THE GOOD AND FAITHFUL - AND WISE - SERVANT
All pastors, all Christians, should long to hear the words “well done” when we finally see Jesus. We may even imagine that this will automatically occur when he welcomes us into Heaven. But that's not the context of these words of Jesus. He’s on Earth rewarding the good and faithful when he tells them “well done.” in Matthew 24 and 25, Jesus has returned. Final generational shepherds hold the greatest responsibility, as the call to remain faithful starkens. As a pastor, this hits me hard and renews my desire to show myself approved on this crucial topic. The great answer to the question of what are the signs of his coming in the end of the age spans throughout Matthew 24 and 25. We see it is more than a general reward for being “good and faithful” but also “wise” by providing food in due season, as Joseph did for Israel in Genesis. There is a major revelation here, if we look.
“The king's favor is toward a wise servant, But his wrath is against him who causes shame.” Proverbs 14:35
JACOB’S TROUBLE WAS NOT 70AD AND IT WAS NOT THE HOLOCAUST
How could we exegete Scripture properly and wind up believing that what Jeremiah calls “Jacob’s Trouble is past? Or that it can be separated from Jesus’s physical, earthly return? Yet that's what many of us believe! The wording, the direct citations between Jeremiah 30, Daniel 12 and the words of Jesus are clear: the so-called “Great Tribulation” is the same prophetic time/event as Jacob’s Trouble. As such, we can know with certainty that the Great Tribulation and the return of Jesus did not occur in 70 A.D. It did not occur after the horrors inflicted on Jacob in the Holocaust. No, it is pertinent to us. It is critical to understand, teach and prepare for.
“Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob's trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.” Jeremiah 30:7
NO MATTER YOUR PERSONAL END TIME VIEW, IT’S STILL COMING
Jacob’s Trouble is future. It is important enough for Jesus to warn us to be wise and faithful in the face of it. What will it look like? It will be the invasion and military defeat of Israel by her enemies. Like our Lord told us, it will call for Josephs to provide food, drink and shelter for those fleeing this invasion. Also as our Lord told us anything we do to them in that time will be as if we're doing it to Him. God will take this attack on the Jews extremely personally and will dispense great rewards to those who help them. And also the inverse. That means that even if you believe the church has been removed from the earth prior to this time there's no reason in the world you can't make practical preparation to feed, clothe and shelter the fleeing Jews of the future today!
SHEPHERD OR HIRELING?
When Jesus tells us in John 10 that He is the Good Shepherd he lays out the condition for who is truly following Him and who is just in it for other reasons. Will you sacrifice your life? Hopefully all pastors would answer in the affirmative at any time throughout history, but in this final act of the Age, there can be no doubt that is what will be required to be recognized as a true shepherd. Teaching that martyrdom should always be prepared for and may be required of us - especially if we are the “ones upon whom the end of the age has come” - is first priority.
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake.” Matthew 24:9
PUTIN AND HIS INVASION OF UKRAINE IS A FORERUNNER TO THE ANTICHRIST. SORT OF.
Watching a dictator breaks security deals, invade a smaller neighbor unprovoked, use deception, fake news and propaganda, and intentionally target non-combatants certainly gives a taste of what it will be like. But imagine Russia and all the surrounding nations of Europe invaded Ukraine together. Imagine they were really 1 super nation who had agreed just 3 1/2 years prior never to attack. The Scriptures tell us the antichrist will be far worse than Putin and the genocide mission launched on Israel will be far worse than what we are seeing in Ukraine.
SATAN’S HALLMARK IS HATRED OF THE JEWS
When we begin to see the big picture of the end time plan of God, we see that Satan has always hated the Jewish people because God is the one who chose them. He hates Israel as a nation because God established Israel as a nation. Satan hates Jerusalem and wants to put his name there because the God of the universe put His name there and is sending King Jesus to reign there. I did a full treatment on the critical chapter of Revelation 12 in my book Flee To The Mountains to show just how much our Father wants us to know and apply this wisdom.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO TRULY “STAND WITH ISRAEL”?
It is easy to share a tweet or put a flag on our profile picture. But friends this is not what God expects of us when he evaluates our lives on this matter. Standing with Israel has everything to do with being willing to die for the Jewish people, whatever their opinions of Jesus and Christians. Are we ready to stand in between the Muslim terrorist and the Jew we don’t know? To say “Here am I, send me?” Quite frankly, it is our responsibility, Shepherds. One answer to the coming time of Jacob’s Trouble is to establish Jacob’s Refuge. May we all hear “Well Done” on that Day.
(Originally published on the Stand Firm Blog, April, 2022)
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