SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/4/2024 8:46 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-1 “Obedience”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matthew
28:19-20a
Message of the verses: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you;”
Today I begin the second to last section from the
book of Matthew, and as mentioned I began my study of Matthew on November 17,
1999, and I have to say that the saying a lot of water came under the dam is a
true statement, as many things have happened in our world and in my world in
the last five days, and I can also say that tomorrow will be a very important
day in the life of the world to see if Satan gets his way in his desire to
destroy our country. I have complete
confidence that God is in control of what is going on, on planet earth. The Bible teaches us that things will
continue to get worse and worse before the end times when after the rapture of
the church the world will see the seven most terrible years in the history of
the earth, especially the last three and a half years which will end what the
Bible calls the Tribulation period, something that I have posted different
Spiritual Diaries on my blogs from two times studying the book of
Revelation. The Bible states that if God
did not step in to stop the battles that go on during the last days of the
Tribulation period that there would be no world left.
I have been talking about the different elements for
effective fulfillment of the church’s mission which is how John MacArthur
breaks up these last verses in the gospel of Matthew, and today I begin the
fourth element which is obedience to the Lord’s command, made possible only
when the attitudes of availability, worship, and submission characterize the believer’s
life.
I realize that what we are looking at in these last
verses from Matthew’s gospel is called “The Great Commission,” as the
resurrected Lord gives His marching orders for the church in these verses and
so with the title “Obedience” given here we as His children are to be obedient
in following His marching orders.
MacArthur writes “It was in light of His absolute, sovereign authority that Jesus command, Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.
“The transitional word is therefore. ‘Because I am sovereign Lord of the universe,’
Jesus was saying ‘I have both the authority to command you to be My witnesses
and the power to enable you to obey that command.’”
Now
we have to think back to the reason that the Lord began the nation of Israel,
back in the Old Testament, and one of the things that they were to do was to be
God’s light to the Gentiles in light of Jesus’ early ministry, it should not be
surprising that His commission was to make disciples of all the nations. This command that Jesus is talking about
reminds me of different things that Israel was suppose to do as found in the
ninth chapter of Daniel’s great prophecy.
Let me just look at these things that are found there for a moment. 24 “Seventy weeks
have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression,
to make an end of sin,
to make atonement for
iniquity, to bring
in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place” (Daniel 9:27). This is the
beginning of the prophecy that Daniel was given to by an angel and in this
prophecy of actually 490 years there are certain things that Israel is to do,
and many of these things were done through their Messiah, Jesus Christ. Notice the prophecy is decreed for your
people (Israel) and your holy city (Jerusalem).
Then there are things that will be done within these 490 years as listed
in the highlighted portion of this verse.
Jesus fulfilled many of these in His first coming, including the first
four and the rest of them will be fulfilled at the end of the Tribulation
period. You see the prophecy began 383
years before Jesus came in and offered Himself as the Messiah, but Israel
turned Him down and so He was crucified for our sins and then resurrected and
went to heaven. However there are seven
more years of this prophecy to be fulfilled, which will be the seven years of
the Tribulation period. Notice the
highlighted portion of verse 27 which tells us when this last seven years (one
week) will begin. 27 "And he will make a firm covenant
with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice
and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one
who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is
poured out on the one who makes desolate."
This coming Antichrist will make a covenant with Israel for seven years,
and I believe that during this first part of the Tribulation period that Israel
will construct their temple, something that they are ready to do now. The covenant will be broken in the middle of
the seven years as seen in the second highlighted portion of verse twenty-seven. It is the last part of this seven years which
will be the most horrible time ever on planet earth. The Lord will return as seen in the 19th
chapter of the book of Revelation, and He will not be alone as all the raptured
saints of the church will come with Him.
“11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold,
a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in
righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and
on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him
which no one knows except Himself. 13 He is clothed with a robe dipped
in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which are
in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on
white horses. 15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may
strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He
treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. 16 And on His
robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.’” After this judgment will come upon those who
are still alive, the evil ones will go into the lake of fire, and the justified
ones into the Millennial Kingdom.
I
got a little off of what is going on in Matthew 28, but sometimes I just do
things that I believe the Lord desires me to do.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I have a job to do, and that is to tell
others about the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Great Commission
tells me to do.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Trust
the Lord to accomplish what He desires to do in my life and in our
country.
11/4/2024 9:38 AM
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