For three and a half years Jesus had been preaching the Gospel to stop sinning, be perfect and to keep the Ten Commandments to get eternal life. Prior, for 30 years, He had lived the Ten Commandments perfectly. Only a handful were listening. Even the disciples did not “listen”. They were too busy figuring out how to be first in the new kingdom they thought was soon to take place.
I think we do the same. I think we are way too busy in our churches trying to show how important we are, how righteous we are and how we need to be first in God’s order of things. And while we are filled with church, ego, pride and worldly desires, Jesus is finishing up His work in Heaven. He is closing out the books of the righteous. He is looking over your life’s record to see if you have confessed, repented and forsaken every sin. As He scrolls down your record will he see a sin you have not repented of? Are you so busy in your church, your own opinions, pride, ego, feast days and worship forms that you have refused to look closely upon your past life to see if you still have unconfessed sins in your life?
As the disciples were jostling for preeminence, Jesus was walking towards the culmination of His humiliation, suffering and death. The world is now hurtling toward its culmination. Few years are left. The pendulum is now swinging back from the godless Left to the Right. As the right regains control over the world, the world will be led to recognize that the Laws of God are necessary for Peace & Safety. The Ten Commandments will be the universal law of the “New Order”. All, that is, except the 4th, the Sabbath commandment.
Luke 19:28 to Luke 20:47
After Jesus had said this, he traveled on and went up to Jerusalem.
He never wavered. He never stopped to ask Himself, “Should I?” He lived in such strict, legalistic obedience to His Father, that there was no question as to the “if”. He trusted His Father implicitly. Legalistic obedience is true love. Do you have love?
When he came near Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples on ahead and said, “Go into the village ahead of you. As you enter, you will find a colt tied up that no one has ever ridden. Untie it, and bring it along.
About a year or so earlier the disciples were trying to “advise” Jesus on what to do. Much like many of us do. We don’t think the way of Jesus for us is the right path, so we try to “advise” Jesus on what we think is the best path for us. By now the disciples had learned that Jesus didn’t need human advising. He knew everything. All they had to do was live in obedience to what He told them to do. Is that a lesson you have learned?
If anyone asks you why you are untying it, say this: ‘The Lord needs it.’”
How true! I have found that all I need to do is speak the words Jesus spoke and all discussion, all debate, all uncertainty disappears. They may not like the words. They may not accept the words. But people recognize the authority of the Words of Jesus.
So those who were sent went off and found it as Jesus had told them.
If you live in obedience to what Jesus commands of you, you also will find it “as Jesus had told them”. Everything will work out if you trust and obey.
While they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”
People may question. People may get upset. But if you put aside your own feelings, emotions and opinions and simply repeat the words of Jesus, all will be well for you.
The disciples answered, “The Lord needs it.”
How humble. We get way to hung-up over what Bible to read, what church to belong to, what denomination to belong to, what this or what that. All that is needed is to reply with the words of Jesus, “The Lord needs it”. The Lord needs you to trust and obey. Forget your church, your opinions, ego, pride and arrogance. Just recognize what the Lord needs and go do it.
Then they brought the colt to Jesus and put their coats on it, and Jesus sat upon it.
God will use you just as you are. Begin living in obedience and let Jesus “ride” you. Let Him take you where He needs you to go. Don’t be afraid of the crowd. Just ride along and do what He commands.
As he was riding along, people kept spreading their coats on the road.
Don’t be fooled! Don’t let the homage of people turn your head. Keep yourself firmly seated with Jesus and look to Him, not the spreading of coats or waving of hands and applause.
He was now approaching the descent from the Mount of Olives. The whole crowd of disciples began to rejoice and to praise God with a loud voice because of all the miracles they had seen.
Again, the crowds may swell with loud voices, but keep in mind, when people don’t get what they want, the tide will turn. Selfishness is the mantle of churches. They praise one day and curse the next.
They said, “How blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!”
