#1454 Intro To The Gospel Of "The One Whom Jesus Loved"

 

30Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. 31But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name. John 20: 30-31

John's is the 4th Gospel, bearing his name as with the other gospels. He was also the author of the epistles 1-3 John and the book of Revelation. I have really been excited about this study because John's gospel is probably the heaviest theologically, answering life's most important question, the whole thrust of the Old Testament, who is Jesus? We have seen Jesus as the Savior in all the books, but especially in Luke. We have seen his humanity in all the gospels, and in Matthew we saw His great claim to the throne as well. In each of the writers we are faced with what has been the most perplexing of propositions for some, that of His deity. John brings home this doctrine beautifully along with the most teaching on the Holy Spirit. How significant is that, you ask, well, what has God said through His prophets? How important is it to know the One behind the name? Are there others who go by that name that aren't Him, counterfeits? 

…2I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. For I promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ. 4For if someone comes and proclaims a Jesus other than the One we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit than the One you received, or a different gospel than the one you accepted, you put up with it way too easily.… 2 Corinthians 11: 2-4

Every preacher and every teacher who is faithful, every church, every ministry that is faithful presents the full and accurate truth concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. That is a benchmark. That is a litmus test of integrity in a preacher and in a ministry. That is the validation. I would say it this way: Devotion to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ is the benchmark of legitimacy in any preacher and any ministry. If there is any diminishing of Christ or deviation from the true Christ, there is a serious violation of the purpose of God in revealing Scripture - Old Testament and New Testament.

Any and every legitimate preacher, legitimate church, legitimate ministry must be committed to the truth about Christ, to the glory and exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ, being relentlessly biblical to understand the full revelation concerning Christ. The single source of the truth about Christ is the Bible. And if the theme of the Bible is Christ and the purpose of revealing Christ is so that we may see the fullness of His glory, then legitimacy is tied inextricably to a consuming pre-occupation with knowing all that has been revealed about Christ, to understand His full glory with a view to worshiping Him, honoring Him, and loving Him.

In fact, you can tie the two together. The degree of emphasis on the Bible in any preacher’s ministry, in any church, in any organization, the degree of emphasis on the Bible is equal to the commitment to the glory of the Son of God. If there is a diminished interest in the Bible, there is a diminished interest in the One the Bible reveals. If there is, on the other hand, an elevated preoccupation with the Bible, there will be an elevated pre-occupation with Christ, who is the theme. Those two are in direct proportion to one another.

A preacher’s love for Christ will show up in His commitment to the Word of God, which reveals Christ. A church’s love for Christ will show up in their devotion to the revelation concerning Christ. They are, again I say, in direct proportion. Where there is a consuming love for Christ, there will be a concurrent consuming love for Scripture. - J Mac

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!

10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. Galatians 1: 6-10

John's gospel differs from the synoptic gospels in that it is from the perspective of Heaven. In Matthew, Mark and Luke we have historical gospels, gospels that follow Christ's steps through Galilee, and here we have His ministry in Judea, but also the logic that distills from the other gospels the doctrines of Who Christ is. In Isaiah we have the prophetic gospel, in Matthew we have His lineage as the Branch from David, and in John our jaws drop and hit the floor for we behold Him as very God. It was there all along the way, from Genesis to here, but like John, "the disciple who Jesus loved", we are now in the gospel of wonder and awe. Don't be deceived, my opinion doesn't matter, my passion neither, nor my excitement, God has spoken through His Word, and revealed both the life and nature of Jesus Christ, so we should approach with great reverence, seeking the Author's intent. Many false Christs and teachers have gone out into the world and they belong to the spirit of antichrist, presenting the name, the terms, but a different substance. They make a different Jesus who plays down sin, who only saves from the penalty, but never calls for repentance. They play down the distinction as well, as though it doesn't matter, like they are all the same, "inclusive".  I hope you receive the grace to know and see that this simply isn't the case.

Now, all false religions - listen - all false religions reject the true Jesus Christ of the Bible. They all do. That’s what constitutes them as false religions to start with. From Islam to Mormonism, if you want to go from something that is non-Christian to something that calls itself Christian, they all reject the true Christ. But they all honor a false Christ.

Let me show you by contrast what I mean. We tell the truth about false teachers. We say Muhammad was a demon-possessed man, an agent of hell to unleash lies, perversion, and slaughter on the world. We give no credence, no credibility, no honor to Muhammad. But the Muslims honor Jesus. They call Him a prophet, a true prophet. Why is that? Because that’s the subtlety of Satan. That’s the subtlety of Satan, to go against Christ by misrepresentation.

For example, the Christ of Mormonism. The Jesus of Mormonism is a created being who is the spirit brother of Adam and Lucifer, created by a god who was created by another god. And we say the Jesus of Mormonism is not the true Jesus, a false Jesus, while Mormons affirm that they believe in the Jesus that we believe in. It has always been Satan’s anti-Christ strategy to affirm the wrong Christ, the wrong Jesus, and thus to subtly deceive people, redefining Jesus. It’s been very effective.

