The Victory of the Messiah

The Victory of the Lamb

Book of Revelation Chapter 17

We should understand that Jesus is coming back to this earth for three reasons.

1) To get His church and take her home as His bride.

2) To rid this earth of wickedness and sin.

3) He is returning to reclaim this earth and rule for 1000 years from Jerusalem and again Jerusalem will be the center of all His creation.

Eze 5:5  Thus saith the Lord GOD; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her. 

Jerusalem has been the place the Lord has designed to be a godly influence on all nations and has been a failure to do so until King Jesus sits on His throne in that city.

One man wrote: "Jerusalem was set in the midst of the nations, to be as the heart in the body, to invigorate the dead world with a divine life, as well as to enlighten the dark world with a divine light".

Jesus Christ is not coming back riding a donkey this time but a white Heavenly Stallion.

Jesus Christ is coming back to bring righteousness to this earth, and we(the Bride, the Church) will be coming back with Him!

Jesus is coming back to fulfill the promise He made to Abraham.

Jesus is coming back to fulfill the promise He made to King David.

First, upon returning Jesus will destroy false religion forever.

It is false religion that has caused most all the problems in our world since the time of Nimrod and the city of Babel!

*****Rev 17:1  And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: 

Rev 17:2  With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. 

Rev 17:3  So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 

False religion has caused more harm to this world than any other thing including all wars, all diseases, all plagues and all other things.

False religion had its beginning in Babel by Nimrod, and it has flourished ever since.

Gen 10:8  And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. 

Gen 10:9  He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD. 

Gen 10:10  And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

We know that the "Church" is the "Bride of Christ"!

Well the Antichrist has his own bride and it is the false church.

The Bride of Christ.

Eph 5:22  Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 

Eph 5:23  For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 

Eph 5:24  Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. 

Eph 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 

Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 

Eph 5:27  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 

Eph 5:28  So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 

Eph 5:29  For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: 

Eph 5:30  For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 

Eph 5:31  For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 

Eph 5:32  This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 

Eph 5:33  Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

We are now reading about the bride of the Antichrist, this woman who sits upon this Beast who we know by this description.

We know that Satan is a master counterfeiter. Everything that the Lord proclaims to be good, Satan has a duplicate that is wicked and evil!

God has His Holy Trinity, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

Satan has his false trinity. The Dragon who is the murderer Satan, the Beast (Antichrist) and the false Prophet.

Jehovah calls and ordains His preachers and pastors and other men.

Satan does the same.

2Co 11:3  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

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. 

All these years Satan has had his false church and they are gaining in strength!

Satan not only has his false church, but he sends out many of his followers to infiltrate the true church and many churches have lost their way and have forgotten our Savior.

In a previous lesson, we saw how Israel had brought forth a Son to be the Messiah and Satan immediately tried to murder that Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The church is built upon that Rock. That Rock is the Lord Jesus Christ and His loving bride is the Church that stands upon the Rock of Jesus Christ.

Here we see the false church built upon that evil, vile, Devil.

*****Rev 17:4  And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: 

Rev 17:5  And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 

This woman is described as a "whore" because of her "Spiritual Adultery". She is a "prostitute" of evil and wickedness!

She is a harlot and the mother of all harlots, this to referring to "Spiritual Harlotry".

All those who deal with her, have to sell out their purity to serve the Devil! 

Many without even realizing they work for the Devil!

What does God say to the Church?

Isa 42:6  I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; 

Isa 42:7  To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. 

Isa 42:8  I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. 

We already see that most of the entire world is given over to the false church.

This false church is given over to the Beast!

We know her by the seven heads and the ten horns and how she is arrayed.

You know all those churches that spend all their money on buildings and neglect the mission of the church, are already caught up in this work of false religion!

The Church does not need great ornate buildings! 

The Church needs a people who are dedicated to the mission of the Church given by the Lord Jesus Christ

The truth of the church is, we cannot allow the world to get inside the church.

Jas 4:4  Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. 

Jas 4:5  Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? 