They were looking for a “king” who would defeat their enemies. They were not looking for a King who would defeat their sins.
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd told Jesus, “Teacher, tell your disciples to be quiet.”
Unless the praise and honor goes to the church, we will be told to “be quiet”.
He replied, “I tell you, if they were quiet, the stones would cry out!”
We are only to do our duties and responsibilities. It was their time to cry out. The King must be recognized. Even though the intentions of the crowd were misplaced, that did not stop the truth from crying out. Jesus was their King. He did come to bring peace and glory. The only thing wrong was their perception of how it was all to play out.
The same is happening today with the “coming of Jesus”. People have the wrong perception about the “coming of Jesus”. Unless they stop yelling, “Jesus is coming” and start learning why He is coming and how to prepare for His coming, they will be lost.
When he came closer and saw the city, he began to grieve over it:
He is grieved over our cities. He is grieved over our churches. He is even grieved over those who go to church on the 7th day of the week. They aren’t listening. Lots of noise. Lots of arm waving. Lots of “hallelujahs” and “praise the Lord”, but no one is listening to or obeying Jesus.
“If you had only known today what could have brought you peace! But now it is hidden from your sight, . . .
Yes it is! There is no peace in our world. There is no peace in our churches. There is a worldly peace, but that is not a settled peace that can endure all the difficulties and troubles that come upon us. True peace comes in true trust. Very few trust Jesus. They don’t even believe what He teaches. “If you had only known”. They don’t want to know!
. . . because the days will come when your enemies will build walls around you, surround you, and close you in on every side.
Yes they will. I started writing this September 17, 2021. The walls are closing in. There will be a revolution. After the Protestant and Catholic religions unite, the “Christian” churches will unite with the world to rise up against Islam and the pagans (China, the “Woke”, Socialism and Communism). The “Christian” nations will conquer the world. Then they will come after those of us who live in legalistic obedience to Jesus.
“God desires His people to prepare for the soon-coming crisis. Prepared or unprepared, they must all meet it; and those only who have brought their lives into conformity to the divine standard, will stand firm at that time of test and trial. When secular rulers unite with ministers of religion to dictate in matters of conscience, then it will be seen who really fear and serve God.” AA 431.
They will level you to the ground—you and those who live within your city limits. They will not leave one stone on another within your walls, because you didn’t recognize the time when God came to help you.”
That is correct, “You didn’t recognize the time when God came to help you”. God is trying to help you now. But if you refuse to listen and live in obedience to His Commands, He can’t “help you”. When “Christianity” has conquered the world, then the International Sunday Law will be enacted. Probation closes at that time. The world will have chosen the Ten Commandments as the law of the world – except the 4th Commandment to keep the 7th-day Holy. All will have made their decision. Jesus closes the books and steps out from the Holy of Holies. The Investigative Judgment which started in 1844 has ended. Seven months later He will come to take His people home with Him. Until that time our homes will be leveled. Our goods will be thrown down. Our walls of safety will be breached. If you are not developing faith in Jesus now, you will not have it then. Faith takes building. It is obedience that builds faith. If you are not building the perfect, sinless and Commandment keeping life now, you won’t have the faith to live it then.
Then Jesus went into the Temple and began to throw out those who were selling things.
Actually, that will be correct. He is in the Holy of Holies now throwing out the books of those who are selling falsehoods, lies and spurious information about Him, etc.
He told them, “It is written, ‘My house is to be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a hideout for bandits!”
How true that is today. Churches have become hideouts for bandits. Instead of going to church to help each other in their work of changing their lives, members encourage each other in their sins of pride, arrogance, selfishness and banditry. I don’t know of any church or denomination that is teaching the teachings of Jesus to stop sinning. Prayers are not being lifted up for deliverance from sins. Oh no, we are “saved by grace” and can continue in our sins. God’s house is no longer a house of true prayer and repentance.
Then he began teaching in the Temple every day. The high priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people kept looking for a way to kill him, . . .
