the clouds!

Jer 30:7  Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. 

Jer 30:8  For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him: 

Jer 30:9  But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them. 

Jer 30:10  Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the LORD; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid. 

Jer 30:11  For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished. 

The Tribulation years are a time of Jacob's Trouble not a time of trouble for the Church.

All the persecution of the church will take place during the Church Age, the Age we are now in.

2) The Lord will return to end the time of Jacob's Trouble by claiming the throne of David where He will rule this world for 1000 years.

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. 

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. 

The Lord Jesus is still coming, and it may not be very much longer!

Many things will take place in this time period of when the Lord Jesus ascended back to Heaven and when He will return!

The Book of Matthew teaches us many of these things by the Lord Himself.

*****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.

This Second Temple was a marvelous structure that King Herod had been restoring for more than 40 years.

*****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. 

There should be no doubt in anyone's mind that this prophecy was fulfilled just as the Lord Jesus had said.

Josephus a Jewish historian testified of this destruction by Titus in 70 AD.

Josephus wrote that passersby would have supposed that the place of the Temple had never been inhabited if they did not know the truth.

Titus, the Roman general, ordered the very foundations of it to be dug up; after which the ground on which it stood was ploughed up by Turnus Rufus and planted.

As beautiful as this Temple was, it was the actions of the priests that changed the function of God's House.

It is not the outward appearance of any Church that makes it truly acceptable, it is what is happening within.

The disciples were aroused to ask questions:

1) When would this Temple be destroyed.

2) When would the Lord return.

What should we then believe? We should expect a literal fulfillment of these words of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We must also understand that Our Lord Jesus is preparing these disciples for His departure!

*****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. 

Just how will the Lord answer these questions, let us listen to what our Savior says.

The very first thing we see is that there will be great deceptions told to God's people.

The very first sign would be the rise of false prophets!

If we cannot see the truth of this statement, then we are totally blind!

We should also see what is described as the ending of an Age.

We know the Church Age is coming to an end and another sign is that falling away.

2Th 2:1  Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 

2Th 2:2  That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 

2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 

There is a great falling away from the Church because of all the false prophets in the pulpits and in the secular world.

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

Most all the world is aware that the Lord Jesus has said He would return, and He will.

Many do not understand that Our Savior and Redeemer will return in two stages.

These 12 men with the Lord understood that all these things might happen all at one time, and this is not what the Lord Jesus was teaching them.

Many today think these things have already taken place and this also is not what our Lord Jesus was teaching.

The Church has been around long enough for most all the world to know that by the teaching of the true Church, the only way to Heaven is through and by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 

Joh 14:7  If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. 

All those people and all those nations know that the Bible says they are doomed to Hell whether they believe it or not.

Psa 9:7  But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment. 

Psa 9:8  And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness. 

Much of the Church is hated for these reasons.

Most all politicians use these things for their own glory, some the righteousness, and most against what we know is the truth.

In reality lies and liars dominate the language of this world today!

Another reality is that we should be very careful when we are quoting the prophecies of the end times.

The Lord says take heed less we are deceived.

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

There will be false Christs and there will be false prophets.

We see and we have seen both of these, and we will continue to do so.

These represent not only those who say they are the Christ, but also those who claim to be Christians and are not.

If this was not true then, our Lord Jesus would not have said these words and He has said them before He said all these other things.

The Lord said there would be many, not just a few.

2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 

2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 

2Co 11:15  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. 

These false Christ have existed since the beginning of the Church and are multiplying today.

1Jn 2:18  Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. 

Yet, there are many more signs.

*****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. 

The Lord said for sure there would be many wars and many more rumors of wars. These things must come to pass. 

Saying these things meant these things would happen over a long period of time, but the end of which these disciples asked is not yet.

The thing we must remember the most is, that the fulfillment of the Scriptures requires a long time for its completion. 

We need only look at the time that has already past yet, many prophecies have reached their fulfillment and many more will do so in the time that remains.

If the Lord returned for His Church today, we know there would be more than a thousand years that would remain for complete Biblical fulfillment.

The Lord Jesus could actually return for His Church today! There is nothing yet to be fulfilled before the "Rapture of the Church".

Most all remaining prophecies concern the promises made to the Children of Israel.

The only thing lacking to be fulfilled is the patience of the Lord!

2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

We must never assume that all these things have all already taken place.

I believe if we look at all the things happening in our world today, it would be obvious that time is running out in the Church Age.

Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 

Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. 

Rom 8:24  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? 

Rom 8:25  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. 

Nations will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom.

*****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. 

Today our nation is more divided than it has ever been, and it is intentional by factions in our own government. 

It is the same in other nations who have given in to the status quo and political correctness.

Today famines are not mentioned enough though they still exist because of so-called extreme weather, the heavy rains that trouble nations who have built too close to waterways for centuries, crying because they have something else to blame the flooding on.

Nations, cities, states, and homeowners and resort areas have always built too close to our waterways and the Lord says there will be flooding but not like the world wide flood in the days of Noah.

