Daniel 7 "Daniel's Vision"

"But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.” (v.18)

Daniel 7 records an unusual vision that he received in the first year of the Babylonian king Belshazzar (555-556 B.C.). The vision predicts major world empires and events from the time of Daniel to the second coming of Christ. The vision ended with Daniel saying, “My thoughts greatly troubled me, and my countenance changed; but I kept the matter in my heart” (v.28). So, what did Daniel see?

In our text Daniel records, “And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other. The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.” Those great beasts are "four kings, four empires, which arise out of the earth” (v.17).

The first beast: the Chaldean or Babylonian Empire, the second the Medo-Persian Empire, the third the Greco-Macedonian Empire, and the fourth beast was the dreadful and terrible Roman Empire, of which Daniel says, “It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns” (v.7). Meaning a confederation of ten nations.

Daniel then says, “As I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words” (v.8). This little horn (the anti-christ) makes war against the saints, speaks pompous words against God, intends to change times and law, and persecutes the saints for a “time and times and half a time” (literally three and a half years, but using the day-for-a-year principle of Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6, 1,260 years). Meaning his power over the saints is limited.

Daniel then records for us that he also saw the conclusion concerning the “little horn” when Jesus Christ returns,  for “the court shall be seated, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it forever” (v.26; Revelation 18:2). However, Daniel does not stop there. He goes on to describe what happens next, “Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. That’s us. Hallelujah! 

Many things troubled Daniel in this vision – such as the ferocity of the attack to come against his people from the conspicuous horn. But Daniel was convinced that the end promises of the prophecy were true, and that it was the Word of God. He was so convinced of its truth that his countenance changed as he considered what would happen (v.28).

The Truth: “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:6,7)

Daniel 6 “Daniel Proves His Worth”

Now Daniel so distinguished himself … that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.” (v.3)

Clearly King Darius caught on to Daniel's value, appointing him as one of three rulers over all his other administrators and even eyeing him for a position over the entire kingdom (v.3). Daniel wasn't just a great man of faith; he was an all-around great man. He had always stood out from the other wise men in the kingdom, and Darius noticed. As he had done so many times before, Daniel proved his worth to his king and was rewarded for it. With reward though came the downside - envy.

Not only did he instill so much confidence in King Darius that he was in line to be the first in command (v. 3), but Daniel’s worst enemies were unable to find fault with him (v.4). Misguided as his fellow administrators were, they understood Daniel well—his allegiance to God and His Word took precedence over his loyalty to the king (v.5).

So the plotters coerced the king into issuing a temporary ban on any prayer to any being, and Daniel’s response was predictable. He did exactly what he had been doing before the decree was issued. Without protest, without compromise, without fear, Daniel prayed. He knew the consequences of his actions. He prayed, gave thanks to God, and asked Him for help (vv. 10-11).

But, to the surprise of King Darius, Daniel was thrown to the lions, sealed in, and imprisoned overnight for breaking the trumped-up decree. However, an angel of God had shut the lions’ mouths—but did not take away their hunger. For the animals feasted on Daniel’s enemies, who were punished for their wicked schemes, and Daniel escaped without a scratch.

Think about this, all Daniel did in this story was pray. God was glorified, the king praised His name, the wicked were judged, and a new decree was issued - all because Daniel prayed. O that we were a praying nation that trusted in God like Daniel.

The Truth: “In You our fathers put their trust; they trusted and You delivered them.” - Psalm 22:4

Our Thanksgiving History

The original feast in 1621 occurred sometime between September 21 and November 11. Unlike our modern holiday, it was three days long. The event was based on English harvest festivals, which traditionally occurred around the 29th of September. After that first harvest was completed by the Plymouth colonists, Gov. William Bradford proclaimed a day of, "Thanksgiving and Prayer,” shared by all the colonists and neighboring Indians. 

