Articles

Luke 21:36

     “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”

     “All these things” are detailed in the previous verses and will be necessary to understand this verse.  Before we begin in  Luke, let us see some companion scriptures in First and Second Thessalonians.  In I Thes. 1:10 we are told of those saints who shall be delivered from the wrath to come.  In II Thes. 1:5 &11 they are counted worthy of the kingdom and this calling because of faithfulness now in the face of trials and persecutions.  Two time periods are in view.  First is the wrath of God that is coming upon all the world (Rev. 3:10)  This lasts for seven years and ends with the Lord coming in power and great glory. (Lk. 21:27, II Thes. 1:8-9, Mt. 24:30)  Then the Kingdom Comes for which we are taught to pray, “Thy Kingdom Come.”

     In this life we have tribulation but some will escape “The Great Tribulation,” the time of Jacob’s trouble, the wrath to come. (Dan. 12:1-2, Jer. 30:7, Rom. 5:9, Mt. 24:21)  See Zephaniah 1:14-18 for a stark description of this time, also called here “The Day of the Lord.”  There is an interesting parallel to our verse above.  It is Zeph. 2:3 – “Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.” (Job 14:13, Hab. 3:16)  After a two chapter description of the church in Revelation 2-3, the Lord Jesus (cp. Rev. 1:10-11) told John to “Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.”  After the churches John is shown what comes next, and it does not include the churches.  The tribulation is described, but the church is not mentioned again until Ch. 19:7 at the wedding where His wife has made herself ready.

     There are several events leading up to Luke 21:36.  First consider “all these things that shall come to pass.”  This corresponds to Mt. Matthew 24:3, “When shall these things be?”  Luke also answers the other two questions briefly and Matthew goes into these in greater detail.  Luke here describes the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A. D. in verses 20-24, which Matthew does not.  At the end of verse 24 is a transition in the phrase “until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”  These times of the Gentiles began with Nebuchadnezzar, and will end with the Second Coming (vs. 27), the end of the Tribulation, and the Kingdom of God (vs. 31).

     After the times of the Gentiles in verse 24, Luke tells us about the second coming of Christ (vs. 25-27), and the beginning of the Kingdom of God (vs. 31).  This judgment of God is called the wrath of God (vs. 23), the distress of nations (vs. 25), the shaking of the powers of the heavens (vs. 26), that day (vs. 34), a snare (vs. 35), and all these things that shall come to pass (vs. 36).  To summarize what we have covered thus far from verse 20 we have: the destruction of Jerusalem, the times of the Gentiles, the tribulation, the second coming of Christ, and the Kingdom of God.  We are now living in the times of the Gentiles, and clear instructions are given to us about how we are to live.  This present time is given to us in verse 34:  “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.  For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.”  There are more saints playing and overcharged with the cares of this life than are watching and praying.  There are far more lovers of pleasure than lovers of God.  It may be that you will be accounted worthy to escape all these things and instead, be standing before the Son of man while all these things take place upon the earth.

     What about verse 32?  “This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.”  Some have disregarded the context to say that all these things took place in the life of those standing there.  If this is the case, then the tribulation, the second coming of Christ at the resurrection, and the Kingdom of God are all past. This, of course, is not possible.  He was speaking of the generation that shall be present when all these things begin will be there when they come to pass.  He was conveying the nearness of events once they begin.       

     “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Ps. 46:1)

     To get the whole message, you must read the whole Psalm.  The writer (probably David), is speaking of God’s presence with us when trials come our way.  God is a very present help in times of trouble.  When we have trouble in our life or are troubled within, this Psalm should speak to us.  We all need a hiding place from troublesome times and God is that place, a refuge from the storms of life.  We often call on God when the advice of friends is of no comfort or when we run out of answers.  This is where we should go, and can go because He is very present.  The word “very” means truly.  God is truly present at all times as we find in two New Testament verses.  Jesus said to his disciples, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” (i.e. age)(Mt. 28:20)  In Hebrews 13:5 “he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

     “I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings.” (Ps. 61:4)  Isaiah 4:6 says much the same thing, with a couple of added thoughts: “And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.”  Psalm 32:2 ties this together and the man spoken of is Jesus.  “And a man shall be as a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.”  Jesus, who is ever with us is that hiding place, and rivers of water and that great rock in a weary land.  If you feel to be in that place, do not forget that Jesus is there, very present.