It is the spirit of antichrist, then, to give honor to a false Jesus - and that is deadly. It has found its way, amazingly, into evangelicalism. You know, I’m always shocked by what people believe who call themselves Christians. But I continue to realize that they are under the sway of the great deceiver, Satan himself, and the spirit of anti-Christ that he projects into the world when they are satisfied to believe in a false Jesus.

Turn to 2 John. That’s that epistle that focuses on this danger of having a false Jesus. Verses 7 to 11, 2 John. Let me read in verse 7, “For many deceivers have gone out into the world.” Not a few - many. They are deceivers who have gone out into the world, “Those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh.” They don’t acknowledge the truth concerning Jesus Christ. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. It’s not that they attack Christ, it’s not that they deny Christ, they create a false Christ. So watch yourselves - watch yourselves - your reward, your eternal reward, is at stake, verse 8.

Then verse 9, “Anyone who goes too far doesn’t abide in the true teaching concerning Christ - doesn’t have God.” If your Christology is aberrant, you’re not a messenger from God, you don’t have God, you’re not a believer, you’re not saved. Verse 9, “The one who abides in His teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.” When somebody has an accurate Christology, they have both the Father and the Son. When somebody has an aberrant Christology, they have neither the Father nor the Son.

If somebody comes to you, verse 10, and doesn’t bring the true teaching concerning Christ, don’t let him into your house, don’t give him a greeting, or you’ll be a participant in his evil deeds. Stop him cold in his tracks. Don’t expose yourself to a deceptive, lying Christology.

We must get it right about Christ. Salvation comes by believing in Christ. That’s John’s whole point in this gospel, that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing, have life in His name. The spirit of anti-Christ gives honor to a false Jesus, which is an attack on His nature. When Jesus said, in Matthew 16:13, “Who do men say that I, the Son of man, am?” He asked the foundational question: Who is Jesus Christ? That’s the question. - J Mac

Intro to John in J Mac Study Bible

John and James, his older brother (Acts 12:2), were known as “the sons of Zebedee” (Matt. 10:2–4), and Jesus gave them the name “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17). John was an apostle (Luke 6:12–16) and one of the 3 most intimate associates of Jesus (along with Peter and James—cf. Matt. 17:1; 26:37), being an eyewitness to and participant in Jesus’ earthly ministry (1 John 1:1–4). After Christ’s ascension, John became a “pillar” in the Jerusalem church (Gal. 2:9). He ministered with Peter (Acts 3:1; 4:13; 8:14) until he went to Ephesus (tradition says before the destruction of Jerusalem), from where he wrote this gospel and from where the Romans exiled him to Patmos (Rev. 1:9). Besides the gospel that bears his name, John also authored 1–3 John and the Book of Revelation (Rev. 1:1).

Because the writings of some church fathers indicate that John was actively writing in his old age and that he was already aware of the synoptic gospels, many date the gospel sometime after their composition, but prior to John’s writing of 1–3 John or Revelation. John wrote his gospel ca. A.D. 80–90, about 50 years after he witnessed Jesus’ earthly ministry. - From Intro to John in Macarthur Study Bible

…22The disciples looked at one another, perplexed as to which of them He meant. 23One of His disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was reclining at His side. 24So Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus which one He was talking about.… John 13: 22-24

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#1453 Luke 24 Part 4 A Specter?

 

36 Now while they were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst and *said to them, “Peace to you.” 37 But being startled and frightened, they were thinking that they were seeing a spirit. 38 And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. 41 And while they still were not believing because of their joy and were still marveling, He said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish, 43 and He took it and ate it before them.

44 Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of My Father upon you, but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

The Ascension

50 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up His hands, He blessed them. 51 And it happened that while He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple blessing God. Luke 24: 36-53 LSB

Luke 24: 36-53

See My hands and My feet - Dr. Luke goes through the proofs of Jesus' physical resurrection, that it is not an aberration before them. Look, would a spirit have flesh and bones, could you touch it? They had seen Him raise others from the dead, but Who can raise themselves? In John we see the risen Savior go straight to the heart of doubting Thomas's reservations, to which Thomas replies, "My Lord and my God."  

…26Eight days later, His disciples were once again inside with the doors locked, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27Then Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe.” 28Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!”…

29Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” 30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. 31But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.… John 20: 26-31 

…20But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who, by the power that enables Him to subject all things to Himself, will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body. Philippians 3: 20-21

V. 41 Have you anything here to eat - He eats a piece of fish before them to show that He is not a ghost, that He has an actual body that can do these normal things. They're still struggling, it still seems too good to be true, as they stand in a city, that sits on a globe, that spins on it's axis as it travels around the sun, and none of that is the product of their imaginations. He is so gentle and patient in this, as is His grace, when one comes out of the bubble of vain thinking, it is all a miracle.