During the American Revolution, a yearly day of national Thanksgiving was suggested by the Continental Congress. In 1817 New York State adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom, and by the middle of the 19th century many other states had done the same. Here is a exerpt from the state of New-Hampshire's Thanksgiving Proclamation.

"The congress in general assembly do here by command the observation of THURSDAY the twenty-eight day of NOVEMBER next, as a day of solemn THANKSGIVING to GOD for all his mercies: and do further recommend to all ranks, to testify to their gratitude to GOD for his goodness, by a cheerful obedience of his laws, and by promoting, each in his station, and by his influence, the practice of true and undefiled religion, which is the great foundation of public prosperity and national happiness."

In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln appointed a day of Thanksgiving as the last Thursday in November, which he may have correlated with the November 21, 1621, anchoring of the Mayflower at Cape Cod. Since then, each president has issued a Thanksgiving Day Proclamation. President Franklin D. Roosevelt set the date for Thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday of November in 1939. (approved by Congress in 1941)

As a nation our forefathers knew the value of thanking God for all His blessings. It is my prayer that our current and future generations of leaders will do the same. 

The Truth
"In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Daniel 5 “The Interpretation”

“And this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.” (vv.25-28)

Belshazzar, the last king of Babylon, knew the power of God but he chose to ignore it. He was well aware of the things that happened to his grandfather king Nebuchadnezzar through the written records his grandfather left behind. The madness that he experienced until the seven seasons had passed over him, his restoration, and the proclamation that his grandfather made, "there is no god in all the earth like the God of Daniel who is able to set up those whom He would and bring down those whom He would. And sets in authority those whom He will" (v.21).

Belshazzar knew all of this, including that the vessels he used for his feasting were from God’s holy temple in Jerusalem. Yet he blasphemed God anyway (by desecrating the sacred goblets looted from the temple in Jerusalem for his partying), the God in whose hand his very breath was in (v.23). 

Now during this fest a supernatural hand appeared and wrote an inscription on the wall which no one could interpret. So Daniel was called in to give the interpretation. He told the king that God had “numbered” or “counted out” his kingdom and finished it. In other words God was saying, “It’s over Belshazzar,” your time is up – Both Babylon and Belshazzar were about to face God's judgment that very night (v.30), as the Medes and the Persians would overtake Babylon and execute the king.

There will always be people like Belshazzar who will belittle the existence of God. People who seem to be so forward in their mockery, ridicule, and blasphemy of God, that they have no fear of Him within their hearts at all - just brazenly living in open denial. Are these people beyond His reach?  Absolutely not, but all of our days are numbered, each one of us has a limited amount of time on this earth, to change the course of our lives. And God alone knows the length of time given to each person.  

Therefore, I pray the Lord of the Harvest to make himself known to all those who need to be humbled in your life - for there will come a time of judgment when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is LORD. Better to do it now as a part of His family, than to hear those chilling words, “I never knew you, depart from Me, you workers of iniquity” (Matthew 7:23).

The Truth: "Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom." (Psalm 90:12)

Daniel 4 "God Humbles Men"

 “And those who walk in pride, He is able to humble.” (v.37)

King Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of the Babylonian empire, and the most powerful ruler in the history of the world, struggled with pride. What a shock! We’ve all heard it, “power corrupts but absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Pride is the foundational sin of everyone who is not saved, and a stumbling block to those who are. Pride is what caused the fall of Lucifer, thinking he could exalt himself above the stars of God. (Isaiah 14:13) The moment any of us begin to think more highly of ourselves than we should, you can be sure a correction is on its way.

This king was humbled through a series of dreams given to him by God and interpreted by Daniel, which came to fulfillment as prophesied. This led the king to say, “And those who walk in pride, He is able to humble.” And boy was He. God will do whatever it takes to bring people to a place where they see their need for Him. He did it to king Nebuchadnezzar, he did it to me, and at some point He will do it to you as well (or maybe He already has).