Jas 4:6  But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 

Jas 4:7  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 

We already know that by this time, the True Church will be in Heaven.

The "rapture" of the Church will be explained away by some means, so that it is not a good thing and people will be driven to the false church by the actions of the Antichrist, when both he and the false prophet are energized by Satan.

We can just imagine this false church sitting upon riches galore while the remainder of the world sits in poverty.

We already know that money is the root of "all" evil!

Feeding lines will be enormous but the doctrine of the false church will be all lies!

Just as it is today.

During the time of Nimrod, he had all the world convinced that they did not have to obey Jehovah God.

It is believed by many that he was building the Tower of Babel to be high enough to withstand another flood.

Many foolish people think they can defy God! Many others say there is no God to defy!

This is the same message of the false church today!

The mystery spoken of here is the mystery of iniquity.

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 

2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 

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. 

It is only those who are lost that are caught up in this mystery! 

The Church is aware of the source of sin! (Satan)

Those who are lost will be even more energized once the Church is removed and the Antichrist steps out onto the scene.

He will not make his ways known until the church is gone because the true church will know him and who he is!

Again "Babylon the Great" means the false religion began by Nimrod who was influenced by Satan. She is this false church.

That word Babylon means confusion and Satan instills confusion upon all his followers.

Satan intends to cause confusion and destruction throughout this world!

I think back and I am so glad I am no longer confused about my Creator and my Savior.

Today the National Council of Churches, the World Council of Churches and the Federal Council of Churches, are still trying to build a new Tower of Babel.

What are the goals of the NCC?

* Ultimately, "a world government of delegated powers."  (One World Government)

* Complete abandonment of United States. Total Isolationism.  (A New World Order)

* Strong immediate limitations on national sovereignty.  

* International control of all armies and navies.  

* "A universal system of money, so planned as to prevent inflation and deflation."  (Cashless society)

* Worldwide freedom of immigration.  

* Progressive elimination of all tariff and quota restrictions on world trade.  

* "Autonomy for all subject and colonial peoples" (with much better treatment for Afro-Americans in the US.).  

* "No punitive reparations, no humiliating decrees of war guilt, no arbitrary dismemberment of nations."  (No police force)

* A "democratically controlled" international bank "to make development capital available in all parts of the world without the predatory and imperialistic after-math so characteristic of large-scale private and governmental loans."  

These goals are reworded but essentially have remained the same since its beginning in 1908.

Nowhere do you read about spreading the "Gospel"!

These are enemies of God's Church.

It is about man-made religion.

It is about false unity.

It has an earthly city in its center.

It has some man as an earthly representative. (We know this one man is the Antichrist)

She is the Mother of Harlots. In other words there will be one denomination at the forefront of the world church.

Many believe this to be the Roman Catholic Church.

This does not mean the true believers in the Roman Catholic Church but the Doctrine of the Church in general.

There could also be some other group who is this Mother of Harlots.

We should keep in mind that all denominations, but one, had there beginning in the Roman Catholic Church beginning with the Protestants at the time of Luther.

Today Rome looks at the Protestants as brothers and no longer heretics.

There is a great movement to bring all those denominations back under one roof so in this sense back to the Mother Church.

Everyone has feelings about all these things but the true Church, the Christians will all be in Heaven before the Tribulation and all these churches will continue on doing what they do which is not promoting the ''Gospel" of Jesus Christ.

It is this false church that has murdered the Saints and the Prophets of God throughout its beginning.

More Saints have died by the actions of the false church than in any other way!

*****Rev 17:6  And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. 

A look from the outside at the beautiful buildings and the ornate tapestries, and the regal services and great rituals, would seem to be something to be admired, but on the inside a wickedness that surpasses even the Antichrist.

It is the false church that will assist the Antichrist in causing the holocaust and the slaughter of all those who reject the sign of the Beast, and do their best to wipe out the Jews who will at this time reject the false church.

*****Rev 17:7  And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. 

Rev 17:8  The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. 

What is the mystery of this woman?

We see it today! 

