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LUKE CHAPTERS 17 & 18 KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel See previous page Lk 17-1,2 (28h) Gift of God >> God is our advocate >> God protects His people – “Stumbling” suggests falling into sin. God is very protective of His people. Although He allows martyrdom and persecution, yet the conspirators against the saints will eventually get theirs. His people are resilient enough to take whatever comes their way, for God is with them, and He uses hardship to test and refine them, so in the resurrection of the righteous they might shine ever brighter like their Father in heaven. When Judgment Day comes, those who caused His little ones to stumble will be made accountable, and it will be the day they wished they were never born. (49e) Judgment >> Enemies of God’s church are destroyed (51a) Judgment >> World & church >> Warning of wrath >> Consequences of sin -- These verses go with verses 26-37 (200l) Denying Christ >> Whoever is not with Jesus is against him >> He is against Christ who does not receive Him >> Whoever does not receive the Church is against Christ – The world likes to push us around, and they are getting away with it for now, but a day is coming when God will judge the secrets of men and call them to account for everything they have done. Don’t mess with the apple of God’s eye, yet there are those who think they can poke God in the eye and get by with it. They are wrong! (242j) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Persecuting the kingdom >> Worldly pressure >> World pressures you to forsake your neighbor – There are those who think they are smarter than God, yet they are jealous of those who have faith in Jesus. Instead of developing a faith of their own, they persecute the children of God. Jealousy is the most common motive behind persecution; it says that if they can’t have faith in God, then we shouldn’t have an easy life. The fact is they could have faith if they sought God for it with all their hearts, yet their hearts are in no condition to believe in God for anything. Their hearts have been hardened against the truth. They are slaves of this world and to the ruler of the world, and when they see someone who is liberated from the spiritual forces of this darkness, it enrages them. They develop the attitude that if the children of God will not partake of this world, then they shouldn’t be here. Lk 17-3,4 (83m) Thy kingdom come >> Be on the alert >> Remain on duty >> Be on guard – Jesus said “be on your guard;” He said it to the person who sins, but He is also saying it to the person who forgives. God will judge the one who sins, and the one who forgives protects himself from bitterness, which is destructive as jealousy and unbelief. If it doesn’t kill us physically, it will kill us spiritually. Faith, Spiritual wisdom and understanding will dry up and blow away with unforgiveness, shutting the doors of heaven until we learn to forgive. They will pine for God and discover Him completely unattainable; He is hiding behind their bitterness. All they have to do is forgive their brother, and their spiritual wisdom and understanding will return to them to detect His presence again, and they will have learned to be on guard against bitterness. (120d) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Forgiveness >> Forgiving your brother >> As God has forgiven you – If we forgive our brother seven times a day for the same offence, it will give us confidence that God has forgiven us when we come to Him seven times a day and repent of our own offences. If our brother says, “I repent” but doesn’t actually repent, even so, forgive him as though he did. If we don’t forgive the person who asks for mercy, we will share in his sin, mirrored in the bitterness of our own hearts. What about the person who does not ask for forgiveness, are we obligated to forgive him too? Yes, for our own sake we should. Forgiveness is different from forgetting; God never said we had to forget. Besides, how could we forget when he comes to us seven times a day with sin? Being targets for abuse in no way incorporates the teachings of Christ. There is an element of trust that cannot exist in a relationship where sin is not resolved. Our forgiveness will make us innocent of our brother’s sin, and it will assist him to repent, for God is able to reach him through our forgiveness. (138c) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Reproof >> Reprove your brother for sinning (156f) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Evidence of salvation >> You will know them by their repentance (178f) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Hypocrisy >> Hypocrisy of the Church is rebuked >> The Church is rebuked for sin (193a) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Turn from sin to God >> Repent >> Stop practicing sin >> Be zealous and repent Lk 17,5-10 (30d) Gift of God >> Prepare to receive from God >> God supplies our needs under certain conditions (69a) Authority >> Discernment >> Judging truth and error >> Correcting false reasoning Lk 17-5,6 (46ab) Judgment >> Spiritual warfare >> Subjecting your flesh >> Violent take it by force >> Fight the good fight of faith – Whenever Jesus talks about a mustard seed, He is talking about the potential of our faith to grow. The mustard seed is the smallest seed, yet produces the biggest plant in the garden, so when Jesus says it has the power to uproot other trees and cast them into the sea, He’s referring to the plant and not the seed (see: Lk 13-19). The person with the faith of a mustard seed is a babe in Christ who has potential to spiritually grow into a plant. This is about a tree displacing other trees, a form of spiritual warfare, battling for sunlight. (107a) Word Creates Faith (Key verse) (107b) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Hearing from God >> Word creates faith >> Jesus’ words create faith -- These verses go with verses 11-17 KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Lk 17,7-10 (5d) Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause >> Disciples are servants – This is one of many instances where the Bible condones slavery. Actually, slavery is a very positive and profitable arrangement for both master and servant in cases when people can’t provide for themselves. For example, there are people living on the streets because slavery has been abolished. A slave master could very easily turn slavery negative by mistreating his help, but people do that every day in our capitalistic society and think nothing of it. In fact, capitalism is a type of slavery that makes the poor work for the rich, paying them wages that can afford them nothing more than room and board, what they would have had, had they been slaves. How then have we improved man’s lot by abolishing slavery? The arrangement of indentured servants has worked well for both parties for thousands of years (Exodus 21,1-11), and now suddenly it is evil. The master receives free labor, while the servant receives free room and board. It is a form of trade, and if the master treats his help well, it is just as good as receiving a minimum wage. Jesus is using the servant as a model for His disciples as the arrangement between God and His people in this life; our relationship with God in the flesh is a servant. Galatians chapter four starts the discussion saying, “As long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything.” He is referring to the child of the free woman; that is Isaac. He makes the distinction between him and the child born of slavery to Hagar, saying they are no different until they mature, then the free son will receive the inheritance. This refers to two things, both to a young Christian maturing in the things of God, and to life on earth compared to heaven. So long as we remain immature Christians, the promises of God remain null and void, and the freedom we will enjoy in heaven will make our life in the flesh look like slavery. Jesus was heir of all things and made us to be heirs of His kingdom, but while He lived in the flesh He was a servant to His Father. Likewise, while we remain in the flesh we too are servants of Christ. Jesus is explaining our true relationship with God; the day’s work is not done after working in the field, we must go home and serve dinner to our master. We work in the field all day as our ministry toward people, then we go home and personally minister to Christ in the word of God and prayer. (12f) Servant >> Nature of a bond servant (70h) Autho rity >> Sin of familiarity >> Familiar with the truth (enemy of discernment) >> Familiar with Jesus in the Spirit (77m) Thy kingdom come >> Being Humble Before God >> Exalting God through