     We sing a song that is familiar to most people.  It is called “Jesus Lover of My Soul.”  Allow me to quote part of the first verse.  “Jesus lover of my soul, let me to thy bosom fly, while the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high.”  In this hymn, Charles Wesley expresses what the Psalmist was saying.  It is not just in times of peace within that we feel the presence of the Lord, but also when the tempest is at its highest.  Later in this hymn, he says directly from Scripture: “Cover my defenseless head with the shadow of thy wing.”

     God is not only our refuge but is also our strength.  Paul said, “When I am weak, then am I strong.” (Rom. 12:10)  When we stop trusting in ourselves, and leaning to our own understanding, then God shows Himself strong and says, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Mt. 11:28)  The help that you need is still strong and ever present.

     Perhaps things are not that different, but it sure seems like there are a multitude of things today to distract us.  Along with the business of home and family, we have current events that impact us and as watchmen, see the world closing in on all sides.  We read then in Acts 17:11 – “These (Bareans) were more noble than those of Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether these things were so.” (cp. Lk. 8:14)  The disconnect here is that the cares of this life often flood the mind, making it anything but “ready.”  Those with a ready mind come with joy, happy to be among the saints in the house of God.  They come anticipating what God may send by way of His messengers.  They come with a need of hearing some good news from a far country.  These say that it is good to be in the house of God.  There can be no readiness where there is discontent, grumbling or asking “What will this babbler say.” (Acts 17:18)  The ready mind comes praying for those in need and that God will send a message that will feed the flock.

     The other thing that the Bareans did, was that they searched the scriptures ‘daily’ to see if those things preached were so.   I know of no preacher that would not welcome this, and would be happy to be corrected if he had miss-spoken.  Consider the difficulty of this search.  Paul no doubt preached without notes and without the Scriptures before him.  If he gave them a reference it still would have been without chapter and verse numbers as we have.  They did not have the privilege of simply turning to and reading the passage.  They first had to find the scroll and then “search.”  These ‘scriptures’ at that time would have been the Old Testament, since the New Testament was not yet written or not yet complete.  Every preacher would be happy to have a congregation who searches the Scriptures because they might find some other good news along the way.  Paul was preaching N. T. doctrine from the O.T. Scriptures, because they totally agree. (See I Cor. 15:1-4)

     “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by restraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither being Lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.” (I Pet. 5:2-3)  It appears that the congregations are not the only ones that need a ready mind, but the Elder (vs. 1) does also.  A ready mind requires study, prayer, and asking God for wisdom.  He must be a watchman on the wall, to sound the alarm for things that are coming and things that are here.  As God gives us understanding of the signs of the times, we are to pass that along.  When the pastor and the congregation are of a ready mind, the Word of God can have free course.

     Jesus stood to read in the Synagogue in Nazareth and He was handed the scroll of Isaiah.  This was not unexpected for this was part of the prescribed reading for that day.  This was set up by the priests for the year and on this day the expected reading was Isaiah 61:1-63:9 followed by Deuteronomy  29:10-30:20.  Jesus must have shocked them all when he got half-way through the 2^nd verse and stopped, closed the book and returned it to the one responsible for the scrolls.  It furthermore angered them when He said: “This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears.”  Our subject is the last thing that He read that was part of the portion “fulfilled” at that time: to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.  What did He have in mind with this statement?  What is the acceptable year of the; Lord?

     There are two possibilities.  I held that this was speaking of the Jubilee of Leviticus 25, the restoration of all things (Acts 3:19-21), but I have changed my view since this was not fulfilled at that time.  This is still prophesy that will yet be fulfilled in the future.

