Looking Forward to the End

 The Beginning of the End

 Book of Luke Chapter 21

 

 This is one of the chapters in the New Testament that is known as the Olivet Discourse.

 The Lord Jesus will teach us:

 1) The destruction of the Temple.

2) His return.

3) The end of the world.

 The Book of Matthew, Chapters twenty-four and twenty-five, along with the Book of Mark Chapter 13, should also be studied to get a complete picture of what the Lord Jesus is teaching here.

 The Lord Jesus begins with the destruction of the Temple.

 We should understand that this Temple was intended to be a House of Prayer.

 Mat_21:13  And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Mrk_11:17  And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Luk_19:46  Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.

 The Temple had been made into a house of commerce and was no longer the house of God, but a house of men.

 Only for faith did it have any value, such as that poor widow who had given all she had in faith.

 The disciples of the Lord were still blind to the corruption in the House of God at this time.

 Much of the Church is blind to the corruption in many houses of God today, which are more entertainment centers than they are Houses of Prayer.

 What is wrong with the Houses of God today? Repentance is no longer required, and the Bible is not preached, or it has been changed to reveal a false gospel.

 *****Luk 21:5  And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said, 

Luk 21:6  As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

 The Lord Jesus begins to reveal to them what will happen to this Temple that they are so proud of, and some of them may have still been alive to see it happen.

 The Lord Jesus describes to them the destruction of Jerusalem and the total destruction of the Temple that took place in 70 AD.

 The siege of Jerusalem began in April 70 AD, led by the Roman general Titus, as part of the First Jewish Revolt against Roman rule (66-73 AD).

 The city was already weakened by internal strife among various Jewish factions, including the Zealots, which hindered their ability to mount a unified defense against the Roman forces.

 After months of intense fighting, the Romans breached the city walls and captured Jerusalem. The climax of the siege occurred in the summer of 70 AD when the Romans set fire to the Second Temple.

 Estimates suggest that over a million Jews died during the conflict, with many more enslaved or displaced.

 The Romans systematically destroyed much of the city, leaving only a few structures, including parts of the Western Wall, which remains a site of pilgrimage today.

 The fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple fundamentally altered Jewish religious life and still does today. 

 The destruction of the Jewish Temple in 70 AD was a significant event that reshaped Jewish history, culture, and religion, with effects that are still felt today.

 It is said that Titus did not want the Temple to be destroyed, but he lost control of his  armies and  Temple was set on fire to melt all the gold that could be captured.

 Josephus the historian wrote that, except for Herod’s three great towers and part of the western wall, the whole circuit of the city was so thoroughly levelled and dug up that no one visiting it would believe that it had ever been inhabited.

This is why the Muslim say today that Israel never existed.

 The disciples then wanted to know when these things would take place.

 *****Luk 21:7  And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass? 

Luk 21:8  And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.

 The Book of Mark tells us that Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked this question.

 They also asked if there would be a sign before it happened.

 The Jews did love their Temple. We know that King Herod had spent forty-six years making the Temple one of the great wonders of the world.

 The government of the Jews had no respect for Jehovah God.

 The disciples had already begun to see that the Lord Jesus was not going to sit as King of the Jews at this time, and this thing told of the Lord made this more real to them.

 The Lord Jesus told them that this destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple was not one of the signs of the end times.

 The Apostles of Jesus Christ would face some terrible times as they taught the first words of Christianity and the beginning of the Church.

 In other words, there will come a time of the destruction of Jerusalem and a new rebuilt Temple, which would take place during the time of the Gentiles.

 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. 

 We get the idea that it would certainly be centuries before the return of Jesus Christ, first to get His Church and Second to reclaim Jerusalem and all the earth.

 2Pe 3:2  That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: 

2Pe 3:3  Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 

2Pe 3:4  And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 

2Pe 3:5  For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 

2Pe 3:6  Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 

What is the greatest sign mentioned by the Lord Jesus Christ?

 The sign of deception!

 Mat 24:23  Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 

Mat 24:24  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 

Mat 24:25  Behold, I have told you before.

 The Lord Jesus is dealing with the end of the Temple and the end of the world, the destruction of the Temple and the destruction of the world.

 It is sin that causes the judgment of God upon this entire world and not just the sin of the Jews!

 Deception is the state of being misled.

 As Christians, we recognize that the Church Age will end with the judgment at the return of Jesus Christ.

 Because God is Holy, He must judge all that is unholy; otherwise, He would no longer be Holy Himself.

 God is judging in this present age as every true Christian has been justified, but this future judgment goes much further than this.

 At some point in the past, God judged Lucifer and the fallen angels.

 God judged the people of the earth when He sent the flood.

 God judged the people at the Tower of Babel, and the different languages began. 

 God judged the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and then later He judged the Southern Kingdom of Judah.

 None of these things were the final judgment.

 Heb 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 

Heb 9:28  So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

 Believers will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ.

 Rom 14:10  But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

 Unbelievers will stand before the White Throne Judgment!

 Rev 20:11  And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 

Rev 20:12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 

Rev 20:13  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 

Rev 20:14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 

 At the end of the ages, God will judge Satan and his demons together with the beasts and the false prophet.

 Yes, judgment is coming to all God's created people!

 A great deception is already in place today in the Church and in the world.

We believe that after the Rapture of the Church and the Church meets the Lord Jesus in the air, it is at this time or near this time that a covenant of peace will be signed with Israel, and the Temple will be rebuilt, and the priestly duties, along with animal sacrifices, will begin again.

This begins the time of Jacob's trouble, when Israel has relative peace until they find out that the Antichrist, who is the great deceiver, has no intention of peace, the sacrifices will stop, and the Temple will again be destroyed in what we know of as the Great Tribulation.

Dan 9:27  And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

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.

This is the time of Israel, and God has removed the Church just as he promised before this takes place.

Some things should not bother us too much, for the Church will not see this wrath of God as He has promised.

As long as the Church is upon this earth, we are to stay busy spreading the Gospel. 

The Lord Jesus says that we will live in a time of unrest, and we are today, and it may get worse before 

we go home to Heaven.

 We have seen this unrest since the Crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ and the beginning of the Church Age.

 *****Luk 21:9  But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.

Luk 21:10  Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: 

 What have we seen?

 1) We have seen nations fight each other and kingdoms take up arms against each other.

2) We have seen that the earth has been moved by great earthquakes and natural disasters.

3) Heaven has also spoken; terrible things have happened that make great impressions, and great signs in the heavens have already been seen.

 The Lord Jesus said that these things are going to happen, but they are not necessarily signs that the end is imminent.

 The Lord Jesus Christ was preparing His Apostles for His death and departure and preparing them to carry on without Him.