Yes they are. By fighting against the truth to stop sinning, be perfect and to keep the Ten Commandments to get eternal life, the churches are killing the teachings of Jesus. To kill the teachings of Jesus is to kill Jesus. The Ten Commandments are the character of Jesus. He wrote them. He lives by them. We are commanded to follow His example.
. . . but they couldn’t find a way to do it, because all the people were eager to hear him.
In the churches today, you find many “eager to hear Him”. One just can’t find anyone eager to obey Him. They wanted to hear this rebel, but He was no more than a novelty. Of course they were not going to leave their church over Him. He was simply a great speaker and “magician”. They went for the show. Nothing different than what is happening in our churches today.
One day while Jesus was teaching the people in the Temple and telling them the good news, the high priests and the scribes came with the elders and asked him, “Tell us: By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”
Threaten the church and all hell will break loose. For over thirty-five years the nation had been instructed about the Messiah and His coming. But they did not want to hear it. Angels came and instructed Zachariah in the temple, Mary in her home, Joseph in his, the shepherds in the field and the Spirit of God moved upon Simeon and Anna at the temple who publically proclaimed the baby Jesus as the Messiah. John the Baptist pointed to Jesus and proclaimed Him the “Lamb of God”. But the church didn’t want to hear of it. They were too busy talking about the “Messiah is coming” to listen to the fact that He had already come. He just didn’t come as they wanted Him to come.
He answered them, “I, too, will ask you a question. Tell me: Was John’s authority to baptize from heaven or from humans?”
At this point in time there were no more “arguments” to be made. All had been said that was needed for their salvation. All that was left were warnings and denunciations.
They discussed this among themselves: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’
They knew John’s message was from Heaven. They knew John was sent from God. But he didn’t uplift the church. He uplifted those pesky Ten Commandments. Church was a lot more fun than obedience to those condemning, legalistic Commandments in their lives.
But if we say, ‘From humans,’ all the people will stone us to death, because they are convinced that John was a prophet.”
Sure, the people went along for the ride but they were not interested in living in obedience. Intellectual conviction and heartfelt obedience are two very different forces. The churches today are no more willing to admit truth than were the Pharisees of Christ day.
So they answered that they didn’t know where it was from.
No different today.
Then Jesus told them, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”
Why should He? They had been told for over thirty-five years and refused to believe. All that was left was to denounce their wickedness and pronounce judgment against them.
Then he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers, and went abroad for a long time.
Trust! Christianity is all about trust. We must trust a God we can’t see. When you go to work, you trust your employer to pay you for the work you have done. Your employer trusts you to do the work he is paying you for. Trust. All of life is simply trust. When we stop trusting, our lives fall apart in a hurry.
At the right time he sent a servant to the farmers in order to get his share of the produce of the vineyard. But the farmers beat him and sent him back empty-handed.
If your employer sent the supervisor to see that you were accomplishing the work assigned you and you beat him, would your employer be happy?
He sent another servant, and they beat him, too, treated him shamefully, and sent him back empty-handed. Then he sent a third, and they wounded him and threw him out, too.
God is very patient. Would your employer be as patient? God is very merciful. All the mistreatment we have given Jesus is forgivable to a point. He only wants you to give Him what is due Him. The same goes with your employer. Are you cheating your employer?
“Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What should I do? I’ll send my son whom I love. Maybe they’ll respect him.’
If the employer sent his son to find out what the problem was, would you listen?
But when the farmers saw him, they talked it over among themselves and said, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him so that the inheritance will be ours!’
Now we find the real problem: covetousness. I suppose they preferred a Co-op where the employees owned the operation? Trouble was, they didn’t want to buy out the owner.
They threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Now what will the owner of the vineyard do to them?
Not one person listening would dispute the answer to the question.
He will come and destroy those farmers and give the vineyard to others.” Those who heard him said, “That must never happen!”