     The other possibility which I think is correct is that the dispensation of Grace had arrived.  The church age and the taking out a people for His name was acceptable to God.  The other evidence for this view is what follows in Isaiah  61:2 – “And the day of vengeance of our God.”  Jesus stopped just short of this in His reading, setting up a contrast between the acceptable year (fulfilled) and the day of vengeance (not yet fulfilled).  The day of vengeance is after this present age and it will last for seven years, the last week (of years) of Daniel’s 70 weeks.  The present dispensation of grace will last until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.

     “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” (Rom. 12:19b)  The vengeance of God is described many times in the Bible as His judgment against His enemies. (See Is. 34:1-4, Zeph. 1:14-18, Jer. 30:5-7)  It is called vengeance in Isaiah 34:8, 61:2, and 63:4.  Many people know the verse above but do not really believe it because they can see for themselves that the wicked prosper and get away with murder.  God will repay!  Payday; is not here yet but it is coming.  It is called the day of vengeance. We are still living in the acceptable year of the Lord and will until God is finished calling out a bride and brings the Church Age to a close.  After that the wrath of God and the rod of iron will be displayed.  Let us be thankful for the age in which we live.  “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men” (Rom. 12:18) and leave vengeance to the Lord.    

There are multitudes of people who have these balances in view, regarding eternal life, salvation, and heaven.  This seems to be the predominant view as far as the rich and famous are concerned and comes out often in the news of their death.  A long list of their accomplishments are given, none of which honor God, but rather exalt man – all wood, hay, and stubble.  This position is held among some in the Christian churches but is almost universal among those outside the church.  You probably have friends that hold this doctrine.  The belief is that you are weighed in the balances and your good works are on one side and your evil works on the other.  If your good works out-weigh the bad, then you will be in heaven, and if not you will be in hell.  Most people think they have done more good than bad and are therefore “safe.”  This comes from pride and arrogance, both of which would go on the bad side of the scales. The Mayor of NYC has recently made bold statements about how high up the chain of command he would be in heaven, “if there is a heaven,” he said.  Regulating every aspect of people’s lives as a ruler over them seems good to him.  Giving city funds to support abortion clinics, and allowing them to operate rent free in government buildings is a good thing in his eyes.  He is among a great number of elites that think this way, but they have shock and awe awaiting them.

Those of you who have had any instruction from the Bible or have read the Bible, have no doubt learned that eternal live does not come because of one’s works but by the grace of God through Jesus Christ.  This would be a shock for those counting on their works to save them.  They would be further surprised to know that God has rejected their “good” works because they glorify man and not God.  Isaiah 64:6 describes the good of man apart from God: “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags…”  He is not describing the wickedness of man but rather the natural man at his very best, doing his best works.  God’s view of man in this condition is radically different from man’s view.

This theme is set forth early (Gen. 4) and continues throughout Scripture.  God does not accept every offering made to Him.  “And in the process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.  And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof.  And the Lord had respect unto Abel and his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect.”  It was not only the offering but Cain himself was rejected by God.  Down through the generations this has been true and is the case today.  God has no respect toward man and their good works when done to present a show to the world.  Men of the world will honor you, but in the eyes of God it is all filthy.

Are we then to reject good works?  Absolutely not.  God has ordained us that we should maintain good works.  (Eph. 2:10, Mt. 5:16, Acts 9:36, I Tim. 6:18, II Tim. 3:17, Tit. 2:7 & 14, 3:8 & 14, Heb. 10:24, I Pet. 2:12)  With an abundance of scriptures encouraging good works, there must be a difference in these for them to be accepted of God as with Abel and his offering.  The difference with Abel and his offering was that of the blood, seen first in the animals slain by God to cover his parents, Adam and Eve.  Abel learned what the subsequent chapters teach, that there is no remission of sin without the shedding of blood.  The very best works of the hands of Cain caused both him and his offering to be rejected.

There is something more regarding maintaining good works, rejected by many, but Bible teaches it none-the-less.  Only the saved by the grace of God will give account to God of the deeds (works) done in the body.  Salvation is “not of works lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:9), but works are important.  “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in the body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” (II Cor. 5:10) [Ecc. 12:14, I Cor. 3:14, Rev. 2:23, 22:12]  This judgment seat is not to judge for sins but an accounting of how you have run the Christian race.

