Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by Myself, the word is gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to Him shall men come; and all that are incensed against Him shall be ashamed. In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.
Isaiah 45:22-25
ends of the earth
The Name Of The LORD Endures Forever
“Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the name of the LORD; praise, O ye servants of the LORD.
Ye that stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God, praise the LORD; for the LORD is good: sing praises unto His name; for it is pleasant. For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto Himself, and Israel for His peculiar treasure. For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.
Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did He in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.
He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; He maketh lightnings for the rain; He bringeth the wind out of His treasuries. Who smote the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast; sent tokens and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his servants.
Who smote great nations, and slew mighty kings; Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan: and gave their land for an heritage, an heritage unto Israel His people.
Thy name, O LORD, endureth for ever; and Thy memorial, O LORD, throughout all generations. For the LORD will judge His people, and He will repent Himself concerning His servants.” Psalm 135:1-14ff (KJB)
Temple Thrown Down
“And as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples saith unto Him, ‘Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings!’And Jesus answering said unto him, ‘Seest thou these great buildings? There shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.’ And as He sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, ‘Tell us, when shall these things be, and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?'” Mark 13:1-4 (KJB)
From the past…
This was the last time that Jesus would be in the temple. He had just applauded the widow as she gave all she possessed, and chided the religious leaders because they had only given according to their riches. What matters to God is the attitude of one’s heart not the amount one gives or their prestige, or position.
There was nothing in all the world like this temple in its grandeur. It had beautiful marble stones with gold ornamentation which reached a height of 100 feet, there were colonaded walkways, courtyards, and stairways that filled 20 acres of the most prominent landscape in Jerusalem. From our human perspective it is no wonder the disciples made such a statement.
“These buildings” were those of the temple and probably surrounding area which were marvelous architectural wonders. They would not be able to endure the “wrath” that would come showing God’s disapproval of the Hebrew’s rejection of their Messiah. When the temple would fall their sacrifices would cease, and they [the Hebrews] would be scattered to the “ends of the earth”.
When looking at this time and the situation they were in we must ask ourselves, “What is important in life?” Is it buildings and lands? Is it money and finances? Maybe it is science and technology? Wilfred Hahn a global portfolio manager has dubbed these as MOFI and SCITE. There is a third one called GLOBO, which is a growing desire for global unity and tying of all nations to one another in the above things. To explain these names are an acronyn for MOFI = Money/Finance; SCITE = Science/Technology; GLOBO = Global orgainization and unity.
The Jewish leaders; religious and otherwise; would learn in the years to come that what they held so dear would not stand. What about us? Can we learn from their foolishness? I pray so.
Christmas Day Forty Two
What do I want for Christmas today?
I want for myself and all who know the Lord Jesus Christ to always lift praises to God; and in those praises that God would grant the increase of the earth, and all the world fear Him.
“Let the people praise Thee, O God; let all the people praise Thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.” Psalm 67:5-7 (KJV)
The Fire and Hammer 