At that point it becomes decision time, will you accept Him as King of your life, or in your pride remain in your corruption. But make no mistake about it, whichever you choose there will come a day in which all will call Him LORD. Scripture tells us that, “every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is LORD” (Romans 14:11). Better to humble yourself now and fall on your knees in repentance, than to allow pride to keep you from salvation.

The Truth: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.” (Proverbs 16:18,19)

Daniel 3 "I Am He Who Saves"

 “What god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” (v.15)

Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon commanded the world's most powerful military, had the strongest economy, and could impose his cultural values on the whole world, except Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – three Jews taken captive from Judah who refused to bow to his statue. They were willing to lose their lives that day rather than bow before a statue saying, “We will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” (v.18)

Nebuchadnezzar was furious at their defiance of his order, and ordered them bound and thrown into a furnace. The king took their moral stand as a challenge to his authority. He then upped the ante by heating the furnace seven times hotter than normal and said, “What god will be able to rescue you now from my hand” (v.15).

God responded by not only saving the three, but they didn't even smell like smoke. The Lord had saved His servants by His mighty hand, and everyone who was anyone in Babylon was there to see it. Their obedience led to their protection and praise to God out of the mouth of Nebuchadnezzar himself saying, “Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their houses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way.” (v. 29).

What a change!

The Truth: “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.” (Isaiah 59:1)

Daniel 2 "Daniel Waits On The LORD"

"So Daniel went in and asked the king to give him time, that he might tell the king the interpretation.”(v.16)

Chapter 2 concerns itself with king Nebuchadnezzar's reocuring dream which troubled his spirit so much that he could not sleep. So he calls on his magicians, his astrologers, his sorcerers, and the Chaldeans (renown astronomers) to test their abilities saying, "I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to know the dream" (v.3). "If you tell me the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive gifts, rewards, and great honor, but if you do not make known the dream to me, and its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made an ash heap" (vv.5-6).

Scripture goes on to tell us that the Chaldeans answered the king, "There is no man on earth who can tell the king's matter except the gods, whose dwelling is not with man" (vv.10-11). This response so angered the king that he commanded the execution of all the "wise men" of Babylon (vv.12-13). Before this order could be carried out, Daniel hears of the impending executions (which included him) and seeks an audience with the king. 

Wow! What great courage and confidence Daniel displays here under these circumstances – seeking an audience with the very king who wanted to kill him. Daniel was young, probably in his early twenties, and different than most of the king’s advisers.  He lived a separated life (Daniel 1:8). Not a part of the king’s court and all the partying, but a life devoted to seeking the Lord, which probably did not go over well with those around him, but found favor with the kings guard for his convictions. 

So Daniel, showing great wisdom (along with his faith of an expectant answer), asks the king for time to hear from his God - to wait on the Lord – to receive the expected outcome – both the dream and the interpretation. Daniel knew God would speak to him, of that he had no doubts. So he separated himself form them, went to his house, and sought the LORD with his companions. (vv.17-19) Then, the king's secret was revealed to him in a night vision which he was able to both describe and interpret for the king (vv.24-45).

Separation and expectation are the two key components in hearing from God, along with devotion to His living Word. I employ you, in these uncertain times, to find time for all three, that you too may hear from Him as well.

The Truth: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.” (James 1:5,6)

Daniel 1 "Daniel's Resolve"

"But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself.” (v.8)

Daniel was a captive in a foreign land, but he did not forget his religious principles. He could not in good conscience eat meat that had been dedicated to a pagan god and had not been slaughtered in accordance with Hebrew laws. He asked for a simple fare of vegetables and water, and the steward risked his life to honor his request. I believe he did this because Daniel’s noble conduct had earned his respect.

The world looks with disdain on Christians who do not live by what they say they believe. That’s why we should remain true to our convictions. Consistency of character is what gains the respect of others. When the challenges come, and they will come, believers can be "strong in the Lord" and press forward in their convictions by "the power of His might." Rather than being overcome by the crowd, we can be over-comers. Nothing should deter us in our Christian walk, nor divert us from our prescribed course. We don't have to give in to any temptation or foe.

