The Sign of the Times

As I look around me I see a time of great distress in this nation. It raises the question of what is happening? When will Jesus return? In Matthew 24:3 the disciples asked that very question: "Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, 'Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?'"

Note how Jesus replied in verses 4-8: "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." An apt description of today's world is it not? But note that Jesus said, "the end is not yet" (v. 6b).

Jesus continued: "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come" (vs. 9-14).

"Then the end will come" (v. 14b). Pay attention to what is happening around you. The coronavirus pandemic, the violence in the streets, the mob violence in our major cities and their assault on our nation. All these things make our upcoming election extremely critical. It is a fight for the soul of this nation. As I have often said, we are just one election away from the loss of our freedoms and the complete dismantling of the greatest nation on earth.

If the extreme left socialists win this election and gain control, look out and look up! Why? Because this nation will undergo a fundamental change. Nothing will be the same. And the first assault will likely be directed at the church. How do I know this? Because they have already taken aim, demanding that the church stop singing! The left is already trying to control the church and shut it down. If they can do that, they will have overcome a major obstacle. Chaos and anarchy will flood the streets. "Lawlessness will abound" (v. 12a).

When you see these things happening, look up and know that God is near! Amen.

Jesus Rose from the Dead to Give Us Life

Isaiah 53:10 says, "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand." Though He was down, He was not defeated. His ministry did not end with His death. Death gave way to victory. He rose from the dead and is seated at the right hand of the Father where He intercedes for us with the Father.

Even in death He was victorious. He defeated death to give us new life. "For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over Him" (Rom. 6:9, NIV). The Suffering Servant was the Lamb of God. He took away our sin and to "see His seed" and to "prolong His days," He rose up from the grave.

"He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities" (Isaiah 53:11). He is coming again! Verses 10-11 say so. "He shall see His seed" (v. 10) literally means to "gaze at," emphasizing being present with them. "He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied" (v. 11a) is the idea of being filled, content, even "enriched" in our presence.

The Servant bore sin to justify the many (v. 11b). He brought salvation and He will take us unto Himself when He returns. "Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong" (v. 12a). This refers to victory, dividing the spoil, and ruling. He will return to rule the nations. We will join Him in victory and rule with Him.

"Because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors" (v. 12b). Jesus came with a purpose—to die for our sin. Crucified with criminals (Luke 22:37), He "was numbered with the transgressors." But He fulfilled His purpose. He bore our sin. He provided for our forgiveness. He gave us new life.

Now He is making "intercession for the transgressors" (v. 12b). He is praying for the very people who had transgressed against God—that is you and me! "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34). What began on the cross, continues in heaven. Jesus is praying for you right now.

Take a good look. Jesus died for you and He is praying for you. By faith, receive Him and follow Him. Amen.

Jesus Suffered for Our Sin

Isaiah 53:4-6 says, "Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." Over and over again you see it in the New Testament—the doctrine of the atonement.

These verses clearly describe the atonement as substitutionary. They zero in especially on the suffering of Christ. Both on the way to the cross and at the cross, Christ was smitten, causing great suffering. The story as it unfolds in the gospels concerning the substitutionary death of Christ on the cross is one of the most intense passages in the Bible. Christ was our substitute in that He received the judgment for our sin that we deserved to receive.

Note how this unfolds here in these verses: "He has borne our griefs" (v. 4a); He "carried our sorrows" (v. 4b); He was "stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted" (v. 4c); "He was wounded for our transgressions" (v. 5a); "He was bruised for our iniquities" (v. 5b); He was chastised "for our peace" (v. 5c); "by His stripes" our healing was made possible (v. 5d); "the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (v. 6c).

"Like sheep" who wander away from the fold, we have all "gone astray" (v. 6a) and we have all "turned… to his own way" (v. 6b). Still, Jesus suffered greatly out of a pure love for you. He paid the price for you that you deserved to pay. And He did it so you could live in fellowship with the Father.

"He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth" (v. 7). He suffered and died without protest. That is pure love.

"He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken" (v. 8). He took your sin upon Himself willingly. "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21). "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us" (Gal. 3:13). "Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous" (1 Peter 3:18, NIV).

"And they made His grave with the wicked—but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth" (Isaiah 53:9). Literally fulfilled! Jesus died with the wicked, crucified between two criminals (Luke 23:32), and He was buried in a rich man's tomb (Matt. 27:57-60). Yet the truth is, it was all for you. Jesus died for you—for your salvation. Trust Him by faith. Amen.