humility – There is no room for boasting in the Kingdom of God, for if we do not do the will of God, we will bear the consequences, but if we do the will of God, we have only done what we have been commanded. We have not gone beyond the call of duty; in fact, Jesus attests that it is impossible to go above the call of duty. Jesus in no way has afforded us the ability to surpass his will. (85l) Thy kingdom come >> Belief >> Treating the knowledge of God as fact >> Believing the Son by obeying the Father >> Obeying the law by faith in the cross >> Obedience represents our faith (87j) Thy kingdom come >> Obedience >> Being a slave to obedience – The servant who knew the will of God was called, and he obeyed, and Jesus said that there was no room for boasting, why? He did the will of God, which is something he could not have done without help from God, so how could he boast? God deserves the credit. (95i) Thy kingdom come >> Attitude >> Having an obedient attitude >> Attitude of a servant (105j) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Led by the Spirit >> To the truth >> Led into the mind of Christ – Remember when David’s mighty men risked their lives for a glass of water for their king? He poured it on the ground, refusing to drink it (2Sam 23,13-17). In a similar way, God will treat our attempts to go beyond His will as treason, yet there are many who attempt to do this, who refuse to do His will, because they are too busy trying to top the will of God. They cannot hear the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to them about His calling, which would fill their hearts and hands with more work than they could possibly accomplish, so they wouldn’t have to take up their own work and dedicate their lives to things that do not profit. They think they are gong above and beyond the call of duty by choosing to do things on their own for the Lord, and as a result they don’t fulfill their calling. (225c) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Parables >> Parables about wealth >> Parables about a rich man (250f) Priorities >> God’s prerequisites >> Sequence of priorities >> Natural then the spiritual (obedience then anointing) Lk 17,11-24 (126ka) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Patience >> Have patience for the return of Christ >> The spiritual return of Christ KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Lk 17,11-19 (32d) Gift of God >> God is our Father >> Grace >> The grace of God’s healing power (96d) Thy kingdom come >> Attitude >> Positive attitude toward God >> Having a thankful attitude (82h) Thy kingdom come >> Prayer >> Thankfulness >> Giving thanks for His mercy – Of the ten lepers whom Jesus healed only one turned back to give thanks, the nine that didn't acknowledged Jesus essentially stole their healing from the Lord, suggesting that our ingratitude makes us thieves regarding everything that God has freely given us. (107b) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Hearing from God >> Word creates faith >> Jesus’ words create faith -- These verses go with verses 5,6. Jesus said this many times, “Your faith has made you well.” The fact that the leper was intending to show himself to the priest made him well. Jesus didn’t ask him to do something difficult, to obey Him was enough. Jesus sent them to the priest while still lepers to show him that they were cleansed, meaning there was an element of faith involved in what they did. They never asked Jesus why they should go, because it was Mosaic Law that a leprous man cleansed of his leprosy should be officially cleared of the disease. Had Jesus been new on the block, having never yet healed anyone, an argument may have ensued, but because they knew Him to be the healer, the moment He told them what to do, they set about doing it. In their minds they were already healed, so as soon as they turned and starting walking, they were healed. Jesus created a culture of faith that followed Him wherever He went, so He could say something and people would believe Him at His word to produce the faith needed to be healed. Notice at the start of all the gospels, Jesus did not immediately begin His healing ministry, but began preaching the gospel of the kingdom, laying the foundation of faith, and then slowly building His healing ministry upon the foundation of the gospel. The word of God came first. (114a) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Obeying the Holy Spirit >> Believing the Father by obeying the Son >> Obeying Jesus’ word – The nine lepers got what they wanted from God without giving thanks. If they were disobedient in their lack of gratitude, who's to say they did what Jesus said and went to the priest for official confirmation that they were cleansed? This one leper who turned and gave glory to God for the miracle of healing is an example of someone working with the grace of God. Jesus gave them something to do, that in doing it, healed them according to His word. The errand that Jesus gave them was simple, “go and show yourself to the priest.” He gave them something to do. This applies to all of us when we receive spiritual insight, if God appends something for us to do, we should do it, because it will have the effect of increasing our faith until His word becomes crystal clear (2Pet 1,16-19). We must obey the revelation that God gives us as the lepers did, who were cleansed in the process of obedience. There is always time to give glory to God for His gifts and blessings. (145a) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself >> Healing >> Methods of healing >> Healed by speaking the word – When Jesus healed somebody, He often said, “Your faith has made you well” (Mk 5-34). So it wasn’t Jesus’ faith only that made him well, but the lepers' faith also, working with His word to be healed. At every point faith must be present or the divine virtue is halted, for God works exclusively through faith. Anything less than faith is unbelief, or as Paul put it, “Whatever is not from faith is sin” (Rom 14-23). Divine faith comes from God, and we cannot say that we genuinely understand it. We know that the writer of Hebrews called faith the “substance of things hoped for” (Heb 11-1), and we know that the manifestation of faith is love. Man has the prerogative to believe or disbelieve, not in reference to God’s faith but to his own, which is the foundation upon which God builds His faith in us. God’s faith is required in salvation, which transcends human volition, and for this reason no one can be saved unless God chooses him. See also: God replaces our belief with His faith; Act 24-24,25; 85m (210hb) Salvation >> Jews and gentiles are being saved >> Salvation is from the Jews >> The Jew first >> Jesus ministered to gentiles by exception – It says that the one leper who turned to give glory to God was a Samaritan, a foreigner, someone whom Jesus normally would not have healed, for His ministry was strictly to the Jew, but because he was one of the ten he was made partaker of Israel's blessing. He received the blessing through the Jew, and so the gentile nations have received the blessing of salvation through Israel. Perhaps this partially accounted for his gratitude. So much of Israel was healed, and it was all going so well, but it was the religious leaders who ruined everything, instilling in the people that this miracle-worker was a sinner and should be killed, and the people listened to them, and crucified their healer, the man who loved them. It was for this reason, this and the Jews continued rejection of the gospel, that God gave the gentiles the ministry of reconciliation. Lk 17,13-19 (107a) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Hearing from God >> Word creates faith >> Receiving unction from God Lk 17,16-18 (252d) Trinity >> You shall put no other gods before Me >> Worship Jesus (Because He is equal with God) >> Worship Jesus for what He does through the Father Lk 17-19 (119d) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >> Freedom from satanic influence >> Free from bondage KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Lk 17-20,21 (20f) Sin >> Nature of sin >> Seeking a sign – God’s coming kingdom having no signs to be observed means it will suddenly appear, but that is not what Jesus said in other passages of Scripture; in fact Jesus even used the phrase “sign of the son of man” (Mat 24-30), meaning there is a sign specifically allocated just for His return (Mat 16,2-4). Jesus’ ministry was dotted with signs, wonders and miracles, yet the people of His day sought a sign that would tell them when God was working among them. Their Messiah was standing right in front of them and they couldn't see Him! Israel was stricken with spiritual blindness that surpassed any human state, requiring demonic entities working with their willful ignorance to remain in the dark about Christ. Since there is a sign designated for the return of Christ, Jesus was saying to the Pharisees and their kind, ‘To you who are willfully blind to the glory of God there will be no sign, but those who have the gift of sight will have nothing short of a program schedule detailing My return.’ Jesus literally gave them thousands of signs to observe by raising the dead and healing the physically blind and deaf, and performing countless miracles, but Jesus could not heal the Pharisees' blindness because they were collaborating with demons, and God refuses to tamper with the will of man. (225a) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Description of heaven >> The holy of holies >> The Kingdom of God is in your spirit – The NASB says that the Kingdom of God is in your midst, while the KJV says it is within you. While they both mean the same thing, yet to say that the Kingdom of God is in your midst would allow the interpretation of Jesus being in their presence among them. The most accurate interpretation is that the Kingdom of God is inside you, referring to the born-again believer. Therefore, we could say that Jesus was referring to two things at once: He was in front of them and inside them at the same time. Whenever Jesus spoke to the Pharisees, He always spoke in mysteries, making us think, speaking as it were in code to the willfully ignorant who didn’t deserve the truth. Even if He told them plainly about God, they still wouldn’t get it, because they didn’t want to believe it. (231h) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Body of Christ is the organism of God’s kingdom >> Jesus is the head of His body’s kingdom >> Jesus builds His kingdom in your midst (233f) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the kingdom >> Seek The Kingdom With Your Essence >> Seek the elusive Kingdom of God (241d) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Hindering the kingdom >> Obstacles in the way of the kingdom >> Ask but don’t receive >> Getting an answer that is not in your will (255g) Trinity >> Father, Son and Holy Spirit >> The process of imparting the substance of God >> Father discloses the Spirit by the word Lk 17-20 (221b) Kingdom of God >> The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Kingdom hidden behind the veil from the world >> God hides from man’s ignorance >> God hides from those who are looking for Him Lk 17-21 (59d) Paradox >> Two implied meanings >> Kingdom of God is in your spirit / Kingdom of God is standing in front of you (222a) Kingdom of God >> The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Kingdom hidden behind the veil from the world >> The Church is hidden from the world (231j) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Body of Christ is the organism of God’s kingdom >> We are the body of His kingdom KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Lk 17,22-37 (50b) Judgment >> God judges the world >> The second coming of Christ – Jesus spoke plainly to His disciples, saying that days are coming when they will long for a moment with Christ and will not get it, and it will have the result of tempting them to latch onto false doctrine and false promises and false messiahs that don't deliver. Individuals will claim to be the One, but Jesus forewarned us not to go looking for them, for His second coming will make the entire sky come alive with the glory of God. Is Jesus referring to the Rapture here? The answer comes at the very end of this chapter when Jesus said, “Where the body is, there also will the vultures be gathered.” There won’t be a lot of dead bodies laying around after the Rapture, just the opposite, there will be bodies missing. So what do these dead bodies mean in verse 37? Jesus will destroy unbelief in the world before He sets foot on the earth. That sounds like the Rapture, but His disciples asked, “Where Lord?” and Jesus let the vultures answer their question. They were taken as in killed! One person’s life was taken, while the other was spared. Rev 9-4 says, "They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads." This is quite different from the Rapture interpretation. The righteous and the wicked will be interspersed, like tares among the wheat, and note it says in the parable (Mat 13,24-30) that God deals with the tares first, just as He spoke in these verses. Jesus said, “Remember Lot’s wife.” Remember the Egyptians and their firstborn from every household that did not have the seal of goat’s blood on their doorpost. See also: Second coming; Lk 17-22,23; 202f Lk 17,22-24 (179g) Works of the devil >> Practicing witchcraft >> Wolves >> False prophets >> False prophets confess to be the Christ Lk 17-22,23 (202f) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Running from God >> Running from the word of God >> Running from the truth – Jesus was saying to His disciples that the earth will not see Him again until His time to set up the Millennial kingdom. This means that anybody who claims to have seen Jesus in the flesh is simply lying. Paul saw Him after His ascension to heaven, but He was in a semi-glorified state. Jesus in His resurrected body has not touched the earth since His foot left the ground at His ascension. If someone told us that our Master was here, we should not believe him, because when He returns, the whole world will know it, for His coming will be like lightning that flashes from one end of the sky to the other in the glory of His Father with His holy angels (Mat 16-27). The apostles had reason to believe that Jesus would return in their lifetime, and every generation since them has had the same hope and was all the more likely to see His return. Now 2000 years later, we have a greater expectation of His return than any generation before us. Jesus says to us today not to look for Him in a natural sense, for His appearance will be glorious. We must be always vigilant; Jesus will not return in the weakness of human flesh again. If we want to be members of the elect and inherit eternal life, then we must not wander from the truth but stay with the Scriptures and tune our ears to the Holy Spirit and He will lead us to His heavenly kingdom. See also: Lk 17,26-37 (51a) Judgment >> World & church >> Warning of wrath >> Consequences of sin -- These verses go with verses 1&2. Someone might ask, ‘Why would Jesus come if the world was still functioning? Why wouldn’t He wait for the total breakdown of civilization?’ His return has nothing to do with our not getting along anymore, because essentially man has never gotten along with each other. Instead, His return is hinged on the fact that people are no longer getting saved, for people have hardened their hearts against the gospel. The scales are tipped and will bring about the seals of Satan’s wrath that God will use as a tier of His own judgment against mankind. After the seals are completed God may have considered it to be enough, except that Satan convinced the world that both Jews and Christians were at fault for the seals coming upon them, and so man continued in his wickedness by martyring the saints, so God initiated His Trumpet judgments. Finally the Rapture occurred, so God could pour His bowl judgments on mankind, which is the worst judgment of all, encompassing the entire earth. Once these things are finished there is only a remnant of mankind left in on earth. Jesus said that the end of the age would come to humanity as a surprise, just as they were eating and drinking and marrying and given in marriage, and then suddenly everything changed. See also: Second coming; Lk 17,29-33; 192k KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Lk 17,26-32 (147b) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself >> Remember the Father’s miracles Lk 17,26-30 (197d) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Spiritual laziness >> Rebelling against where God wants you to go >> Refuse to enter His rest Lk 17,29-33 (192k) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Turn from sin to God >> Repent >> Stop practicing sin >> Run from sin – The antichrist will come to Jerusalem and declare it his capital city, and many of its inhabitants will flee from his presence. All the satanic forces of wickedness will center in and around Jerusalem and take it captive, this whole scenario occurring just prior to the Rapture. The Two Witnesses will be stationed in Jerusalem, reigning fire and brimstone on the major cities of the world to deter them from martyring the saints, but then it says that the dragon (Satan himself) will come and kill the Two Witnesses, and God will raise them 3½ days later as first fruits of the First