Therefore, "Be strong in the LORD, and in the power of His might" (Ephesians 6:10), and unlike rivers, which have no choice in the matter, we can remain straight by refusing to follow the path of least resistance.

The Truth: "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them (false prophets), because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world." (1 John 4:4)

Matthew 28 "He Is Risen"

“He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” (Matthew 28:6)

Jesus had often predicted that He would rise from the dead, but the disciples did not understand it, and consequently did not expect it. But God would not leave His Son in a tomb, nor suffer Him to see corruption. He was not stolen away as the chief priests hired the soldiers to say He was; nor was He removed to another place, as Mary Magdalene first thought, when she found Him gone; but He had risen from the dead, by the power of His Father.

Therefore, when Mary Magdalene and the other Mary arrived at the tomb expecting to anoint the body of Jesus, they were met by an angel of the LORD instead saying, “He is not here; for He is risen, as He said.” It took the Lord Himself appearing to; Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, to Peter, then the twelve collectively showing them His hands and His feet, eating with them and finally opening their understanding to the scriptures, before their blindness turned to joy and their hope restored.  

Just as it took the infallible truth of the scriptures to open the eyes of those who walked with Jesus then, so it may be with our loved ones today as well. With so much evil in our world, we need to keep praying that our Lord will bring His truth into their lives and open their understanding to His love and grace.

The Truth: Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And on the third day He will rise again.” (Matthew 20:17-19) 

Matthew 27 "Let Him Be Crucified!"

Pilate said to them, "What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?" They all said to him, "Let him be crucified." To which the governor replied, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they cried out the more, saying, "Let him be crucified.” (Matthew 27:22-23)

Death by Roman crucifixion was a result of the whole body weight being supported by the outstretched arms of the victim. When nailed to the cross, there was a massive strain put on the wrists, arms and shoulders often resulting in a dislocation of the shoulder and elbow joints. The rib cage was constrained in a fixed position, which made it extremely difficult to exhale, and impossible to take a full breath.

The victim would continually try to push himself up by his feet to allow for inflation of the lungs, enduring terrible pain in his feet and legs. Eventually, the pain in the feet and legs would become so unbearable, that the victim was forced to trade breathing for pain and die of suffocation. The length of time required to die from crucifixion could range from hours (if they broke your legs), to a number of days depending on an individual physical condition. Crucifixion was chiefly inflicted on slaves and the worst kind of criminals, and was considered a most shameful and disgraceful way to die. Condemned Roman citizens were usually exempt from it.

Jesus voluntarily died this death (refusing the medication v. 34) for you and for me, that we might have forgiveness of sin through His atonement. But, this greatest gift ever given was not His end, the best was yet to come in chapter 28. Hope to see you there.

The Truth: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

Matthew 26 “The Prayer of Jesus”

"And He went a little farther, and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as You will.” (Matthew 26:39)

In this prayer we are shown the two wills of Christ, the human and Divine. The human will seeking deliverance from torture by requesting, “if it be possible”, is there another way? While at the same time the divine will, ready to submit and comply with His impending death on the cross, “not as I will, but as You will.”

Three times that night Jesus prayed this prayer. Luke’s gospel records that Jesus was in such conflict of soul and body that, "his sweat became as it were great drops of blood falling down upon the ground." Luke further records that, an angel was dispensed from heaven to strengthen and support the fainting human life of our savior, that He might drink the cup of indignation and death for us (Luke 22:43-44).

This prayer of Jesus is meant for our example to follow, when going through our own struggle of wills. May we learn to endure whatever God's will may be in our lives, whether easy or difficult in dispensation, and put His will above our own.

The Truth: “In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things, which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation.”

Matthew 25 “Be Ready”

Here in chapter 25 Jesus finishes His Olivet Discourse with a piece of practical advise, Be Ready.

In light of the end times there are three things one must consider in relation to being ready: 1) personal salvation (vv.1-13), 2) responsible stewardship (vv. 14-30) and 3) practical servanthood (vv. 31-46).

