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Matt. 24:37-41 - "For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. 38 "For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 "Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41 " Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left. NASU
In other words life was going on as usual. They were eating food. They were drinking. Drinking doesn't mean necessarily mean alcoholic beverages. The Greek word for "drinking" is all inclusive. This word is used in drinking the blood of Christ (John 6:53), drinking in that which refreshes the soul (John 7:37), and drinking other types of liquids such as water, milk, and juice as well as wine.
From my Facebook page, I have noticed some of my friend's children have recently married. So guess what? Jesus could return any day. The reason Jesus could return today is as Matthew said, "The coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah." The days now are just like the days of Noah. Therefore, Jesus could return any day.
The flood took away those who refused to believe Noah's preaching and enter the ark. The ones who were left on the earth after the flood receded were Noah and his family.
Matt. 13:29-31 - "But he said, 'No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 'Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn."'" Jesus' disciples didn't understand the Wheat and Tares parable and ask for an explanation and here is Jesus' explanation of the parable. Matt. 13:40-43 - So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. 41 " The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 "Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. NASU You notice which ones are taken first. The ones taken first are the "tares." What happens to them? They are gathered up and burnt with fire. You also notice which ones are left. The ones left are the wheat or the ones who obey God and they will shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of our Father. The reason I share this with you is many have been misinformed and even misled by "The Left Behind" series of books, movies and their teachings. In the books and movies the ones "left behind" are the sinners. This is false. This is not true. Jesus said the "FIRST" to be gathered would be the "TARES" or the evil ones. Jesus is teaching the opposite of what Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins taught in their fictional account. Their books and movie are "fictional" which means they are totally fabricated. The problem with this is people take these "Fictional" accounts and teach them as truth. The word of God is "Truth".
The good news for His followers is our Lord and Savior can return any day. Think On This: Prepare and prevent instead of repair and repent. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word
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Jesus and Paul Did This Lk 22:15 - And He said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;… NASB
Philippians 1:23 - But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;… NASB 1 Thes. 2:17 - But we, brethren, having been bereft of you for a short while — in person, not in spirit — were all the more eager with great desire to see your face. NASB Jas 1:14-15 - But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. NASB
In the verses above the same Greek word "epithumia" is used. In the passage about Jesus and the passages about Paul it is translated as "desire, earnestly desired, or greatly desired". When it is used in James it is translated "lust". But the Greek word is the same one "epithumia". Many times we take the word "lust" and always connect it to some-thing that is bad, but you can see from the scripture references above that both Jesus and the apostle Paul lusted or desired greatly, but not in an evil way. Change the word "lust" to "great desire" and no one has a problem with that definition.
He thought about it and He thought about it "earnestly," the text says. He was going to announce being betrayed by Judas (vs.22), and denied by Peter (vs.34). Wouldn't it be great if we thought earnestly about partaking of the Lord's Supper on the Lord's Day the week before? At times, I am guilty of not thinking much about it until Sunday. Shame on me!
In fact, I could probably say I have been where Paul was when he penned this scripture. I have had strong desires (lusts) to go to Heaven and I have had the same strong desires (lusts) to stay here on earth. The second way he "lusted" was about seeing his Christian brothers and sisters in Thessaloniki. I was baptized at the Lake Mount Church of Christ in Rogers, Ohio in 1975 and when I visit that part of Ohio it is always nice to go and see some brothers that helped me grow in my faith. One dear brother is Bob Taucher. The love he has for the Lord is contagious and I am glad I was able to begin my life in Christ around him. When I think about going back to Ohio I have great desire (lust) to see him and fellowship with him.
Don't lust in a bad way, lust in a good way. Hopefully, you will be lusting about taking the Lord's Supper, going to Heaven to be with Jesus, or going to see some family, friends or brothers and sisters in Christ. Think About These: Christianity is a way of walking as well as a way of talking. What can't be done by advice can often be done by example. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word John 8:34-36 - Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. "The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. NASU
The sins that we have committed enslave us and this is why Jesus came to earth. So that sinners could be set free from their sins. There is a band called Hillsong Worship from Australia and they have recorded a song "Who You Say I Am" I have included some of the words below and if you click on the link below the lyrics it will take you to a video of the song being sung. Who the Son sets free Oh, is free indeed I'm a child of God, yes, I am Free at last, He has ransomed me His grace runs deep While I was a slave to sin, Jesus died for me Yes, He died for me Who the Son sets free Oh is free indeed I'm a child of God, yes, I am In my Father's house There's a place for me I'm a child of God, yes, I am I am chosen, not forsaken I am who You say I am You are for me, not against me I am who You say I am https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKw6uqtGFfo I couldn't agree more with the words of this powerful song. I am and you are who God says we are and not anyone else.
The good news is once we have been baptized into Christ His blood continually cleanses us (1 John 1:7 - if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin). My desire is that you will sing the lyrics of the song "Who You Say I Am" over and over to yourself today and always remember You Are A Child of God. Think About These: Faith builds a bridge from this world to the next. Our faith deals with what God says - not what men say. No one lives in doubt when he has prayed in faith. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Ps 30:5, 10-12 -
5 Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning… 10 "Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me; O LORD, be my helper." 11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, 12 That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever. NASU
The formula is an easy one: Prepare Yourself Mentally and Trust God Fully. David says, "Weeping may last for the night, BUT a shout of joy comes in the morning…" David is writing this Psalm after he got in trouble with God for numbering the people. He knew he had done wrong and the plague had come upon him and his people because of his actions. He also knows that joy comes in the morning. We must train our minds to think all I have to do is make it until tomorrow because "joy" comes in the morning. We are all 24 hours away from a joyous occasion. When I find myself in tough situations I always tell myself, "I can endure anything for 24 hours. I will get a fresh start tomorrow." It is like a wrestler who needs to get out of bounds and get a fresh start. It is not exactly what you want to do, but sometimes it is what you have to do.
God had informed David that because of his sin (numbering the people, which is the equivalent to taking a census, by doing this David was showing his faith was in the number of people and not in God, this also shows David had an issue with pride) He was going to send a plague. He names three different plagues and allows David to choose which plague he wanted to endure. David chose the plague of falling into God's hands because David knew God's mercies are great. You and I need to know the mercies of God are great. He has His eyes on us and He will not give us more than we can bear. 2 Sam. 24:16 -When the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who destroyed the people, "It is enough! Now relax your hand!" NASU David was correct when he desired to fall into the hands of the LORD for His mercies are great. In this passage we see God putting a halt to the punishment that was being administered. You and I will do well to trust in the mercies of God for it will be God who will be your helper and turn your mourning into dancing. It will be God who puts a stop to the punishment that is upon you.
Prepare yourself to sing praises to God and give Him thanks forever for it will be God who brings your night of weeping to a close and opens your morning with joy. So remember this formula it is an easy one: Prepare Yourself Mentally and Trust God Fully. Think About These: We learn some things from prosperity, but we learn many things from adversity. When things get rough, remember: It is the rubbing that brings out the shine. Your character is what you have remaining when you have lost everything you can lose. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word |
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