Monday, April 12, 2021

Sunday School lesson taught at Lake Marburg Baptist Church on Sunday morning 4.11.2021 : Luke 20:39 - Luke 21:38

 


Luke 20:39 ¶  Then certain of the scribes answering said, Master, thou hast well said. 40  And after that they durst not ask him any question at all. 41  And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is David’s son? 42  And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 43  Till I make thine enemies thy footstool. 44  David therefore calleth him Lord, how is he then his son? 45  Then in the audience of all the people he said unto his disciples, 46  Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts; 47  Which devour widows’ houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation.

 

Psalm 110:1 ¶  « A Psalm of David. » The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

 

LORD, all uppercase letters, from the Hebrew, is from Jehovah, one of the over 6500 times God’s name is translated from Jehovah, which means, according to Strong’s dictionary, ‘The Existing One,’ or, as God Himself put it in Exodus 3:14, I AM THAT I AM. The second Lord in Psalm 110 is from Adonai.

 

From Greek as here in Luke both are from Kurios. What is the point Jesus’ is making? The Messiah was understood to be the Son of David, a descendant of the king.

Luke 18:38  And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.

 

David wrote that Jehovah God said to his Lord, the Messiah, to sit at His right hand until Jehovah God made Christ’s enemies His footstool. How can the Messiah be called the Son of David if he is David’s Lord? Christ, as God, was David’s Lord, his ruler, benefactor, and owner, and yet, as a man, was his descendant or son. Here, we have the two natures of Jesus Christ, fully man and fully God, expressed in one passage.

 

Revelation 22:16  I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

 

He was teaching in the temple, was confronted by the religious elite, suffered spies to try to trip Him up with the Romans, faced the Sadducees and was not confused by their attempt to trip Him up on religion and the resurrection they did not believe in, and now He warns the people to beware of these imposters who love the preeminence and have no problem taking all that a widow has to sustain herself in the guise of giving to God.

 

They are not so different than many Christian ministers, parading their Doctor of Theology or Divinity as Dr. Whosit, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Whoville, having graduated from the seminary of Doubt and Uncertainty, loving the worship of their congregation. Also, I know of widows who gave thousands and thousands of dollars to Jim and Tammy Baker and other TV preachers sincerely wanting to make themselves useful in furthering the Lord’s work but being fleeced the whole time by con artists.

 

I have heard many long prayers that these leaders make that are truly just preaching to the congregation rather than talking to God. Jesus warned about long-winded prayers, in our case, using phrases like, “Father God,” at the beginning and end of every sentence or some such similar phrase while a preacher begins or continues his usually politically minded sermon.

 

Matthew 6:7  But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

 

Those of us who teach and preach bear a great responsibility to do our best not to deceive or manipulate or get puffed up and believe we are something we are not.

 

So many times Jesus has declared His Messiahship, His identity, in different ways. The religious leadership must have been very uncomfortable with Him moving about freely and teaching, as is evident by several passages.

 

Luke, chapter 21

 

Luke 21:1 ¶  And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. 2  And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. 3  And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: 4  For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.

 

The Saviour here makes a distinct difference between those generous men of wealth who give freely to religious impulse, giving which in no way threatens their day-to-day survival and a widow, perhaps one of those mentioned in the last passage fleeced by the religious elite, who gave all she had to support the religious institutions of her nation.

 

Moses had commanded, and you should read this passage and the context;

 

Exodus 30:13  This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the LORD. 14  Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD. 15  The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.

 

King David collected for the future temple;

 

1Chronicles 29:9  Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.

 

Again, in the days of King Joash;

 

2Chronicles 24:6  And the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said unto him, Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the collection, according to the commandment of Moses the servant of the LORD, and of the congregation of Israel, for the tabernacle of witness? 7  For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God; and also all the dedicated things of the house of the LORD did they bestow upon Baalim. 8  And at the king’s commandment they made a chest, and set it without at the gate of the house of the LORD. 9  And they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in to the LORD the collection that Moses the servant of God laid upon Israel in the wilderness. 10  And all the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the chest, until they had made an end.

 

This is giving to build, maintain, and support a very physical structure, the center of Jewish religion. By contrast Christian giving was to help other Christians, particularly church bodies that were suffering.

 

1Corinthians 16:1 ¶  Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye.

 

But, regardless of the reason for giving, God has blessed our generosity to the furtherance of the gospel and care for the saints and even all men in general so that your generosity to those in need whatever their spiritual state is mentioned in the following.

 

2Corinthians 9:1 ¶  For as touching the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you: 2  For I know the forwardness of your mind, for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal hath provoked very many. 3  Yet have I sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this behalf; that, as I said, ye may be ready: 4  Lest haply if they of Macedonia come with me, and find you

unprepared, we (that we say not, ye) should be ashamed in this same confident boasting.

5  Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness.