Jer 47:2  Thus saith the LORD; Behold, waters rise up out of the north, and shall be an overflowing flood, and shall overflow the land, and all that is therein; the city, and them that dwell therein: then the men shall cry, and all the inhabitants of the land shall howl.

Amo 8:8  Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? and it shall rise up wholly as a flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt.

Nah 1:7  The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him. 

Nah 1:8  But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies. 

Maybe flooding has increased in some places.

Maybe famines have increased in some places.

Maybe earthquakes have increased and in places where they should not be happening.

Maybe buildings are collapsing for no reason.

Maybe pestilences (plagues) are increasing around the world as we have seen with Covid-19.

Oh, guess what, this is just what the Lord has said, and if you investigate, you will see the decisions that governments make every day are at fault and they had rather destroy history rather than preserve history and learn from their mistakes.

All these things that the world is so concerned about are only the beginning of the sorrows that are still in the future!

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

We should clearly understand that none of these things had anything to do with the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem by Titus in 70AD.

The Jews brought that on themselves.

Mat 27:23  And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. 

Mat 27:24  When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. 

Mat 27:25  Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. 

When the Lord is rejected, He will leave and take His hand of protection with Him!

These are not things that the Church will see except for that statement of the Lord made right here. 

The Church will see the beginning of sorrows as we see them today!

It only gets worse!

2Ti 3:13  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

All these things we can see happening in our world today and at my age I have seen these things get worse.

This is why history is being erased.

Oh, did I say persecution was going to increase.

*****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. 

What is persecution? Persecution is  when Christians are forbidden to seek the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, by the use of force!

This is the main job the Lord Jesus gave us to do!

Mat 28:18  And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 

Mat 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 

Mat 28:20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. 

The other job of the Body of Christ is to make disciples who are obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ, and they then go forth with the "Gospel".

In America, it is hard to say we are persecuted when we see the persecution of the Body of Christ in many nations, but we can state in fact the even in America persecution has increased dramatically.

It really does not make sense as Christians are some of the best citizens of every nation by that same Word of God.

The one thing all Christians are to stand against is sin and that sin is based on that same Word of God.

So by this, we know that all governments in this world promote sin and refuse to stop promoting sin.

Who can figure that one out!

Most all sinners, all those without the love of Christ, promote murder, promote theft, promote immorality, and promote the defiance of authority.

Most all nations survive by taxes and Christians pay their taxes as demanded yet, all these involved in sin for the most part refuse to pay their taxes and become a burden upon those governments.

Most all Christians respect the authority of the government, yet most all sinners reject the authority of the government.

Yet, it is the Christian that is persecuted, and the sinner is praised by the government where no amount of sin is considered to be punishable.

The sinner who has not given their life to Christ and been Born Again by the "Grace" of God, remains a sinner who is sold out to the Devil!

These are also the Words of Jesus Christ:

Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 

Joh 8:45  And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. 

Those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ are persecuted, just because they agree with the Lord Jesus Christ!

Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. 

This world opposes believers!

Gal 5:19  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 

Gal 5:20  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 

Gal 5:21  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 

Gal 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 

Gal 5:23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 

Gal 5:24  And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 

The world opposes the message of a Holy God, and will deliver up His disciples to be afflicted and many of them will just be murdered to keep them silent.

The world has become the greatest murderer that think they go unpunished, but this same Holy God says this is not true because the world will be held accountable!

So what is the greatest cause of death in our world? The governments of this world!

Hatred has finally found its true place in the world we live in now, and this is a sign that the end is very near!

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

We can ask ourselves just what is apostasy?

Apostasy is the forsaking and the renouncing of the things you say you believe.

How did the Lord Jesus put it?

Mat 13:20  But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 

Mat 13:21  Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. 

We have seen far too many so-called Christians, duck and run when they find out they have to take a stand on the Word of God to be a true Christian!

Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 

Though every generation has some apostacy now, near the end, we have seen a great falling away from the truth of God!

1Ti 4:1  Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 

1Ti 4:2  Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; 

What is another great sign we are in the last days?

2Ti 3:1  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 

2Ti 3:2  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 

2Ti 3:3  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 

2Ti 3:4  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 

2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 

2Ti 3:6  For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, 

2Ti 3:7  Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 

The truth of God cannot be denied!

The false prophets have come out of the closet, and they speak boldly because they are allowed to!

*****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. 

What do we see?

We see false leaders offering false hope!

There is no hope for this world!

The Lord has already determined to destroy this world in the end, but He will first save it from those who are determined to destroy this world themselves.

This is true because this to is written in what we Christians call the Bible.

Every false prophet will have his or her own message about how to save the world.

There have always been some false prophets, but now they have taken over the pulpits of many denominations and some of all denominations, and the world has jumped inside the Church and the Church is sinking to new lows abandoning the truth of God.

This my friends is another sign of the end times that we are facing!

We should never say the end times for God's people for this wrong, but the end times for the world as it now exist is what we are seeing.

