By His grace, what the radical life of Christ should look in an American context!

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.