 

    6 ¶  But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7  Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 8  And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: 9  (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. 10  Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;) 11  Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God. 12  For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; 13  Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men; 14  And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you. 15  Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

 

If you think that Christians are only justified in giving to the faithful in need please note that early Christian writers like Eusebius wrote of Christian benevolence to the unsaved and even a pagan emperor like Julian the Apostate noted that this was one reason for the advancement of Christianity in the Roman Empire.

 

As an example a fourth century plague in the city of Caesarea caused a sick and weakened population to flee. Only the Christians stayed behind to minister to the dead in burial and to the dying, distributing bread to the starving. Julian wrote to a pagan priest and cited how the Christians extended charity to the poor and helped the suffering suggesting that if there was to be a revival of paganism, which he desired, the pagan priests of the various gods must do the same.

 

In this passage, penury is poverty and the poor widow who gave her two mites, a miniscule amount of money, gave all she had and was honored by Christ. However, His point is in the contrast between the rich men and the widow’s giving, not in a command for suffering people to give all they have that would go to their own sustenance.

 

The doctrine of tithing the tithe, a word not mentioned in the letters of Paul to the Christian churches, can be an unnecessary burden to the poor in a church body. God has not called you to let your children go hungry or without basic medical care and it is presumption on God to say that you will give all of the money you would have paid for your rent and food to your church and just trust God to provide. That being said, we all have experienced or we all know of times of great need when God has provided abundantly and I can honestly say that no matter what financial state I have been in God has never let me go hungry or homeless. It is a balance produced by a sound mind and strong faith. God honors a cheerful giving heart, notice the cheerful and not begrudging, acting in faith but does not ask you to neglect your duties as a provider for your family willingly. Do not let someone use this passage to suggest to you that you sign over your paycheck to the church and then have a bad testimony to your landlord or your family while you act in presumptive faith, the kind of faith that gives you an excuse not to do what God has called you to do while pretending to do what He has not called you to do.

 

1Timothy 5:8  But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

 

Luke 21:5 ¶  And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said, 6  As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 7  And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass? 8  And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them. 9  But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by. 10  Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: 11  And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. 12  But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake. 13  And it shall turn to you for a testimony. 14  Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: 15  For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. 16  And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. 17  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake. 18  But there shall not an hair of your head perish. 19  In your patience possess ye your souls.

 

Jesus restates His prophecy of the temple’s destruction from 19:41-48. I will repeat some of what I wrote. Here is a prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD70. Josephus, a Jewish general who went over to the Romans, gave us the history of that event if we can believe what he wrote. The siege and destruction of Jerusalem was the main event of the First Jewish-Roman War that ended not only in the disaster to the city but the destruction of the Temple, as well.

 

What was called Herod’s Temple, the Second Temple with the first destroyed by the Babylonians hundreds of years previously, will be destroyed. The Jews will suffer for rejecting their Messiah and for fabricating a false religion, a house of cards built on the Mosaic Law, not too different from what many Christians have done.  It seems to be a character trait of mankind, making it up as they go along. But, some historical writers say that the destruction of Jerusalem marked the great shift away of Christianity from its Jewish roots.

 

There is a warning in verse 8 to follow no one after Christ who claims to be Him. Many terrible things will happen, both natural and man-made, before this dreadful event and the disciples are told not to be concerned by them. Based on the context we have the Preterist justification for saying that the events of Revelation were fulfilled when Jerusalem fell to the Romans but this has nothing to do with the events of Revelation. Jesus did not come to physically rule the earth from Jerusalem in 70AD. The Preterist view is simply insane and denies the text of Revelation.

 

Christ here tells His disciples that He will give them the words to say when they are under persecution.

 

Jeremiah 1:9  Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.

 

In chapter 12 Jesus also underscored this point in speaking of persecution.

 

Luke 12:8  Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: 9  But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God. 10  And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven. 11  And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: 12  For the Holy Ghost shall

teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.

 

The fact that Jesus is talking to His disciples about a persecution to come in time that is not too far distant is evidenced by the following statement.

 

18  But there shall not an hair of your head perish.

 

If this passage is foretelling the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70AD this undercuts Roman Catholic tradition which has Peter dying at Rome in 64AD. Jesus is promising that not a hair of their head will perish during this terrible national tragedy, that He will give them the words to say.

 

Remember, that Peter didn’t say he was going to Rome. He said he was writing from Babylon where there was a strong Jewish community.

 

1Peter 5:13  The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.

 

Babylon was part of the Parthian kingdom at this time and Josephus wrote about how the Jews in Judea appealed to the strong community in Babylon to help them in their rebellions against Rome.

 

Based on some written evidence by Eusebius, a famous early church historian, and other writers, Christians escaped from Jerusalem before the destruction in 70AD. We know in Acts how God permitted a situation to exist where many Christians had to leave Jerusalem because of persecution, perhaps not only forcing them to be witnesses to the world but also saving them from the awful terror that was to unfold in the Jewish-Roman War that resulted in the destruction of the Temple.

 

If this passage is a reference to the events leading up to and including the Fall of Jerusalem then literally Christ is assuring these disciples in front of Him that they will survive it. The fearful sights and natural disasters that surrounded the Fall of Jerusalem are spoken of by Josephus, who was not a Christian but a Jew who had sided with the pagan Romans.

