Yesterday I told you that Tuesday and Wednesday were not clearly defined so we left off with JESUS teaching HIS disciples about giving while in the temple and the widow came in and gave what she had but those with large wallets gave in grand splendor so that their giving would result in the accolades of men.
Today we will pick up with the LORD leaving the temple in Jerusalem and walking with HIS disciples toward a time of teaching in the Mount of Olives. Nearly all of this days happenings will be in the book of Matthew 24:1 - 26:16. The LORD teaches about the future, the Parables of the Ten Virgins, the Talents and the Day of Judgement. HE also speaks to them again about HIS death; HE is anointed by Mary at Simon's feast. Today's teachings by the LORD to HIS disciples will culminate to the time of Judas Iscariot's contract with the religious rulers to betray the LORD, even though he walked with HIM and saw HIS miracles, for three years.
Matthew 24:1 - 14 Then JESUS went out and departed from the temple, and HIS disciples came to HIM to show HIM the buildings of the temple. And JESUS said to them, " Do you not see all these things ? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down."
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. 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 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.
The LORD continues speaking about future events such as the " abomination of desolation " that will stand in the middle of what will be the new temple that is to be built in Jerusalem. HE speaks of those in Judea who should flee to the mountains when this happens. These are things that will happen to Israel during the Great Tribulation period; false Christs and false prophets will arise showing signs and wonders, but no one should believe them. Matthew 24:15-26
Then in Matthew 24:27-25:46 the LORD teaches of future events, of HIS second coming and the kingdom of heaven through teaching and Parables. I will write some of these teachings, and ask you to read the whole account so that you get the full sense of what the LORD was doing to get HIS disciples ready for what was coming. I will give the Parable of the Fig Tree and the Days of Noah illustration in Matthew 24:32-44 as follows:
" Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it(HIS Second Coming), is near, at the very doors. Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things are fulfilled. Heaven and earth will pass away, but MY WORDS will by no means pass away.
But of that day and hour no one knows, no not even the angels of heaven, but MY FATHER only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the SON of MAN be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the SON of MAN be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your LORD is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the SON of MAN is coming at an hour when you do not expect HIM."
Now the LORD starts HIS teaching on the kingdom of heaven through the Parables of the 10 Virgins and the Talents in Matthew 25:1-30 and judgement of the gentiles right before the Millennial reign of CHRIST in Matthew 25:31-46. I will give the Judgement of the gentiles portion if you then would read the Parables of the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 25:31-46 When the SON of MAN comes in HIS glory, and all the holy angels with HIM, then HE will sit on the throne of HIS glory. All the nations will be gathered before HIM, and HE will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And HE will set the sheep on HIS right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the KING will say to those on HIS right hand, ' Come, you blessed of MY FATHER, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was hungry and you gave ME food; I was thirsty and you gave ME drink; I was a stranger and you took ME in; I was naked, and you clothed ME; I was in prison and you came to ME.'
Then the righteous will answer HIM, saying, ' LORD when did we see YOU hungry and feed YOU, or thirsty and gave YOU drink ? When did we see YOU a stranger and take YOU in, or naked and clothe YOU ? Or when did we see YOU sick, or in prison and come to YOU ?
And the KING will answer and say to them, ' Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these MY brethren, you did it to ME.'
Then HE will also say to those on the left hand, ' Depart from ME you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:
for I was hungry and you gave ME no food; I was thirsty and you gave ME no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take ME in; naked and you did not clothe ME.'
Then they also will answer HIM, saying, ' LORD when did we see YOU hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister to YOU ?'
Then HE will answer them, saying, ' Assuredly, I say to you inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to ME.' And these will go away into everlasting punishment but the righteous into eternal life. "
We will finish today with the plotting by the Jews to kill JESUS, Mary's anointing of the LORD for HIS burial and Judas Iscariot's agreeing to betray JESUS, which is written in Matthew 26:1-16
Matthew 26:1-12 Now it came to pass, when JESUS had finished all these saying, that HE said to HIS disciples, " You know that after two days is the Passover, and the SON of MAN will be delivered up to be crucified." Then the chief priests, the scribes and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and plotted to take JESUS by trickery and kill HIM. But they said, " Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people."
And when JESUS was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to HIM having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on HIS head as HE sat at the table. But when HIS disciples saw it they were indignant saying, " To what purpose is this waste ? " ( Think of this, they thought it was a waste to humbly show care and tenderness to the LORD, just days before HE will nearly be beaten to death and crucified on the cross, but they still did not see the truth of all HE was to them) For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor." But when JESUS was aware of it, HE said to them, " Why do you trouble the woman ? For she has done a good work for ME. For you have the poor with you always, but ME you do not have always. For in pouring this fragrant oil on MY body, she did it for MY burial.
Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this Gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her. "
In another of the Gospel accounts, the one complaining the loudest about what Mary did was Judas Iscariot, the future betrayer of the LORD. He yelled the loudest, especially when he spoke that the fragrant oil, which by the way was worth a years wages, could have been sold and given to the poor. If you remember what role Judas played within the LORD's disciple unit, he was their treasurer, he kept track of their finances and held the money box; he was also a thief. It still amazes me that the LORD did not force the issue of his stealing from them, but as we see in most of the Bible, the LORD will not force HIMSELF on anyone. If Judas was to make the choice to be a TRUE follower of CHRIST and not just someone who followed HIM to see what HE could get from HIM, it would have to be a choice that Judas needed to make on his own, not forced by any confrontation from the others. Today's final Scripture will be Judas' agreement with the chief priests to betray the LORD.
Matthew 26:14-16 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, " What are you willing to give me if I deliver HIM to you ? " And they counted out to him 30 pieces of silver.
So from that time he sought opportunity to betray HIM.
Thirty pieces of silver !!! The thief made his choice. The thief would not change and as a thief he saw the LORD as a means of $$$. The LORD has Paul write, " The love of money is the root of all evil " in 1st. Timothy 6:10 and we can see by Judas' example that it was his downfall and of course satan used this love of money to push Judas to betray the LORD JESUS.
We will pick up with the LORD tomorrow as HE and HIS disciples prepare for the passover as we continue to walk with the LORD to HIS cross and resurrection.
Your servant in CHRIST,
Julie
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