1Ti 6:3  If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; 

1Ti 6:4  He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, 

1Ti 6:5  Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. 

We must understand that only the genuine believer knows how to pray and talk with God!

By this, we will get the help we need to live through these difficult circumstances that we are facing, and we will be facing until the Lord Jesus completes our "Redemption"!

We are redeemed, the Lord just has not taken us home yet!

Until we leave this world we will see and are seeing hatred dominate in this world!

Love has grown cold by the actions of sin that has no feelings.

Sin is a destructive flame that burns until all it all has been consumed!

The Christian on the other hand is to fan the flames of truth and be brighter, in fact hotter.

Again a sign of the end times.

Rev 3:14  And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 

Rev 3:15  I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 

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

We cannot be lukewarm and say we love the Lord Jesus!

*****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. 

Maybe what we lack the most as Christians today is, endurance!

It may not can be said in many places on this earth, but in America we Christians have not been tested.

This may be why there is such a falling away from the Church.

This Covid-19 has closed the doors of many places of worship.

We have allowed the government to step in and violate our own constitution and the Democratic Party would do away with our Constitution if they get the opportunity.

Our freedoms are being eroded!

Our nation is headed toward Socialism or better said Communism like a freight train running out of track.

We had better learn to endure these things and remain steadfast with the Lord Jesus!

With today's technology there remains very few places that have not been reached with the "Gospel".

Those very few places that civilization has not touched, will be touched and they too will suffer the destruction of sin, but maybe they first can be reached with the truth of God, but if not, they will still have no excuse because we need only look around and we can know that only a wise Creator could have made all the things in this Cosmos.

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 

Rom 1:19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 

Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 

Rom 1:21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 

Its far better to know the Lord Jesus Christ that it is reject Him!

The greatest of all sin is to be ignorant of the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is He who will return first to take His Church home and then eradicate sin from this world by extreme force!

Amen

Sunday, February 16, 2020

The Day of the Lord

The Wonderful Kingdom

Book of Zechariah Chapter 14


In Chapter 14 of Zechariah we will see the prophecy of Chapter 12 and Chapter 13 expanded. There is coming a time when most all the nations of this world will gather against the tiny nation of Israel. It will seem that all the prophesies of the Scriptures have failed. It will seem that Jerusalem the City of Peace, that has never seen peace, will be no more. It will seem that the Word of God has been a lie. It will seem that all hope is lost.

It will have been 7 years since the Antichrist came onto the scene and he has spent the last 3 and 1/2 years destroying everything and everyone who has challenged him.

He has most all the world behind him and he has decided he will be the true king of the world and he has set his eyes upon Jerusalem and his plan now to destroy the Jews.

The Scriptures say this is the time of Jacob's Trouble:

Jer 30:7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.
Jer 30:8 For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him:
Jer 30:9 But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.

It will be that day that none have ever seen, the world at war but the enemy of the world will be one tiny nation, Israel, who has defied the Antichrist.

What is Armageddon?

Rev 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Rev 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
Rev 16:16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

The one thing that much of the world has forgotten is that the Scriptures cannot lie, and there is a God, and He is the Lord Jesus Christ. The true and Living God!

How does our Lord explain it?

*****Zec 14:1 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
Zec 14:2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

We know that there have already been many wars and many battles fought before this day comes.

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.

All these things have taken place. The "elect", the Church has been saved from these days. The Lord promised we would not see His wrath upon us.

It is in these final days of the Great Tribulation and just when it looks like the Antichrist will be the winner, the world will meet the Lord Jesus Christ, but He will not be that humble Shepherd, He will come as King.

It is the Lord who gathered all these nations against Jerusalem.

In order for Jerusalem to be saved, all the people would have forgotten their own power, and will call upon the Lord!

2Ch 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Just as the City of Peace is falling to the enemy. Just as the enemy is stealing all they can from the Jews. Just as the women and children are falling into the hands of the enemy. Just when half the city falls into the hands of the enemy.

The Lords says half of the city will not be cut off from safety.

Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
Rev 12:15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
Rev 12:16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Now I cannot explain all these things, but I do know that just when all seems lost, that is when the Lord can do His best!

*****Zec 14:3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.

What do we know for sure?

The Lord will visibly appear and fight against all the nations that go against Israel and Jerusalem!

Our Lord does many things in this world, He is in control of all things that surround us, and He is not seen.

On this day the Lord God, when He steps out of Heaven, He will be seen and when He is seen, then He is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Remember He said they look upon the One they had pierced as proof.

He is the "Word of God in person"
He is King of all kings.
He is Lord of all lords.
He is also the Mightiest of all warriors!

Rev 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

He will fight as He did against the Egyptians as He protected His children and opened the Red Sea.

He will fight as He did when He led Joshua through Canaan Land. This time there will be no covenants made and there will be none that escape to intermingle with those that survive.

Rev 14:14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
Rev 14:15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
Rev 14:16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.

And when He arrives, He will first stand on the Mount of Olives, for He was not afraid to tell the enemy the exact spot He would return.

