Let us take heed of what is going on around us so that we may know what time it is! "And we hold the prophetic word to be all the more certain, to which you do well to pay attention, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day comes and the morning star rises in your hearts" (2 Peter 1:19) "But toward evening the light will appear." (Zechariah 14: 7)
"For I watch over my word, to perform it." (Jeremiah 1:12) God never watches over a man's word but always over His own Word. So let us seek to be in the will of God. "For not by the will of man was any prophecy ever brought forth, but moved by the Holy Spirit, men spoke from God." (2 Peter 1:21) God has opened our eyes so that we can see His work in action. "And behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20) God has never stopped working with his people. "After He has given His life as an offering for sin, He will see a seed and prolong His days; And the work of the Lord will prosper in His hands." (Isaiah 53:10) Until that moment, the Lord is working. It is His work. God wants His Bride to be perfect. To achieve perfection, "And he has given some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers" (Ephesians 4:11). God works with vessels that He had to prepare in advance. "Before I formed you in your mother's womb, I knew you, and before you came out of her womb, I consecrated you, I appointed you a prophet to the nations" (Jeremiah 1:5). God had already prepared the channel. He knows the end of the matter before it begins.
John 19:1-15
There are two antagonistic positions here. On the one hand, the Gentiles, and on the other, the believers. The Jewish people knew the God of Abraham.
John 1:19-24
The people who were sent nevertheless understood that something special was going on, God was at work. Israel knew its origin, how they got this land and how it came from God. Nicodemus was the leader of the Jews, he comes to the Lord, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher from God; for no one can do these miracles that you do, unless God is with him." (John 3:2) When they came to John the Baptist, they saw the supernatural. They knew the things that are related to God. They knew Moses, the prophet who made history with the coming out of Egypt. God had set Moses apart from birth.
The Jews were not ignorant of God's action. There was Moses, then afterwards there was a period when there were no more prophets but judges. The next prophet came when Hannah cried to the Lord because she was barren. When she was in the temple, she cried so much that Eli thought she was drunk. Eli rebuked her and spoke harshly to her. But Hannah did not say anything, she remained calm and respectful. This is the nature of a daughter of God. Hannah had made a promise that if she had a child, she would dedicate it to the Lord. That is what she did. God's children have something in them. When they know that God is able to do the thing, then God does it. If God is not in the thing, the thing will not move forward. When God is in the thing, He gives peace, never trouble.
When the time came for the child to be weaned, she offered it to the Lord. She gave the child to Eli. Samuel stayed with Eli. Time passed and God's eyes fell on Samuel. God spoke to him at night. "Samuel, Samuel". Every time he came to wake Eli up, "and Eli said to Samuel, Go, lie down; and if anyone calls you, you shall say, Speak, O Lord, for your servant hears". (1 Samuel 3:9) If only we could listen to the advice! Samuel did what Eli had told him. God spoke to Samuel, he did not let any word of the Lord fall. Samuel became a prophet in Israel.
1 Samuel 8:4-7
They wanted to be like the nations. Even today, the people have many desires. Some come as advisors to the pastor to help him make decisions. When you do that, you insult God! We like to give advice too much. As we see it, we think it is the right way. A people who could see the hand of God through miracles and wonders, and now they don't want that God.
When you disrespect a servant of God, you disrespect God directly. The Jews could not ignore Samuel because it was he who anointed Saul and David. The Pharisees asked John if he was Elijah, so they were not ignorant. The people rejected Samuel and therefore God, and took a man.
John 19:14-15
Pilate found Jesus innocent. But the Jews were not ignorant of what their fathers had done with Samuel because they did not want God to rule over them. The Jews knew that when John came on the scene, the Messiah would come. They knew who this Messiah was because Isaiah spoke of Him: "Therefore shall the Lord give you a sign, saying, Behold, the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)
When Jesus came on the scene, there was no room for religion. When guards were brought in to arrest him, he was found preaching, "No man ever spoke like this man." (John 7:46) There was no comparison, He was the Word made flesh. When you spoke to him, he was the Word. "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone against her." (John 8:7) Never had this been heard before. "But say only one word, and my servant shall be healed." (Matthew 8:8) "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. (John 6: 68)
John 18:28-35 / John 19:11-12
They handed Jesus over because for them Jesus was the king of the Jews. But Jesus never said that. The Jews felt that this Jesus is the King of the Jews. Jesus did not say anything, but His nature and His appearance showed that He was the King. Nicodemus, the leader of the Jews said, "We know that you are a teacher from God" (John 3:2). The Jews came to Pilate to deliver their king. They came to Pilate already with a conviction because they had already decided to put him to death! These men said they were serving God. All of a sudden, they change, they no longer seek the Word of God. When you reject the Word of God, then abomination comes upon you. The Pharisees served God but when the Word comes, they become servants of Caesar.
"Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's." (Luke 20:25) They handed over their own Jewish brother. Caesar, a pagan who invaded the land. You reject God for Caesar. When you are not true to God, God will expose you one day. The Word of God will reveal your nature. You have a believer's cover, but one day it will fall off. When the True One comes, then you can't hide.
What do you owe to Caesar and what do you owe to God?
Luke 20:25
We have to be balanced. Often we say, "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's," so that it fits your desires. It gives you a way out. The last empire, the last beast will crush. When we talk about the last beast, it's for you. It's going to make war on the saints.
Revelation 13:1-8 / Revelation 12:7-9
All will submit. Satan wants God's people to submit to him. But God has redeemed His own. All those who have the nature of God will never be able to kneel. The sons of God are concerned with giving back to God what is God's. They do not seek to do anything else. The others put Caesar above God. When the Word manifests itself, it shows your true nature. They have rejected their King and preferred Caesar. When the thing becomes contrary to your thinking, you go to Caesar. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." (Deuteronomy 6:5) How can you go to Caesar?
Jesus disturbs people, He disturbs religious people a lot. When you begin to have thoughts to be able to do harm, it is because the enemy has already entered. They were trying to trap Jesus by all means. To test is not to trap.
Luke 20:19-25
This is not testing! When you approach Him, God knows who you are: hypocrite or true. Do not be like that. "Moreover, brethren, let everything that is true, everything that is honorable, everything that is just, everything that is pure, everything that is lovely, everything that is worthy of approval, everything that is virtuous and praiseworthy, be the object of your thoughts." (Philippians 4:8) If Caesar says something contrary to the Scriptures, then don't do it. We do what the Scriptures tell us to do. There is only one who died for you: Jesus Christ! Even if it costs us our lives, let's do what God tells us.
Their fathers rejected God (Father), there again they reject God (Jesus). And now He comes in the form of the Holy Spirit and they still reject Him. The nations had no access to God. But when He died and the Holy Spirit came, then the access was opened. The Gospel came through Peter to the Gentiles.
We have advanced through the different ages to the last age. We are not talking about the Jews because they rejected Him, but we are talking about the nations. The apostles never brought the prophets to the nations. Their only purpose was for the world to know what God has done. "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." (John 1:29) Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God! For the forgiveness of their sins, the nations had to know Jesus Christ. Those spirits that were present in those days are present in this Laodicean Age. Jesus is still rejected today. In all the ages, there have been witnesses who proved their faith: how do you show your faith?
Revelation 3:7-8
All believers refer to the name of Jesus. When you receive this Jesus in your heart, something must happen in you.
Revelation 19:11-13
When we say that you have not denied my name, we mean denying His word. A distinction is made between Jesus and the Word of God, but Jesus is the Word made flesh. When you have received Jesus, when the Word of God manifests itself to you, then there is no resistance in you. In this Age of Laodicea, His Name is much proclaimed but yet Jesus is at the door! This means that He has been rejected. They have a name that is empty. It is an Age of confusion.
Revelation 3:9-10
If you have a relationship with God, your relationship must be with the Bible. When you always have "the prophet said" in your mouth, you have a bad spirit! When you reject the Word, you are a son of perdition. The Jews had Moses, but when Jesus came, they did not recognize Him. Having the prophet does not save. They put their faith in a man, but not in God. The Pharisees did everything to be like the law, they could be thought holy but they were demons. A son of God recognizes the Word. Jesus Christ is the Word of God. I cannot argue with the Word, I cannot put a man above the Word.
We must realize who we are, why God has placed us in this world. Jesus Christ comes to dwell in our hearts by the Spirit to show that He still lives. Everything you do is useless if you have not received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is Jesus. Jesus is the Word. "I am the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6) God will only fulfill His Word, what I am interested in is what God has said. To overcome in this time, we need the Word. Demons are only afraid of the Word. Jesus is the Word.