If you walk the streets of America about 7 out of 10 will claim to know God and claim to be Christians.

To be Christian now has nothing to do with Jesus Christ.

Most of these people do not even know the "Doctrine of Salvation"! 

The mystery is, that these same people will put leaders, and governments, and laws, and doctrines, and rituals in place, that do not honor God but actually go against God in every way.

They reject the authority of the Word of God!

They are hypocrites and counterfeits who hold to a false religion, and it is these that have allowed our nation to get in such bad shape as it is today, and they encourage even more rebellion against the Lord.

How can anyone who claims to be saved by Jesus Christ then go against everything He has taught us?

This is why John marveled at what he saw.

We should all take a step back and look at our church, to see if we are even coming close to serving the Lord the way He commanded us.

People think the Bible is a book of guidelines but in fact the Bible is a Book of Commandments!

Every time we put someone in place that does not honor the truth of the "Gospel", we jeopardize our children and grandchildren, those who follow after we are gone home to be with the Lord.

We have not left a good legacy for our children and grandchildren!

John marveled that the church no longer existed to serve the Lord, but they served a counterfeit wholeheartedly.

What did Jesus teach?

Joh 5:43  I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. 

Joh 5:44  How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? 

This describes our world today and it is only going to get worse!

This Beast is the Antichrist.

Verse 8 speaks of a resurrection or at least what will seem to be a resurrection.

This false religion will be resurrected from the bottomless pit.

This again points us back to Babel in the time of Nimrod.

The Greek Word used for "Bottomless Pit" is Abyss, which means without bottom.

In reality because of the rotation of the earth, someone could fall into the center of the earth and never reach the other side. A bottomless pit!

The word "perdition" comes from the Greek word "Apolia" which means a place where the death of the soul occurs as described in this Scripture from the Book of Hebrews.

Heb 10:39  But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; "but of them that believe to the saving of the soul". 

As Christians, our faith leads to the saving of the soul.

As non-believers, they are those who draw back into the destruction of the soul.

All those who have followed the Antichrist will wonder about their own destination when they see the Antichrist, the Beast tossed into the "Burning Lake of Fire" the place of death to the soul, created specifically for Satan and his angels!

*****Rev 17:9  And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. 

Rev 17:10  And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. 

There may be more than one interpretation for this text. 

Literally speaking, Rome is known as the city of seven hills. The Vatican sits on one side of the Tiber River, facing those seven hills.

In ancient times, hills were sacred high places, used to worship and offer sacrifices to deities. 

The systems of worship were based on salvation by works, and also included a counterfeit savior or Messiah and mediators of both sexes. 

The gods that were worshipped in these places were manifestations of the sun god who was androgenic in that he/she could manifest himself/herself in the male or the female form. 

One further reason why the end-time religious confederacy, under the leadership of the Papacy, is called “Babylon”, is that the Babylonian system of worship has been passed down through history. 

Its rituals and doctrines are present in Catholicism, as well as religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, earth religions, and even Islam.

So we see that spiritual Babylon is actually Rome. We have the false religious systems of Babylon joined with the revised Roman Empire!

The five great empires were probably Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece. 

The Roman Empire existed in the time of John and it has ceased to exist but will be revived in the later days.

The Roman Empire was never defeated!

The one that is not yet come is the eighth empire of the Antichrist which will last only 7 years, or actually only 3 and a half years.

What is the truth? Here is the mind that hath wisdom - Only those who are wise will understand this. The seven heads are seven hills.

*****Rev 17:11  And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. 

Rev 17:12  And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. 

The Antichrist is the leader of the eighth empire, but he will come from one of these seven empires. Many say he will come from Rome.

I believe we can get a picture of this empire from these Scriptures of Daniel.

Dan 7:7  After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.

Dan 7:19  Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;

The ten horns on this Beast represent ten kingdoms which represent the revived Roman Empire!

These ten kings will be no more than puppets who will follow the lead of the Beast.

*****Rev 17:13  These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

These 10 kings will follow the Beast in everything he does. This Beast, the Antichrist will be the very last world dictator.