*****Zec 14:4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
Zec 14:5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.

Remember at this time the people of Israel and Jerusalem are in peril thinking it is finally over and the world has succeeded in destroying them forever, but this will never happen because Jehovah, the Lord, made a sure covenant with them.

They had to be broken and humbled until they finally called on the Lord with sincerity!

2Ch 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Remember in Chapter 12 the Lord had poured out the Holy Spirit upon Jerusalem and Judah.

What do we know? We know the Lord has already observed the happenings around Israel, because His eye is always upon His children!

The Lord always knows what we endure!

The Lord knows when we are in peril, but He may leave us in that peril long enough to learn whatever lesson we needed to learn!

The Lord will make a way for deliverance!

The Church has always known that the Lord will return to this place.

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.

Some believe that there will be an earthquake on the Mount of Olives because the Muslim made a great cemetery in the pathway of the Lord and would not defile Himself walking on the dead.

Some believe the entire area will be broken up because of all the Saints that left in the Rapture.

What we know for sure is, that this sinful, bloody earth will melt before the feet of Jesus!

What we know for sure is, that the Lord will part this mountain just as He did the Red Sea in order for the children of Israel to escape!

Rev 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

Azal means they will escape to a place that is very near. A place of safety while the Lord deals with the enemy. This could be Edom.

It is a fact, earthquakes cause a panic and while those enemies of the Jews are confused, those true Israelites the Lord will save, will escape to safety!

In the days of Uzziah there was such an earthquake it was the cause of much panic!

Amo 1:1 The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

We know that this is true because the words of each true prophet of the Lord spoke only the truth!

And we already know that the Lord will never leave us, so at the Rapture when all the Saints went to meet the Lord in the cloud, we then returned with Him.

*****Zec 14:6 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:
Zec 14:7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.

We live in a world where nature is thought of as something that just exist just as we do. Evolution teaches that we are a product of evolution over billions of years.

They first used millions of years, now billions of years, it’s just a matter of time before they use Trillions of years.

This theory is used about mankind and the animal world, but nothing is ever said about nature evolving!

Why? Because all this is nonsense and we have a Creator and our Creator holds the power of all His creation and the power over all of nature.

I do believe our nature was put in place to operate without much assistance, but all I know for sure is that the Lord can manipulate all of nature as His will sees fit.

On this day of earthquakes, probably volcanos and all the other such things of nature that we think are terrible, the Sun may be shining, but it cannot shine through, it will not be totally dark, but it will be dark enough to hinder sight.

After the daytime hours are passed and the evening comes it will be light.

How does the Lord explain this?

Isa 13:10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
Isa 13:11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
Isa 13:12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
Isa 13:13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, "and the earth shall remove out of her place", in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

I cannot imagine what will go on in this world when the orbit of the Earth has changed!

Already some earthquakes have caused the tilt of the earth to change. I suppose that this does not affect our climate because it is never mentioned as a reason.

The Lord says:

Joe 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
Joe 3:15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.
Joe 3:16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; "and the heavens and the earth shall shake": but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

What did Jesus say about this day and Jesus was speaking to the Jews?

Luk 21:25 "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";

What are some of the results of the earth shaking?

Luk 21:26 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.
Luk 21:27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

How did John the Apostle write about this day, and remember the Church is already with the Lord?

Rev 6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, "there was a great earthquake"; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
Rev 6:13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
Rev 6:14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

If the earth has moved out of its orbit, there will be so many things going on that we cannot imagine but the Lord will still be in control!

It will be this very day that life to this planet will be restored!

It may be that a nuclear holocaust has destroyed all that we know now.

Again the Lord Jesus has everything under control!

*****Zec 14:8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
Zec 14:9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.

The "River of Life" that we studied from our lesson in Ezekiel Chapter 47 and have mentioned it many times in other lessons.

So here it is again the "Living Waters", the "River of Life", will flow out of Jerusalem to heal our earth to as it was in the time of Adam.

We know that we will still have the seasons and summer will still be hot and winter will still be cold and hotter or colder depending upon your location on this remade earth.

Joe 3:18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim.
Joe 3:19 Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.
Joe 3:20 But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.
Joe 3:21 For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion.

And the Lord Jesus Christ will be King of the entire earth!

Psa 22:27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
Psa 22:28 For the kingdom is the LORD'S: and he is the governor among the nations.
Psa 22:29 All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.
Psa 22:30 A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
Psa 22:31 They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

Gen 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

Everything in this world will change when King Jesus sits on His throne in Jerusalem!

*****Zec 14:10 All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's winepresses.
Zec 14:11 And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.

All the land of Judah, which will be a type the whole earth, shall be filled with the knowledge of God!

All high places, all uneven places, all rocky ground, and all barren grounds, will be level as a plain and changed into fruitful vineyards and all crops will be abundant.

One man wrote "it will all be as a valley of abnormal fertility".

Only Jerusalem will be lifted up, while all the world around it will also be as a garden.