If the rapture occurred tonight, would you be ready? Would you be found: 1) With His Spirit burning in your heart? 2) Making the most of the talents you have been given? And 3) Serving others? 

Jesus said, “Pray that you will be found worthy to be kept from the hour of tribulation” (Luke 21:36). In other words, some will not be ready, and they will go through that terrible time. Make no mistake, Jesus is coming again in all His glory, and all the holy angels with Him (v. 31). The only question is, "Will you be ready?"

The Truth: “But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.” (2 Thessalonians 5:1-10)

Matthew 24 “End Of Days”

“But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (v.37)

OK. What were the days of Noah like? The Bible tells us that the wickedness of man was great, and that every imagination of his heart was only evil (Genesis 6:5). Abnormal sexual practices abounded (Genesis 6:4), and that violence and corruption filled the earth (Genesis 6:11). Sound familiar?

Today, we are seeing the days of Noah virtually repeated by man. Violence, corruption, evil imaginations and abnormal sexual practices are abounding. Add to that, pestilences, famines and earthquakes, floods and tsunamis. Along with a society that calls good evil and evil good. Noah lived before the flood, and we before the fire. Noah spoke of a coming physical rain (to man's days), and we (the church) the coming reign of Christ (to end man's days).

Noah had been building his ark and preaching to his people for one hundred and twenty years, but they did not listen. They just kept living in sin, and each day was like the next - eating, drinking and marrying. Right up until the day Noah entered into the ark and it began to rain. So too people today care nothing for their spiritual future, though they hear the message all around them: radio, TV, pod cast, churches, friends, neighbors, family. They only live for the moment with no regrets. After all, there's plenty of time to "catch up" with Jesus, right? Wrong!

In chapter 24 Jesus speaks of the end times as they relate to nations, Israel specifically, and the church. At the end of the chapter (vv. 42-51), Jesus instructs all of us to be faithful servants, to be watchful, wise, and warns us concerning the events of His return. And like those who were shut out of the Ark in Noah's day when it began to rain, so shall it be with those who have not headed the warning, and accepted God's Son before the coming of Jesus - in the twinkling of an eye.

Therefore, be His faithful servants, be watchful, be wise, and be warned, for the end of days draws near.

The Truth: “But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.” (1 Peter 4:7)

Matthew 23 "Playing The Hypocrite"

"Wow to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”  (vv. 27-28)

These are words that cut to the heart, for we all are guilty of playing the hypocrite. A hypocrite is literally, “one who hides behind a mask.” There’s an old story of a man who told the pastor he didn’t go to church because there were so many hypocrites there. The pastor responded by saying, “Oh, don’t let that stop you. There’s always room for one more.”

While I’m sure you could find at least one in every church, genuine believers remember that they are first and foremost forgiven hypocrites themselves. There’s an old saying that, "going to church doesn’t make one a believer any more than going into a garage makes one a mechanic." What some people perceive as hypocrisy in the church is in fact the result of a mistaken assumption. Some people assume others are believers just because they get up on Sundays and go to a place called church. It’s just not so.

On another related note, authentic believers are also sinners, and they know it. The apostle John wrote, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). A hypocrite claims to be without fault in one area or another. An authentic believer on the other hand, freely admits to the fact that he or she is a sinner, and consistently seeks forgiveness from it.

If you would like to get rid of your mask and join in the family of authentic believers, Jesus is ready to forgive you and bring you into His family. Just stop pretending, admit your weaknesses, and come on home. (See the prayer to the right of this post)

The Truth: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin, and to cleans us for all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Matthew 22 "Jesus Questioned About The Law"

But the Pharisees, when they heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, gathered themselves together. One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him saying, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?" (v. 34-36)

Here in chapter 22 Jesus had been answering questions posed to Him by the Pharisees and the Sadducees designed to, "entangle Him in His own talk" (v. 15). In the beginning of this passage we find our Lord replying to a question of a certain lawyer, who thought for sure he could entrap Jesus into a theological corner of disgrace by asking him, "Which is the greatest commandment of the law?"