You know not one of the followers of Satan believe him to be a dictator, he has so deceived them.

We can just imagine the wickedness of this dictatorship.

Many say this will be the revived Roman Empire and most of those Caesars were cruel and wicked people who thought they were gods, and this kingdom of the Beast will be far worse.

In fact every follower of the Antichrist will be no more than puppets under his direct control, and he will send them all to their death.

How foolish will they be? They will try to attack God.

*****Rev 17:14  These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. 

They will see Jesus only as their enemy when He has always only been a Savior but even our Savior has had enough of sin.

Why will Jesus win this war? He is God! 

He is the greatest King of all kings of the past. He is Lord of all His Creation. 

There has never been a lord as our Lord. Lord meaning He has Supreme Authority as He has had since He first made Heaven and Earth!

He has brought someone with Him. Soldiers of the Cross who will not have to draw a sword because our God will fight for us!

He brings with Him those He has called and who answered His call. Not all did answer.

He brings with Him those who have chosen to live for Him after He called them.

He brings with Him those who have been faithful to serve Him after He called.

Psa 149:4  For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation. 

Psa 149:5  Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. 

Psa 149:6  Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; 

Psa 149:7  To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; 

Psa 149:8  To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; 

Psa 149:9  To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.

Again one of the angels spoke to John.

*****Rev 17:15  And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. 

We now see that the Beast did not actually rise up out of the Sea, but in actuality he rose up out of the people. The Antichrist is just a man!

The term "waters" used in many places means multitudes of people.

The Beast is the world of wickedness that has come to power and at its head is the Antichrist.

This is the world that will give their power to the Apostate church, raise by the "false prophet".

The "rapture" of the true Church will be talked about as fools lost forever, while this false Church will claim all the glories and riches of the world to serve the Antichrist.

She can only lead her followers to death, and that death eternal in the Burning Lake of Fire.

At first the false Church was riding upon the Antichrist, but here we see that the Antichrist is now riding upon the false Church.

All of a sudden, the Antichrist and his ten kings turn upon the false church to destroy her.

This will be the destruction of false religion and the Antichrist will claim to be God, the god of power!

*****Rev 17:16  And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. 

Rev 17:17  For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. 

God has put into the heart of these already wicked people to stop what they are doing and destroy false religion from off the face of the earth.

Here we see that Religious Babylon is destroyed by Political Babylon.

False religion was used by the Antichrist to gain control of the political world and no more being needed false religion, it will be destroyed with the Antichrist having total control of all the resources of this earth.

This is the end of all state religions. 

We can just imagine the resources that a world church would have at its disposal and the Antichrist will not rest until he has all things under his direct control.

God had said He would put a stop to false religion, and He will use the Antichrist to fulfill this purpose!

It should be obvious that politicians will never allow religion to dictate their actions. Not now and not in the future!

It should also be obvious that the Lord never intended for the Church to accumulate riches! 

The riches of the Church are always to be used to promote the Gospel and beautiful ornate buildings are not necessary.

This does not mean we are not to have comfortable places to worship! 

We can just imagine what could be done if all the money given to God was used in the work of the Lord in being good stewards of God's riches.

When a politician sees riches, they immediately have a desire for it as they do today.

The harlot church will be hated and hated by those who at one time worshipped her.

The harlot church will be made desolate. All her riches confiscated.

The harlot will be made naked. Stripped of her rich ornate possessions and abandoned.

The enemies of the harlot church will eat her flesh and all her glory will be gone.

The harlot church will be burned with fire. Ruined, doomed to everlasting destruction.

In truth once the apostate church falls, the other Babylon will also fall!

*****Rev 17:18  And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

We already know that this political Babylon refers to the city that sits on seven hills which can only be Rome.

The Antichrist will run his course thinking all the time he is in control, when all the time he is fulfilling the will of God.

He may read the Bible, but he does not understand the power of a Holy God!

The ten kings will now have their kingdoms but even they will not be able to please the Antichrist who is now so full of hate that he hates himself!