If you should see tomorrow a heavy shower of rain, you would not believe, I suppose, that it was made with a watering-can; and if you saw the Thames swollen to its banks from a great flood, you would not believe that the London waterworks had filled it to the brim. ‘No,’ say you, ‘this is God at work in nature. The greatness of the work proves that God is here.’ If you were ever in Cambridge, you might have seen a little mountain which is so small nobody knows how it was made. Some say it is artificial; some say it is natural. Now, I have never heard any dispute about the Alps; nobody ever said that they were artificial. I never heard of any disputation about the Himalayas; no one ever conjectured that human hands piled them up to the skies and clothed them with their hoary snows. So, when I read of the mercies of God in Christ, reaching up like mountains to heaven, I am sure they must be divine. I am certain the revelation must come from God; it must be true; it is self-evidential. I might enlarge this argument by showing that God’s works in creation are very great, and therefore it would be idle to think that there would be no great works in grace. Two works which have been made by the same artist always have some characteristics which enable you to see that the same artist made them. In like manner, to us there is one God; creation and redemption have but one author; the same eternal power and Godhead are legibly inscribed on both. Now when I look at the sea, and hear it roaring in the fulness thereof, I see a great artist there. And when my soul surveys the ocean of grace, and listens to the echoes of its motion as the sound of many waters, I see the same Almighty artist. When I see a great sinner saved, then I think I see the same Master-hand which first formed man. - C. H. Spurgeon

They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish - Literal physical food to a literal Jesus. Even as He ascended as a literal being, He is now in Heaven as a glorified Being, the difference being that now His body manifests the scars (prints) of His crucifixion, scars that will endure eternally as testimony to His everlasting covenant of peace with all who have entered that new covenant by grace through faith. Hallelujah. - Precept Austin

John MacArthur adds "From its inception on the Day of Pentecost, the church’s triumphant message has been that Jesus Christ has risen from the dead and is alive forevermore (Acts 2:22-32; 3:14-15, 26; 4:10-12; 5:30; 10:40; 13:30, 33-37). Erich Sauer writes, “The message of the cross is at the same time a message of the resurrection (Acts 1:22; 2:32). In this lies its invincibility” (The Triumph of the Crucified [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1951], 40). The bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ was necessary for at least three reasons. First, it demonstrated Christ’s complete victory over sin. Sin brought spiritual death and physical death. If He only conquered spiritual death, He did not fully conquer sin. If He had not risen bodily, those who are His would not rise either. There would never be a restoration of the earth in millennial glory. Second, Christ’s bodily resurrection is necessary to demonstrate the purpose of God in humanity. Men and women were created to give glory to God. Their bodily resurrection, which is dependent on Christ’s, is necessary so that men and women in some bodily form may give glory to God as they were originally intended to do. Finally, and most significantly, the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ offers visible proof that God was satisfied with His sacrifice. Saving faith comes when one acknowledges Jesus as Lord, affirming that God raised Him from the dead, and thus demonstrated His approval of Christ’s atoning work on the cross. If the story of Jesus ended at the cross, the disciples’ hopes would have been shattered. They needed to know not only that He died, but also that He rose from the dead. The only way they would know that is to see Him in His physical, visible resurrected body. If they had not seen Jesus alive from the dead, they would not have carried the message any further. They would never have proclaimed the message of a dead, disappointing teacher. No one would have believed the Lord Jesus was the Redeemer, Savior, Son of God, and Lord if He hadn’t visibly risen from the dead." (See Luke Commentary) - Precept Austin

V. 45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures - It is the same approach as on the road to Emmaus, Christ reveals Himself through all that was written about Him, from the time of the Creation onward. Interesting that so much joy and doubt can be in the same room, and that Jesus has to open their minds. It is the same in every age with all who believe, it was not by degree, that you established everything by your own mind, cause and effect. Listen, if you figured it out, if you think that you looked at all the evidence and decided for Jesus because you are just so smart and such a truth seeker, well, if that is the case then I suppose you made yourself too. Jesus performed the counterpart physical miracle to this as well when He gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf and raised the dead.