 

Josephus wrote about incredible signs that preceded the conquest of Jerusalem by the future Roman emperor, Titus. They are hard to be believed like soldiers and chariots in the sky and other events that many eyewitnesses claimed to see, according to him. False prophets arose in abundance and a couple are mentioned in Acts by the Jewish teacher of Paul, Gamaliel.

 

Acts 5:36  For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought. 37  After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.

 

Verse 19 gives us one reason for including longsuffering, which is patience, in the list of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5. Trust in Christ, wait on Christ, be faithful and strong. Remember that words joined by and are typically synonymous. We like to think of longsuffering as putting up with the kids’ nonsense but it carried a far more heavy weight in the first century in regard to persecution and suffering.

 

Colossians 1:11  Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

 

Luke 21:20 ¶  And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. 21  Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. 22  For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 23  But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. 24  And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. 25  And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 26  Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. 27  And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28  And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

 

Here is a clear distinction between the Fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple versus the end of history. Read 20-24 to the comma before until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. There is a couple thousand-year gap in that comma.

 

Paul wrote about the period of Israel’s blindness over the last two thousand years;

 

Romans 11:25  For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26  And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

27  For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. 28  As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes. 29  For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. 30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.

32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

 

Notice Paul’s until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. Notice also that God is not done with the Jews but their apostasy turned to our salvation and we are to be witnesses to them, not their persecutors.

 

Now, back to the comma and the two thousand plus year gap. Here is another example of that type of handling of time in the Bible. Read this prophecy in Isaiah.

 

Isaiah 61:1 ¶  The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 2  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

 

Now, read up to the comma after to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD. Jesus refers to this passage in His early ministry.

 

Luke 4:18  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19  To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 20  And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21  And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

 

He stopped where that comma is for us. Before that comma is His first advent and after that comma the day of vengeance of our God holds the second advent as related in the Book of the Revelation. There is a long time in between, two thousand years so far.

 

From the point at the end of Luke 21:24 and onward we have the events of the end foretold. There was some question about how long that gap might be. If the council had, as related in Acts 7, when they were addressed by Stephen, acknowledged, as he said in verse 52, that they had had the Messiah killed by the Romans, like David killed Uriah by the Ammonites (2Samuel 12:9), that gap may have been much smaller than two thousand years.

 

Acts 7:52  Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:

 

Christ was ready, perhaps, to receive the repentant Jews. In Mark 16:19; Colossians 3:1; and Hebrews 10:12 He is said to be seated on the right hand of God but in the following He might have been prepared, as an example to us, to receive the Jews if they had been repentant and acknowledged who He is and what they did.

 

Acts 7:55  But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 56  And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

 

They had used the sword of Roman justice to murder the Innocent One (Psalm 94:21; Matthew 27:4) but Peter said they did it out of ignorance.

 

Acts 3:17  And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.

 

Confirming what Jesus said from the Cross.

 

Luke 23:34  Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

 

And the Law provided a way to deal with the rulers’ sin from ignorance as per Leviticus, chapter 4. But, it was not to be. The Jews had rebellion against God on their spiritual hearts.

 

Matthew 27:25  Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.

 

John 19:15  But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.

 

And so, we have the age of the Church until the times of the Gentile domination are over. Israel still has to deal with the Gentiles and their very existence, from a temporal and strictly earthly point of view, depends on the support of powerful nations, the holding back of their enemies, and a very, very shaky geopolitical situation with another holocaust from the Beast and Satan’s fury coming. But, when Christ returns to rule Gentile domination is over.

 

Revelation 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

 

Verses 25-27 summarize the events of the Book of Revelation. For 27 see;

 

Revelation 1:7  Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

 

Finally, as in verse 28, we are told to be expectant of Christ’s return, of His calling us out as the church, His body on earth being removed or translated from here to Heaven.

 

1Corinthians 15:51 ¶  Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

 

 1Thessalonians 4:13 ¶  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

 

Titus 2:13  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

 

Luke 21:29 ¶  And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; 30  When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. 31  So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. 32  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. 33  Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. 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. 35  For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. 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. 37  And in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives. 38  And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him.

 

See here in Jesus’ closing statements how with the age of the Christian church not revealed that the two prophecies of events at least two thousand years apart appear to be conflated. This confuses the Preterist who say the events of Revelation were fulfilled in 70AD, which is nonsense.

 

First, it must be understood that the events of the Fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple will happen so close in time that the generation hearing Christ will have many who will witness them. With the First Jewish-Roman War less than four decades away this generation will experience it.

 

But, He includes in His closing remarks something more, that the whole earth will experience, the coming of the kingdom of God physically on earth at Christ’s return. Without the two thousand years of the Church Age in between it appears confusing to some. But, look at the disaster the Jews faced in 70AD as a type and a portent of what the end of human history will look like. The signs of Jerusalem’s fall and the signs of the time before Christ’s return will be similar and Christians will be delivered from both sets of horrors involved in those signs.

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