It can truly be said that God works in mysterious ways!

In reality we will understand all these things once we have the mind of Christ after we reach the "Glory World"!

Amen!

Christ Faced Temptations

The Certainty Of Christ's Temptations

Book of Luke 4


Temptation actually means "being put to a test".

Most people see temptation as being enticed to do evil.

We will see that this is the way Jesus Christ was tempted in the wilderness.

In fact Satan is called "the tempter".

Mat 4:3  And when "the tempter" came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

The "tempter" is not internal but is truly a real, an active, and a subtle being!

Satan is a real person!

Hell is a real place!

The Burning Lake of Fire is a real place>

The Burning Lake of Fire was created for Satan and his angels!

Victory over temptation is essential before we can live righteously and be a vessel fit for God's use!

It is in this lesson where we will learn that no temptation has ever confronted mankind that Jesus Christ has not already faced.

We can believe that because it is true!

Satan will use 3 strategies in his attacks;

1) Satan will raise doubt concerning God's Word!

Gen 3:1  Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, "Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden"?

Satan will create suspicion about the goodness of God.

2) Satan will lie!

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

3) Satan will only speak in partial truths!

Gen 3:5  For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, "then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil".

Satan did not tell Adam and Eve that knowing about good and evil would not protect them from the pain, the suffering, and the surety of death that comes from sin.

Jesus was God but was also 100% Man.

As moral being whose nature had to develop under the limitations of humanity, Jesus could not escape the exposure to the perils of humans.

A real human could never escape with a fictitious temptation!

I have already stated the temptation Jesus faced was being enticed to do evil and is different from a mere test or a trial.

It is God who tests and tries us because we cannot have a testimony without a test of our faith!

Jas 1:13  Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
Jas 1:14  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

It is Satan who is the tempter!

It is not sin to be tempted, it is sin to fall into that temptation!

In our last lesson we know that Jesus was again filled with the Holy Ghost when He was baptized by John the Baptist.

Luk 3:22  And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

This is where we will pick up in this lesson:

*****Luk 4:1  And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
Luk 4:2  Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.

The humanity of Jesus was being prepared to serve the Lord.

We should not forget Jesus was about to launch the most important work ever performed by man, the salvation of humanity!

The fate of the world and of every human had been laid in the hands of the Messiah!

The truth is, where Adam had failed, then Jesus must have victory!

The truth is, The Lord could not use His power for His own gratification!

The truth is, The Lord had to abide within the limitations of this world!

The truth is, The Lord knew he would win His kingdom at the cross and that is where His battle would occur and not until then!

Jesus had been endowed with supernatural power and Satan would tempt Him to use it to further His own interest therefore showing little regard for the will of His Father.

This was Satan's attempt to divide the Holy Trinity of God!

From this point till the cross, Jesus would follow the lead of the Holy Spirit!

Jesus had to be totally committed to carry out God's plan no matter what happened and God's plan was the cross, anything less than the cross would have been a failure of God's plan!

It is easy to see that the devil will take advantage of any of our weaknesses.

Jesus had gone without food for 40 days and was tempted for 40 days by the Devil.

*****Luk 4:3  And the devil said unto him, "If thou be the Son of God", command this stone that it be made bread.
Luk 4:4  And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

At the Baptism of Jesus, a voice from Heaven had said, "this is my Son, in whom I am well pleased".

Jesus certainly had the power to to create some food if He so chose to do it!

Those words "if thou be the Son of God" were the Devil's way of taunting Jesus.

The Devil was saying, if you are truly the Son of God why are you so hungry, creating food is not such a great task for God.

Notice the wording when Jesus on the cross:

Mat 27:40  And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. "If thou be the Son of God", come down from the cross.

In the deserts of Israel are many loaf-shaped fossil rocks and the Devil used one of these to further entice Jesus.

Satan temptation, was for Jesus to misuse His power and His ability on sustaining Himself.

This would have defeated His purpose!

The powers given to the human Jesus could not be used to sustain Him in any way!

Jesus could not in any way use His deity to show people He was the Son of God!