 We already know that these eleven men and the Apostle Paul faced some terrible times in which they were all martyred, but the Apostle John.

 The most important thing we can gain from this message of Jesus Christ is that we must not grow weary in waiting for His return.

 He was telling us all that we will see and experience so much trouble in our world that our faith might falter, and we must guard against this happening.

 Many walk this earth today after their own lusts, not even caring if Christ will return, in fact stating, where is He, where is His promise.

 One of the key signs of the return of Jesus Christ is what we see 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.  

1Jn 2:19  They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. 

1Jn 2:20  But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

 Many of the doubters come from the Church itself.

 We see a falling away from the Church today, but this speaks of those who belong to Satan who have become leaders in many churches and now deny Jesus Christ.

 We should know that God is never caught off guard. He is still on the throne and still in charge of His creation.

 We should not get caught off guard ourselves. We can expect these things from a corrupt world, so we must not get discouraged.

 Joh 14:1  Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 

Joh 14:2  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 

Joh 14:3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 

Joh 14:4  And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. 

 We will face challenges that will try to draw us away from God, our Savior.

 We must concentrate our trust on New Heaven and the New Earth and not in this world.

 We must remember that the Lord Jesus was not preaching a sermon here; He was answering the questions from His Apostles.

 Joh 16:31  Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe? 

Joh 16:32  Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. 

Joh 16:33  These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. 

 We should also understand that the turmoil we see in our world is not part of the plan of God; He just knows that these things will happen.

 It is because of the lust, the greed, and the wickedness in this evil world, which never goes away.

 Jas 4:1  From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 

Jas 4:2  Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 

Jas 4:3  Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. 

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. 

 We must not get caught off guard by these things we see every day!

 We see how violent our world has become, so we believe that the end is near, and it may be, but it may not be.

 We are to remain busy with the work of the Lord!

 Jer 51:45  My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the LORD. 

Jer 51:46  And lest your heart faint, and ye fear for the rumour that shall be heard in the land; a rumour shall both come one year, and after that in another year shall come a rumour, and violence in the land, ruler against ruler.

 There will most certainly be natural disasters, which may increase and have.

 We do live in a cursed world!

 *****Luk 21:11  And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. 

 We can say that since the time of the flood, there have been great earthquakes.

 We seem to forget sometimes that when the Lord Jesus first created this earth, all the land was in one great continent.

 During and after the flood, this big continent broke apart, and volcanoes and earthquakes began as the tectonic plates began to shift and are still shifting.

 Gen_7:11  In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

 Gen_10:25  And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan.

 What do we know about earthquakes?

 Just on March 30th.

 Map data from National Geographic

5.1 magnitude Celebes Sea

3.9 magnitude Road Town, British Virgin Islands

4.9 magnitude, Lakatoro, Malampa, Vanuatu

4.2 magnitude, The Valley, Anguilla

4.1 magnitude, Road Town, British Virgin Islands

4.6 magnitude, Fiji

Another 5.0 magnitude, The Valley, Anguilla

Another 3.9 magnitude, The Valley, Anguilla

Another 3.6 magnitude, Road Town, British Virgin Islands

Another 3.7 magnitude, The Valley, Anguilla

 There have been 195 earthquakes in the past 24 hours

1,278 earthquakes in the past 7 days

5,452 earthquakes in the past 30 days

50,842 earthquakes in the past 365 days

 Earthquakes are one of the most feared disasters among people.

 The historian Josephus made a record of the earthquake that fulfilled the prophecy of the Lord Jesus upon the cross.

 Josephus also thought the world was coming to an end on the day Jesus died.

 He wrote: There broke out a prodigious storm in the night, with utmost violence, and very strong winds, with the largest shower of rain and continuous lightnings, terrible thundering, and amazing concussions and bellowings of the earth, that was in an earthquake.

 He added: These things were a manifest indication that some destruction was coming upon men, when the system of the world was put into this disorder, and anyone would guess that these wonders foretold some grand calamities that were coming.

 The Lord Jesus speaks of "great earthquakes" more powerful than what we see daily.

 Food is one of the necessities we cannot do without. Jesus said there would be a great famine before Jerusalem falls again.

 Rev 6:5  And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 

Rev 6:6  And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. 

 The Bible says that those who are slain with the sword are better off than they that die from hunger.

 There will be great diseases, and we know disease shows no partiality.

 No one can buy their way out of an epidemic of disease.

 There will be fearful sights and great signs in the heavens.

 We know that the earth can be darkened by the dust of volcanoes, windstorms, and even smoke from huge fires.

 Whatever darkens the sun will also affect the moon.

 Meteorites fall from the sky, and we have been seeing very large meteorites pass through our solar system lately.

 Large enough to destroy our planet.

 The earth is primed for all these things to take place, but if we believe that the "Rapture" is the next event on God's calendar to take place, then there is one more thing that will take place.

 *****Luk 21:12  But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake. 

Luk 21:13  And it shall turn to you for a testimony. 

Luk 21:14  Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: 

Luk 21:15  For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. 

 This is the sign that concerns the Christian that will happen before God removes His Church.

 Right now, there is a Christian murdered every two hours just for following the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is only going to get worse.

 For them, following the Lord Jesus Christ has cost them everything!

 They are tortured and murdered just for saying "I believe in Jesus Christ".

 This is the reality for Christians who live in the Islamic World.

 More than 388 million Christians suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith.

 We had better understand that we will face persecution for claiming our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

 We stand for godliness; the world is not godly, nor does the world seek to become godly.

 The Muslims claim to serve the God of Abraham, yet they reject the Lord Jesus Christ, so this is an outright lie; they serve the Devil.

 All those who live for the world do not think they should have to change; therefore, the message of Jesus Christ is that they will die in their sin.

 Repentance is not even taught in many so-called houses of God today because few people left are willing to change their lives.

 When this persecution happens, we must be settled in our hearts that we will remain with Christ, and the Holy Spirit will use our own mouths to speak the words of Jesus Christ.

 Without a test of our faithfulness, we will never have a testimony!

 What will our persecution look like?

 Luk 21:16  And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. 

Luk 21:17  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. 

Luk 21:18  But there shall not an hair of your head perish. 

Luk 21:19  In your patience possess ye your souls. 

 *****Luk 21:20  And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. 

 Many believe that the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome in 70 AD was the fulfillment of this prophecy.

 1.1 million Jews were slaughtered.

 97,000 were taken captive and removed from Jerusalem.

 Not one Jew was left alive in Jerusalem.

 Not one Christian died because they fled Jerusalem before the siege of Jerusalem took place.

 Many Jews have used this as an excuse to hate Christians ever since, but our main job is to obey the Word of God and not this world.

