Kingdom 103: Reconsidering the End Times
Your greatest asset is not your faith...it is your faith in the Lord Jesus the Christ! For He was the Word made flesh. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
The Lord Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the very place where the prophet Zechariah had predicted that the Messiah would stand when He came to establish His Kingdom. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south. There He was, standing and teaching the Kingdom message exactly where God's representative said He would be. Remember, the Lord God's Word is sovereign. A vital part of a healthy Kingdom mindset is having a clear and proper understanding of what God's Constitution says concerning the return of Christ and other apocalyptic themes. This is very important because as Kingdom citizens we have a critical role in preparing for Christ's return. There is much confusion and misinformation in the church concerning end times. We have a responsibility to be well informed, based on what God's Word actually states; and we must use discernment when hearing various interpretations by today's prophecy teachers.
Jesus had that question put forth to Him. A question that people throughout the ages have asked and pondered. Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
It was a fitting place for His disciples to ask Jesus when He would come in power and what they could expect then. Jesus' reply emphasized the event that would take place before the end of the age. If you notice, at one point, He stated that this was just the beginning of sorrows! He also pointed out that His disciples should be less concerned with knowing the exact date and more concerned with being prepared. The Lord Jesus made it very plain that this Kingdom gospel must be preached.
Who will be doing the preaching and teaching? You and I. This is why the Counselor (the Holy Spirit) had my wife Arlene and I create this website...to teach other the Kingdom concept.
We must be consistent with the Kingdom message. Remember what the Lord Jesus said: Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. In essence, God's Word is everlasting. The King's Word is sovereign.
John 1:14 Zechariah 14:4 Matthew 24:3-14 Mark 13:31
~~W.R. Luchie
The Lord Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the very place where the prophet Zechariah had predicted that the Messiah would stand when He came to establish His Kingdom. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south. There He was, standing and teaching the Kingdom message exactly where God's representative said He would be. Remember, the Lord God's Word is sovereign. A vital part of a healthy Kingdom mindset is having a clear and proper understanding of what God's Constitution says concerning the return of Christ and other apocalyptic themes. This is very important because as Kingdom citizens we have a critical role in preparing for Christ's return. There is much confusion and misinformation in the church concerning end times. We have a responsibility to be well informed, based on what God's Word actually states; and we must use discernment when hearing various interpretations by today's prophecy teachers.
Jesus had that question put forth to Him. A question that people throughout the ages have asked and pondered. Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
It was a fitting place for His disciples to ask Jesus when He would come in power and what they could expect then. Jesus' reply emphasized the event that would take place before the end of the age. If you notice, at one point, He stated that this was just the beginning of sorrows! He also pointed out that His disciples should be less concerned with knowing the exact date and more concerned with being prepared. The Lord Jesus made it very plain that this Kingdom gospel must be preached.
Who will be doing the preaching and teaching? You and I. This is why the Counselor (the Holy Spirit) had my wife Arlene and I create this website...to teach other the Kingdom concept.
We must be consistent with the Kingdom message. Remember what the Lord Jesus said: Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. In essence, God's Word is everlasting. The King's Word is sovereign.
John 1:14 Zechariah 14:4 Matthew 24:3-14 Mark 13:31
~~W.R. Luchie