The only way Jesus could use His power was to help mankind!

If Jesus had used His power on Himself, it would have shown that He trusted Himself and not His Father!

If Jesus had used His power on Himself, it would have shown that mankind had the ability to save themselves, instead of helping a world that was lost and in need of a Savior.

If Jesus had used His power on Himself, it would show that man had the ability to build themselves up instead of honoring God and God's will.

Satan is a devious and subtle person!

Jesus responded with the Word of God:

Deu 8:3  And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; "that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live".

We must all realize that we need much more than physical food to sustain us in this world!

We also have Spiritual needs!

The point of this Scripture is that only Jesus can meet all of our needs!

Jesus could only use His power to meet His Father's will!

And we must realize that it is not just the thoughts of the Scriptures that are important but It IS EVERY WORD!

There is no doubt that we all have certain necessities of life!

When we reject the fact that God has given us the many abilities to sustain ourselves, we are wrong.

God has a will and a purpose for each of us and He will provide our needs to fulfill His will and His purpose!

When we live for just the physical side of life and ignore the spiritual side of life, we will suffer a terrible hunger that can only be satisfied with Christ Jesus!

Eph 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

Since this did not work Satan tried something else.

We should also take note, this shows us that the Devil is relentless!

*****Luk 4:5  And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
Luk 4:6  And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
Luk 4:7  If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
Luk 4:8  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

We must remember why Jesus, the Messiah had come to this earth.

Luk 19:10  For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Jesus came to this earth to seek out the lost and provide them eternal salvation!

Jesus came to set up God's eternal Kingdom!

The only way to fulfill the will of His Father was by way of the Cross!

Satan provided an opportunity for Jesus to rule this world without going to the Cross.

1) Satan enticed Jesus with a moment in time, maybe even our day, when the kingdoms of this world were in their glory.

2) Satan claimed that he controlled the possessions and the glory of this world.

There are 3 "moments" that are mentioned in the New Testament.

Each one using a different Greek word and each one used only one time.

The Apostle Paul says we shall all be changed "in a moment" the Greek word "atomis" meaning an indivisible particle of measured time. This is the smallest measure of actual time.

The Apostle Paul also writes about Christian persecution and says we are experiencing "light affliction" which is "for a moment". The Greek word used here is "parautika" which means the present moment.

Here in our Scripture the Greek word "stigma" is used and it means "a point in time" but ruling the world just an instant in time, (compared to eternity) would certainly be a poor bargain and Jesus rejected that immediately.

We should realize that Satan was the prince of this world until the cross:

Joh 12:31  Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

Joh 14:30  Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.

After the cross, it is our Lord Jesus who holds the keys to God's Kingdom and gave them to Peter to build His Kingdom:

Mat 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Mat 16:19  And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Jesus will rule God's Kingdom for eternity!

Jesus answered quickly and decisively and was totally dependant on the Scriptures.

Verse 8: "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve"

Jesus is our example in this, we must worship, follow, and serve the Lord our God!

We absolutely steer away from the standards of this world!

2Co 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

We must avoid the path of worldliness!

We can have ambitions and goals.

We should desire to fulfill the calling of God for our lives.

We are wrong when we try to satisfy our own ambitions instead of following the will of God!

Mat 16:26  For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

So Satan tried still another approach.

*****Luk 4:9  And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:
Luk 4:10  For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:
Luk 4:11  And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Luk 4:12  And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

We already know that there is nothing impossible for God.

Our God is an awesome God!

It is certain that God would not allow any harm to come to Jesus until His plan was complete.

AND, God has set specific scientific rules that keep our world operating as it should.

When we expect things to happen, contrary to the rules that God has set, we boldly presume upon His will.

Satan had also taken Jesus to the Temple and the last place we should defile should be the place where we worship the Lord God!

When Satan uses that word "if" he is always trying to inflict doubt on the Word of God.

We that know the Lord, all know that when we die we will immediately be in the presence of the Lord.

