Meeting With Christ

In the days of Jeremiah, the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem was God's punishment of the Hebrew nation for turning away from Him. In Matthew 24, Jesus declared that the temple will be destroyed again, for the same reason. This prompted the disciples to ask about the signs of His second coming. Let's read this passage. Matthew 24.1-4. Matthew 24.1. Then Jesus went out and departed from the t...

Matthew 24 contains a conversation between Jesus and His disciples about the future. Jesus said that one day, the temple will be destroyed. Startled, the disciples asked this question: Tell us, when will these things be (the destruction of the temple) , and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" (v. 3 ). In the disciples' mind, these three events (the destruction of the...

The Lord Jesus taught that at the end of the age, many false prophets will appear and they will try to deceive people. They will be able to perform miracles so as to convince people that their claims are true. They will be so convincing that they might even fool God's chosen ones. Let's read this passage. Matthew 24.24. Matthew 24.24. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great...

While His first coming was quiet, humble and obscure, the Lord Jesus tells us that His second coming will be dramatic, cosmic, and very obvious. The first advent was in the little town of Bethlehem. The second advent will happen in all the skies. He says in Matthew 24.27, For just as the lightning comes from the east, and flashes even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be . And the...

The most significant event yet to occur in human history is the return of Christ to earth. This will be preceded by signs 'in the sun and moon and stars,' signs that will happen in the heavenly places. Jesus taught these signs to enable His followers to be prepared and strengthened when they take place. This is what we read in Luke 21.25-27. Luke 21.25. And there will be signs in sun and moon and...

In our previous lesson, we saw that Christ’s return will trigger astronomical happenings worldwide and universally. We read in Luke 21.25-26 that there will be signs in sun and moon and stars … and that the powers of the heavens will be shaken . In the parallel passage, in Matthew 24, we are told that the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heav...

In the last few lessons, we have been talking about the signs that will be seen at the Second Coming of Christ. These signs will cause terror in the world but will bring joy to those who are anticipating His return. And it is in that context that Jesus declared that the believers' redemption is about to take place. Let's read this passage. Luke 21.25-28. Luke 21.25. "And there will be signs in sun...

In our previous lesson, we studied Luke 21.28 and the meaning of redemption. Jesus said, But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near . We saw that there is an aspect of redemption that is future. We have been redeemed, yes, but we have not been fully redeemed. That is why Jesus said that our redemption is drawing near. Te...

The Lord Jesus said that one day He will come back. And He also described how He will come back. It is going to be a sudden and unexpected return. Let’s read His teaching in Mark 13.33-37. Mark 13.33. Take heed,  watch ; for you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the door...

The Lord Jesus taught that His second coming will be sudden and unexpected. But although it will be sudden and unexpected, there will be signs pointing to His coming. All sorts of events will take place leading up to His coming. We saw what these events will be in previous lessons. Then Jesus goes on to say this puzzling sentence in Matthew 24.34. Matthew 24.34. Truly I say to you, this generation...

The theme of separating the good from the bad is a frequent theme of the parables. Remember the Parable of the Tares where there is mention of the ‘good’ wheat and the ‘bad’ tares. In the Parable of the Dragnet, Jesus spoke about sorting out the ‘good’ fish from the ‘bad’ fish. Today we are going to talk about ‘good girls’ and ‘bad girls,’ or more exactly about ‘wise virgins’ and ‘foolish virgins’...

The topics of judgment, reward and punishment are rather unpopular in Christian circles, and not often preached from the pulpit. But they are important in Jesus’ teaching. In the Parable of the Talents, Jesus taught that while He is away, the believer must do the work of the kingdom faithfully and diligently, knowing that at the return of his Lord, his work will be greatly rewarded or severely jud...

In the last two lessons, we studied the Parable of the Talents and the Parable of Ten Virgins. These two parables are found in Matthew 25, from v. 1 to v. 30, and they share the common theme of the Second Coming of Christ. At the end of Matthew 24, we find another parable which is also concerned with the Second Coming of Christ. It is the Parable of the Faithful and Unfaithful Servants in Matthew...

In the NT, the theme of separation is often linked with the topic of judgment. In the language of the Bible, separation means judgment. Look at these examples. In Matthew 3.12, the wheat is separated from the chaff. John the Baptist says that the wheat is gathered into the barn while the chaff is burned up with unquenchable fire, a reference to the last judgment. Similarly, in Matthew 13.30, the t...

This is the second lesson on the teaching of Jesus concerning the separation of the sheep and goats in Matthew 25.31-46. In the first lesson, we discussed mostly the meaning of the goats. What do the goats represent in Matthew 25? We saw that the goats, just like the sheep, represent Christians. Today we will concentrate on the topic of separation, which in biblical language means judgment. What d...

In discussing the existence of God with non-believers, there are typical questions that can be expected. ‘Prove to me that God exists. Where is God now? Show me that He is real. How can I believe in someone that I don’t see?’ These are certainly fair questions but as we know, they are not necessarily easy to answer. It is not like showing a building to a person. We can understand a nonbeliever whe...

This lesson is the second part of a study on the words of Jesus in John 14.21 where the Lord said, I will manifest myself . We saw the last time that when Jesus said, I will manifest myself , He was referring to His resurrection. I will manifest myself means ‘You will see me in my resurrected body, three days after my death.’ We also saw that the resurrection is the central point of Jesus’ teachin...

When a person makes the decision to follow Jesus in baptism, something totally new happens at the spiritual level. He becomes united with Christ. This spiritual and somewhat mystical union brings that person into the realities of the spiritual world. And part of the spiritual realities that a disciple will have to face is the destructive power of Satan, the devil’s desire to destroy whoever he can...

This is the second lesson on Luke 22.31-34 where Jesus reveals that Peter is the object of satanic attack and He has been praying for him. Let’s read the story. Luke 22.31. “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren.” 33 And he said to him,...

We are approaching the end of our study on the words of Christ and I realize that we never really talked about the biblical concept of the flesh. The Bible teaches that within the immaterial part of man, we find the soul, the spirit, the heart, the conscience, the mind, the will, and … the flesh. The flesh, sarx in Greek, is a complex word, with multiple facets. In this lesson, we will study it fr...

When someone important to us departs, we pay special attention to the last things he or she said. These words become very precious because we know that we will not see that person anymore. Here are the last words of Jesus to his disciples in the gospel of Matthew. Matthew 28.18-20. Matthew 28.18. And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go the...

Today, I would like to begin a series of lessons on the meaning of baptism. I am often distressed to see that there are Christians who have been baptized without really knowing what it is that they were doing. And some of these people thought that this was some way of joining a club, a sort of ceremonial rite into a club. Text format available. Read and download this episode in text format on our...

We will continue today our study of the meaning of baptism. We saw the last time that baptism is a sacrament of union. Baptism is the symbol of the union that takes place between the believer and Christ. In our lesson today, I will show you another aspect of baptism. And it is that baptism is a pledge to God. It is a commitment to follow God. Text format available. Read and download this episode i...

In our last lesson, we saw that baptism is a pledge, a pledge to God by which you make Him King of your life. You are saying to God, that by His grace, you are going to remain faithful to Him, faithful unto death. This is the exhortation that we find in Revelation 2.10 where Jesus says, …be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life. Text format available. Read and download this epi...

Today, I would like us to look at another aspect of the meaning of baptism. We have seen in this series on baptism that baptism is a union, union with the Lord Jesus. In this union with Christ, we identify ourselves to Him in His death on the cross. But it doesn’t stop there. This union applies also to His resurrection. Colossians 2.12 says,  and you were buried with Him in baptism,  in which you...