Tag Archives: Readiness

Day 127: The Full End is Coming

Jeremiah 30:4-11

These are the words that Yahweh spoke concerning Israel and concerning Judah. For Yahweh says:
“We have heard a voice of trembling;
a voice of fear, and not of peace.
Ask now, and see whether a man travails with child.
Why do I see every man with his hands on his waist, as a woman in travail,
and all faces are turned pale?
Alas, for that day is great, so that none is like it!
It is even the time of Jacob’s trouble;
but he will be saved out of it.
It will come to pass in that day, says Yahweh of Armies, that I will break his yoke from off your neck,
and will burst your bonds.
Strangers will no more make them their bondservants;
but they will serve Yahweh their God,
and David their king,
whom I will raise up to them.
Therefore don’t be afraid, O Jacob my servant, says Yahweh.
Don’t be dismayed, Israel.
For, behold, I will save you from afar,
and save your offspring from the land of their captivity.
Jacob will return,
and will be quiet and at ease.
No one will make him afraid.
For I am with you, says Yahweh, to save you;
for I will make a full end of all the nations where I have scattered you,
but I will not make a full end of you;
but I will correct you in measure,
and will in no way leave you unpunished.”

In this section, God makes it clear who He is going to permanently reject and it won’t be Israel. This is one of the most alarming things about those who claim to be Christians and teach that God is finished with Israel. God says the opposite, that those who say things like that are the ones He intends to destroy. Here it says: “I will make a full end of all the nations where I have scattered you.” Concerning Israel, God says: “but I will not make a full end of you.”

Does this mean that Israel is going to get away with their sin? Not at all! This future time is called: “the time of Jacob’s trouble.” It’s just that “he will be saved out of it” and his enemies will not be. They will be completely destroyed and there won’t be anyone left to “make him afraid.” It’s pretty obvious that this final end has not come yet, but it should scare us. Everything that the Bible has predicted has happened up to this point. This end is coming and people have a responsiblity to be ready.

Christians should not be acting as if they are better than the Jews. Here we see that those who do will be destroyed. This is not just “an Old Testament thing.” It’s amplified in the New Testament. This is what is written in the book of Romans:

Romans 11:16-21

If the first fruit is holy, so is the lump. If the root is holy, so are the branches. But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the root and of the richness of the olive tree, don’t boast over the branches. But if you boast, remember that it is not you who support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, “Branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in.” True; by their unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by your faith. Don’t be conceited, but fear; for if God didn’t spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you.

Day 7: Unrecognized

John 1:10 : He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world didn’t recognize him.

When we celebrate Christmas, we celebrate what should have been celebrated when it actually happened. The one through whom the whole world was made came to earth. It says here that “He was in the world.” This is an amazing thing that the one who created us was in the world with us as one of us.

Although God told some shepherds and some wise men from far away were watching, most people didn’t know that anything happened. Jesus was unrecognized. It is pretty obvious by the fact that he had to be born with the animals. This disrespect and disregard was common in Jesus’ life as John mentioned earlier. God had prophesied that he would be coming into the world. We know that this is true because the wise men from far away were expecting him. Some believe these wise men were those who learned from Daniel when he was alive in Babylon many years earlier.

We have already heard that John the Baptist was there to tell people who Jesus was. But there were two others who were expecting Him that we are told about in Luke. When Jesus was taken to the temple for circumcision as Jews were required to do, these two individuals were ready and waiting in expectation.

One of them was named Simeon. He was there in the temple and was “looking forward to Israel’s consolation.” The other was Anna. I encourage you to look up Luke 2 in your Bible and read it for yourself.

Both of these people were used to spending time in the temple. They expected big things from God. I am not saying that we should spend all our days at Church. We should be aware that the Church building is no temple. The Bible says that God now lives in the temple of our hearts and that we will live together with Him in his temple, but what is important is that these followers of God were doing exactly what God wanted them to do and they were really ready for Him unlike most others.

We can take a lesson from this. Jesus says that he is coming to take those of us who believe in Him to Heaven to live with Him. Lord willing, we will study more about this when we get to it in John 14:1-4. We should be living in expectation and doing things that are good in because He is coming again soon. When He comes next time, He comes to take us to be with Him where He is and that is something we should be watching for because we really believe.

Day 6
Day 8