10“Please, Lord,” Moses replied, “I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since You have spoken to Your servant, for I am slow of speech and tongue.” 11And the LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Or who makes the mute or the deaf, the sighted or the blind? Is it not I, the LORD? 12Now go! I will help you as you speak, and I will teach you what to say.”… Exodus 4: 10-12

…15In a dream, in a vision in the night, when deep sleep falls upon men as they slumber on their beds, 16 He opens their ears and terrifies them with warnings 17to turn a man from wrongdoing and keep him from pride,… Job 33: 15-17

…17Deal bountifully with Your servant, that I may live and keep Your word. 18Open my eyes that I may see wondrous things from Your law. 19I am a stranger on the earth; do not hide Your commandments from me.… Psalm 119: 17-19

17In a very short time, will not Lebanon become an orchard, and the orchard seem like a forest? 18On that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of the deep darkness the eyes of the blind will see. 19The humble will increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.… Isaiah 29: 17-19

…14But their minds were closed. For to this day the same veil remains at the reading of the old covenant. It has not been lifted, because only in Christ can it be removed. 15And even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.…

…17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3: 14-18

…14Among those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us. Acts 16: 14-15

…17I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those sanctified by faith in Me.’ 19So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.… Acts 26: 17-19

V. 49 I am sending the promise of My Father upon you - When you think of this, think of the temple, and the Shekinah, God's glory departing from the temple. Now it is not a temple made with hands, our bodies, the bodies of those who believe, are the temple of the Holy Spirit. 

…20“The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares the LORD. 21“As for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says the LORD. “My Spirit will not depart from you, and My words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth or from the mouths of your children and grandchildren, from now on and forevermore,” says the LORD. Isaiah 59: 20-21

…16And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you. 18I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.… John 14: 16-18

18Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a man can commit is outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. 19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.… 1 Corinthians 6: 18-20

V. 52 And they, after worshiping Him - The Bible never condemns the worship of Jesus, only things that are not God, like men, angels, idols, money, power, animals, these we do not worship, but Christ we do, because He is God.

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#1452 Luke 24 Part 3 Eyes Were Opened

 

28 And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He were going farther. 29 But they urged Him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is now nearly over.” So He went in to stay with them. 30 And it happened that when He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and after breaking it, He was giving it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him. And He vanished from their sight. 32 And they said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was opening the Scriptures to us?” 33 And they stood up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and those with them, 34 who were saying, “The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 And they were relating their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread. Luke 24: 28-35 Legacy Standard Bible

Luke 24: 28-35 Eyes were opened

…19Those I love, I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent. 20Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me. 21To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.… Revelation 3: 19-21

He acted as though He were going farther - He had just revealed the Passover to them, the scarlet cloth hanging from His great great etc... grandmother Rahab's window. Jesus preached to them, for is that not what He did this whole way to Emmaus, showing them Himself in the Scriptures, revealing to them the plan and purpose of redemption. You are no preacher that points to yourself rather than taking men to The Preacher, no worshiper who comes looking for a concert rather than bringing glory to the one that makes your existence possible. Follow His example, He shows them Himself in the OT, this is God's plan, His purpose, the gospel. It's there for the hearing and the telling, and He gives no show, no lights, no fog machines, in fact He just keeps walking as though He has no intention of staying. When His disciples write the NT gospel accounts later, they point out often that these accounts fulfilled very specific prophecies from the OT prophets and the Law. 

1You are to imitate me, just as I imitate Christ. 2Now I commend you for remembering me in everything and for maintaining the traditions, just as I passed them on to you. 3But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.… 1 Corinthians 11: 1-3

…7which is not even a gospel. Evidently some people are troubling you and trying to distort the gospel of Christ. 8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse! 9As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be under a curse!… Galatians 1: 7-9

V. 29 But they urged Him strongly - It is a land of hospitality, a custom of those in the Middle East, but Jesus did not request their hospitality, all indications were that He was going to continue on, but they had heard the message and received it gladly. They wanted more of this food, this drink, to continue this communion with Him, learning from the Master. Like the Bible says, "faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God", it is great evidence of the Holy Spirit's work when a man or woman starts to crave and understand God's word. 

…2and said, “My lords, please turn aside into the house of your servant; wash your feet and spend the night. Then you can rise early and go on your way.” “No,” they answered, “we will spend the night in the square.” 3But Lot insisted so strongly that they followed him into his house. He prepared a feast for them and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. 4Before they had gone to bed, all the men of the city of Sodom, both young and old, surrounded the house.… Genesis 19: 2-4

8 One day Elisha went to Shunem, and a prominent woman who lived there persuaded him to have a meal. So whenever he would pass by, he would stop there to eat. 9Then the woman said to her husband, “Behold, now I know that the one who often comes our way is a holy man of God.… 2 kings 4: 8-9

…14Among those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us. 16One day as we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl with a spirit of divination, who earned a large income for her masters by fortune-telling.… Acts 16: 14-16