2Co 5:8  We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

It is true that there is a Scripture that describes this action that Satan uses:

Psa 91:11  For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
Psa 91:12  They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

1) We should consider that in every case Satan has tempted Jesus to choose some other way than God's way!

God's way was by way of the cross!

Joh 3:14  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

2) We should next consider that Satan tempted Jesus to misuse Scripture by twisting it and taking it out of context to suit His own purposes.

The Scriptures do not say that God would take care of His Son, no matter what!

The heavenly angels were certainly given charge to help Jesus in any way.

BUT, the Scriptures must be fulfilled in the context that God gave them!

Mat 26:53  Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
Mat 26:54  But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?

3) Satan tempted Jesus to show people sensations, religious feelings, spectacular works of God.

Satan tempted Jesus to meet all the needs of this world with a quick fix.

And Jesus said: "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God"

All the Scriptures that Jesus used came from the Book of Deuteronomy and every Hebrew child was expected to know these things by the time they were 12 years old. They were to be taught to them by their parents!

In our world today there are many that say all religions in effect worship the same God and there are many ways to get to Heaven.

We should never miss the lesson that we have learned in these Scriptures, where our Lord has proven to Satan that there is only one way and that is God's way!

If Jesus had changed the plan of God in any way then, could none of us be saved!

Jesus Christ had to go by way of the cross in order that we be saved!

All mankind are tempted to bypass God, to choose another way!

The way of the cross may seen to hard and to difficult for some, but it is truly the only way to God!

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.

Tit 3:5  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Tit 3:6  Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
Tit 3:7  That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Trying to seek another way to Heaven will only bring the doom of Hell!

1Co 1:18  For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
1Co 1:19  For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

This world we live in today in these last days have used every means they can think of, to twist the truth out of the Scriptures to allow them to do what they want, but that is still the sin of unbelief!

The sin of unbelief is the greatest of all sins and cannot be forgiven!

There is not other way to reach God but by the cross!

Mat 10:38  And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

And Satan departed from the Lord "for a season".

*****Luk 4:13  And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.

The Devil lost this first battle with Jesus in His human form because Jesus rebuked him with the Word of God.

Satan left Jesus alone, but only for awhile!

We must remember faith that cannot be tested is faith that cannot be trusted!

The next lesson to learn is, those who are called into the ministry of the "Gospel" should never use that ministry for personal gain!

The next lesson for us all is no matter what Satan throws at us, we should never quit on God it is Satan who has to retreat from the Word of God!

Every battle we win over temptation will make us stronger!

Jesus began His ministry!

*****Luk 4:14  And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.
Luk 4:15  And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.

Before Jesus went back to Nazareth, He began His ministry in Galilee, which includes the city of Nazareth.

Galilee was a province and not a city at this time.

Of the 32 parables Jesus spoke, 19 were spoken in Galilee.

Of the 33 miracles recorded in the New Testament 25 of them happened in Galilee.

His first miracle was at the wedding of Cana.

His last miracle was after His resurrection on the shore of Galilee's sea.

In Galilee was the "Sermon on the Mount".

Jesus preached Himself as the "Bread of Life", Purity, Forgiveness, and Humility in Galilee.

Jesus called His first disciples in Galilee.

In was in Galilee where the "Transfiguration took place.

Jesus had a great ministry in Galilee before He went to His home in Nazareth.

We can see that victory over temptation will lead to great results!

It leads to more power.

It leads to a greater testimony.

It leads to a greater ministry.

Jas 1:12  Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

It leads us into the throne room of God.

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

A Synagogue was a recognized place of Jewish worship.

The hours of worship were the same as those of the Temple in Jerusalem.

1) First there would be prayer and the Jews had at least 18 prayers they would recite.

2) Next there would be the reading of the Scriptures in certain definite portions.

3) Next there would the exposition to those portions of Scripture that were read. Ezra said ("making sense of the Word") Explaining the meaning of what God had said!

Jesus was welcome in most all synagogues until the Pharisees became hostile toward Him!

The Lord Jesus Christ had the general admiration of all the people, until the religious rulers felt threatened by the truth that He taught!