 The Romans not only destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem, but they also ransacked the entire area around Jerusalem, so that it looked as if no one had ever lived there.

 Was this even what the Lord Jesus described?

 After the destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the Jews predicted by Jesus in the previous verses, there would come a long period when Jerusalem would be dominated by Gentiles.

 But miraculously, in 1948, Israel again became a nation, and in 1967 Jerusalem was captured again by the Jews and is now again one of the mightiest nations on this earth.

 As long as the Muslim rule on the Temple Mount, Jerusalem is still trampled by the Gentiles, there remains prophecy to be fulfilled.

 Dan 9:27  And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. 

 As Christians, we believe that this one week is the seven years of tribulation that have not taken place yet and will not until the Rapture of the Church has taken place.

 The truth is that no one knows exactly when these things will happen, and the Lord Jesus says to watch and pray.

 To watch means to keep up with what is going on in Israel and Jerusalem at all times.

 *****Luk 21:21  Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. 

Luk 21:22  For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 

Luk 21:23  But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. 

Luk 21:24  And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. 

 No doubt these things took place in the siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

 Some who Jesus was teaching were alive to see these things happen.

 Some of the Apostles and the Christians fled to a place called Pella in the district of Decapolis.

 In reality, we are still to be prepared for the coming judgment of the end times because we know they have not taken place yet.

 As Christians, we may be actual witnesses to the beginning of these things of the end times.

 *****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; 

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. 

Luk 21:28  And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. 

We should understand that Jesus describes things that did not happen in the years around 70 AD, so the Lord Jesus is describing a future event.

Revelation Chapters 6, 8-9, 15-18 give us a much clearer picture of what the Lord Jesus is teaching here.

Our universe will be in complete turmoil.

What Size Asteroid Would it take to destroy Earth?

It is believed that no single asteroid can completely and utterly destroy the Earth as a planet. However, an asteroid approximately 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) in diameter or larger could trigger a global catastrophe that renders the planet largely uninhabitable for humans and many other species.

In the last few years, there have been asteroids or comets that have entered our solar system larger than this.

Gravity is another power in the heavens, and gravity in some way must fail before the stars of heaven can fall.

The power above all power is in God, the Holy Trinity, who only can cause such things to fail.

It is at the end of these things that the Lord Jesus will return to this earth.

The Church will already be in Heaven or will be returning with the Lord Jesus, so those who are gathered would be those who were saved during the Great Tribulation, and they would be mostly Jews, who still have God’s covenant.

Rom 11:25  For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 

Rom 11:26  And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 

Rom 11:27  For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. 

Rom 11:28  As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. 

This is the remnant that is mentioned throughout the Bible.

Isa 10:21  The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God. 

This is a lot to take in, but when we see any of these things begin to take place, then we need to look up, lift our heads high, because we are soon going home.

Remembering that deception is the main culprit affecting the Church, we should be holding our heads up high now and not be deceived.

The Church will be out of here soon.

Amen

Do You Reject the Lord Jesus Christ

 Rejection of Jesus

 Book of Luke Chapter 20

 

I believe this is the saddest title of any lesson.

 Who has the highest authority over us? Is it the world? Is it the Word of God?

 God is Himself the highest authority in Heaven and on Earth, but He has also given unto His Son authority on earth to forgive sins.

 Mat 9:6  But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. 

 To execute Judgment: Joh 5:27  And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.

 Jesus confirmed these things: 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. 

 We can only be complete if we are in the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Col 2:10  And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: 

 1Pe 3:22  Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him. 

 Col 1:15  Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 

Col 1:16  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 

Col 1:17  And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 

 When we reject the Lord Jesus Christ, we have no right to the riches of Heaven!

 If we reject any part of the Word of God, then we have rejected His Son, Jesus!

 What is unbelief?

 One man wrote: "For it denies the sovereignty of divine mercy: it sets at nought the infinite merit and value of Christ’s blood and righteousness".

 Unbelief cannot be forgiven! Mar 16:16  He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

 That word damned means, sentenced to everlasting punishment in a future state of existence in Hell and without God.

 Attacking the Lord Jesus Christ will only lead to your own damnation.

 The so-called authority of Israel at that time had no interest in the truth!

 *****Luk 20:9  Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time. 

 This parable was directed toward Israel, but the intent is aimed at false religion and liberal theology everywhere.

 The Lord Jesus directed this parable at the people of Israel, but Jesus knew that all the leaders, both politically and spiritually, were standing within earshot of His words.

 The Lord Jesus was speaking a message of repentance, but those who refuse to repent only get angry, and it is the same today, probably worse.

 They get angry at anyone who even thinks they need to change the way they live.

 This one thing is destroying many churches today!

 To be clear, it was God who created this world, and there is enough evidence to prove this is true, but it is also rejected.

Not proven wrong, just rejected!

We, the people of this world, have allowed charlatans and corrupt leaders to lead the people in a false history of our world.

Every time you hear the words millions of years you are about to hear a lie!

 Our world is so full of the lies of evolution that it cannot survive much longer.

 We simply cannot base life upon lies and continue to exist as informed people!

 We may not know what a "longtime" really means, but we do know that about the year 2033, it will have been about two thousand years since the Lord Jesus went back to Heaven and is prepared at any time to return, to first take His Church out of this world, and then bring judgment on all unbelievers.

 That vineyard is the nation of Israel, but it could also mean this entire world.

 Isa 5:1  Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: 

Isa 5:2  And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.

Isa 5:3  And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.

 God leased this vineyard to the world, but also to Israel.

 Joh 15:1  I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 

Joh 15:2  Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 

Joh 15:3  Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 

Joh 15:4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 

Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 

Joh 15:6  If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

 The husbandmen are to be the responsible leaders of this world, but also the spiritual leaders of Israel.

 The owner is God, and it has always been God!

 God owns all His creations!

 Mal 2:10  Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers? 

 God wants all His people to serve Him with joy!

 *****Luk 20:10  And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty. 

Luk 20:11  And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. 

Luk 20:12  And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out. 

 What are the seasons? Gen 8:22  While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. 

 The season in this Scripture would be harvest time.

 There is a great harvest time coming, and it is not far off: Jas 5:7  Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. 

Jas 5:8  Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. 

 There is a day of accounting coming to everyone who lives upon this earth.

 God will send His servants to collect. Fruit is expected. It is a time for payment of those sins that are not under Grace.

 Each one of us will have to pay our dues!

 Gal 6:8  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 

Gal 6:9  And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

 We all owe a debt that we cannot pay, but there have been many mighty works done on Israel's behalf, yet they still reject the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Even though the Church is experiencing the great falling away, it does not bode well for this world in the coming judgment.

 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;

Every church should ask itself, “Are we part of that great falling away from the Word of God?”!