Resurrection, and they will ascend to heaven in front of their enemies. This is not the war of Armageddon that comes later. It says the abomination of desolation will enter the temple, but it doesn't say which temple (let the reader understand), located in Jerusalem, and the occupants of Jerusalem will flee from the antichrist to the valley of Armageddon. See also: (194d) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Turn from sin to God >> Run to God >> Run to God from your enemies – This is about endtime prophecy, people suddenly on the run, not enough time to go into their houses and grab a few things. They are running for their lives just like Lot and his family ran from Sodom and Gomorra. The angels told them not to look back, and God reigned fire and brimstone on the cities because of its sin. God will do the same thing in the last days, reign fire and brimstone from heaven upon all the major cities of the world. Referring to the Two Witnesses it says in Rev 11-5, “If anyone wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way.” There is another passage (Rev 18-4), “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues.” In the last days people will run for their lives to avoid God’s judgment, people hemorrhaging from all the major cities of the world. They are running for the Rapture in that if they can save their lives, they will never have to die. They will run into the wilderness. See also: Lk 17,31-37 (245e) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Literal manifestations >> Literal manifestation of Jesus Christ >> Manifestation of Jesus’ second coming – Jesus is talking about the period of Trumpet judgments prior to the Rapture with dead bodies strewn about the countryside, as in the days of Egypt, when the firstborn of every family was killed; it is a very specifically targeted assault on mankind by demonic entities that emerge from the abyss and take on various forms (see Revelation chapter 9). Throughout the Trumpet judgments those who believe will be saved and the disobedient will be punished and then killed, who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads, a divinely inspired countenance that identifies them as belonging to Him (Rev 7-3). With two people standing together, one will perish and the other will be spared. Then after the Trumpet judgments and the Rapture, the Bowls of God fierce wrath will begin, and those who remain alive and didn't take the Mark of the Beast will migrate to Jerusalem and wait for Him in the catacombs and in massive underground tunnels beneath the holy city created as cemeteries to bury the dead. After the Lord rids the earth of unbelief, then will He set foot on the Mount of Olives. See also: Second coming; Lk 17,31-33; 231k / Sequence of endtime events; Act 2,33-36; 67d Lk 17,31-33 (231k) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the kingdom >> Count the cost >> Don’t look back >> Don’t look back to bondage – Jesus is talking about the period of the Trumpets prior to the Rapture, fleeing Jerusalem when they see these things happening, because the city will be trodden underfoot by the gentiles (Lk 21-24). It will be in the days of Lot; whoever looks back to the world or seeks to keep his life in the flesh will lose it, but whoever loves the Lord with a love incorruptible will be saved. See also: Second coming; Lk 17,22-37; 50b Lk 17-32 (147a) Remember miracles (Key verse) (176e) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Zeal without knowledge (Spirit w/o the word) >> Devotion without direction KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Lk 17-33 (55k) Paradox >> Gain the world to lose your soul >> he who saves his life shall lose it (192a) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Result of putting off the old man >> Gain by losing >> Life for life >> Losing your life to gain God’s life Lk 17,34-36 (15d) Servant >> Ministering spirits >> Angels Perform certain duties (219e) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> The elect >> God transforms the world into the Church >> God selects us from the world (237e) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom >> The rapture >> Selective rapture _________________________________ LUKE CHAPTER 18 KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Lk 18,1-8 (29a) Gift of God >> God is our advocate >> Delivered from our persecutors – There is a contradiction here; first of all the question is rhetorical: will He find faith on the earth? The answer is an emphatic no! He is talking about the last days’ apostasy; there will be faith on the earth, but among only a few. He is speaking to His last days’ remnant encouraging them to remain faithful and persistent in prayer, because they will be fighting against the forces of apostasy that will seek to influence them to not only give up in prayer, but also to give up their faith. Jesus is talking about legal protection against persecution, for they go hand-in-hand, in the way that Satan stirs up the world to persecute the Church. The only way God can stop humanity from persecuting the Church is to destroy them, like He did in the days of Noah, and this will happen in the last days, but before that, He wants to answer the prayers of His saints before endtime prophecy is scheduled to occur, and the only way He can do that is to strike at the root of persecution, pertaining to spiritual powers of wickedness in high places (see: Rev 6,9-11). (32j) Gift of God >> Father will honor your devotion to Him >> Honor your prayers – There are those who claim to be devout in the faith, though God does not immediately answer their prayers. They complain and say, ‘God, I did everything you asked and still my enemy hunts me.’ God will say to them, ‘Be persistent,’ but they don’t think they need to be persistent because they are devout. We want God to answer our prayers to bolster our pride, but God is not interested in empowering their flesh but wants to glorify His name. If He were to answer the woman’s prayer immediately, she would think too highly of herself. Jesus said this woman is a widow because she thinks God is dead. During Jesus’ ministry He went around healing people of demonic entities with ease, but why do we need to be persistent? God wants us to persevere in prayer to effect humility and stifle arrogance, haughtiness and pride. If we must strive in prayer, we will not think we are amazing even when our prayers are finally answered. We will proclaim God is faithful, and look what else happened in prayer… we came to know Hem a little better. Maturity is a goal that God has for us that perseverance establishes in our hearts, so there are many good reasons God delays in answering our prayers. (46k) Judgment >> Spiritual warfare >> Demons are subject to the Church through Christ – The fact that this parable pertained to legal protection is significant. The meaning of the word “legal,” primarily in the New Testament, has an automatic spiritual connotation, in that it is associated with the word authority, which refers to the demonic world. Therefore, prayer for legal protection has all the earmarks of seeking deliverance from demonic forces (see Revelation chapter 12). This woman was praying that God would deliver her from spiritual principalities and hierarchies of evil, as the apostle Paul taught in Eph 6-12,13, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Note that she didn’t need to say a single prayer and be done with it. She proved that she was faithful through her persistence in prayer. Satan is called the accuser of the brethren and will throw our sins in our faces as a way of defeating us, and sometimes the only way to prove ourselves is to persevere in prayer. See also: Spiritual warfare (Legal protection); Jn 16-11; 119j (70i) Authori ty >> Sin of familiarity >> There are times when God cannot discern our needs (99l) Thy kingdom come >> Perseverance (Working to keep in motion) >> Persevere in prayer -- These verses go with verses 38&39. Why doesn’t God answer our prayers right away? He is testing us, but why does God test us? He is winnowing the faithful from the faithless, the persistent from those who give-up. You say, ‘I’m faithful.’ God says, ‘Good, then show Me.’ If this judge did not fear God nor respect man, yet he gave legal protection to a woman with whom he had no personal interest or concern, just to get her off his back because it was obvious she would never quit bothering him, then how much more will God who loves us give whatever we ask from Him, in His time? Our persistent prayer does not bother God; He inhabits them. Some might say that God is manipulating us or being abusive to make us go through so much heart-wrenching prayer before He will move on our behalf, but He has His reasons. If all we had to do was ask and He immediately came, we would make Him our dog and tell Him to fetch our whimsical desires. Jesus said that He was the servant of all, but He also made us servants, and God has called us to serve Him a plateful of faith, and only after He is eaten will we eat (Lk 17,5-10). One way He pulls faith from us is to delay in answering prayer. (122b) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Confidence in God >> Through prayer (204d) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Back-slider >> Practicing sin >> The apostasy (214h) Sovereignty >> God controls time >> God’s timing >> God’s time is soon >> Relatively soon – God knows that we live under the constraint of time, yet He refuses to accommodate us, choosing rather to act according to His own perspective outside of time, though aware of our needs. So when He says “quickly,” it might mean ten years; it might mean twenty years; it might mean 2000 years. Time is relative even to us; how much more is it to God? A child thinks twenty minutes is a long time; some people have waited decades for God. The longer we wait, the greater the reward. What might seem small in God’s eyes is big to us, so the longer He waits, the greater our reward and the greater His judgment on those who would persecute us, who cry to Him day and night. The reason God doesn’t immediately act on our behalf goes back to Mat 6-10, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” We are obligated to live on this earth as we will in heaven, and this verse says that God will not act differently toward us in this life than He will in the life to come. It might take a thousand years to answer our prayers in heaven. In eternity time wont matter anymore, but it does now. (242l) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Persecuting the kingdom >> Responding to persecution Lk 18-1 (80k) Prayer (Key verse) (81m) Thy kingdom come >> Pray without ceasing >> For the Church >> Life of prayer KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Lk 18-7,8 (69i) Authority >> Righteous judgment (Outcome of Discernment) >> Passing judgment by the authority of God (215e) Sovereignty >> God controls time >> God’s timing >> God views time in eternity >> God sees eras as moments – How could God bring about justice for them speedily when He called them to be persistent and persistence is a function of time? We might have to pray for years before we start seeing results; how is that quick? God is eternal; we are talking about God’s perspective about time, not our own. He said God will bring about justice for his elect who cry to Him day and night; that sounds like persecution. That means we will be required to endure ill treatment for a season before God intervenes to deliver us from our enemies. God’s attitude is that His church and His people are indestructible; our flesh can be damaged and destroyed, yet our spirit remains intact. (215h) Sovereignty >> God controls time >> Suddenly >> The judgments of God come suddenly >> Without delay – God wants to teach us about Himself, that He is not in a big hurry to do anything. He is setting precedence by delaying to protect His people. If He takes His time in defending His people from those who would make sport of us, our reward will be greater the longer we wait. The more we suffer and the more patience we show, the greater our reward. God’s whole view is in eternity; He knows that the reward of heaven will be worth the wait, for eternity is awaiting us just beyond the veil of our flesh, and the suffering we endure to get there will be inconsequential a million years from now. He is helping us to engender a greater reward. If He came to the rescue the moment we cried to Him and tried to protect us from every little scratch, before long we would control Him. He wouldn’t be teaching us about Himself anymore, because that is not how He will act in eternity. He does not get full of anxiety and drop everything and come running because someone is calling Him in prayer; that is not God’s way. Everything has a time and a place; God is never in a hurry; He is never anxious, and He is always on time. (219f) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> The elect >> God transforms the world into the Church >> God works in the world for the sake of the elect – Jesus spoke a parable about a woman who cried for justice, and He used an unrighteous judge as an example of God, saying that if even a wicked judge would give this woman whatever she needed if she pestered Him long enough; how much more will our heavenly Father give what we need? She cried to Him day and night, and Jesus asked, will we give up on God? No, we are His elect, and the elect by definition does not give up on God. This is seen throughout Scripture, He waits out (or weeds out) the wicked from the righteous. Among the elect there are many others who crying to God, but eventually they conclude that God is not coming, and they quit, because they are not His elect. They turn their back on Him, and if they do that, then they are unworthy of His justice and salvation. God waits; it may be hard on His elect, but He is waiting out the disingenuous. If this were not the case, God would probably provide His justice more speedily, but because of the wicked, the righteous must suffer, which is another theme running throughout Scripture. Lk 18,9-17 (73a) Authority >> Hierarchy of authority >> Authority makes you accountable >> Kingdom of God is opposite of the world – God calls us to love and mercy, to be kind and giving. In contrast the world is arrogant and pushes its way into positions of authority instead of being given their place through humility and service. These two kingdoms are opposites, yet many don’t believe there are spiritual forces afoot. The world belongs to Satan, and God’s elect belong to Him. God's kingdom is characteristic of children and their innocence. When a baby is born, it has no idea that it is naked, being incapable of sin. It may develop bad habits, but she is not sinful until she grows old enough to know the difference between right and wrong. When she knows what is wrong and does it anyway, that is sin; the world is powered by sin. KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Lk 18,9-14 (17m) Sin >> Unrighteous judgment >> Discerning by the flesh >> Judging the sins of others that you practice – Everyone knows someone who views himself as righteous and others with contempt. Others don’t have to do anything wrong to achieve a subordinate status; they are lower by default; this is the height of arrogance. They do not monitor their own hearts; whatever they think and feel is truth to them. Two people enter the temple, one the dregs of humanity, the other a prominent member of society, yet the humble person is not the prominent one, suggesting that society judges most people wrong. The self-righteous Pharisee testified to God in His prayer that he was not a swindler, unjust or adulterous as he presumed the tax collector, who bowed his head in reverence to God. What makes the Pharisee's hypocrisy complete is that he was actually describing himself; it takes one to know one. (130j) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> Accept one another >> Accepting the great and the small >> Small people cannot accept great leaders (159a) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Counterfeit >> Counterfeit godliness >> Love sickening sweet >> Mask over the real self (168a) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Do not conform to the world >> Do not let the world’s approval shape you to itself – Everyone hated tax collectors; they didn’t have a friend in the world, because most were crooked, though Jesus had a tax collector for a disciple, Matthew. Tax collectors often charged more money than they were sent to collect and pocketed the difference. The tax collector in this passage was a lowlife by the world’s standard, unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but said, “Lord, be merciful to me the sinner.” People who belong to higher social groups feel justified in despising others of lower status; in contrast, the tax collector did not compare himself to people but to God. The world trained the tax collector to understand that he was good for nothing. This is how he felt about himself, so he came to God with that attitude, having been humiliated by the world, but God accepted him. This suggests that the world did him a favor by despising him in that it helped him understand how God feels about sin. It also suggests the opposite is also true, that the more acceptance we find in the world, the harder it is to relate to God, because we assume He accepts us without the need to