Chapter 83

JESUS’ LAST ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM

Matthew 21:1-11

 

As it is our custom, before we begin this study let us pray.

         

          Dear Heavenly Father,

                    We come before You in the name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Holy Father please move upon us so we can truly see and understand how all we are about to review applies to us and today’s Christian communities.

 

Amen

 

BACKGROUND

          Before read about Jesus’ last entry into Jerusalem, it would be helpful to set the stage of His entry by reading the following key historical milestones.

 

516 BC – After their return to Jerusalem from their Babylonian captivity, the Israelites rebuilt the Temple. However, it was smaller than King Solomon’s.

445 BC – The wall surrounding Jerusalem was finally rebuilt.

63 BC- Roman commander, Pompey, conquered Jerusalem and desecrated the Temple.

20-18 BC – King Herod refurbished and expanded the Temple.

 

          In other words when Jesus entered Jerusalem: (1) Jerusalem was under the rule and authority of the Roman government and (2) The Temple at that time was the one King Herod modified.

 

INTRODUCTION

          With this background, we begin our study by reading the following account of Jesus’ last visit to Jerusalem. To do this we go to,

 

Matthew 21:1-11

[1] Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, [2] saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. [3] And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” [4] All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

 

 

[5] “Tell the daughter of Zion,

    ‘Behold, your King is coming to you,

    Lowly, and sitting on a donkey,

    A colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

 

[6] So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. [7] They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. [8] And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. [9] Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

    

   “Hosanna to the Son of David!

    ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’

    Hosanna in the highest!”

[10] And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?” [11] So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”

 

          To understand the significance of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and how it applies to us and today’s Christian communities, we will,

 

1. Explore the symbolism and significance of the actions that took place while Jesus was entering into Jerusalem.

 

2. Address the question as to whether or not the people understood what was really going on.

 

3. Review the application for today.

 

With the above in mind we begin by exploring,

 

THE SYMBOLISM AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ACTIONS THAT TOOK PLACE DURING JESUS’ LAST ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM

          It is important to note that Jesus was going into Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread. To see this let us read from,

 

Luke 22:7-8

[7] Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. [8] And He sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat.”

 

          It is noted that the Feast of Passover marked the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. One might ask as to; “Why did Jesus go to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover?” The answer to this question is twofold.

 

          First of all, the Ceremonial Law required that the men of Israel were to go to Jerusalem to celebrate three major feasts. One of them was the Feast of Unleavened Bread. To see this let us read the following,

 

Deuteronomy 16:16

[16] Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed.

 

          As we just read in the passage from the Gospel according to Luke, the Feast of Passover was also the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Thus, by going to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Passover, Jesus was fulfilling what He said earlier. Specifically, He did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it. To refresh our memory, we go to,

 

Matthew 5:17

[17] “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” 

 

          The second important reason Jesus was going into Jerusalem was that this was the appointed time for Him to become the Passover Lamb of God. Specifically, Jesus was going to be slain, via crucifixion on a cross, to deliver us from the spiritual power of the evil one and save us from the penalty and bondage of our sins. In other words, for the salvation of both Jew and Gentile alike, Jesus was going into Jerusalem as the True Passover Lamb of God.

 

          Since this topic is addressed in a fair amount of detail in previous studies, we will limit our reading to what Jesus told his disciples of what was going to happen to Him. To do this let us read from,

 

Luke 18:31-33

[31] Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. [32] For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. [33] They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.”

 

Let us now read what transpired during,

 

JESUS’ LAST ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM

To do this we begin by reading from,

 

Matthew 21:1-7

[1] Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, [2] saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. [3] And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” [4] All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

 

[5] “Tell the daughter of Zion,

    ‘Behold, your King is coming to you,

    Lowly, and sitting on a donkey,

    A colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

 

[6] So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. [7] They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. 

 

Let us notice the following verses,

          2 … Jesus told His disciples to bring Him a donkey and a colt/foal.

 

          4-5 … This was done to fulfill the prophecy spoken through the prophet Zechariah. It is noted that according to the: “Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament”1 authored by John H. Walton, this prophecy was given by the prophet Zechariah at approximately 520-485 BC.

 

          It is extremely interesting to note that Jesus did not ride upon the older donkey but upon the colt or foal of a donkey. This is not only revealed to us in the above prophecy but it is also clearly recorded in,

 

John 12:15

[15] “Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey’s colt.”

 

          Thus, the picture we have of Jesus’ last entry into Jerusalem is a mature donkey with no one riding on it and Jesus riding upon,

 

The foal or colt of a donkey

          The question arises as to; “Why the true King of Israel would ride upon a lowly foal of a donkey and not the traditional large white stallion?” The answer is that Jesus was sent to Israel as an Old Testament judge.