We will not have to give account of sins for they are all covered by the blood of Jesus on the cross.  We are not working our way to heaven, and we are not tipping the scales in our favor for salvation.  You have already been weighed in the balances and are found wanting.  You can’t work your way out.  “Salvation is of the Lord.” (Jonah 2:9)

“But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” (Mt. 10:30, Lk. 12:7)  This could be read that their days are numbered and therefore will someday be gone.  This is not, however, the lesson to be learned here.  Let us first consider the impossibility of this, humanly speaking. For if it were possible to cordon off one square inch at a time to count, it would constantly be changing from hair loss and new hair coming in.  We are, of course, speaking of the power of God who knows such things.  Job 31:4 has another in this category with this question: “Doth not he see my ways and count all my steps?”  Some scoffers may ask why it matters, or who cares about the number of steps, or the number of hairs on our heads.  There are several lessons to be learned from these examples.

God does not need to count to know these things.  God knows this because He is the all-knowing God who knows everything, without exception; “In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Col. 2:3)  This is beyond our comprehension because everything that we know we learned it from others, or experienced for ourselves.  God never learned anything, never added to His knowledge, and nothing has ever “occurred” to Him.   He knows because He is God, not because He figured it out.  What is said about the number of hairs, or steps, could also be said of the number of cells in each body or the number of trees in the forest.  We know this from Psalm 147:4 – “He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.  Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.”  There are absolutely no limits to His power and knowledge.  We do not even have the ability to understand His ways or how He thinks.  Psalm 55:8-9 – “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

The next thing to consider is how well and how intimately God knows us.  Our nearest friend or our spouse does not know us well enough to know this.  Psalm 139 beautifully expressed this personal knowledge that God has of us.  The first few verses demonstrate how intimately God knows us:  “O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.  Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thoughts afar off.  Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.  For there is not a word in my tongue, but lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.  Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me: it is high, I cannot attain unto it.” (vs. 1-6)

God loves us not because of what we are, but He loves us because of who He is and in spite of who we are.  We can never say, “If He only knew me, He would not love me.”  I can assure you, God knows you perfectly and intimately, even the hairs of your head are numbered.

hc

 

A Very Present Help

  “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Ps. 46:1)

To get the whole message, you must read the whole Psalm.  The writer (probably David), is speaking of God’s presence with us when trials come our way.  God is a very present help in times of trouble.  When we have trouble in our life or are troubled within, this Psalm should speak to us.  We all need a hiding place from troublesome times and God is that place, a refuge from the storms of life.  We often call on God when the advice of friends is of no comfort or when we run out of answers.  This is where we should go, and can go because He is very present.  The word “very” means truly.  God is truly present at all times as we find in two New Testament verses.  Jesus said to his disciples, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” (i.e. age)(Mt. 28:20)  In Hebrews 13:5 “he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

“I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings.” (Ps. 61:4)  Isaiah 4:6 says much the same thing, with a couple of added thoughts: “And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.”  Psalm 32:2 ties this together and the man spoken of is Jesus.  “And a man shall be as a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.”  Jesus, who is ever with us is that hiding place, and rivers of water and that great rock in a weary land.  If you feel to be in that place, do not forget that Jesus is there, very present.

We sing a song that is familiar to most people.  It is called “Jesus Lover of My Soul.”  Allow me to quote part of the first verse.  “Jesus lover of my soul, let me to thy bosom fly, while the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high.”  In this hymn, Charles Wesley expresses what the Psalmist was saying.  It is not just in times of peace within that we feel the presence of the Lord, but also when the tempest is at its highest.  Later in this hymn, he says directly from Scripture: “Cover my defenseless head with the shadow of thy wing.”

God is not only our refuge but is also our strength.  Paul said, “When I am weak, then am I strong.” (Rom. 12:10)  When we stop trusting in ourselves, and leaning to our own understanding, then God shows Himself strong and says, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Mt. 11:28)  The help that you need is still strong and ever present.

hc