They were right, “That must never happen!” And yet, that is exactly what happened. The church back then, and the churches today, are throwing Jesus and His teachings out. They don’t want to give Jesus His due. The churches have taken control. They are killing Jesus all over again.
But Jesus looked at them and asked, “What does this text mean: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’?
Throughout the Old Testament God is called the “Rock”. That “Rock”, says Peter, was Jesus. Jesus was their God of the Old Testament. But they didn’t want Him. He came and became the Cornerstone of our salvation. But they wanted their church to be the cornerstone. The Old Testament told of the Rock who would come. The New Testament told of the Rock who came. No difference in salvation. Only the temple rituals and services that pointed to the Rock were no longer needed. They were abolished. That is what put the “NEW” in the Old Testament. Other than that, both Old and New Testaments are the same for salvation. Paul knew that. He told Timothy to study the Old Testament (Scriptures) for his salvation. There was no “New Testament” as we know it today until 300 years after Christ. The churches are not listening.
Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.”
If we fall on Jesus Christ and confess our sin, repenting and turning away from them, we will be broken. We must be broken from our infatuation with this world of sin. Yet, Jesus will recreate us into a new person. However, if you refuse to fall on the Rock and be broken, It will fall on you and you will be crushed and destroyed for eternity.
When the scribes and the high priests realized that Jesus had told this parable about them, they wanted to arrest him right then, but they were afraid of the crowd.
Churches hate it when the words of Jesus go against what they want to believe and do. That is why they ignore the teachings of Jesus in order to twist and turn the teachings of Paul and other Scriptures to their own destruction. Human wisdom is far more acceptable to man than a plain, “Thus saith the Lord”.
So they watched him closely and sent spies who pretended to be honest men in order to trap him in what he would say. They wanted to hand him over to the jurisdiction of the governor.
Interesting thing is, Jesus didn’t go hide Himself from their threats. So many who claim to be waiting for the “coming of Jesus” are trying to hide from their responsibilities and duties. They fear man instead of fearing and obeying Jesus. Do not hide, yet, be very careful. Many will come “pretended to be honest men in order to trap” you. Don’t make friends of this world. Love all. Be kind and courteous to all. Be respectful of all. Yet, keep in mind, the world hates righteousness and is looking for a way to hand you over to the authorities to silence your voice. Keep speaking the truth in love.
So they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you are right in what you say and teach, and that you don’t favor any individual, but teach the way of God truthfully.
Many will come to butter you up. They will claim to “believe” this or that of what you say, but the real thrust is to destroy you. Don’t let their flattery deceive you. Don’t ever teach for money, praise or friendship. We teach for Jesus and His approval.
Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
That is what it all comes down too, God or man. The churches claim they are serving God, but in reality, they are just serving “Caesar”. They are not interested in paying God the “taxes” He is due.
But he discerned their craftiness and responded to them, “Show me a denarius. Whose face and name does it have?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. So he told them, “Then give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
We must live so close to Jesus we will be able to discern their craftiness. The Spirit of God will move upon us in order to alert us as we live in oneness with Jesus.
We who live in this world must show all due respect to all authority. We must give to all what they are owed. But we must also give to God what He requires of us: perfection, sinlessness and obedience to His Ten Commandments. If worldly authority conflicts with God’s authority then we always do what God commands and must be willing to suffer the consequences. That is following Jesus. But keep in mind, nowhere in all the Bible are we commanded to go to church. So if the authorities close our churches, rejoice and go to Jesus.
So they couldn’t catch him before the people in what he said. Amazed at his answer, they became silent.
If you live for Jesus, living as He commands, the world will not be able to catch you either. Forget what your church teaches, and teach only the teachings of Jesus. Then the world will be amazed at your teachings.
Now some Sadducees, who claim there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and asked him, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no child, the man should marry the widow and have children for his brother.