THOUGHT - HERE IS BACKGROUND FOR THIS GREAT HYMN WRITTEN IN 1847: In 1818 minister Henry Francis Lyte found himself in a curious position: he was giving comfort to a dying clergyman and found, to his shock, that the clergyman was unsure of his own salvation. Lyte was painfully aware that he himself was in the same position. Both men began to search the Bible, and both underwent a conversion. Lyte from that time on began to take his duties as a pastor more seriously. The typical Church of England pastor of that time was content to baptize, marry, bury, and preach a brief Sunday sermon for which he had little enthusiasm. Lyte could not be satisfied with this: he became a devoted spiritual counselor to his parish in a coastal town in southwest England. He wore himself out for this church, composed of fishermen and their families, counseling with them, organizing Sunday schools, training teachers, and writing hymns, many of which are still popular. The most famous of his hymns was written just a few weeks before he died. On September 4, 1847, Lyte took a walk along the seashore and contemplated the sunset. Returning home, he quickly wrote down “Abide with Me” with its memorable first lines: “Abide with me! Fast falls the eventide; / The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide.” The hymn was based on the scripture he had preached on earlier that day, Luke 24, the story of the risen Jesus encountering two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Luke 24:29 reads, “They constrained him, saying, ‘Abide with us, for it is toward evening; the day is far spent.’ And he went in to tarry with them” (KJV). Lyte’s health had been failing for several years, and it is possible that when he wrote “Abide with Me,” he knew it would be his last hymn and that he would soon be abiding with the Lord forever. He died on November 20 that same year. - Precept Austin

V. 31 Then their eyes were opened - One of the last things they saw Him do was break bread before He was taken to trial. When you think of the physical miracles He performed, restoring sight to the blind, it is the same with all men spiritually, in fact we are dead in our trespasses and sins, and so to be born again is the equivalent of the physical miracle of being raised from the dead.

…23For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, 24and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”… 1 Corinthians 11: 23-25

Through the fall the spiritual taste of man became perverted, so that he puts bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter; he chooses the poison of hell and loathes the bread of heaven; he licks the dust of the serpent and rejects the food of angels. The spiritual hearing became grievously injured, for man naturally no longer hears God’s word, but stops his ears at the Maker’s voice. Let the gospel minister charm never so wisely, yet is the unconverted soul like the deaf adder which hears not the charmer’s voice. The spiritual feeling by virtue of our depravity is fearfully deadened. Whether the thunders of Sinai or the turtle notes of Calvary claim his attention, man is resolutely deaf to both. Even the spiritual smell with which man should discern between that which is pure and holy and that which is unsavoury to the Most High has become defiled, and now man’s spiritual nostril while unrenewed derives no enjoyment from the sweet savour which is in Christ Jesus, but seeks after the putrid joys of sin. As with other senses so is it with man’s sight. He is so spiritually blind that things most plain and clear he cannot and will not see. The understanding, which is the soul’s eye, is covered with scales of ignorance, and when these are removed by the finger of instruction, the visual orb is still so affected that it sees men as trees walking. Our condition is thus most terrible, but at the same time it affords ample room for a display of the splendours of divine grace. Dear friends, we are naturally so entirely ruined, that if saved the whole work must be of God, and the whole glory must crown the head of the Triune Jehovah. (365 Days with Spurgeon - Volume 2) C. H. Spurgeon

HERE it is not the Master to the disciple, but the disciple to the Master, that is saying, Come. It is not the Lord that is standing at the door and saying, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me”; it is the disciple that is saying, “Come in thou blessed of the Lord.” As of old, He said to Jacob at Peniel, “Let me go for the day breaketh,” so here it is said, “He made as though He would have gone further”; but as Jacob said, “I will not let thee go except thou bless me,” so do the two disciples here, “they constrained Him, saying, Abide with us”; and as He blest Jacob ere He parted from him, so here He does go in and sit down with them, and when He quits them He leaves a blessing behind Him, for the house seems filled with the odour of the ointment, doubtless to retain its fragrance for many a day.

The request seems to have been made for two reasons,—on their own account and on his. They had enjoyed his converse and fellowship by the way so much that they are unwilling to part; and, besides, the evening is coming on, and He must not expose Himself to the dews, and cold, and darkness of the night.

The latter of these reasons we cannot use now in the sense in which they were used by the disciples. The risen Christ is now far beyond the days and nights of time; beyond the mists and clouds of earth; far beyond the chills and the gloom of this world. He needs no earthly roof to shelter Him, and no earthly table to sit at. He is now in his Father’s house, and on his Father’s throne, compassed about with light, and majesty, and glory, and honour.

But in his members He is now passing through the same hardships, and sufferings, and privations as when He was here. “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me” is still his expostulation; and still He so identifies Himself with his saints that we may use the words which originally meant Him personally in reference to ourselves as one with Him. Without, however, confining it to this sense, let us meditate as follows upon these words, “Abide with us.”

1. Abide with us, for past days have been so pleasant. Since first we apprehended Thee, or rather since Thou didst apprehend us,—since thou didst overtake us on the way, we have found such blessedness, that we cannot bear the thought of parting. Thy fellowship has been so sweet that we must have more of it. The little that we tasted in the past, makes us long for more. Abide with us.

2. Abide with us, for the world would be a blank without thee. Life would not be life if thou wert gone. We should be like the disciples on the stormy sea,—“It was night, and Jesus had not come to them.” Night and tempest, without moon and stars, would be nothing to this world without thee. A house left desolate without an inmate, without a sound, or a voice, or footstep, would be nothing to the dreariness of our earth and of our homes without thee. All would be blank and chilling. It is Thou who fillest hearts, and lightest up homes, and gladdenest even wildernesses with thy presence.