 God sent many prophets to Israel, and most of them were mistreated and most of them were murdered.

 This world will never be able to shut the mouth of God!

 There are just too many leaders upon this earth who want to rule this world, and God will allow that to happen very soon when He allows the Antichrist to claim this world as His own.

 Most of this world deliberately rebels against God!

 Even the Antichrist will see that this world just does not want a supreme leader.

 People just want to live as they wish and be free to do as they please.

 The only thing that can change this attitude is the truth of our Creator.

 God has shown much patience to this world, but for God to be God, He cannot allow rebellion to continue forever!

 God is the God of the second chance and even the third, as I well know personally, but this will not continue indefinitely.

 Notice the number three, which is common in periods.

 King David was offered a choice between three days of pestilence, three months of defeat, or three years of famine.

Jesus Christ was three days and three nights in that tomb.

Families are in groups of three: father, mother, and children.

Gideon's army was divided into three groups.

The third angel of Revelation, with a third part of the world destroyed,

There are other places in the Scriptures.

 Notice, after the third servant, the Lord of the vineyard sent His Son.

 If we say this parable is about Israel, then the truth is that Israel had lost sight of their calling from God.

 Gen 12:2  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 

Gen 12:3  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. 

 Israel began living a life for itself and against all other nations.

 The Lord Jesus, the Messiah, came to remind them of the truth of God, and He was rejected and murdered.

 God's patience ran out for Israel at that time, and He promised another chance after the tribulation period.

 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.

 God had said: Isa 48:9  For my name's sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off. 

 *****Luk 20:13  Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him. 

Luk 20:14  But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. 

Luk 20:15  So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them? 

 The Lord Jesus was asked a question as we began this chapter: Luk 20:2  And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority? 

 Here we see that the Lord Jesus is giving His answer.

 We know that this parable was another teaching lesson for the Pharisees because God never has to use a backup plan. God is omniscient and knows what we are going to do before we do it.

 If we accept that the Lord Jesus Christ is the "beloved" of God the Father, then we need to accept that God the Father also loves each Christian in the same manner.

 Joh 17:23  I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. 

Joh 17:24  Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. 

Joh 17:25  O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. 

Joh 17:26  And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

 We should understand that many of these religious men of Judah knew well that the Lord Jesus had certainly fulfilled many of the prophecies of the Messiah but sin, greed for position, esteem, power, and security kept them from acknowledging that Jesus was truly the Messiah.

 The Lord Jesus Christ made this claim that He truly was the Son of God and many of them knew that it could be true.

 They were so lost in themselves that they thought they could kill God's Son without repercussions.

 What were some of those pieces of evidence?

 1) The Old Testament prophecies.

2) The testimony of John the Baptist.

3) The claims of Jesus Himself.

4) The miracles that they had witnessed.

5) The signs of the times.

 It is these same reasons, these same proofs, that we know we are in the end times now.

 Why did God punish these Jews in 70 AD? God knew these things were true!

 So, they plotted His death.

 The parable says they reasoned among themselves.

 They thought they could seize the inheritance of God's Son.

 We know that this is the same thoughts of Satan, the Devil.

 Mat 12:14  Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him. 

 Joh 11:53  Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death. 

 What was Israel's sin? In rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ, they were rejecting God's sovereignty over Israel.

 What is the world's sin today? The world is rejecting our Creator and our God.

 The world is trying to shut God out of His own vineyard!

 To murder God's Son was the worst crime of human history.

 1) The Lord Jesus was predicting His own death.

2) The Lord Jesus Christ volunteered to die.

 Jesus knew what lay in His future, and He could have escaped His death if He chose to do so.

 We forget sometimes that the Lord Jesus was 100% God, but He was also 100% man.

 The man's side of this union could have run off and hid himself, but He had given himself to the Lord.

 Act 2:23  Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: 

Act 2:24  Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. 

 What would God the Father do?

What did God the Father do?

 *****Luk 20:16  He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid.

 The vineyard (world) will be destroyed.

The vineyard (world) will be given to others.

 God's vineyard will not be left uncultivated; it will not be left untended to bear no fruit.

 What did God tell Adam before his sin? Gen 1:28  And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

 For these Jews, it was in their mind that there was no chance that they would be rejected by God, they were God's people, but they were wrong.

 The judgment for rejecting the Son of God will be the most tragic and extreme judgment in all the universe.

 Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 

Joh 15:6  If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 

 Then the Lord Jesus said to them, you need to read your Bible.

 *****Luk 20:17  And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? 

Luk 20:18  Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. 

 What is the surest proof that judgment is coming? Scripture.

 Mat_21:42; Mrk_12:10-11; Luk_20:17; Act_4:11; Eph_2:20-22; 1Pe_2:4-8

 The prophet Daniel wrote: Dan 2:34  Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. 

Dan 2:35  Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. 

 What did the prophet Isaiah write? Isa 8:13  Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 

Isa 8:14  And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 

Isa 8:15  And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken. 

 What was once a vineyard will now become a building: 1Co 3:9  For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. 

1Co 3:11  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

 These rulers of religion at the time of Jesus are the same rulers of religion today, and rejected the fact that God is building the Church and this Church is established on the foundation of the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the way, is God the Son, the beloved of God the Father, with the full power of God the Holy Spirit.

 God's people have become a Temple rather than a vineyard.

 It is the foundation stone of the Church, Jesus Christ, on which we are to build our lives!

 The Pharisees of today and all those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ reject the destructive power of the Stone against flesh and blood, but they will be crushed by the power of God.

 Those whom the Stone of God, Jesus Christ rolls over will be utterly destroyed, permanently!

 This is what God says and not what I say.

 Pro 11:4  Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death. 

Pro 11:5  The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness. 

Pro 11:6  The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them: but transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness. 

Pro 11:7  When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perisheth.

 There was no way that these wicked men were going to accept what the Lord Jesus had just told them.

 The whole world wants to destroy Jesus Christ, which is impossible!

 *****Luk 20:19  And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them. 

Luk 20:20  And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor. 

 How do we know we are in the last days? Just as Luke writes in this Scripture, the world is seeking to destroy the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Right now, they can go no further because there are just too many people who would stop it.

 The chief priests and the scribes knew exactly that this parable was intended for them.

 The Lord Jesus is that Stone that is rejected by these leaders.

 God the Father has made the Lord Jesus the chief cornerstone of the Church!

 He who falls or stumbles on the Lord Jesus Christ and rejects Him will perish.

 The key to Heaven is the Lord Jesus Christ!

 Rom 9:32  Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; 

Rom 9:33  As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

 The religious leaders of Judah had been silenced by the truth of God and His Son.