Psa 125:2 As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.

Jer 23:6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

The name Jerusalem means the city of peace and Jerusalem will finally become that City of Peace!

Jerusalem has always been a divided city, but it will now be unified because of the Lord!

Many other peoples have claimed Jerusalem, but it will now truly be the City of God!

To the Lord, Jerusalem is the Holy City!

Psa 135:21 Blessed be the LORD out of Zion, which dwelleth at Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD.

Psa 46:4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
Psa 46:5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

God says, do you remember what I did to Egypt?

What does radiation do to those who are exposed to it?

*****Zec 14:12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.

In Japan the first thing people noticed was an "intense ball of fire" according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

The atomic blast in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 killed 140,000 people; tens of thousands died instantly, while the rest succumbed to injuries or illness in the weeks, months and years afterwards.

The atomic bomb had a yield of 15 kilo tons, equal to 15,000 tons of TNT, yet was 3,300 times less powerful than the biggest hydrogen bomb tested by the Soviet Union in 1961.

Temperatures at the epicenter of the blast reached an estimated 7,000 degrees Celsius (12,600 Fahrenheit), which caused fatal burns within a radius of about three kilometers (five miles).

ICRC experts say there were cases of temporary or permanent blindness due to the intense flash of light, and subsequent related damage such as cataracts.

A whirlwind of heat generated by the explosion also ignited thousands of fires that burned several square kilometers (miles) of the largely wooden city. A firestorm that consumed all available oxygen caused more deaths by suffocation.

It has been estimated that burn-and fire-related casualties, accounted for more than half of the immediate deaths in Hiroshima.

Verse 12 describes what happened to 185,000 people instantly in Japan when one atomic bomb was used.

But there is more.

*****Zec 14:13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.

These enemies will be struck with so much delusion and pain, and confusion, that they will not know who their enemy is, and who is their friend and they will destroy each other.

In these cases it says the Lord will cause these things, but in fact, He will not be the cause. The Lord always takes the blame, but these will be people destroying people. These armies will turn on each other!

Whether by accident or on purpose, some military commander will do the wrong thing and what follows will be mayhem.

All these things will be similar to the things that happened to Egypt and the things Jehovah did in the battles in the time of Joshua, and we could add the things that happened to the enemies of Israel in the war in 1948 and the war of 1967.

The world never learns from mistakes of those who came before them!

Remember the Lord has already poured out the Holy Spirit upon His people and here is an example from the Scriptures:

2Ch 20:21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.
2Ch 20:22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.
2Ch 20:23 For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.
2Ch 20:24 And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.
2Ch 20:25 And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.

*****Zec 14:14 And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance.

When you go against the Lord, it will cost more than you want to pay! Judah will rally to defend their capitol city Jerusalem.

Judah will gather all the spoil and return it to Jerusalem to offer it to King Jesus.

The military of Israel will go to battle this day and they will by the "Supernatural" things of the Lord, destroy their enemies.

All those nations who came against Israel and the Lord will give the wealth of those nations to Israel, just as they had given control of it to the Antichrist!

And the Lord is not done yet.

Not only are all the military men and women confused, their equipment will fail them when they try to use it on Israel!

*****Zec 14:15 And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague.

The same plague, probably radiation, will also make the equipment of all those militaries useless against Israel!

None of the equipment of the enemy used in warfare will operate on this day as they try to attack Jerusalem!

We must again remember the truth of God!

Rom 12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
Rom 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

We will never make peace with this sinful and evil world.

Evil and good cannot stand on the same ground.

Right and wrong cannot ever agree.

Immorality and Godly righteousness will never agree!

On this day it will be the vengeance of the Lord in full view!

*****Zec 14:16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.

Here we see the "Mercy" of the Lord, because there will be some that will be saved for whatever reason that we will not know until that day!

Everyone who survives this "Day of the Lord" will go yearly to worship King Jesus, who will sit upon His throne upon this world for 1000 years.

Everyone who is born into this world, since creation and even today, have it within them to seek out their Creator, but the lies of this world cause them confusion and delivers most of them to Hell.

In the days King Jesus sits upon His throne all those babies will grow up without the influence of Satan, and without those lies, because that old world will not exist anymore.

All the world will know Jesus as the Messiah who came to be King, and He will teach all that there is still a better place called the New Heaven and the New Jerusalem that will be in the future of all who will believe.

Faith will still be the key to everlasting life!

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

But in the end, there will still be some who would rather stay on this world than go with the Lord to an even better place, the New Heaven and the New Jerusalem!

Amen

Let's Pray!

Sunday, February 9, 2020

Our True Shepherd

The Smitten Shepherd

Book of Zechariah Chapter 13


Many times we are told that the Jewish people did not know that the Messiah would come to die, yet Zechariah is not the only prophet who writes of these things.

In the Psalms:

Psa 51:2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Psa 51:3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

The Prophet Isaiah:

Isa 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

There are other places that taught the Jews about their Savior, yet they chose to disregard those teachings.

