Jesus knew beforehand about Judas’s freewill decision to betray Him, one of many instances in the Bible showing that God’s foreknowledge of our free choices in no way infringes upon the freedom of those choices. And He knew not only of Judas’s betrayal, but also that Peter, despite all his bravado, would at the crucial … Continue reading –>
How sad the story of Judas! Had he died before his last journey to Jerusalem, he might have been among sacred history’s most venerated heroes. Church buildings could have been named after him. Instead, his name is forever linked to betrayal and treachery. Read John 6:70 and Luke 22:3. How do they help to explain … Continue reading –>
During Passover week, the priests sacrificed thousands and thousands of lambs at the temple just up the hill from the Kidron Valley. The blood from the lambs was poured onto the altar and then flowed down a channel to a brook that ran through the Kidron Valley. The brook may have actually turned red from … Continue reading –>
Read Matthew 26:17-19. Why is it so significant that this was the time of the Passover? See also Exod. 12:1-17, 1 Cor. 5:7. The story of the Exodus is, of course, a story of Redemption, of deliverance—a work that God does for those who could not do it for themselves. What an appropriate symbol for … Continue reading –>
We are now entering the last days of Jesus’ life on earth. He has yet to go to the cross, has yet to be resurrected, and has yet to reveal Himself fully as the crucified and risen Savior of the world. However much those who followed Jesus loved Him and appreciated Him, they still had … Continue reading –>
Each year in the week before Easter I like to contemplate the life of Jesus day by day of the week leading up to His crucifixion. This week as we study the following five stories from that all-important week, I will again contemplate these scenes. I will not only search the meanings and lessons, but I … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Matt. 26:1-16, Luke 12:48, Matt. 26:17-19, 1 Cor. 5:7, Matt. 26:36-46, Matt. 26:51-75. Memory Text:“‘This very night you will all fall away on account of me … ’” (Matthew 26:31, NIV). In this lesson, Jesus is now entering the final moments before the cross. The world, even the universe, begins … Continue reading –>
In the context of the events depicted in Matthew 24, Jesus also said, “‘Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place’” (Matt. 24:34, NKJV). This text has led to confusion because, obviously, all these things didn’t take place in a single temporal generation. Dr. … Continue reading –>
The second coming of Jesus is the culmination of all Christian hopes; it is the fulfillment of all that we have been promised. Without it—what? We would rot in the ground after death just as everyone else does. Without the Second Coming and all that it entails, everything else about our faith becomes a lie, … Continue reading –>
Jesus’ response here in Matthew 24 was in regard to “the sign of Your coming” (Matt. 24:3, NKJV); that is, of Christ’s coming to reign. What other warning does Jesus give in the context of events before His return, and how has this been seen through history? Matt. 24:23-26. Here’s Jesus, from a worldly perspective … Continue reading –>
