Posts Tagged ‘ Destruction ’

Tweets & Rants 9 March 2013: Matthew 24:1-14; Romans 6:15-23; Psalm 56; Numbers 21-22

thinks Balaam is probably best described as a prophet for profit who made a donkey of himself! Num 22:32 #itscheesyIknow @WeeManWest

believes the context of “these things” is the desolation and destruction of Jerusalem that Jesus had just prophesied. Mat 24:1 @WeeManWest

Matthew 24:3 The “things” the disciples are asking Jesus about pertain to the context. Jesus had just prophesied the blood vengeance upon Jersusalem, its desolation, and the destruciton of its temple. They want to know when it is going to happen.

Jesus’ coming and Jesus’ return are two separate Scriptural concepts of which one cannot differentiate without understanding the writings of the prophets.

Jesus’ coming is about His vengeance, His judgment, which He had just prophesied was going to come to Jerusalem.

Jesus’ return will occur at the last day of His and the Final Judgment will occur at that point.

The end of the age? What age? This is not pointing to the end of time but rather the end of the age they were in that was dominated by the Law and the Temple in Jersualem. When would that age end? 70 AD!

Matthew 24:14 After giving the disciples a series of signs that have been obeserved in every generation since, He gives them a very specific sign. Gospel proclamation in all nations.

The early church was able to achieve this feet, though on a limited scale, as Paul quotes in Romans.

I do believe that before the end of this age, the age that began with the cross, we will again encounter…and hopefully be a part of…a final great movement of the gospel.

Romans 6:16 This rule applies not only in the realm of sin and righteousness but also in the realm of life. Where is your obedience? If you are obeying God you will be clean and clear from obedience to the many forms of idolatry in our day.

We are a slave to whomever we choose to obey. May we choose obedience to Christ.

Romans 6:22 Our life focus becomes Christ Jesus and living out His righteousness in this dark world. Such is the best fruit imaginable.

Psalm 56:1 We desperately need the grace of God at work in our lives. We are trampled and attacked yet God is graciously working out things in this world for our everlasting benefit in the age to come.

Psalm 56:9 What greater assurance can we have than this, that in all the trials we face, God is for us. Even if the trial takes our very lives we know two things: #1 He will have His day of judgment and vengeance; #2 He is our reward.

Numbers 21:5 They loathed the food of God. How rebellious we are?

Numbers 21:9 God allowed a plague of serpents to come among the people. If they were bitten they died. When they plead for mercy God instructs Moses to put a bronze serpent on a staff and to tell the people to simply look upon the bronze serpent when they are bitten and they will live.

We are all bitten by the serpent and sin is killing us. Yet, we simply look to the cross in which Jesus Christ hung the serpent and we will live!

Numbers 22:22 God was angered because Balaam went. Balaam knew that God was not going to allow him to curse Israel. Balaam went because he thought that surely he could turn a profit out of this venture.

Numbers 22:31 Balaam was blind to God’s interference in his journey. God had to allow a donkey to speak to him to deliver him from his maddening quest for wealth. Balaam could now see the angel of the Lord standing with his sword drawn to strike him down.

Balaam had thought his donkey was making a mockery of him, yet his donkey was merely trying to spare his life. It was Balaam who was making a donkey out of himself.

Numbers 22:32 Balaam was a prophet for profit. He was perverse in his quest for wealth.

Numbers 22:35 Balaam was permitted to go, yet he was only allowed to speak to them what he is told by God. Balaam will break this covenant chasing wealth as we will see.

2013
03/09
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Tweets & Rants 3 March 2013: Matthew 22:1-14; Romans 2; Psalm 50; Numbers 5-6

is ashamed at how little time he spends in actually giving thanksgiving to God, we should all spend more time in it! Psa 50:23 @WeeManWest

thinks we often point out and judge the sins of others because we don’t want to look at our own sins and judge them. Num 6:23 @WeeManWest

Matthew 22:7 Jesus chooses another parable to lay out what was soon to come to Jerusalem. Their city would be burned and destroyed. The kingdom would transition to the nations as it goes today.

May we be wary in and of ourselves that our jobs and finances will not be more important than His kingdom.

Matthew 22:11 This man wasn’t clothed in wedding clothes. He wasn’t walking in the righteousness imputed to him by Christ Jesus.

Many will cling to Chritianity for its benefits while simultaneously denying the God of Christ. They don’t know Christ, but believe the Christianity is the right way to go. Do we really know Jesus? More yet, does Jesus really know us?

Romans 2:4 We are so drawn to judgment, especially when it comes to the actions of our enemies. Yet we commit sin just as they do so we really are in no place to judge them as condemned. God’s grace to us is designed to lead us into repentance. Instead, it hardens our hearts because we presume that we deserve grace.

Pharoah’s heart was hardened by grace because he failed to repent, but yet presumed upon the mercy of God.

Let us not be found with the same judgmental, unrepentant heart in the day of judgment for God will judge justly.

Romans 2:11 We can be certain that God will not be partial when He judges. Everything will be laid bare before Him and we must all give an account. How woefully we approach the judgment as we live for ourselves with judgmental attitudes and yet we presume that God should be merciful to us when we have shown no mercy and no repentance.

Romans 2:13 The Law is not about hearing, but about doing. Justification comes to those who do the law by faith. Everyone hears the Law of God in one form or another. Yet those who believe will do the Law.

Do we really believe what God says? If so, we should live like it without question.

How do we explain those who haven’t heard the Law and yet keep the Law? They hear the Law in their conscience that is informed by God and they either obey or disobey their conscience.

Romans 2:24 We have set a terrible example of holiness if indeed God’s name is blasphemed among unbelievers because of the way we act as believers. We are so quick to rush to judgment when so often it is we ourselves who should be judged and found guilty!