The Jews reject many of the writings of the prophets and all the New Testament.

The fact is that we can pick and choose what we believe to be the true Scriptures but in reality, this does not make the other Scriptures to be false.

All the Scriptures are actually written by the Holy Ghost and we have no right to pick and choose what parts to believe and which parts to reject.

2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

We need as much God as we can get, and the best place to get the truth is with all the Holy Ghost inspired Word of God!

So what is the truth of our Savior?

*****Zec 13:1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.

This Scripture refers to the Messiah as that fountain that is opened to those of Jerusalem.

We know that according to the Word of God, the Church is already with the Lord Jesus Christ before this day comes about, so in "what day" is this prophet speaking?

He is speaking of the "day of great mourning" from Chapter 12, when the Jewish people had finally realized the truth of the Messiah whom they had rejected and murdered when He first came.

Remember in Chapter 12 they had realized the truth of the Messiah.

Zec 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me "whom they have pierced", and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

Chapter 13 continues with this theme.

The Lord will cleanse every believer who remains after the 7 years of Tribulation, of their sin and of their false worship.

Remember they had been cleansed of idol worship in those 70 years of captivity, but they had given their voice unto the Beast, the Antichrist, until he sat down as God in the rebuilt Temple.

They had been fooled up until that time, along with all the world!

All that are left, rulers and people, will be cleansed of their sin because the Lord had poured out His "mercy" and His "grace".

That word "fountain" gives the sense of "living waters".

The true "fountain" is God the Father "as the fountain of living waters".

Jer 2:13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

It is God the Son that we see here in verse 1, the fountain opened to the house of David and all those in Jerusalem on that day.

God the Holy Ghost is that river of living waters in the heart of each and every believer.

Joh 7:37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
Joh 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

What happens beside salvation on "that day"?

*****Zec 13:2 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.

Idols are anything that we have placed in our lives that we hold to be higher than our Father in Heaven.

The Lord is saying, that not only idol worship would cease, but even the names of them would not be remembered.

Mic 5:13 Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands.

You see all idols are manmade and the things of man are never more important than the things of God!

You know we have no need of prophets today!

We have the complete Word of God which tells us the beginning, and the end, and everything in between.

God would never send us another prophet and here, when the Jewish people wake up to the truth of the Messiah, He tells them the same thing.

The Lord will cause all the prophets to pass out of the land, which is the Promised Land and the place where King Jesus will rule this world.

There is no need for prophets, not even today.

Any prophet would be a false prophet if they went against any part of the Word of God!

We have the complete Word of God, there will never be any new revelations that go against the existing Word of God!

Anything that goes against the Word of God is also unclean and all unclean things would pass out of the land of Promises from the Jews and the Church.

So there false prophets who are filled with unclean spirits!

Unclean spirits are lying spirits which work in the false preachers and false teachers we have today!

2Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

1Ti 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
1Ti 4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
1Ti 4:3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

The world that is left after those 7 years of Tribulation, will not want to hear any false teachers! They will only want to hear the truth!

They certainly will not want to hear any false prophet and we should not either today.

The world that was destroyed was a world of lies and deception! The same world we live in today.

*****Zec 13:3 And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the LORD: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.
False teaching of any sort will be abolished during the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ.

We see that parents will not allow their children to speak against the Lord like they do today.

Today the parents allow their children to bring home a false doctrine and will not correct them but this will change the parents will rule their own families with a "rod of iron" as will the Lord!

If it were to start up again, the parents would put an end to it immediately.

The people of Millennial reign of Christ, will all honor the commandments of Christ! King Jesus will rule with a rod of iron!

Mar_12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

Mat 10:37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Mat 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

There will be no place for false teaching during the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ!

Rev_2:27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

There will be a complete extermination of the unclean spirits, when Jesus Christ sits on His throne in Jerusalem!

Though the Church will be with Jesus, we can still imagine a world where there will be no lies told of any sort.

There will be no deception.
There will be no temptation. (Satan will be bound for 1000 years).
The truth of God will rule each day!

The government will be a Theocracy with King Jesus the true Christ upon the throne.

All the needs of the people will be met, and this includes the truth!

*****Zec 13:4 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive:
Zec 13:5 But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth.

Most all of us can relate to this picture. We were all dirty rotten sinners until we met the Lord Jesus Christ and are now cleansed of our sin.

We are all ashamed of our old lives, at least I know I am.

Even in the days of near perfection there will be some who will rebel.

There will also be those who are accused of rebelling who have not.

Remember the craving to sin lives in each of us as long as we are in this body of flesh.

We are not a people who are good and sometimes do bad things. We are a people who are bad and sometimes we may do something good!

This will not change during the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ!

The one thing that is true is, that those who have survived the Great Tribulation and now know the truth, will not tolerate those who would again try to teach a false message.

Until they are found out, they will not dress as the prophets of old, nor will they appear as the TV evangelist do today, they will dress the same as those around them.

He shall say "I am no prophet". He shall say "I am just an average person" who has been taught how to work and make a living.