And then Jesus came to Nazareth to the synagogue in His home town.

*****Luk 4:16  And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

We should immediately notice that Jesus regularly attended the weekly services in the synagogue.

We know that as a boy of 12, His knowledge of the Scriptures had impressed the rabbis of Jerusalem.

We should not be surprised that Jesus was called on to read, but this day things would be a little different.

*****Luk 4:17  And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
Luk 4:18  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luk 4:19  To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Luk 4:20  And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

In the Sabbath service there were usually two lessons read.

The first lesson was always from the Pentateuch, the 5 books of Moses.

The second lesson was from the prophets which were on single rollers.

The scroll of Isaiah was given to Jesus and He opened it until He came to the Scripture He had chosen.

Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Jesus taught like He never had before.

On this day, Jesus the Christ declared that He was the Messiah.

The Scripture that Jesus read was this:

Isa 61:1  The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
Isa 61:2  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, {and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;}

Notice Jesus did not read the last portion of this verse.

In the day of Jesus there were no chapter and verse designations!

These people were first impressed, then shocked, and then angered as what Jesus said began to sink in.

It is no coincidence that this passage mentions the three persons of the Holy Trinity.

The Spirit, The Lord God, and Jesus the Messiah.

1) We should always trust the Word of God to be the truth and we should reverence the Scriptures.

Here at Gethsemane, we know that we always stand when our Pastor reads the Scriptures.

The Jews did the same:

Neh 8:5  And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up:

2) The Jews understood that the Messiah would be anointed by the Holy Spirit. In fact the Messiah would be called and equipped by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit when He was within the womb of His mother Mary.

The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus when He was Baptized.

The Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness where He defeated the Devil.

There is no doubt that the Holy Spirit was upon Jesus as He read this Scripture.

It was the Lord Jesus Christ who was anointed to first preach the "Gospel"!

The truth is, when God calls, He anoints, He equips, and He sends and the Holy Spirit goes with everyone chosen of the Lord wherever God sends them!

The Messiah was to preach the Gospel! (Evangelize)

He was to preach the "Gospel" to the poor. (Those who are poor in spirit)

He was to preach the "Gospel" to deliver the captives. (Those caught in Satan's snares)

He was to minister to the brokenhearted and heal them!

He was to give sight to the blind. (those who are spiritually blind, and those blind physically)

He was to set at liberty all those who are bruised. (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually)

He was to preach the age of salvation!

The acceptable year, is the era of salvation that we still live in now!

2Co 6:1  We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.
2Co 6:2  (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

We now live in what is said as the Church Age.

Jesus stopped His reading before He read all of verse two.

Because the last part refers to the Judgement of God and in His present ministry until He returns in the clouds we are still in His present ministry, the Age of Grace.

*****Luk 4:21  And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

To be a prophet of God, then there had to be a fulfillment of those prophecies!

Luk 24:44  And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

We should consider that God already knew that Jesus would be rejected in Nazareth.

By saying He was the promised Messiah, the Son of God, Jesus placed Himself on the same level as God, which we know is true but this place where He was raised as a child, raised by a carpenter, to be a carpenter just would not accept Him and this included most of  His family at this time.

There was only one thing to do and that to just give them the truth!

By saying "this day" Jesus proclaimed to be the Messiah!

The people were looking for a King and they got a poor carpenter who preferred to be a Shepherd over them and a Fishermen of all men!

Those people who had known Him from childhood first were impressed with His eloquence.

Next they began to question His words and His motives.

Then they demanded proof, and became offended at His words!

We can be certain that even Christ Jesus faced the same temptations we face.

We can be sure the Christ Jesus overcame all temptation and without sin.

We can be sure that Christ Jesus is the only way to get to Heaven.

Because we can be sure that Jesus is the Messiah sent from God.

And we can be sure that most of this world will still reject Him until He returns in glory, when it will too late.

Many people are impressed with the life of Jesus but when they stand at the cross they are offended and He is rejected and despised!

Questions?

Let's Pray!