 They could not destroy Jesus on that day, but they made plans to do so as soon as possible.

 What does the Devil do? He sends forth spies who claim to be justified.

 They are in every working church today, and they have caused many local churches to close their doors.

 Why does the government hate Jesus so much? The Lord Jesus does not allow power or position to influence Him and the ways of Scripture, and he expects this to be the same in every church.

 The intent of the Separation of Church and State in our own Constitution was to keep the government out of the Church, not the reverse of it used today.

 It was never intended to keep the Church out of the government.

 Liberals are trying to make our Constitution useless, and we cannot allow that to happen.

 The Church must vote for the truth of God and stay out of politics.

 The liberal world will try anything to accuse God of not keeping His own Word.

 We should understand that hypocrites are good at using flattery about the preaching of God's Word.

 They give false testimony while they reject everything about God's Messiah.

 The liberals believe they can trip the Lord up by using trick questions.

 We see this same thing in our own government whenever they question a righteous man or a righteous woman.

 Solomon said there is nothing new under the Sun, and it is true.

Ecc_1:9  The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

These same liberal Pharisees set out to destroy the Lord Jesus and our Creator, but they failed.

The Pharisees of today are determined to destroy the Lord Jesus Christ, but they will also fail.

Just as they try to destroy the way of life of the Christian, they will fail.

God simply will not allow it!

 Amen

From Fame to Shame

 Solomon's Fame Was Reduced to Shame

 Book 1 Kings 10:1-7, 24-27, 11: 4-13

 

What is fame? Fame is a favorable report of good or great actions that exalt character.

News of the knowledge of Solomon and his wisdom was spreading around the known world of that day.

 What is shame? Those things that bring reproach and degrade a person in the estimation of others. Dishonor, disgrace.

 Solomon was living on the achievements and the reputation of his father who caused security and peace to come to Israel.

 Under Solomon, Israel became a great power ranking almost as great as Egypt which is why Egypt made a bond with Solomon and Pharoh's daughter became the wife of Solomon.

 Israel ranked even as great as Assyria at that time.

 After Solomon Israel has never reached those same boundaries.

 These things were credited to Solomon's wisdom.

 Solomon turned Israel from a military people to a people of commerce and slaves to taxation.

 In reality, Solomon turned a people made free by King David into slaves and concentrated the wealth of the whole nation in the capital Jerusalem and most of Israel suffered.

 As God would say, Israel did not reap the fruits of its government.

 The downfall of Solomon began when he listened to his pagan wives and his wisdom left him.

 Solomon was by nature a man of peace, yet he maintained a large military scattered in various places to help bring peace.

 No nation had defeated his father David, but Solomon had no desire to extend the boundaries of Isreal, and it was possible for him to do so.

 Solomon's chief ally was Hiram, the king of Tyre which is Phoenicia.

 The Temple of Solomon was built in seven years, but Solomon spent thirteen years building his own palace which was called the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

 It is these things that made Solomon famous throughout the world.

 Solomon had many foreign visitors seeking his wisdom.

 One of those was the Queen of Sheba.

 *****1Ki 10:1  And when the queen of Sheba, heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions. 

 Sheba was a land in Arabia, which is modern Yemen today, rather than Ethiopia.

 Yemen was the chief spice country in that area at that time.

 Sheba was about fifteen hundred miles from Jerusalem so this Queen had traveled a great distance requiring a lot of time.

 The Temple had been built in the name of the Lord God of Israel.

 We can be sure when questions arose about the temple there would be questions about the God of that Temple.

 No one else has such a God who is alive!

 Much of the world believed that the wisdom of Solomon had come from his God, and they would be correct.

 This Queen of Sheba did not make this connection, she came to prove him with hard questions.

 Some say these were questions she could not trust anyone else to answer.

 Many of the questions could have been hard riddles as some believe.

 It does not seem to me that this Queen showed much interest in Jehovah God to her downfall.

 Mat 12:42  The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

 Could Solomon have answered, what is the purpose of life? We have all asked this question in our lifetime.

 Could he have said, "Where do we truly come from?”

 There are billions of people out there today who would like to know, "what is the purpose of it all"?

The truth is in Jehovah God!

 *****1Ki 10:2  And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. 

 We can believe that this Queen was also seeking a trade agreement.

 She brought a large quantity of spices, gold, and precious jewels.

 We can be sure that she traveled with military protection, but it is not mentioned, and they would have been stopped and not allowed to enter Jerusalem maybe even the border of Israel.

 To travel for fifteen hundred miles meant she was serious about meeting King Solomon.

 It seems that this Queen was not the wife of a King but the actual ruler of these people.

 She was serious about seeking the answers to great questions of life so she could be a better ruler.

 King Solomon answered all her questions!

 *****1Ki 10:3  And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not any thing hid from the king, which he told her not. 

1Ki 10:4  And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built, 

1Ki 10:5  And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her. 

 Solomon's kingdom was famous not only for its material prosperity but also for his great wisdom.

 King Solomon got so caught up in his wisdom that today we would use the phrase, "he got the big head" and we will soon see how these things affected him.

 King Solomon had spent seven years building the Temple, but he spent thirteen years building his own mansion. After this, he rebuilt many cities most of which belonged to Israel, but he rebuilt some cities that did not belong to Israel.

 This Queen of Sheba was more impressed with Solomon's house than she was with the Temple of God.

 She was another pagan who had her own false gods.

 Solomon answered all of her questions, and this Queen was overwhelmed with the wisdom of Solomon. I do not read anywhere where Solomon gave the credit for his wisdom to His God and our God Jehovah.

 No doubt this Queen had all types of questions with some riddles but also diplomatic and ethical questions.

 This truth would make Solomon a trustworthy business partner and a possible ally, though her nation was fifteen hundred miles away from Israel.

 Today Yemen can fire rockets and drones fifteen hundred miles into Israel and are mortal enemies of Israel.

 Of course, Israel can do the same and are still under the power of God.

 These servants were the officers and distinguished people who were privileged to sit at the king’s table and were arranged according to rank and were in large numbers at royal banquets.

 These ministers were those who stood to serve the guests doubt they were dressed in a way to distinguish them from the guests but were fit to serve royalty.

 2Ch 9:4  And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel; his cupbearers also, and their apparel; and his ascent by which he went up into the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her. 

 The wisdom and prosperity of King Solomon and his achievements had reached the uttermost parts of the world, and this Queen admitted that these reports had been true.

 It does not matter so much what this Queen thought of these things, it matters more of what God thought of these things.

 Luk 12:27  Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 

Luk 12:28  If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? 

Luk 12:29  And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. 

Luk 12:30  For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 

Luk 12:31  But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. 