 

          To see this, we must understand that, during the Old Testament days, the judge’s role/task was different than in today’s society. To see this we go to,

 

Judges 2:16-19

[16] … Nevertheless, the Lord raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them. [17] Yet they would not listen to their judges, but they played the harlot with other gods, and bowed down to them. They turned quickly from the way in which their fathers walked, in obeying the commandments of the Lord; they did not do so.  [18] And when the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed them and harassed them.

 

          In other words, the Old Testament judges were men sent by God to deliver, via physical war, the Israelites from the nations that were physically oppressing them.

 

          In addition, According to Matthew Henery2 there was a custom in Israel for judges to ride upon a white donkey and their son(s) upon donkeys.

 

          To see that the judges rode upon white donkeys, let us read an excerpt from Deborah’s and Barak’s victory song about the defeat of Jabin, the king of Canaan. The passage of interest is in,

 

Judges 5:10

[10] Speak, you who ride on white donkeys, Who sit in judges’ attire, And who walk along the road.

 

The custom for the judge’s sons to ride on donkeys, is revealed in,

 

Judges 12:13-14

[13] After him, Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel. [14] He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy young donkeys. He judged Israel eight years.

 

          As a matter of fact, we also find that King David’s sons also rode on mules/donkeys. To see this let us read an excerpt from when David’s sons were fleeing from Absalom. The passage of interest is,

 

2 Samuel 13:29

[29] So the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king’s sons arose, and each one got on his mule and fled.

          Thus, by riding upon the colt/foal of a donkey, Jesus was entering Jerusalem as the Son of God the Father. The donkey without a rider illustrated that God the Father sent Jesus, to deliver them from the spiritual power of the evil one.  To see this let us read from,

 

John 3:16-17

[16] For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. [17] For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

 

Let us now read from,

 

John 12:27-33

[27] “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. [28] Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” [29] Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.” [30] Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. [31] Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. [32] And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” 

 

          Verses 30-31 appears to be in contradiction with other Scriptures that records the fact that Jesus said He came to save the world not judge it.

 

          To reconcile this potential discrepancy let us read and prayerfully consider what Jesus said to those who refused to believe and accept Him for who He was and what He said. To do this let us read from,

 

John 12:44-50

[44] … Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. [45] And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. [46] I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. [47] And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. [48] He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. [49] For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. [50] And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”

 

Let us notice the following verses,

          46-49 … Jesus said He came to save us. However, if we reject Him and do not listen to and obey what He said, then, it would not be Him who judges us. Instead, the very Words that God the Father sent Him to speak is what will stand up as a testimony against us.

 

          50 … The Words God the Father sent Jesus Christ to speak then and now to us, through the Bible, reveals on how to receive eternal life with Him.

 

          Consequently, if a person does not accept or receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, who is the only Person who can save them (Acts 4:12), and truly does not desire to do what He says, have basically judged themselves not to be worthy of eternal life. To see this, let us read what Paul said to those in Antioch who rejected the good news of Jesus Christ. To do this we go to,

 

Acts 13:44-46

[44] On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God. [45] But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul. [46] Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.” 

 

To continue to explore Jesus’ last entry into Jerusalem, we go to,

 

Matthew 21:6-9

[6] So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. [7] They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. [8] And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. [9] Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

    

“Hosanna to the Son of David!

‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’

Hosanna in the highest!”

          Let us now explore the following three things the multitude did or say as Jesus approached Jerusalem: (1) They spread their garments on the road, (2) They spread branches on the road and (3) They cried out Hosanna.

We begin with,

 

The spreading of their garments on the road

          The question to be addressed is; “Why did the people spread their garments on the road for Jesus and the donkeys to walk upon?” A clue to the answer for this question is what they said as Jesus drew near to the descent of the Mount of Olives. To read what they said we go to,

 

Luke 19:36-38

[36] And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road. [37] Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen,  [38] saying:  

        

‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!

    Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

 

Let us notice the following verse,

                    38a … They addressed Him as the King.

 

          In the Old Testament we find that when the children of Israel demonstrated their allegiance to the newly anointed king, Jehu, they spread their garments under him. To see this we begin by reading from,

 

2 Kings 9:1-3

[1] And Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, and said to him, “Get yourself ready, take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth Gilead. [2] Now when you arrive at that place, look there for Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, and go in and make him rise up from among his associates, and take him to an inner room. [3] Then take the flask of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord: “I have anointed you king over Israel.”’ Then open the door and flee, and do not delay.”

