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Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.
(John 4:14) |
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And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb (Rev 22:1) |
For His Glory!
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The End Times Commentary Chapter Six Part IV Matthew 25 The Olivet Prophecy Continues End time prophecies In this series of messages we are mainly focused on The One ‘Who’ really knows the end from the beginning. We need to trust that One to lead us by His Spirit into all truth - especially with what Yeshua (Jesus) said to His disciples in the Olivet prophecy (Matthew Chapters 24 and 25). Why prophecy? Approx. one third of Scripture is prophecy. God is calling disciples to reign and rule with Him and He wants us to know. The saints (called out ones) are to be His representatives now; they are His ambassadors to the nations. Not only are the saints to proclaim the good news of salvation (which is in Christ alone) but also to proclaim the coming rule of our King Yeshua on this earth. Amen YHVH (The LORD) knows …Isa 46:10 (NKJV unless indicated) Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, 'My counsel shall stand…' (See also Isa 48:3-5)If we know because His Word will come to pass Isa 55:11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.Remember: Yeshua’s first directive in the Olivet prophecy (Matthew chapters 24-25)Matt 24:4 … "Take heed that no one deceives you.The KEY to verifying we are in the end times and our call to action! Matt 24:15 "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house.***** Matthew 25 Then the Kingdom of Heaven shall be like… Matt 25:1 CJB "The Kingdom of Heaven at that time will be like …Yeshua (Jesus) continues His explanation of end time events First saying: The Ten Virgins Matt 25:1 "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 "but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. 6 And at midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!' 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' 9 But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' 12 But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'The point of this saying: Matt 25:13 "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.Often this saying is divorced from the Olivet prophecy when there is no indication of concluding it until Chapter 26 ( Matt 26:1 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings…). We may conclude that this is not a parable but given as a warning to watch and be prepared at all times V-13.It is this writers understanding the five wise virgins are the bride of Messiah V-10. The five foolish had to go out to purchase the oil and were left outside being unable to be part of the bride V-11, in all probability they did not have a relationship with the bridegroom for He said "… I do not know you." V-12. Note Yeshua said in His ‘Sermon on the mount’…Matt 7:22 "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'Second saying: Yeshua’s servants and The Talents Matt 25:14 " For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 "But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.' 21 His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.' 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.' 23 His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.' 24 Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 'And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.' 26 But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 'So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 'Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. 29 'For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.We have probably heard many messages on this saying. How do you recon what our coming King is trying to tell us about the time of His return? The parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-23) might be a hint; Yeshua explaining the parable of the sower to His disciples also said the same as in the above V-29 Matt 13:11 He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.And what Yeshua said in this prophecy Matt 24:46 Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.The result of being an unjust and lazy servant: Matt 25: 30 'And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'Third saying: The Judgment of sheep and the goats Matt 25:31 " 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. 32 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. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.The Sheep Matt 25:34 "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: 35 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; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' 37 "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' 40 "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.'Matt 25:41 "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: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' 44 "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?'Ezekiel 34:17 ' And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats. Matthew 13:49 "So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, This saying of Yeshua (Jesus) should be clear. In the King James Version verse 32 may not be clear; is the King separating nations or the people of the nations? The English Standard Version may help - Matt 25:32 ESV all the nations will be gathered and he will separate people one from another as He separates the sheep from the goats.The main point is there will be a judgement after He returns - There will be a judging to see how those, of the nations, have treated their neighbor. Why? Because it reflects how they have accepted the principles of God’s Word. Those that have acted as the sheep (True Love) or those like the goats (did not exercise His love): Matt 25:45 "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.' 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."Short outline of the 6 chapters of this end time prophecy
Yeshua’s first directive - Do not be deceived
Our KEY to verifying we are in the end times (for more read II Thessalonians 2)
Thus ends the Olivet Prophecy: which all began with the disciples asking "tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"Do you have the same question? - Read Matthew chapters 24 and 25, prayerfully. Guard what Yeshua says to the churches… Rev 3:22 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."*The scripture references are not exhaustive; they are to give the essence of their heading. In this Commentary when statements are supported by Scripture it may only be one or two verses. Even though many more may apply. Because this is the writer’s understanding (at this time) it may be in some cases subjective; thankfully we have God’s Word and His Spirit to keep us on the straight and narrow way (path). Blessings |
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The Wise and the Foolish Proverbs 1:6 To understand a proverb and an enigma, The words of the wise and their riddles.Proverbs 1:5 A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,Proverbs 21:20 There is desirable treasure, and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man squanders it.Proverbs 10:14 Wise people store up knowledge, But the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.Proverbs 15:14 The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, But the mouth of fools’ feeds on foolishness. |
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"Sheep" Psalm 78:52 But He made His own people go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock;Psalm 79:13 So we, your people and sheep of Your pasture, Will give You thanks forever; We will show forth Your praise to all generations.Psalm 100:3 Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.The lost sheep and the Shepherd’s love Psalm 119:176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep; Seek Your servant, For I do not forget Your commandments.Matt 18:12 "What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? |
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Talents Yeshua asked the question: "What do you have that you did not receive?" The implied answer is that you received everything you have. The conclusion is that you should be humble and grateful. Even people who acknowledge that they received some things from Yeshua are reluctant to admit that they received all things from Him, but the passage mentioned above applies universally, for believer and unbeliever alike. This applies to all your resources and provision, all your talents and abilities and advantages and blessings. God wants you to recognize this that you may understand the truth that you are bought with a price and are not your own. Then you may apply what He has given you toward the destiny He set before you, and delight in giving Him the glory due Him. You will have a natural aptitude for some things more than others, according to the talents God have given you. You honor Him by developing and using these gifts. Yet do you assume that the things you are good at are important, and the things that others are good at are not? You are not called to judge another man's servant or another man's gift. This is a selfish form of judgment, but it is an expression of humility to honor abilities that you do not possess yourself. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet receives a prophet's reward, even if he does not exercise prophetic gifting himself. You can honor all God’s works and receive all His rewards. All that you have is from the Creator, so you are a steward of all that you own. There is joy in using it for His glory." (Adapted from a Dale Cresap blog) |
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Be alive to life "Life is what we are alive to. It is not length, but breath. Be alive to goodness, kindness, purity, love, history, poetry, music, flowers, stars, God and eternal hope." Maltbie D. Babcock Do we know when we have missed the train? "Don’t wait for the train at a bus station." |
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I did not know that! Great Blue Hole, Belize There are numerous blue holes around the world but none as stunning as this one. Obviously, the hole is a huge hit with divers. |
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Questions we never ask
Do the woodpeckers have to go? |
