Have you ever considered why God thought it necessary to come to the earth some day and rule over the earth for 1000 years? These five purposes, presented in no certain order, will give you a good foundation of knowledge as to the reasons for the millennial kingdom.
To restore harmony to His creation. Certainly, all things will be put in order after the millennium, when God creates a new heaven and a new earth. So why is there a need to try to restore harmony to this present creation? Or why is there a need for the millennium at all? I don’t have all the answers, but what I have gathered from my reading is that there is a need to preserve God’s character in our mind, that it will not be said or thought of God that He started a work on this earth that He could not complete. Therefore…
She takes the lead and listens to the wrong voice. Big mistake.
Genesis 3:2-5
The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'”
4 “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
She breaks away. He watches and follows her lead.
Genesis 3:6-7
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
She wanders off in shame.
He is alone and ashamed.
Genesis 3:7-8 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
This is our twelfth study. Please click HERE for an intro to this study. Today we will focus on the meaning of the parable of the landowner.
Matthew 21:33-46
33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
“‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.
Observations
This parable speaks to the Jews as nation and particularity to the Jewish leaders, the Pharisees who killed the prophets (the servants) and would kill Jesus (the Son). The verdict given by the Pharisees upon the vine-growers (vs. 41) was a verdict made upon themselves. Yes, they who were the vine-growers in the parable convicted themselves. The other tenants who would be given the vineyard (or the kingdom) would be the church (v. 41, 43). So, this parable speaks prophetically about the end of the Jewish program and the beginning of the church (Rom. 11). The stone whom the builders rejected would be Christ (v. 42). The Pharisees were not stupid. They understood that Jesus was speaking about them and they wanted to kill Him.
Applications
The obvious application for me that I see is in verse 43. I am part of the church and my purpose is to produce fruit.
In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus talks about how we ought not to worry or be anxious in life; and He talks about how we should look at the birds and the flowers to see how God our Father takes care of them and how He will even more take care of us. Then in Matthew 6:30 Jesus points out to us what the ultimate problem is that is causing us to worry. We have a lack of faith. He said, “O ye of little faith.”
What does He mean by little faith? He does not say “no faith,” but little faith, or not enough faith. And Jesus is not speaking to unbelievers, but to believers—those who began a life of faith in Him.
But we must proceed on from the faith we began with—from the faith that saved us. Let us desire a larger, deeper faith. Or let me say this: if we don’t move on to a larger faith, we may always have trouble with worries and doubts—and along the way, some may even doubt their salvation!
What is a larger faith? It is a faith that believes on God for more than salvation; for our entire life—for every little thing; for food and drink and clothing, and also that He will care for you in everything you do.
To be of little faith means that we are mastered by our circumstances. This should not happen to a Christian! We as Christians should be above our circumstances. We can even rejoice in tribulation.
Another way of looking at it is that we as Christians who are of great faith learn to be thinkers not just responders. Hence, the trouble with the one of little faith is that he does not think; he does not think of the truth and the promises of God. He is just blown around by the wind of circumstances.
We must spend more time studying the bible and thinking of on the lessons that the Lord gives us, and on His promises, and to believe them. This is the essence of faith. And conversely, little faith is not to open the bible but rather to cling to a vague memory of our salvation.
I am not saying that our salvation is not important. But we must go on and build on that salvation. A larger faith realizes the full implication of our salvation. It sees who we are as Christians; that we are children of our heavenly Father and that we have a great inheritance in Christ. All the promises of God are meant for us. Paul wrote, “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things (Ro. 8:32).
Here are some things to think about which He has given us:
He has put our names in His book (Rev. 20:12). He has many things in store for us for all eternity.
Think of His great love for us (John 3:16).
He is concerned for us. He cares for us (1 Pt. 5:7).
He is so strong for us. His great power is working for us (Eph. 3:16-20).
The thing that is most on my mind these days is how certain groups and people are fanning the flames of racism—mostly against the police. Black Lives Matter is the worst, but very influential leaders are also doing it, like the governor of Minnesota (my state), and the mayor of Minneapolis. Some of the things that are said are downright stupid and very damaging to the police—an institution that we ought to be respecting; for God has established it, and when we resist that authority, we are resisting God Himself (Romans 13:2). When our leaders talk against the police, they are spreading a message of disrespect against them and ultimately against God. It is no wonder that black people are rising up in rebellion against them.
I just heard that our governor has suggested that traffic cops maybe will not carry a gun. Because of one mistake made by a police woman, we are going to put in danger the entire Minneapolis police force. How stupid!
You know, if people would start respecting the police and do what they are told to do—like get out of their automobile…put their hands on the dashboard…etc.—we wouldn’t have the problems we are having. I think the police needs to crackdown more on people who don’t obey them. They are being too lenient. They ought to be giving out stiff fines for disrespectful language and certainly for not obeying their orders. The bible says,
Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities…whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God (Romans 13:1-2).
But what can we do about governors who are telling the police to “backdown” and do nothing when there is a riot? All we can do is vote against them, but also pray. We have not yet come to the terrible times as it was in the early church when the Christians were under so much persecution by Nero and others. But it will be coming—if things keep going the way it has been. Those Roman dictators were all possessed by demons and were homosexuals. Yes, they were! They were given anything they desired to please themselves: young boys and girls were molested; and it was recorded that Nero used live Christians as torches to light his courtyard. These sins are returning to us—because of our latest policies in favor of homosexuals of all types—LGBTQIA, etc.