 As a pagan Gentile, this Queen could not go into the Temple though she may have seen a secret way that the king could get into the Temple.

 *****1Ki 10:6  And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. 

1Ki 10:7  Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard. 

 We must understand the mission of Israel in the time of Solomon and now the mission of the Church is to point all nations to God.

Israel has failed so far, will the Church also fail?

 Israel was not to compete with our nations for riches or even military power. Jehovah God is the power of Israel!

 Jehovah is the power of the Church. 

We are not in some competition with religions!

 We have the truth of Christianity!

 The Church is to be a bright and shining light in this world.

 It was the same for Israel in the days of King Solomon.

 The Queen came to Solomon tortured by questions, and it does not seem she got all the answers she needed.

 Certainly, the things she said about Solomon were true.

 He was the wisest man upon the earth but not as wise as Jesus Christ,

 He was the richest man on the earth, but no earthy riches can compare to the Glory of Heaven!

 *****1Ki 10:8  Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom. 

1Ki 10:9  Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice. 

1Ki 10:10  And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon

 This queen brought the best spices of Yemen, many of them used in perfumes of that day.

She brought a lot of gold and precious stones.

She brought sweet, scented wood.

 This wood Solomon was used in his palace.

 2Ch 9:11  And the king made of the algum trees terraces to the house of the LORD, and to the king's palace, and harps and psalteries for singers: and there were none such seen before in the land of Judah. 

2Ch 9:12  And king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which she had brought unto the king. So she turned, and went away to her own land, she and her servants. 

 As the Queen was about to leave she made a great speech to those servants of Solomon.

 She said from what her eyes had seen and now had heard not even half of the truth of King Solomon was told.

 She also took a moment to praise Jehovah that out of His eternal love to His people Israel, he had given them a king to do justice and righteousness.

 Some say this Queen was converted to Judaism, but this is not true.

 Like many who praised the God of Israel, they observed Him as just another god in the world of many gods just as many think today.

 God had His reasons for putting Solomon on the throne of Israel.

 1) It fulfilled a promise to David who was a man after God's own heart.

2) Solomon who was chosen to build the Temple of God.

 After this Solomon transgressed against the Lord.

 God had written the qualifications for the kings of Israel.

 Deu 17:14  When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me; 

Deu 17:15  Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother. 

Deu 17:16  But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way. 

Deu 17:17  Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold. 

Deu 17:18  And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: 

Deu 17:19  And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: 

Deu 17:20  That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel. 

 King Solomon disobeyed in every area!

 1) He had too much gold.

2) He owned thousands of horses.

3) He gathered hundreds of wives and concubines.

 All the earth sought the wisdom of Solomon.

 *****1Ki 10:24  And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. 

1Ki 10:25  And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year. 

1Ki 10:26  And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem. 

1Ki 10:27  And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore trees that are in the vale, for abundance. 

 Solomon was not greater than anyone else and neither was this God's intent.

 Solomon became greater because all the world sought him out for his wisdom.

 They brought him gold that he wasted on shields and other foolish things when he could have helped the cause of God, and he could have removed the strain of taxation upon his own people, but he did not.

 Solomon made two hundred large shields and three hundred shields of gold that made beautiful displays but were useless in battle.

They were too heavy and too soft to make effective shields.

 Each of those shields would be valued at over a quarter million dollars today and the smaller shields at over sixty thousand dollars or about thirty-three million dollars.

 They were eventually taken by a foreign king.

 Solomon made silver to be worthless which did not help the economies of the world of that day.

 In the end, it was women who truly brought King Solomon down to shame.

 *****1Ki 11:1  But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; 

1Ki 11:2  Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. 

1Ki 11:3  And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. 

1Ki 11:4  For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.

 Over half of Solomon's reign was over by the time the Temple, his own palace, and other buildings were completed.

 These things took up much of his personal time.

 We could add that during this time Solomon had negotiated peace agreements between Israel and many nations, and those agreements were sealed by the marriage of that ruler's daughter.

 As Solomon began to spend more time with the many wives he had, he was influenced by them.

 One man wrote that the home of Solomon was afflicted with the curse of his polygamy and his kingdom with the curse of his despotism, which means he had absolute power, authority unlimited, and uncontrolled power over the people.

 Most all alliances Israel had with other rulers ended with the death of Solomon even the long relationship of Solomon with Hiram.

 As we looked at last week, no one knew where the Book of Moses(the Pentateuch) was located. Solomon certainly was not obedient to the Word of God concerning the kings of Israel.

 Many believe that the prophet Jeremiah wrote this book of First Kings, and he simply says that Solomon loved many strange women.

 it is these women who caused the decline of King Solomon!

 These things describe a heart that is wandering away from God!

 Solomon had seven hundred women who were considered to be his wives.

Solomon had three hundred women with the title concubines.

 These were the women who were in Solomon's harem while he was King of Israel.

 Son 6:8  There are threescore queens, fourscore concubines, and virgins without number. 

 This verse tells us of those women who were in Solomon's court at one time.

 This would be sixty queens, eighty concubines, and virgins without number.

 King Solomon like his father went against the institution of Jehovah.

What is the marriage institution of Jehovah God?

 Gen 2:21  And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 

Gen 2:22  And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 

Gen 2:23  And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 

Gen 2:24  Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. 

 When God gave Adam his wife. God did not do this by forming Eve out of the dust of the earth just like Adam. Then she would be independent of Adam. 

God formed Eve from Adam. He does not do this out of his head, for she is not his superior. Nor does he make her out of his feet, for she is not his slave. He forms her from his side. 

She is therefore someone of equal value, standing beside him.

 Solomon took wives from many nations, also going against the Word of God about strange wives.

 Deu 7:3  Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. 

Deu 7:4  For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.

 Solomon not only took these many women into his house, but he also took their gods.

 We should understand that someone who knows the Word of God and deviates from it often makes it worse than someone who has never known Jehovah.

 When a child of God falls into corruption it is the worst corruption!

 The lesson for us who are up in years is, that we may think the dangers of life no longer threaten us but we are wrong.

 Satan will do his best to ruin our testimony at any age!

 *****1Ki 11:5  For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 

1Ki 11:6  And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father. 

1Ki 11:7  Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. 

1Ki 11:8  And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods. 

 Ashtoreth(Ishtar, Astarte, queen of heaven)) was the Moon goddess of the Zidonians usually associated with Baal(Baalim, Baalism) the Sun god.

Throughout the world, we see temples and pyramids built to honor the Sun god and the Moon god

 Milcom(Molech, Chemosh) is the national god of Ammon, God said he was an abomination!

 It is this god to whom children were sacrificed. This is the god of the abortionists in my opinion.

 Solomon was not seeking God's own heart as did his father David.