Please keep in mind, what the Sadducees were quibbling over had nothing to do with eternal life. It was what “Moses wrote for us”. Keep that in mind at all times. There is a difference between what God wrote and commanded for eternal life and what was commanded only for the Israelites as a nation. People mix the two, but they are not the same. One was for the nation, the other (the Ten Commandments) was for eternal life and all humanity.
The nation of Israel was yet small at the time Moses wrote this. Each tribe was to inherit a portion of the Promised Land. Each clan within each tribe was to have its own portion. God wanted the nation to multiply. That is why the codes were set up in such a way as to keep the nation growing. It had nothing to do with eternal life.
Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died childless. Then the second and the third married her. In the same way, all seven died and left no children. Finally, the woman died, too. Now in the resurrection, whose wife will the woman be, since the seven had married her?”
You see, they were making it a salvation issue: getting to heaven: “Whose wife will the woman be?” Like our churches today, they skim right over that which is for eternal life and end up quibbling over that which has nothing to do with eternal life.
Jesus told them, “Those who belong to this age marry and are married, but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage.
Since they brought up an issue that had nothing to do with eternal life, Jesus didn’t answer them with an eternal-life answer. In “this age” we marry and are married. In “that age”, the age of the resurrection, a one thousand year age, none will “marry nor are given in marriage”. However, in the age of the “New Earth”, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. . . They shall not . . . bear children for calamity, for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the LORD, and their descendants with them. . . For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make shall remain before Me, says the LORD, so shall your offspring and your name remain. From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before Me, declares the LORD.” Isaiah 65:17, 23; 66:22, 23.
Jesus will create a new earth as it was when He created it before sin. Two ordinances were established before sin: marriage and the Sabbath. Both will continue after sin in the earth made new. When God created marriage and the Sabbath, He pronounced them “good”. They were both necessary for the good of man. That has not, nor will it ever, change. Right now, in this world of sin, the devil is trying very hard to destroy both. Which side are you on?
Nor can they die anymore, because they are like the angels and, since they share in the resurrection, are God’s children.
That is a true statement. After the resurrection of the righteous we will not be able to die anymore since we will be like the angels who do not die. Death in the new earth will never again be experienced. Why? Because we have purged sin from our lives and loath it. Never again will anyone want to sin. We will once again be like Adam and Eve before sin, God’s children.
Even Moses demonstrated in the story about the bush that the dead are raised, when he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, because he considers all people to be alive to him.”
The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection. That was the crux of this whole discourse. However, Jesus showed that God is the God of the living and all are “alive to Him”. As Jesus stated, “Whoever lives and believes in Me will never die.” John 11:26. We may “sleep”, but we will never die. The death Jesus is talking about is the eternal death. In God’s eyes we are all alive in Him.
Then some of the scribes replied, “Teacher, you have given a fine answer.” Then they no longer dared to ask him another question.
Jesus was sad. He wanted them to ask more questions. Yet, He only wanted them to ask salvation questions, not idiotic, argumentative questions. Church people run around trying to prove how smart they are by entering into argumentative debates that have nothing to do with eternal life. Jesus wants us to teach “everything I have commanded you”. Matthew 28:20.
Then he asked them, “How can people say that the Messiah is David’s son?
This was a salvation question. They had to know who the Messiah was.
Because David himself in the book of Psalms says, ‘The Lord told my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”‘ So David calls him ‘Lord.’ Then how can he be his son?”
The Messiah was to come from David’s line. David recognized that and called his Messiah-descendant, “Lord”. He was standing before them. They did not want to recognize Him.
While all the people were listening, he told his disciples, “Beware of the scribes! They like to walk around in long robes and love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and say long prayers to cover it up. They will receive greater condemnation!”
Yes they will. Look at your preachers, churches, denominations and the religions of the world. In some way or other they are all trying to be “recognized” and “greeted” as better than others. Jesus walked around in such a manner that the only way they could recognize Him as the Messiah, their Savior, was by His character and the good deeds He did. Be very aware of preachers, teachers, churches, denominations and religions who are putting on a show.