However, in all of the terrible trials we face and hear about, we can stand strong and rejoice in the Lord. He will always be with you and build you up. And know also that He is coming soon to receive you to Himself (read 1 Thess. 4:16-18).
When the Holy Spirit gives you a burden He also gives you the responsibility to hold it and carry it along. For this reason, you must listen closely to the voice of God and give attention to those peculiar feelings of compassion He gives you for certain individuals. Then when you feel a special mercy, tenderness, or pity for a person, give heed to this feeling—go immediately to prayer.
But give attention only to those unselfish concerns. Pay no heed to those interests by which you will benefit from. In this regard, be careful in your praying, as you pray for certain members of the opposite sex that you are attracted to. Guard your heart, as your prayers may be nothing more than Satan’s trap to get you more emotionally attached, which in the end may have very destructive consequences. Overall, I think, to give yourself consistently and exclusively to…
The narrow most treacherous road may be the best one. As Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14,
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
A wide dirt trail. Easy to walk on. Many think it is easy to follow Jesus in His way. But as Jesus was walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (Lu. 9:57).
A grassy trail.
The grassy trail is a quiet trail and best for conversation. Two men one day reflected on their conversation with a stranger:
Luke 24:32 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
Our text for this blog is Matthew 6:25-30, where Jesus is giving a sermon to His followers.
Matthew 6:25-30
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
For many, food, drink, and clothing are the whole of their life. It is all they think about. And the world is doing its best to get us to live on that level. But Jesus has said that we should not be anxious about those things. And He points out two things in nature that will help us in that area—birds and flower.
BIRDS
Jesus said, “Look at the birds of the air [Look at and think about them].”
They don’t sow or reap or gather.
Yet God our Father feeds them.
And we are better (closer to God) than they are; we are His children. So, He definitely will care for us.
Also, what good will it do anyway to worry about these things. Will worrying change anything? Will it extend your life?
Let’s look at the birds and all humans, how God provides for them.
Birds: They do nothing to provide for themselves, yet God provides for them.
Humans: They have to sow and reap and gather for themselves, but then God alone will give the increase.
In both cases God provides. And though man must enter into the process (sowing, reaping and gathering), it is God alone who ultimately provides for man, because He makes it rain and He makes the crops grow.
Now let’s look at the argument from the standpoint of a Christian.
If God provides for both the birds and for all humans, how much more will He provide for His own family—His believers?
If He provides for mere creatures and for unbelievers, will He neglect His own Children? No!
If we reason these things out with ourselves, this will defeat anxiety and worry in us. If we realize that because He provides for the birds, He will most certainly provide for us even more, because we are His beloved children.
When you really see yourselves as His child, you should know that He will care for you. Maybe this is your problem. That you forget (or you don’t think about the fact) that you are His child and He loves you as His own.
FLOWERS
Flowers do nothing! Even birds have to look around for worms and seeds to eat; but flowers do nothing. And God makes them grow and look beautiful. He gives them the sun and the rain.
See how these flowers bend toward the west.
Have you noticed how flowers always face the sun? You may notice how in the evening they will bend way over to continue to look into the sun. We could learn a lesson in that.
If we look at (and think about) the flowers, we see the hand of God, His perfect creation, the glory of His creation. The flowers are perfectly clothed by God and are dependent on God for everything they need to keep living and to look good.
If God our Father so clothes the flowers with such beauty that last only a little while (a few months) will He not cloth us His children whom He loves and that lasts forever?
This is our eleventh study. Please click HERE for an intro to this study. Today we will focus on the Biblical teaching of divorce.
Matthew 19:3-9
Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”
4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”
7 “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”
8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
Observations
The Pharisees asked Jesus about divorce, as always, to test Him—to see how much He knew. And they may also have been looking for more information for their own debates. The Rabbis Shammai interpreted the law as permitting a man to divorce his wife only for sexual immorality. But the Hillelites permitted divorce for any reason.
Jesus appears to side with the Shammai, but He also gave them more informaation than they asked for. He instructed them on what the original intent of marriage was—to be of one flesh. He also corrected them on what was said about a command of divorce. He said that Moses didn’t command divorce, he permitted it, and only for one reason, adultery.
Applications
I think these verses should definitely be studied by any couple who is thinking about marriage. And it is my opinion that if they can’t be serious about staying together for life, they should not be married. It is better to remain single.
We have been talking about what will go on on earth in the millennial kingdom of God. Things will be very different then than they are now. God’s people the Jews will be totally in charge and, strangely, you will see worship somewhat like it was back in Old Testament times. And the Jews (and some Gentiles) in Jerusalem will worship in the millennial temple. There are several items that have always been in the former temples and that were part of the Mosaic system of worship that will no longer be used in the millennial temple and system of worship. And this is understandable, for some of the former things such as the ark and the veil were designed to shut out people and protect them from the wrath of God against sins; but now (and forever), since we are under the new covenant, we may approach the throne of…
Stephen Nielsen 