 

          Let us now read what the Israelites did after they found out that Jehu was anointed to be their king. To do this we go to,

 

2 Kings 9:11-13

[11] Then Jehu came out to the servants of his master, and one said to him, “Is all well? Why did this madman come to you?” And he said to them, “You know the man and his babble.” [12] And they said, “A lie! Tell us now.” So he said, “Thus and thus he spoke to me, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: “I have anointed you king over Israel.”’” [13] Then each man hastened to take his garment and put it under him on the top of the steps; and they blew trumpets, saying, “Jehu is king!”

 

          Thus, in like manner, by spreading their garments on the road for Jesus to ride over, the people were symbolically acknowledging His authority and pledging their allegiance and subjection to Him as their king.

 

The second thing the people did was the,

 

Spreading of tree branches on the road

          To address the question as to why the people did this, we must remember that the people were in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As we covered in previous studies Passover, was to be celebrated in remembrance of the time when God sent the destroyer to slay the first born of the Egyptians and instructed the destroyer to Passover over the household of the Israelites. God did this to convince Pharaoh to release the Israelites from their physical bondage or subjection to him and the Egyptian Empire (Deuteronomy 16:1-6).

 

          As noted earlier, the Feast of Passover was the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Thus, after the Egyptians discovered that all their first born had died, the Israelites had to leave Egypt in haste. Consequently, they did not have time to leaven the flour for their bread. Thus, these two feasts were to be celebrated in remembrance of: (1) The first day when they left Egypt and (2) that during the initial stages of their exodus they ate bread made from the unleavened flour (Exodus 12:15-20 and Exodus 12:29-39).

 

          After their deliverance, the children of Israel travelled through the wilderness to enter into the promised land of Canaan. It was in Canaan they would have prosperity and freedom to worship their God (Leviticus 23:33-43). As a side note, this was the land, renamed Israel, where they were now living.

 

          To further help the Israelites to remember their exodus from their Egyptian bondage, the third mandatory feast was the celebration of Feast of Tabernacles. During this feast palm branches, willows, etc. were taken to make booths and/or tabernacles. To read why they were to do this, we go to,

 

Leviticus 23:40-44

[40] And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. [41] You shall keep it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month. [42] You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, [43] that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.’”

 

          Since the Jewish people were in Jerusalem to celebrate their release or deliverance from their bondage to Pharaoh and the Egyptian Empire, all the above history had to be fresh in their minds.

 

          Now being under the bondage or subjection to Caesar and the Roman Empire the people were witnessing Jesus (who they proclaimed to be their King) dramatically approaching their main city of Jerusalem where the Temple of God was built. Thus, it would seem reasonable that the multitude, seeing their King assumed their deliverance and freedom from the Roman Empire was at hand.

 

          Hence, by spreading the branches of trees on the road, the people were symbolically demonstrating and rejoicing that their freedom was at hand and were prepared for the journey Jesus would take them on.

 

This brings us to the third thing the multitude did, which was

 

The crying out of Hosanna

          According to W. E. Vine’s “Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words”, in the Hebrew, Hosanna means “save, we pray.” The word seems to have become an utterance of praise rather than of prayer, though originally, probably, a cry for help. The people’s cry at the Lord’s triumphal entry entry into Jerusalem was taken from Psalm 118, which was recited at the Feast of Tabernacles in response with the priest, accompanied by the waving of palm and willow branches. The last day of the feast was called “the great Hosanna.”

 

          The portion of Psalm 118 that is of special significance for this setting is,

 

Psalm 118:24-26

 [24] This is the day the Lord has made;

    We will rejoice and be glad in it.

[25] Save now, I pray, O Lord;

    O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity.

[26] Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

      We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.

 

Before we move on let us read the following,

 

 

SUMMARY

          1. The older donkey, without a rider represented God the Father.

 

          2. By riding on the colt or foal of a donkey, King Jesus was symbolically showing that He, the Son of God, was sent to usher in God the Father’s judgment upon the evil one and save His people from the penalty and bondage from their sins.

 

          3. By spreading their garments on the road for Jesus to ride upon, the people were symbolically subjecting themselves to Jesus’ authority as their King.

 

          4. By spreading the tree branches on the road, the people were symbolically showing Jesus they believed their deliverance from Caesar and the Roman Empire was at hand and were ready for their journey to freedom.