repent. (171h) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Outward appearance >> Decorating the outside to simulate the inside >> Simulating the outer man to portray the inner man (174f) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Form of godliness >> Self righteousness >> Comparing yourself with sinners (223g) Kingdom of God >> The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Miss God >> Missing the point >> Miss the meaning of being with Jesus Lk 18,10-12 (84h) Thy kingdom come >> Words of your mouth >> Gossip >> Attacking a person’s character Lk 18-13,14 (77k) Thy kingdom come >> Being Humble Before God >> Having an attitude of humility – It is rare to meet a Christian who understands his relationship with God, that His grace offers forgiveness and mercy, but that doesn’t negate the need for humility. People today with the profusion of grace teachings speak very little about the fear of God. One thing Christianity needs to relearn is that God is a great king and we are his servants. The attitude of a servant has been largely engrained in the Church but is lacking toward God (Lk 17,7-10). We have been forgiven, but the relationship has not changed; God and man are not buddies; rather, He is our Master and we are His slaves, and it is by the grace of God that He is also our friend, even as a Master can have a friend for a servant. The tax collector knew his place, that he was a sinner who did not deserve the grace of God but received it just the same through an attitude of humility. (85i) Thy kingdom come >> Words of your mouth >> That are spoken in faith >> Will justify you Lk 18-14 (57d) Paradox >> Opposites >> God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble – When we say to God, ‘Hey Lord, how’s it hanging,’ we don’t realize we're sinners. The person who finds acceptance in the world assumes God accepts Him too; conversely, the person who finds rejection in the world also assumes rejection from God, but He neither accepts nor rejects us based on our experiences with the world. God finds fault with sinners who don’t realize their dilemma, as Rev 3-17 speaks, “Because you say, ‘I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,’ and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.” That was our Pharisee (Vs11,12); He considered himself great and was used to all accolades of the world. He had money and affluence as a self-appointed spiritual leader of Israel. He figured God was one of his fans, but he had it all wrong. KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Lk 18,15-17 (33d) Gift of God >> God is our Father >> Kingdom belongs to the children of God – Many things that are characteristic of children are also true of heaven, such as dependence upon their parents. God wants us to feel we can depend on Him and to actually become His dependents, as an infant child depends on her parents. She doesn't worry about things, because her parents take care of everything. Children have faith and trust in their parents, but we as adults try to take over God’s responsibilities and meet our own needs. Circumstances arise that are beyond our control and we need God's help. He wants us to be like children and realize that He is the source of all good things, and to be thankful. If we don’t come to Him as little children for acceptance, knowing that God alone can forgiveness us, then we will not enter the Kingdom of God at all. Lk 18-16,17 (224i) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Description of heaven >> The people of heaven >> Traits of the people who make it to heaven Lk 18,18-25 (22b) Sin >> Greed tries to satisfy man’s need for security >> The idolatry of greed – Some people would say that Jesus claimed not to be God when He said, "No one is good but God alone," as though He were making a distinction between Himself and God, but He never denied being good. He corrected the rich, young ruler saying, ‘You don’t believe Me to be the Son of God, yet you think I’m a good person.’ If all the miracles in the world didn’t convince him that He was the Son of God, then neither would anything He said. The rich ruler not knowing Jesus' identity made him reject His advice to sell all his possessions and give to the poor. God commands us to rise above the idolatry of greed, not for the sake of the poor, but for our own sake, and He told the ruler to distribute his wealth to the poor because they need it the most, though money is not the solution to poverty. Money is not evil; wealth is not evil; possessions are not evil, but idolatry is evil, and money, wealth and possessions are the objects of idolatry. If we didn’t worship our junk, it still has the effect of a ball-n-chain in our service to God. Money has the tendency to be deceptive, making a person feel he has everything he needs, inhibiting people from seeking God. (232c) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the kingdom >> Count the cost >> If you must count the cost, the price is always too high Lk 18-18,19 (253c) Trinity >> Relationship between Father and Son >> Jesus is equal with the Father >> Jesus has all the external qualities of the Father >> Son is inherently equal with the Father Lk 18-19 (58k) Paradox >> Two implied meanings >> Only God is good / Jesus is God KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Lk 18,22-24 (124b) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love >> Acts of love >> Love takes from the rich and gives to the poor >> love is the act of giving to the poor – Basically, Jesus told the rich man to sell all that he owned and give the proceeds to the Church, which should represent the poor of this world, yet often when we give money to the Church, it never benefits anybody, except a handful of people. The Bible regularly teaches to help the poor, because they are the ones in need, whereas the rich don’t feel in need of anything. It was ironic that Jesus told the rich man to liquidate all his assets and distribute the proceeds to the poor, and then he would find heaven within his grasp, for in doing so he would have become poor himself; what would that have accomplished? He would have become the most popular person among the poor, one of the most blessed men on earth and one of the most favored, a man among friends. Most rich people already have many friends because of their wealth, but had this man followed Jesus’ advice, he would have traded friends. His new friends would have trusted him because of what he did, church leadership would have trusted him, and he would have automatically had high standing among the saints, not because of his money, but because of his faith required to purge his burden. (163c) Works of the devil >> Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >> Bondage >> Being slaves of men >> Being a slave to greed – Money has taken on many forms throughout the ages, but wealth hasn’t changed. A person who is wealthy feels he has no needs, and so doesn’t feel he needs God. Society has always honored the rich, though generally the rich have always been the source of their oppression. The rich man receives many accolades from others, and so uses that to measure himself with God, but this particular rich man was insightful enough to know that his class did not apply to his relationship with God. He knew he lacked something, but he couldn’t buy the answer. It was like a blind spot in his vision; all he could see was a black hole in front of him, and Jesus told him how to remove it. He was to give away all his money and trust God instead, filling the blind spot with faith in Jesus for eternal life. Instead, he walked away from the word of God with his blindness intact. It was incomprehensible to him to obey Jesus Christ, and that is how a lot of people feel. This must be a scary passage for many rich people. They may not believe in God, but statements like this tell them that if they ever changed their minds, faith would come at a price. There are some saved rich people who did not have to give up their money to believe in God, but they are rare. (195a) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Idolatry >> Serving two masters >> You can only love one at a time (249k) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >> World’s perception of wealth >> The world's wealth erodes good values >> The world attains wealth by hook and crook – Giving to the poor worked very well in Jesus’ day, but giving to the poor today is not so straightforward, not even identifying the poor is simple anymore. With so many government programs supplementing their incomes, how they spend their money is nine-tenths of the reason they are poor. Contemporary aspects of the poor are different from the poor in Jesus’ day. Most receive money to sustain themselves, except