 Solomon had temples built for the worship of these false goods and he joined them in their worship of them.

 He did the same for all his strange wives!

 The word strange means all his wives who were not of Israel, we could say wives from foreign nations.

 Certainly, Jehovah was angry with Solomon.

 *****1Ki 11:9  And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, 

1Ki 11:10  And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded. 

1Ki 11:11  Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant. 

 Do you want to make Jehovah angry? Go against His Word.

 Do you want to really get Jehovah riled up? Go against Him after He has warned you!

 This is why we have the Holy Spirit living inside us!

 Joh 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 

Joh 16:14  He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

 What had God told Solomon?

 1Ki 9:3  And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually. 

1Ki 9:4  And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments: 

1Ki 9:5  Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel. 

1Ki 9:6  But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: 

1Ki 9:7  Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people: 

1Ki 9:8  And at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and to this house?

 Today we have the Word of if we have a proper translation and we are to do our best to be obedient to it.

 As for King Solomon he met with God face to face and he was told the consequences of failing to acknowledge the Word of God.

 We know that God will do exactly what he says he will do.

 1Ki 11:26  And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, “Solomon's servant”, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up his hand against the king. 

1Ki 11:27  And this was the cause that he lifted up his hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breaches of the city of David his father. 

1Ki 11:28  And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph. 

1Ki 11:29  And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field: 

1Ki 11:30  And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces: 

1Ki 11:31  And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee: 

1Ki 11:32  (But he shall have one tribe for my servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:) 

1Ki 11:33  Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.

But God will never break a promise he has made!

 *****1Ki 11:12  Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father's sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son. 

1Ki 11:13  Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen. 

1Ki 11:14  And the LORD stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite: he was of the king's seed in Edom. 

Solomon had forfeited the promise made to him from Jehovah.

God would allow the line of David to continue through a son of Solomon because David had chosen Jerusalem and not some other city.

This is a sign of God's "grace"!

2Sa 7:15  But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. 

2Sa 7:16  And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. 

2Sa 7:17  According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David. 

This promise from God will ultimately be fulfilled through the Messiah the Lord Jesus Christ.

You see the Lord Jesus Christ did appear Himself to begin the New Testament and the Law of Grace and through His disciples, this word had spread around the world and only those who accept the Work of Jesus Christ, the "Gospel" will be allowed into God's New Jerusalem and God's New Heaven where King Jesus will rule forever.

Amen

Solomon's Temple

 Solomon Built the Temple

 Book of 1 Kings 5 and 6

 One of the most important things we need to complete any building project successfully is to be committed to it.

 We can accept the fact that King Solomon had little if any construction skills, but he now had great wisdom in all things.

 What Solomon had was a humble spirit and he sought the Lord for His help.

 The next thing that is needed is preparation.

 Site preparation must be properly taken care of, and it begins with following the Word of God.

Then you must own the property you are building upon.

David first bought the threshing floor of Araunah:

2Sa_24:18  And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite.

2Sa_24:21  And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people.

2Sa_24:24  And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

Then David bought the entire area around the threshing floor.

1Ch 21:24  And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost. 

1Ch 21:25  So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight. 

There should be no doubt who the Temple Mount belongs to.

 Remember it was God who gave the dimensions and the details of this Temple to David mphasizing a solid foundation.

 Luk 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

Luk 6:47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:

Luk 6:48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.

Luk 6:49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

 King Solomon needed to be obedient to the Lord just as we all should be today!

 This new Temple was to be a House of the Lord for the Lord's people to worship Him.

 This had been a dream of his father David for many years, and Solomon was committed to seeing it succeed.

 Solomon's most important task was to seek the Lord!

 *****1Ki 5:2 And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying,

1Ki 5:3 Thou knowest how that David my father could not build an house unto the name of the LORD his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet.

1Ki 5:4 But now the LORD my God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent.

 King Hiram and King David had been great friends, and his son Huram wanted the same relationship with King Solomon.

In fact, this King Hiram had told his own son about the great God of Israel even though he was pagan and worshipped his own gods.

 We should understand that God would not allow David to build this Temple of Worship because it would have sent the wrong message.

 It would be like religions such as the Muslim who are forced to seek Mohammed and can never leave that religion with the threat of death if they do.

 There is no personal relationship because there is no Allah.

 Just as important, because David was protecting the cause of Israel in great battles with the enemies that surrounded Israel and he certainly did not have time to make such a commitment as Solomon was saying to Huram.

 Israel was at peace all the time of King Solomon and he maintained a strong military presence in the regions.

 To David God said: 22:8 But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.

 This king of Tyre understood these things Solomon was saying.

 When the Lord forbids us to do something He is serious about it!

 King David had made this entire area to be at peace because of his conquest.

 We could say that Israel was the honcho nation during the time of King Solomon.

 Solomon said he had no adversaries nor was there any occurrence of rebellion to his rule.

 In fact, the nation of Israel was very prosperous in the days of King Solomon.

 We know that David spent time training Solomon.

 It was Solomon who wrote the Book of Proverbs so we can see what he wrote about his father.

 Pro 4:1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.

Pro 4:2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.

Pro 4:3 For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.

Pro 4:4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.

Pro 4:5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.

Pro 4:6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.

Pro 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

 David did everything in his power to smooth the way of Solomon.

 David drew up the plans for the Temple according to the plans God had given to him:

 1Ch 28:11 Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat,

1Ch 28:12 And the pattern of all that he had by the spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, and of all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the dedicated things:

 David gave Solomon the funds to build the Temple:

 1Ch 28:14 He gave of gold by weight for things of gold, for all instruments of all manner of service; silver also for all instruments of silver by weight, for all instruments of every kind of service:

 David told Solomon that the plans for the Temple came from Jehovah:

 1Ch 28:19 All this, said David, the LORD made me understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern.

 And again, David encouraged his son:

 1Ch 28:20 And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.

 We can see that Solomon was a good student!

 Solomon began to understand what his father was saying.

 *****1Ki 5:5 And, behold, I purpose to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build an house unto my name.

1Ki 5:6 Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants: and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest that there is not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians.

 Solomon was committed to building the Temple his father David desired.

 Solomon sought to honor the Lord by building a house of worship for the people of Israel.

 If we do not learn anything else, we need to know that there needs to be a place to worship the Lord!

 There needs to be set times so we can all gather together to encourage one another.

 We will need to deal with this lost world.

 Solomon renewed the relationship between Israel and Tyre which was Phoenicia and Solomon sought to establish a trade agreement between the two nations, and he did.

 Solomon sought workers with skills that Israel did not know at this time.

 Notice Solomon did not open the borders of Israel to just anybody, but Israel had a need for skilled laborers.