 

          5. Hosanna was the cry and praise for salvation.

 

          As one reflects upon all of the above events and symbolism within the context of the New Testament, one comes to the realization this was all a foreshadowing and prelude to the real salvation that Jesus had come to perform. Specifically, Jesus did not come to save the Jews or us from the physical domination by kings, dictators or governments. No! King Jesus came to save us from the dominion of Satan and from the penalty and power of our sins. To see, this we will first read the following excerpts of Paul’s letter to the Colossians from; “The Amplified Bible”.

 

Colossians 1:13-14

[The Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, [14] In Whom we have redemption through His blood, [which means] the forgiveness of our sins.

 

Using the “New Kings James” translation, let us now read from,

 

Romans 6:14

[14] For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

 

This is why many Bible scholars identify Jesus’ last entry into Jerusalem as; “The Triumphal Entry.”

 

We now come to that portion of our study that addresses the question:

“DID THE MULTITUDE AND JEWISH COMMUNITY REALLY KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON?”

          In other words; “Did the people truly comprehend the significance of all what occurred during Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem?” “Did they really know what Jesus was about to do for them and us?” The answer to these questions is that the majority of them did not.

 

          First of all, even though the multitude called Jesus the King and threw their garments upon the road they quickly rejected their profession and allegiance to Him. This is revealed to us by what they said to those who were in Jerusalem. To reread this conversation, we go to,

 

Matthew 21:10-11

[10] And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?” [11] So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”

 

Thus, they only admitted Jesus was a prophet from Nazareth.

 

          This raises the question as to; “Why did the multitude so quickly deny who Jesus really was and only confessed Him to be a prophet?” To answer this question let us read what the Bible has to say in,

 

John 12:42-23

[42] Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; [43] for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

 

          Secondly, it is noted that as Jesus drew near to Jerusalem He wept over the city and lamented about was going to happen. Specifically, Jesus knew the majority of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, which included many of the priests, elders, Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes, etc, were going to reject Him. Jesus also knew that the consequence of this was that Jerusalem was going to be destroyed. In other words, the majority of the people did not recognize this was the time of their visitation. To read what Jesus said let us go to,

 

Luke 19:41-44

[41] Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, [42] saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. [43] For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, [44] and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

 

This now brings us to the last portion of this study. Specifically,

 

THE APPLICATION FOR US … TODAY

The following question must be asked; “Did you recognize your time of visitation?”

         

If your answer is yes, then this first message is for you the,

 

TRUE BORN-AGAIN BELIEVER IN JESUS CHRIST

          There is great and wonderful news for you. First of all, your sins are forgiven and you have been delivered from the power of darkness and have been transferred into the Kingdom of God. To read about this glorious gift let us go to,

 

Ephesians 2:1-9

[1] And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, [2] in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, [3] among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. [4] But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, [5] even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), [6] and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, [7] that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. [8] For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, [9] not of works, lest anyone should boast.

 

          Secondly, because you have received God’s Grace and Mercy you now have eternal life with your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In addition, you are now destined to spend all of eternity with Him in the New Heaven and New Earth.

         

          This will occur at the time of the great judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). To read what it will be like, let us read the following excerpt from the vision Jesus Christ gave to the Apostle John. The excerpt of interest for this study is recorded in,

 

Revelation 21:1-7

[1] Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. [2] Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. [3] And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. [4] And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” [5] Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” [6] And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. [7] He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 

 

          This second message is for those who have not received or accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Specifically, it is for those,

 

WHO ARE NOT YET BELIEVER’S IN JESUS CHRIST

          Unfortunately, in your present state of unbelief your current destination is not as described above. To read what your current destination is, let us continue our reading from the book of Revelation and read the following passage:

 

Revelation 21:8

[8] But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

 

-BUT-

 

There is good news. There is still time. To see this let us read from,

 

Hebrews 4:7

[7] again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said:

 

Today, if you will hear His voice,

Do not harden your hearts.”

 

          Thus, please do not do not commit the same error as Israel did when the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ came to visit them. As we saw earlier, Jesus did not come to save us from physical hardships, enslavement or persecution from human agencies such as kings, dictators or earthly governments. No! As we read above, Jesus came to save us from a much greater and destructive enslavement. Specifically, He came to save us from the dominion by the spiritual powers of darkness and sin that keep us from receiving God’s Grace and Mercy. In other words, Jesus came to give us eternal life with Him. He did this so we can spend all of eternity in the New Heaven and Earth.

 

          So, today, if you hear His voice and recognize your visitation by the King of kings and Lord of lords please, with all your heart, soul and mind confess your sins and call upon Him to save you. If you do this, He promises that He will hear your cry and bring you into His glorious Kingdom. To see this let us read from,

 

Romans 10:11-13

[11] For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” [12] For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. [13] For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

 

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