A wilderness is populous enough

So had I but thy heavenly company;

For where thou art, there is the world itself,

With every several pleasure in the world;

And where thou art not, desolation.

Oh abide with us.

3. Abide with us, for we know not what our future is to be. We know the past, we know the present, but the future is hid. For that future and all its uncertainties, we need a guide and a protector; one who will light up our path, who will fight for us, who will deliver us and keep us to the last, in all changes, trials, sorrows, joys. Abide with us. Leave us not, neither forsake us, O God of our salvation, O rest of the weary, O light of the dark, O Saviour of the lost, O joy of the sorrowful, O helper of the helpless,—unchanging companion, friend and kinsman, with whom there is no variableness nor shadow of turning,—the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever! Lead us out, leads us in, lead us along the way, lead us by the still waters, lead us into thy banquetting house, and let thy banner over us be love!

4. Abide with us, for earth’s night is at hand. Time’s shadows are lengthening; its sun is going down behind the hills of earth. The end of all things is at hand; the day of the Lord hasteth greatly; the time of vengeance and judgment cometh; Satan is about to do his worst; Antichrist will rage; evil men and seducers will wax worse and worse; perilous times will come; wars and rumours of wars will disquiet us; earthquakes shall be in diverse places, the sea and its waves roaring, men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after the things that are coming on the earth. Oh abide with us! Abide with us in all thy love and grace; in all thy strength and help; in all thy joy and peace. Abide with us for evermore. - Horatius Bonar

V. 32 Were not our hearts burning within us - A quickening, the fire has been lit.

…2I was speechless and still; I remained silent, even from speaking good, and my sorrow was stirred. 3My heart grew hot within me; as I mused, the fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue: 4“Show me, O LORD, my end and the measure of my days. Let me know how fleeting my life is.… Psalm 39: 2-4

4The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of discipleship, to sustain the weary with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning; He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple. 5The Lord GOD has opened My ears, and I have not been rebellious, nor have I turned back.… Isaiah 50: 4-5

…15You understand, O LORD; remember me and attend to me. Avenge me against my persecutors. In Your patience, do not take me away. Know that I endure reproach for Your honor. 16Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words became my joy and my heart’s delight. For I bear Your name, O LORD God of Hosts. 17I never sat with the band of revelers, nor did I celebrate with them. Because Your hand was on me, I sat alone, for You have filled me with indignation.… Jeremiah 15: 15-17

…8For whenever I speak, I cry out; I proclaim violence and destruction. For the word of the LORD has become to me a reproach and derision all day long. 9If I say, “I will not mention Him or speak any more in His name,” His message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones, and I become weary of holding it in, and I cannot prevail. 10For I have heard the whispering of many: “Terror is on every side! Report him; let us report him!” All my trusted friends watch for my fall: “Perhaps he will be deceived so that we may prevail against him and take our vengeance upon him.”… Jeremiah 20: 8-10

…62Then what will happen if you see the Son of Man ascend to where He was before? 63The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. 64However, there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray Him.)… John 6: 62-64

While He was opening the Scripture to us - It is opened to them, and then they go out to open unto others, that is Christian, little Christs, followers, imitators. This is our job, our great privilege, in word and deed. Do your work, whether plowing the field, stocking the shelf, doing the dishes, painting someone's house or managing their business, do it unto the Lord, and it becomes your testimony and opens the door for you to open up His word to them.

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#1451 Luke 24 Part 2 Take A Walk With Me

 

13 And behold, two of them were going that same day to a village named Emmaus, which was sixty stadia from Jerusalem. 14 And they were conversing with each other about all these things which had happened. 15 And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus Himself approached and was going with them. 16 But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him. 17 And He said to them, “What are these words that you are discussing with one another as you are walking?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18 And one of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, “Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?” 19 And He said to them, “What things?” And they said to Him, “The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a mighty prophet in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people, 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to the sentence of death, and crucified Him. 21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened. 22 But also some women among us astounded us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and not finding His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also said, but Him they did not see.” 25 And He said to them, “O foolish ones and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He interpreted to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. Luke 24: 13-27 LSB

Luke 24: 13-27 Emmaus Road

There is a thing called the Scarlet Thread, where one can trace Jesus throughout the OT, the promise of Him, the pictures of Him, and even His presence, and I have written several posts on this which I will include at the end. I think that verses 13 - 24 here are very self explanatory, and so I am going to pick up with what some scholars would use interchangeably with the Scarlet Thread, we are going to walk the Emmaus Road, hearing what the prophet's had to say about Jesus.