 This should be a lesson for our nation.

 Solomon knew he had no excuse to delay this work for the Lord and Israel.

 When God calls us for a task it is time to say yes and get busy!

 We need to yield to the call of God without hesitation.

 The Bible explains this request to Huram from Solomon better in Second Chronicles:

 2Ch 2:4 Behold, I build an house to the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual shewbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of the LORD our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel.

2Ch 2:5 And the house which I build is great: for great is our God above all gods.

2Ch 2:6 But who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him an house, save only to burn sacrifice before him?

2Ch 2:7 Send me now therefore a man cunning to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and blue, and that can skill to grave with the cunning men that are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father did provide.

2Ch 2:8 Send me also cedar trees, fir trees, and algum trees, out of Lebanon: for I know that thy servants can skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and, behold, my servants shall be with thy servants,

2Ch 2:9 Even to prepare me timber in abundance: for the house which I am about to build shall be wonderful great.

2Ch 2:10 And, behold, I will give to thy servants, the hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.

2Ch 2:11 Then Huram the king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon, Because the LORD hath loved his people, he hath made thee king over them.

 We must realize that God cannot be contained in any nation but that God is bigger than our little world but He is also small enough to come into our hearts.

 God has a purpose for each of us and God is still building upon His Church!

 King Hiram agreed with Solomon and a pact was made between the two nations.

 *****1Ki 5:10 So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees according to all his desire.

1Ki 5:11 And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year.

 We see that Hiram gave this timber to Solomon and Solomon provided the food to feed these men while the work was taking place.

 We can better understand that Solomon asked for cedar trees, fir trees which means cypress, and other timber that was long-lasting.

 Solomon also needed an architect.

 Hiram was glad to provide the things that Solomon requested.

 We should not be confused the Phoenicians were Pagans.

 These cities existed before Israel came into the Promised Land in most cases they worshipped Baal.

 Baal means lord but he is identified with the false god Molech where children were sacrificed on his blazing arms.

 Baal was also known as the Sun god and there are Pyramids and High places all around the world where Baal the Sun god was worshipped along with the Moon god, and they are still worshipped today under different names.

 This is the reason most of these nations no longer exist today.

 Hiram’s servants would cut the timber from the forest in Lebanon. Transport it to the Mediterranean Sea, form it into rafts, and guide it through the waters to the Sea Port of Joppa.

 Tyre was over fifty miles from Joppa and Joppa was around thirty miles from Jerusalem.

 This was no easy task we know because we have the problems our own military had in the Mediterranian Sea.

The Phoenicians were the masters of the sea in that day.

 2Ch 2:8 Send me also cedar trees, fir trees, and algum trees, out of Lebanon: for I know that thy servants can skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and, behold, my servants shall be with thy servants,

2Ch 2:9 Even to prepare me timber in abundance: for the house which I am about to build shall be wonderful great.

2Ch 2:10 And, behold, I will give to thy servants, the hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.

 Both men kept their agreements, and Solomon paid the wages of all these workers to make it worth their while.

 Our lesson here is that we must do everything we can to seek peace and preserve peace throughout society without compromising the Word of God.

 We need to make peace in our homes.

We need to make peace in our schools.

We need to make peace in our workplaces.

We need to treat everyone fair as we know our Lord Jesus did.

We should have peace in our Churches, we have the same Word of God. We do not need opinions, likes, dislikes, complaints, or murmurers among our members. Again, we have the same Word of God.

We should have peace in our government whose goal should be to take care of its people and protect our nation.

 The word peace is used 429 times in the KJV Bible so peace is important to God, but may not always be possible.

 Rom_12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

 There were also workers with stone at this same time.

 1Ki 5:18 And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders did hew them, and the stonesquarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house.

 This stone cutting was started before the death of King David, and it was time consuming.

 David also began gathering many of the supplies needed for the Temple.

 1Ch 22:2 And David commanded to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God.

1Ch 22:3 And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the joinings; and brass in abundance without weight;

1Ch 22:4 Also cedar trees in abundance: for the Zidonians and they of Tyre brought much cedar wood to David.

1Ch 22:5 And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the LORD must be exceeding magnifical, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death.

 The Splendor of what is called Solomon's Temple began to come to life.

 Work began in the fourth year of Solomon's reign.

 We can see this was a major undertaking with the tools that were available on that day.

 In fact, many of those large stones and the cutting of them is not really understood today how they were able to do such things with just manual labor.

 These stones were cut, squared, shaped, and dressed to fit together perfectly without mortar.

 Our lesson is no matter what we do for the Lord, do it right while also making a contribution to society.

  *****1Ki 6:12 Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father:

1Ki 6:13 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.

1Ki 6:14 So Solomon built the house, and finished it.

 It had been four hundred and eighty years since a group of slaves led by Moses, had left Egypt searching for the land promised to Abraham.

 This would have been around 966 BC, so the Hebrews left Egypt around 1446 BC.

 All the materials were assembled in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount without the use of construction hand tools axes and hammers and such tool made of iron.

 1Ki 6:7 And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.

 1Ki 6:9 So he built the house, and finished it; and covered the house with beams and boards of cedar.

 Then God gave Solomon a challenge and a promise.

 It appears to me as I read this that the stonework was first completed and then the Temple was covered with lumber and this lumber was gold plated.

 1Ki 6:22 And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the house: also the whole altar that was by the oracle he overlaid with gold.

 In the end, God said this was a worldly sanctuary and cannot compare to our Heavenly sanctuary.

 Heb 9:1 Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.

 Heb 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

 Any place of worship today simply means God is identifying with His people so it becomes a House of God.

 God is certainly "gracious" but this does not mean it is a light thing to come into the presence of the Lord.

 We should be reverent in the House of God and God will show up.

 Today the body of each believer becomes the House of God and we are to honor the name of the Lord who dwells within us at all times and not just while we are in His House of worship.

 Those large stones teach us of a solid foundation which is in Christ Jesus.

 If our lives are not built upon Jesus Christ we are doomed to destruction.

 Without Jesus Christ, we are separated from God and doomed!

 Without God, there is no hope, not in this world or the next!

 We should also understand that just being in a Church building is not enough. God only looks upon those with a pure heart as we saw in last week's lesson.

 A wicked person entering a church building is still a person with a wicked heart and will remain that way until they claim the Lord Jesus Christ and repent of their old life.

 Many today do not want to repent but maintain their sinful ways and sin is according to the Word of God and not public opinion.

 God created us to have fellowship with Him, but He cannot look upon sin and, in His wisdom, He sent the Lord Jesus to pay our sin debt and if we accept this fact then God will deal with us His own children!

 God gave us free will to decide this on our own!

 Amen