that they buy drugs, cigarettes and alcohol and fritter away the rest on useless junk. They are not even willing to make their children school lunches, so schools must offer free lunches, or the children wouldn’t eat. These people are not the same kind of poor that were in Jesus’ day. Give money to the poor of our day and we would be likely subsidizing their overall dysfunction. Jesus gave a good answer to the rich man in His time, but He would unlikely give the same answer in our time. Lk 18-22,23 (199h) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Rejecting Christ >> The world rejects God >> Rejecting Christ to keep the world Lk 18-22 (93f) Thy kingdom come >> Following Jesus >> Leaving everything behind to follow Him -- This verse goes with verses 28-30 KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Lk 18,24-27 (108f) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Balance >> Conscience is the balance between God and man – Conscience is much like the veil that covered the doorway into the Most Holy Place. The most important room on earth didn’t have a lock or even a door! There was nothing physically keeping an unauthorized person from wandering into it. In a similar way, conscience is draped between God and man. There is nothing keeping us from silencing the voice of our conscience, like pulling down the curtain and entering unauthorized. The apostasy in which we are living is a time when just about everybody claims to be a Christian and charges into the Most Holy Place (Lk 16-16), using their own authority (rules, policies and laws) to access to it, yet just about nobody is serving his conscience. Some have tampered with it, making it very difficult to develop a genuine faith, for without a healthy conscience they cannot distinguish between truth and error. (147d) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself >> God exercises authority over every living thing (219a) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> The elect >> Man is a spectator of his own salvation >> God elects us through His sovereign will – The Scriptures testify that some wealthy people will make it to heaven. A couple examples are Zaccheus the rich tax collector who climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus, and Joseph of Arimathea who helped with the burial of Jesus and donated his tomb where they placed His body. We don’t know very much about Joseph, how long he had been wealthy or how long he had believed in God. He may have believed since childhood and come into a large sum of money, whether making it on his own or through inheritance, it didn’t affect his faith. Then we have Zaccheus who made a fortune as a tax collector and suddenly finding Jesus and giving up a life of thievery, promising restitution to those he defrauded. This was truly a miracle from God, who had been working in His heart so when Jesus came along, he readily received Him. Lk 18-24,25 (147f) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself >> Divine works of God >> Spiritual manifestations – Can a camel actually go through the eye of a needle? Not without a miracle! Jesus said all things are possible with God. Salvation is a miracle, but it is a double-miracle for the rich to see the light of salvation. There is a supposed place in the Middle East called the Eye of the Needle where a camel can barely squeeze through a narrow mountain pass, requiring the travelers to unload the camel before it crosses, and some attribute this to the comment Jesus made to the rich man. It would be impossible for a camel to go through the Eye of the Needle with its baggage in tow, just like it is impossible for a rich man to go to heaven with all his baggage in tow. Many a rich man had to give up all his possessions before he could see the value of heaven, because the pull of money is very strong. Lk 18,28-30 (43e) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Conform to Christ’s ministry to the world (93f) Thy kingdom come >> Following Jesus >> Leaving everything behind to follow Him -- These verses go with verse 22. Peter gloated saying, ‘We left our homes and followed you,’ and amazingly Jesus didn’t rebuke Him for bragging. Those who leave their homes and everything familiar to them to become missionaries, Jesus said they would have many Christian brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, friends and relatives. They will develop many strong bonds with people as one of the benefits of a missionary, networking with people through their faith. The nature of faith in Jesus is that it establishes bonds that bring people together, and if that is not happening, then it is a sign there is something terribly wrong with the Church. (120l) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Contentment >> Content with your way of life >> Content with remaining single (189d) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Holy sacrifice >> Costly sacrifice (192i) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Result of putting off the old man >> Gain by losing >> Gain God’s kingdom to lose the domain of darkness >> Gain heaven to lose the world (244d) Kingdom of God >> The eternal kingdom >> Eternal life of the trinity >> Jesus is the source of eternal life KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Lk 18,31-34 (25j) Sin >> Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Thief >> Stealing from God (168i) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> The world has deaf ears to God >> Deaf to the word of God from a lack of understanding – This is a blatant example of spiritual blindness/deafness happening to Jesus’ own disciples, the very people who would later turn this world upside down for Jesus. The cause of this spiritual deafness was demonic (Lk 8-12). The disciples could not hear what they did not want to hear. Demonic forces can be very powerful, and note that they were playing all around Jesus, allowed to manipulate the disciples right in front of Him to the point of disturbing His ministry, and Jesus was helpless to do anything about it, because He had no authority to control their will. These spiritual powers were not afraid of Jesus; they were afraid of His authority, but in this case they were hiding behind the disciples, shielded by their willingness to block out the message that their Master was telling them about His impending fate. Whatever we are unwilling to believe about Jesus is an invitation for demons to help us in our unbelief. Jesus could have been more forceful and grabbed His disciples by the nap of the neck and shook the truth into them, but they just didn’t want to know. Eventually, however, they would know, and Jesus was trying to prepare them for the coming trauma. (177h) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Presumption (Hinduism) >> Misunderstanding Jesus – The disciples' idea of God’s plan was that He would establish the physical Kingdom of God in their lifetime, referring to the Millennium, which is still to come. They didn’t know how to believe that Jesus would suffer and die, because it did not fit their preconceptions, and so they ignored what He said. We are doing the same thing 2000 years later, His millennial kingdom is sooner to come than ever and we are ignoring the fact that the Church is about to suffer persecution and martyrdom in the last days prior to His appearing. We are preoccupied with the false notion of a pre-tribulation Rapture that many claim will rescue us from all harm. Every time Jesus mentioned His suffering, they just threw the information into the dumpster, because they didn’t know where else to put it. One day God will come for His people, and there will be an event called the Rapture, and He will catch up His people in the blink of an eye and take them to heaven. When this happens in the sequence of endtime events is critical. Some say it will occur as the first piece of fulfilled endtime prophecy, and others say it will be the last event, ending the tribulation of the saints. The difference between these two will tell if we are more open to the truth than the disciples or just like them, ignoring the facts that conflict with our preconceived notions. See also: Expecting the Kingdom of God to appear immediately; Jn 2-22,23; 20h (183h) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Spirit of Error (Anti-Christ / Anti-Semitism) >> Spirit of the broad road >> Spirit of unbelief – There are many people who resist the knowledge of God with demons coming to their aid. When we talk to them, it seems our words fall on deaf ears, as though we were talking from separate mountain peaks. We can see them, but the howling wind carries away our voice. Whenever we have these experiences, we can be sure there are spiritual