V. 25 O foolish ones and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken - The Bible says that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, but it also tells us that not all who hear understand or receive. The disciples had been in Jesus' School for 3 years now, many in the crowds He spoke to had spent their lives going to the daily reading, studying the word of God, yet unable to recognize it when it was walking among them. Many of them were moralist who studied the law, admired the prophets, probably even quoted them, yet the whole reason for them to exist was to point to Christ whom these people don't recognize. 

8Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: “Whom shall I send? Who will go for Us?” And I said: “Here am I. Send me!” 9And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ 10Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”… Isaiah 6:9

11We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain, because you are dull of hearing. 12 Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food! 13For everyone who lives on milk is still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness.… Hebrews 5: 11-13

V. 26 Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory - Again, He isn't bringing them some new teaching, He is taking them back to the Word of God, and He is the Word become flesh, history is His story, and just Isaiah 53 on it's own is a crisp enough picture describing all they had just witnessed, and Isaiah wrote it 700 years before it happened. When you add to that the pictures provided like the lamb without blemish, the announcement of the seed of the woman, the types like Moses, Elijah, David, Joseph and the tabernacle, it becomes more than crystal, a seemingly impossible message to miss, but also too incredible to play out, yet it did. Why are we so slow to believe? They are debating it with one another, and Cleopas in verses 18-21 gives what could be an outline for Psalm 22 or Isaiah 53, acknowledging that Jesus was a prophet, and then in vs. 21 acknowledging that He was their hope, "that it was He Who was going to redeem Israel". They debate because they don't understand the scope. He is their Redeemer, but He has just saved them from something far worse than Rome. He died for their sins, and this exceeds the temporal, goes far beyond the comprehension of time and space. 

Spurgeon comments "Supposing him to be a stranger in Jerusalem, yet one who was well acquainted with Jewish prophecy, they had told him exactly what the prophecies had foretold concerning the Messiah. If they had meant to refer to the various prophecies concerning Christ, they could not have detailed facts which would have more accurately fulfilled them, and therefore Christ said to them “O you foolish men, how slow of heart you are to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” - I feel sure that He said that word very gently; — not as you and I might say it, in a pet. Yet, truly, as we read the story, we cannot help feeling that they were very foolish and stupid. Their own tale convicts them. So no wonder Christ said unto them, “O fools,”He called them fools, or wanting in thought and understanding. The original words do not imply contempt; our Lord gently rebuked them for not seeing what was so plainly revealed in Scripture.) Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? (Is it not so predicted in the prophets? How could it be otherwise? - Precept Austin

To enter into His glory - This is also predicted, that He would conquer sin and death and then sit at the right hand of the Father until His enemies are made His footstool. More debate, because they want the Kingdom right now, but what do the Scriptures say, what did their Lord teach?

1A Psalm of David. The LORD said to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” 2The LORD extends Your mighty scepter from Zion: “Rule in the midst of Your enemies.” 3Your people shall be willing on Your day of battle. Arrayed in holy splendor, from the womb of the dawn, to You belongs the dew of Your youth.… Psalm 110: 1-3

…23How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! For there will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations. And Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. 25There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among the nations, bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the surging of the waves.… Luke 21: 23-25

1When Jesus had spoken these things, He lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You. 2For You granted Him authority over all people, so that He may give eternal life to all those You have given Him. 3Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.…

…4I have glorified You on earth by accomplishing the work You gave Me to do. 5And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world existed. John 17: 1-5

V. 27 Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He interpreted to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scripture - That's some walk, I would have loved to have been a fly riding atop one of their caps. When He says Moses, that would include the first 5 books of the Bible, the books of Moses or also referred to as the Pentateuch. Remember God's warning in the garden, that in the day they eat of the fruit of a particular tree they would surely die, and Satan's temptation was, no, you won't die, you will be like God. 

14So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and every beast of the field! On your belly will you go, and dust you will eat, all the days of your life. 15And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3: 14-15

As early as Genesis comes the mention of Christ, the Seed of the Woman, and Satan's attack against Him that will end in the serpent's head being crushed. From there we move to the flood of Noah's time, and a family of 8 that were the only one's saved because they were found inside the ark. This showed God's righteousness regarding sin, His holy wrath and intent to remove it, yet He saved 8 people in the ark, revealing also that He is a Rescuer. Sin did not disappear with the flood though, and I will cover the conversation at Babel when I get to John, but let's move to Abraham. He was a man chosen by God out of all the people living on the earth, and God promised Him a son in whom His Seed would be called. Abraham tried to go about it another way because his wife was barren, but God breathed life into a dead womb, much like story of everyone who has been born again. Abraham had a son in his old age, Isaac, and God asked him to offer up Isaac as a sacrifice, his only son from his wife Sarah. Here we see God the Redeemer, the Substitutionary atonement.