Remember false prophets prefer to deceive and talk you into supporting them.

They will be hated and sought out during this Millennial Age.

This is one of the reasons that King Jesus must rule with a "Rod of Iron"!

All these people will still have the old sin nature until they are cleansed of that old spirit!

Mic 3:6 Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them.
Mic 3:7 Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God.
Mic 3:8 But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.

These false prophets would rather be seen as slaves rather than confess that they reject the Lord Jesus Christ!

Some of these men or women may even be repenting their sin in order to be cleansed by the Lord, His "Fountain of Grace".

Idolatry, false prophesy, and unclean spirits will be removed by the Lord Jesus Christ!

*****Zec 13:6 And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.

No doubt this this is prophecy of our Savior when He was nailed to the cross and if you are Christian, then those wounds in the hands of the Lord we will never be forgotten.

These wounds will be a constant reminder of the things that Jesus did for us so we could be saved.

We will see those wounds when He is placing those crowns on our head and will be a reminder and we will toss those crowns back at the feet of Jesus

In fact the wounds our Savior received in paying our sin debt will be a reminder to us all the days though out eternity.

How will we differ from Christ when we have our own glorified body? Our body will not have any blemishes. Our body will be perfect, while the Lord will always show his scars on His body! Those will be His own Crowns of glory

In real time this thing also speaks of the early days of the Millennial reign of Christ

The beginning, of the Millennial Kingdom, may be the toughest years.

Many will go through firery trials before they find the Lord.

Many will question their sincerity.

The false prophet would still carry the signs of self-mutilation and these things could never be hidden.

1Ki 18:28 And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.
The world that was destroyed was a world of lies and deception! The same world we live in today.

*****Zec 13:3 And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the LORD: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.

False teaching of any sort will be abolished during the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ.

We see that parents will not allow their children to speak against the Lord like they do today.

Today the parents allow their children to bring home a false doctrine and will not correct them but this will change the parents will rule their own families with a "rod of iron" as will the Lord!

If it were to start up again, the parents would put an end to it immediately.

The people of Millennial reign of Christ, will all honor the commandments of Christ! King Jesus will rule with a rod of iron!

Mar_12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

Mat 10:37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Mat 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

There will be no place for false teaching during the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ!

Rev_2:27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

There will be a complete extermination of the unclean spirits, when Jesus Christ sits on His throne in Jerusalem!

Though the Church will be with Jesus, we can still imagine a world where there will be no lies told of any sort.

There will be no deception.
There will be no temptation. (Satan will be bound for 1000 years).
The truth of God will rule each day!

The government will be a Theocracy with King Jesus the true Christ upon the throne.

All the needs of the people will be met, and this includes the truth!

*****Zec 13:4 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive:
Zec 13:5 But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth.

Most all of us can relate to this picture. We were all dirty rotten sinners until we met the Lord Jesus Christ and are now cleansed of our sin.

We are all ashamed of our old lives, at least I know I am.

Even in the days of near perfection there will be some who will rebel.

There will also be those who are accused of rebelling who have not.

Remember the craving to sin lives in each of us as long as we are in this body of flesh.

We are not a people who are good and sometimes do bad things. We are a people who are bad and sometimes we may do something good!

This will not change during the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ!

The one thing that is true is, that those who have survived the Great Tribulation and now know the truth, will not tolerate those who would again try to teach a false message.

Until they are found out, they will not dress as the prophets of old, nor will they appear as the TV evangelist do today, they will dress the same as those around them.

He shall say "I am no prophet". He shall say "I am just an average person" who has been taught how to work and make a living.

Remember false prophets prefer to deceive and talk you into supporting them.

They will be hated and sought out during this Millennial Age.

This is one of the reasons that King Jesus must rule with a "Rod of Iron"!

All these people will still have the old sin nature until they are cleansed of that old spirit!

Mic 3:6 Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them.
Mic 3:7 Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God.
Mic 3:8 But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.

These false prophets would rather be seen as slaves rather than confess that they reject the Lord Jesus Christ!

Some of these men or women may even be repenting their sin in order to be cleansed by the Lord, His "Fountain of Grace".

Idolatry, false prophesy, and unclean spirits will be removed by the Lord Jesus Christ!

*****Zec 13:6 And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.

No doubt this this is prophecy of our Savior when He was nailed to the cross and if you are Christian, then those wounds in the hands of the Lord we will never be forgotten.

These wounds will be a constant reminder of the things that Jesus did for us so we could be saved.

We will see those wounds when He is placing those crowns on our head and will be a reminder and we will toss those crowns back at the feet of Jesus

In fact the wounds our Savior received in paying our sin debt will be a reminder to us all the days though out eternity.

How will we differ from Christ when we have our own glorified body? Our body will not have any blemishes. Our body will be perfect, while the Lord will always show his scars on His body! Those will be His own Crowns of glory

In real time this thing also speaks of the early days of the Millennial reign of Christ

The beginning, of the Millennial Kingdom, may be the toughest years.