forces at work. These people are not availing themselves to the word of God, and there are consequences for that. Obviously, we are not talking about demon possession, though we live in a spiritual world; Paul described it as spiritual forces of wickedness in high places, calling Satan the prince of the power of the air (Eph 2,1-3). For him to describe the devil in this way makes it sound as though spiritual deception is in the very air we breathe. There are forces all around us everywhere we go, but so is God in a realer sense, who by virtue of the Holy Spirit is ever-present, but the devil seeks to mimic this trait by devising a communication system between the many thousands of demons that are in the world, and they make human activity their business, especially among those of us who belong to Jesus, and they do what they can within the guidelines that God has given them to thwart our efforts to establish the Kingdom of God in the world (Jn 8,43-47). Lk 18,31-33 (219i) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> Predestination >> Predestined according to the word of God Lk 18-33,34 (94p) Thy kingdom come >> Perspective >> False perspective in the Church – Jesus told His disciples what was going to happen to Him and it didn’t prepare them one iota. While Jesus was hanging on the cross they weren’t saying, ‘Wait three days and He will come back to life as He promised.’ Instead, they were utterly devastated that their Master had been crucified, and they didn’t expect Him to come back to life; that is, there was no mention in the gospels that any of them were hoping for Him to rise from the dead according to His promise. In fact, His enemies were more aware of His promised resurrection than them. The disciples had blocked His words from their minds, whereas the Pharisees heard Him say it. In other words, His enemies had a greater incentive to hear the words regarding His death and resurrection at the time. This principle, being deaf to the things we don't want to hear, goes for the Pharisees too regarding some of the things they didn’t want to hear. This is the way it goes with everybody. There are certain things people don’t want to be true; they don’t want to know them, and so they don’t know them. We collect information to fit our paradigm and find a place for the things we want to believe, but and the information that doesn’t fit our picture of reality we reject. This defense mechanism even has a name; it is called Cognitive Dissonance. See also: Close minded; Act 17,10-13; 95f KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Lk 18,35-43 (93k) Thy kingdom come >> Following Jesus as He lights the way – Jesus knew just by looking at the blind beggar what he wanted, but He gave him an opportunity to fully express his need. He wanted to hear his statement of faith. This blind man represents us all before God. We became enlightened and got saved and now we can see, but if we keep asking Jesus for help, God will continue to enlighten us, but when we say we can see, that is when we become blind (Jn 9,39-41). When we claim to see, we are proclaiming the cutoff point of our vision. We know we are blind beggars by the fact that people around us can see; we are different from the rest. We know where we stand with God, that we are sinners in need of a savior with nothing to offer, just a heart of faith and trust. This blind man had a need for Jesus that was far greater than others, and it opened his eyes to the fact that those around him were more blind than himself. He started crying for Jesus; nobody else was doing that, because nobody else saw his need for Jesus like him. (114c) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Obeying the Holy Spirit >> Believing the Father by obeying the Son >> Obeying Jesus’ way (145e) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself >> Healing >> Pursuing the healing power of God (221b) Kingdom of God >> The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> K ingdom hidden behind the veil from the world >> God hides from man’s ignorance >> God hides from those who are looking for Him – Jesus kept walking while the blind beggar called to him. He didn’t call a couple times and quit; rather, when he heard that Jesus was continuing on his way and the masses were trying to quiet him, he called-out all the more. How common it is for people who are seeking Jesus for those around him to suppress their faith. They are called stupid for believing in God, carrying their faith too far, told to take it easy, but the blind beggar would not be silenced. He rebelled against the people around him, against society, who told him to stop making so such a fuss. Jesus allowed this blind beggar to fully express himself to showcase him an example of someone who is seeking God, which became his passion. He wasn’t about to let Jesus walk past him without at least meeting Him. This is the drive we must have if we are going to be saved. Evangelists blanket the streets looking for someone to convert; meanwhile, this blind beggar had a drive to meet Jesus that literally defined the standard of seeking God. (245d) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Literal manifestation of Jesus Christ >> Jesus literally gives sight to the blind – Note that verses 33,34 referred to the deafness of his disciples, while these verses speak of the blind man of Jericho. He didn’t listen to the people around him; he wanted healing and knew Jesus could give him his sight; all he needed was to get His attention; he needed to hear Jesus’ voice in front of Him and wanted to see His form, and so he articulated his request. KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Lk 18-38,39 (99l) Thy kingdom come >> Perseverance (Working to keep in motion) >> Persevere in prayer -- These verses go with verses 1-8. Jesus didn’t stop the first time the blind man called to Him, but made him call His name many times before He finally stopped. Had the blind man not been persistent, Jesus would not have stopped. Although Jesus was the son of man and the servant of all, yet He is not at our beckoned call, and though God knows the answer to every question, He requires us to make our request in prayer. Also note that those standing around the blind man inhibited him from raising His voice to the Lord, but he cried all the more. This was the blind man’s prayer, crying to the Lord and after He got his attention, made his request, and fulfilled the parable at the beginning of this chapter about the judge and the widow who kept petitioning him until she received counsel. Lk 18-41 (89ea) Thy kingdom come >> Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom >> Wise questions Lk 18-42 (177c) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> False doctrine >> Distorting Scripture >> Distorting Scripture for personal gain – There are false teachers who use verses like this to say that our faith can perform miracles, but that is not what Jesus meant. He healed the blind man, but without his faith, Jesus could not have healed him. Jesus said, "If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it" (Jn 14-14). We know that God can do anything, and that he will do whatever we ask, yet this is not our personal experience, because we are not participants of a movement of God, as it was in Jesus' day and in the days of the apostles. If succeeding generations had maintained the movement that Jesus started, signs and wonders would have filled Church history throughout the ages, but when the Church fell into apostasy, signs and wonders disappeared. Endtime prophecy speaks of a Great Endtime Revival, and when the time is right, coupled with our faith and His willingness, signs and wonders will return. His willingness to help us in all areas of weakness is the theme of chapters 13 through 17 in the gospel of John, and in the last days those chapters will be realized in ways we never dreamed. His willingness is always available, though our faith is not always current, but even if we do have the required faith, oftentimes we still don’t get our prayers answered. Are we living in bondage to sin? How committed are we to manifesting the Kingdom of God through the members of our bodies? It is not just us but also those around us who determine whether God performs miracles. If God performed healing in a church that taught false doctrine, people who heard about the miracle would be led to think their theology was sound. There needs to be an entire infrastructure in place before the Church will see signs, wonders and miracles again. Jesus presented that infrastructure in its entirety literally as the body of Christ, and if the Church approached the spiritual maturity of Christ, God would perform miracles again. See next page