11Just then the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. 12“Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him,” said the angel, “for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.” 13Then Abraham looked up and saw behind him a ram in a thicket, caught by its horns. So he went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son.… 

…14And Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. So to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.” 15And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time, 16saying, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your only son,…

…17I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies. 18And through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” Genesis 22: 11-18

Later we see the life of Joseph, a type, sold into slavery by his own brothers, hated by them, a servant to a man named Potiphar, falsely accused and imprisoned and then elevated to the right hand of Pharaoh. When Joseph's father Jacob is dying he gives this prophecy about Judah, and it points to another type, nearer in David and then ultimately in Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. The Jews were aware of this as well and watched longingly for a son of David.

…9Judah is a young lion—my son, you return from the prey. Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lioness, who dares to rouse him? 10The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is his. 11He ties his donkey to the vine, his colt to the choicest branch. He washes his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.… Genesis 49: 9-11

Later came the prophet Moses who would lead the people out of Egypt, perform miracles before the Egyptians and here we have the institution of the Passover as well. Only the houses with the blood on the door were passed over by the angel of death, every house not protected by this blood lost it's first born, including the son of Pharaoh. Later the people that Moses led out would rebel in the wilderness and God would send punishment in the form of venomous creatures. 

…6So the LORD sent venomous snakes among the people, and many of the Israelites were bitten and died. 7Then the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you. Intercede with the LORD so He will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses interceded for the people. 8Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will live.”…

9So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it on a pole. If anyone who was bitten looked at the bronze snake, he would live. Numbers 21: 6-9

…13No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man. 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.… John 3: 13-15

15The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to him. 16This is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God or see this great fire anymore, so that we will not die!”… Deuteronomy 18: 15-16

I am going to skip forward to Psalm 22, a thousand years before Christ. This speaks well to the treatment the Messiah will receive from men, the mocking and even a vivid picture of a Roman crucifixion, long before the rule of Rome.

But I am a worm and not a man,

A reproach of men and despised by the people.

7 All who see me mock me;

They smack their lip, they wag their head, saying,

8 “Commit yourself to Yahweh; let Him rescue him;

Let Him deliver him, because He delights in him.”

9 Yet You are He who brought me out of the womb;

You made me trust when upon my mother’s breasts.

10 Upon You I was cast from birth;

You have been my God from my mother’s womb.

11 Be not far from me, for distress is near;

For there is none to help.

12 Many bulls have surrounded me;

Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.

13 They open wide their mouth at me,

As a lion that tears and roars.

14 I am poured out like water,

And all my bones are out of joint;

My heart is like wax;

It is melted within me.

15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd,

And my tongue cleaves to my jaws;

And You lay me in the dust of death.

16 For dogs have surrounded me;

A band of evildoers has encompassed me;

They pierced my hands and my feet.

17 I count all my bones.

They look, they stare at me;

18 They divide my garments among them,

And for my clothing they cast lots.

 Psalm 22: 6-18

And from here to Isaiah, the picture is getting clearer and clearer.

…13Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God as well? 14Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel. 15By the time He knows enough to reject evil and choose good, He will be eating curds and honey.… Isaiah 7: 13-15

…6For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this. Isaiah 9: 6-7

…5The Lord GOD has opened My ears, and I have not been rebellious, nor have I turned back. 6I offered My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who tore out My beard. I did not hide My face from scorn and spittle. 7Because the Lord GOD helps Me, I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set My face like flint, and I know that I will not be put to shame.… Isaiah 50: 5-7

13Behold, My Servant will prosper; He will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. 14Just as many were appalled at Him— His appearance was disfigured beyond that of any man, and His form was marred beyond human likeness — 15so He will sprinkle many nations. Kings will shut their mouths because of Him. For they will see what they have not been told, and they will understand what they have not heard.… Isaiah 52: 13-15

…3He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. 4Surely He took on our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken by God, struck down and afflicted. 5But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.… Isaiah 53: 3-5

…5Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land. 6In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is His name by which He will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness. Jeremiah 23: 5-6

…24Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city to stop their transgression, to put an end to sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. 25Know and understand this: From the issuance of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until the Messiah, the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of distress. 26Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing. Then the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood, and until the end there will be war; desolations have been decreed.… Daniel 9: 24-26

…2But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel—One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity. 3Therefore Israel will be abandoned until she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of His brothers will return to the children of Israel. 4He will stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majestic name of the LORD His God. And they will dwell securely, for then His greatness will extend to the ends of the earth.… Micah 5: 2-4

9Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 10And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem, and the bow of war will be broken. Then He will proclaim peace to the nations. His dominion will extend from sea to sea, and from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth.… Zechariah 9: 9-10

10Then I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son. 11On that day the wailing in Jerusalem will be as great as the wailing of Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.… Zechariah 12: 10-11

He's coming back, best make right with Him now based on the terms He has provided.

5“Lord,” said Thomas, “we do not know where You are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 7If you had known Me, you would know My Father as well. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.”… John 14: 5-7

These are some links below that go more in depth into Jesus story in the Old Testament.

Seeing Red Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

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