Many will go through firery trials before they find the Lord.

Many will question their sincerity.

The false prophet would still carry the signs of self-mutilation and these things could never be hidden.

1Ki 18:28 And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.

For some, it may take a chastising from our friends to keep us from doing wrong.

Pro 27:5 Open rebuke is better than secret love.
Pro 27:6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

Whatever it takes for us to see the light of Jesus, is acceptable to the Lord.

We should remember the "Grace of God". When we are washed in the blood of Jesus, we are cleansed of all our sins.

This old false prophet who finally accepts the Lord will be just as saved as we are, even if they still wear the signs of false worship .

We may scoff at these things, but the fact remains that self-mutilation is still seen today in some religions.

The Lord will rid the earth of all false prophets, false teachers, false teachers and anyone who would use lies to deceive others.

We read in verse 2 where even the parents would not allow their child to speak falsely.

Certainly it would be the same for friends. Everyone would be on the lookout for anything false!

We need our Christian friends sometimes to keep us from falling back in sin!

What does Jesus say?

For some, it may take a chastising from our friends to keep us from doing wrong.

Pro 27:5 Open rebuke is better than secret love.
Pro 27:6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

Whatever it takes for us to see the light of Jesus, is acceptable to the Lord.

We should remember the "Grace of God". When we are washed in the blood of Jesus, we are cleansed of all our sins.

This old false prophet who finally accepts the Lord will be just as saved as we are, even if they still wear the signs of false worship .

We may scoff at these things, but the fact remains that self-mutilation is still seen today in some religions.

The Lord will rid the earth of all false prophets, false teachers, false teachers and anyone who would use lies to deceive others.

We read in verse 2 where even the parents would not allow their child to speak falsely.

Certainly it would be the same for friends. Everyone would be on the lookout for anything false!

We need our Christian friends sometimes to keep us from falling back in sin!

What does Jesus say?

*****Zec 13:7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.

It would be good to remember when the Lord Jesus was upon this earth, He was 100% God while being 100% human. When Jesus went back to Heaven He did so in a "Glorified Body".

The Lord Jesus Christ is the True Shepherd!

That man is that human part that the Lord has made Himself to be, so when we all live together, we will be like Him.

1Jn_3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

Our Lord Jesus has made all these things possible.

Again we see in this passage the Holy Trinity as the phrase "my fellow" signifies "my equal", my companion. The Lord's Divine equality with the Father!

The Word was God, and the Word was with God, but He was man as well as God!

Not a natural man but the God Man, the way He presented Himself to us, so we can be with Him and see Him face to face!

1Co_13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

He is the True Shepherd because His people need Him to be that way!

He performs a Shepherd's part because, He will watch over us, He will provide for us, and He will guide us throughout eternity!

These are things He has decided to do Himself!

We are the sheep that God the Father gave to Him to redeem so that He could give us back to God the Father when He presents His Bride.

Rev 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Rev 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

It is God the Father, who caused the sword to smite His own Son that all these things be true!

It was God the Father who cause the suffering of our Savior!

The persecuting Jews were just willing instruments in all they did against Him!

They did it voluntarily, but they did it according to the Word of God.

Had they not done so then there would be no Church.
Had they not done so then there would be no redeemed Jews.

Once the Shepherd was smitten, God turned His attention to the "little ones" all those "Babes in Christ" who would grow into the family of God!

This is the message of the Lord of Hosts!

And what of those who deny Him?

Joh 19:6 When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him.
Joh 19:7 The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.

Joh 19:11 Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.

Remember it is the Lord of Hosts who is speaking.

*****Zec 13:8 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.
Zec 13:9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

At first, it was the Roman army that laid waste to two thirds of the Jews and the world has continued to do this throughout the years since that time.

Many times the world has tried to destroy the Jews, the most recent time on most minds today would be the holocaust by Adolf Hitler, where 6 million Jews were slain for no reason.

We know that by the destruction of the Temple, Jewish worship had been taken away from this people and has never been restored.

What did God promise?

"I will bring a third part through the fire". "And refine them" "and try them" and the day is coming they will call upon His name!

Eze 5:12 A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee: and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them.
Eze 5:13 Thus shall mine anger be accomplished, and I will cause my fury to rest upon them, and I will be comforted: and they shall know that I the LORD have spoken it in my zeal, when I have accomplished my fury in them.
Eze 5:14 Moreover I will make thee waste, and a reproach among the nations that are round about thee, in the sight of all that pass by.
Eze 5:15 So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment unto the nations that are round about thee, when I shall execute judgments in thee in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I the LORD have spoken it.

It should be obvious that Jehovah is not through with this promise as of yet, but all the signs indicate that this is soon coming to an end.

1) The Church will be taken out.
2) The 7 years of Tribulation where the refinement of the Jews will succeed.
3) These Jews will call upon the name of the Lord.

2Ch 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Then the Promised 1000 years of King Jesus upon the throne of David.

Amen

Let's Pray!