Romans 2:29 Circumcision is a matter of the heart. Are our hearts circumcised to God to do His will and heart His voice? All the outward adornments and trappings of religion and religiosity are meaningless. What matters is that our heart belongs to God and the works that show up in our lives as a result bring honor and glory to God alone!

Psalm 50:6 The heavens declare the righteousness of God. Look how they shine and light our days and nights and yet we don’t give God the glory they do.

Psalm 50:16 We wonder how God may feel as people who openly reject Him try to call upon His blessings only to give themselves credit for them. Here we get a glimpse. Wicked people call upon God as though He is a talisman or token to get them through difficult and perilous circumstances.

Is that what God has become to us? Is He our token, our talisman, our get out of jail free card? He should be our King from whom we take orders and live our lives in full obedience.

Psalm 50:23 The sacrifice that glorifies God is one of thanksgiving. Do we really have a thankful heart when we approach God? We should be continually thankful for all that He has done in our lives.

Yet, we tend to take God’s blessings for granted and we presume upon His mercy and barely even speak to Him, much less thank Him.

Numbers 5:2 The Scriptures give us a picture of both sides of God. Here we see a picture of God’s holiness and how disastrous sin (leprosy pictures sin) is to the community of God.

Yet, we see Christ touching the leper and thus see the other side of God. So many are quick to judge the word when they have only read it in part. We must commit ourselves to read the whole word of God in order to get the fullest picture of God that we can in this age.

Numbers 5:15 I know, some of you are like, “Seriously, the guy only has to be jealous to do this?!” Yet, one thing this should get across to us is that God cares about our marriages and wants us to remain faithful to one another.

Another point is that the guilty woman, more than likely isn’t going to submit to this but will testify to whom she has committed adultery with so that both will be punished.

Numbers 6:8 The Law of the Nazarite was separationg from fermented drink or from any fruit of the vine. He was also not to shave or cut his hair. He was also not be touch anything dead or he would have to start the vow over again.

The Nazirite was to be holy to God the entire time of his vow.

Numbers 6:23 The priests were charged with blessing the nation of Israel. They were to ask for God to bless and protect them. They were to call His face of blessing, mercy and grace to be upon them. They were to call for God to bring them peace with Himself.

We should call similar blessings upon our families and our churches that we may shine a light for this world to see

2013
03/03
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Rants 5 January 2013 Matthew 3:1-12; Acts 3, Psalm 5; Genesis 6-8

is curious as to how often we miss the message because we reject the appearance of the messenger? Mat 3:4 @WeeManWest

Matthew 3:4 In our age of the well-dressed, high-profile, nice-looking messenger I can’t help but wonder how do we respond when God’s messenger to us stinks, hasn’t shaved in ages, is wearing cheap and nasty clothes, and probably looks like he/she is starving?

Acts 3:6 We have made caring for the poor and sick as though it is a payment we make rather than an act we perform. We give our money to our government, churches and charities and we neglect actually going ourselves and ministering to those who need our ministry. We create the disconnect. We allow the dependence to be about money rather than about the Person, Jesus Christ.

Acts 3:23 Peter again points to the fact that the age of Israel and the Law were coming to an abrupt ending. Within 40 years these words of Peter would be very true. The Roman armies would sack and burn Jerusalem slaying most of the population. I believe that every “people” is judged by God for their response to Christ as the Psalmist wrote, “Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth….Kis the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled.” Psalm 2:10-12

Psalm 5:9-12 We are a pack of liars and flatterers. We bear our guilt. Our only hope is in taking refuge in the abundance of God’s steadfast love (Psalm 5:7) in Christ Jesus.

Genesis 6:5 In case you were wondering…yes, we are still the same way. Only God’s grace makes any of us different.

Genesis 6:9 & Genesis 6:22 Noah is a picture to us of Jesus Christ, who in the midst of a corrupted human race was righteous before God and was blameless and walked with God and did all that God commanded Him. Such cannot be said for any of the rest of us. We are pictured in the ones who have filled the earth with violence and corruption, whose thoughts and motives are continually evil before God. This chapter gives us a true glimpse at the holiness of God in comparison to the corruption of His creation. Even the angels are impure before God.

Genesis 7:3-4 I believe that there is a connection between the 7 couples of birds of the air and the fact that this judgment is coming from the air, the abode of the birds. Just throwing out the possibility.

Genesis 7:17 One day, as God closed the door of the ark, so also will He close the door to heaven. We do not know what day such will be. However, we should live in light of the knowledge that one day, God will bring all things to an end. When the Lord shuts, no man can open what He has shut.

Genesis 8:1 Here for a second time already in Scripture we see the picture of the wind blowing over the earth to recede the waters. We have the wind of the Holy Spirit in Genesis 1:2 and now we have the wind again. The wind often accompanies the work of the Holy Spirit on this earth.

Genesis 8:8-12 Raven and dove, raven doesn’t return but the dove does. 7 days later the dove returns with the olive branch. 7 days later the dover remains. Maybe this pictures the ages of God’s movement. In the beginning, the age from Creation to the Flood both Satan and the Holy Spirit worked in the earth. Satan found a place in the earth and corrupted all flesh and remained in the earth, the Spirit returned (the ark). Seven days (an age) later the dove is sent back out and returns with an olive branch which is a picture of the remnant of Israel…however, Satan still held much sway over the inhabitants of the earth in that age, from the Flood to Christ’s advent. Seven days (an age) later the dove is sent back out and remains in the earth. This may picture the current gospel era in which the gospel is to go to the nations and fill the earth. Just throwing out some thoughts, not saying definitively that such is what this text teaches. Just more a rumination drawn from the picture.

2013
01/06
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