The question, was obviously asked in no friendly spirit. But, we have reason to be thankful however that it was asked at all, for it drew an answer full of precious instruction, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang the Law and the Prophets" (vv. 37-40)

The Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Lawyers, they all wanted to make religion complicated. And they certainly didn't like the idea of Jesus (the son of a carpenter), one who had no "formal training" in their eyes, winning the hearts of the people through His simple teachings. But Jesus was correct, the heart of the Law and the way to salvation is to love the LORD our God with all our hearts.

The Truth: "We love him because he first loved us." (1 John 4:19)

Matthew 21 "The Barren Fig Tree"

"Now in the morning, as He (Jesus) returned to the city, He hungered. And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it, and found nothing on it but leaves, and said unto it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” And immediately the fig tree withered away." (v.18-20)

Here we see that Jesus hungered. He went to the fig tree expecting fruit because it had leaves; but, finding no fruit, He sentenced it to perpetual barrenness. This cursing of the barren “fig-tree” represents the state of hypocrites in general; the state of the nation, and people of the Jews in particular. They were the “fig-tree” planted in Christ's way as a church, but like the tree they were covered in leaves but no fruit - a huge disappointment to our Lord Jesus.

We too must be careful not to be a disappointment, a hypocrite, or a false witness to Christ and to those around us. May God help us to be like the tree, "planted beside rivers of water” that bears fruit in its season, ready to give sustenance to all in need, and not like the barren fig tree.

Therefore, don’t let your roots become dry. Water them daily with His Word and fruit will abound from your life to others.

The Truth: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither and whatever he does shall prosper.” (Psalm 1:1-3)

Matthew 20 “The Parable Of The Laborer”

“The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.” (v. 1)

This parable, recorded only by Matthew, is closely connected with the end of the nineteenth chapter and Peter's question as to how it should fare with those who, like himself, had left all for Christ.

Jesus’s teaching here is designed to show that while the disciples would be richly rewarded, a certain equity would still be observed towards later converts and workmen in His service who may not have labored as long. While some men may have come to Christ earlier in life, and served Him longer than others who have been recently converted, will enter the kingdom of heaven.

Thus, every man ought to go forward in service to Him without stopping or staggering, and not curiously examining the doings of other men. The lesson is, watch out for jealousy and greed. Be more concerned with answering your calling, not your position or reward of others. 

The Truth: “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” (Hebrews 11:8)

Matthew 19 “What Do I Lack?”

Now behold one came to Him and said, “Good master, what good thing shall I do to have eternal life?” (v. 16)

Here in chapter 19 we find Jesus counseling a rich young ruler. Throughout this young man's life he has tried to do the good thing, the right thing to his fellow man. And yet, he is conscious that there is a void in his life, and that there must be something more than just living a good life and being wealthy, to gain eternal life (v. 20). So he asked Jesus, "What do I lack?"

Jesus then answered his question by telling him to leave his wealth behind, to come and follow Him, and he would have treasure in heaven (v. 21). Now when the young rich man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had a great many possessions (v. 22). Then said Jesus turned unto his disciples and said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (v 24).

This response by Jesus has been misunderstood by many and was never intended to be a universal commandment. It was a statement meant for the rich young ruler only, to expose the one thing that was holding him back from eternal life, his wealth. Jesus was indicating that it is impossible to buy or work your way into heaven. No man by any good work can inherit eternal live. It is a gift of God, and it is only brought by a miracle of God working in our hearts and lives through His Spirit, and not bought with wealth or works.

Therefore, what is impossible with man, is possible with God (v. 26). And, like all men, he had a choice. So what did the rich young ruler lack? The desire to follow Jesus, for He is the way to eternal life, and there is no real life apart from Him.

The Truth: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father but by Me.” (John 14:6)