1. Matthew 22: And He said to him, "'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' 38 "This is the great and foremost commandment.
Matthew 22: "The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.'
John 13: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
Greetings in the name of Jesus our Lord – let’s pray and prepare ourselves to receive the Word humbly and gladly.
Matthew 28: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

2. Luke 12:35-53
   35“Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. 36“Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. 37“Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. 38“Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
      39“But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 40“You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.”
    

3. Luke 12:35-53
   41Peter said, “Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?” 42And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? 43“Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. 44“Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his. 45“But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; 46the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers.47“And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, 48but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.

4. Luke 12:35-53
49“I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! 50“But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! 51“Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; 52for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. 53“They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”    

6. Romans 8:29 …“to be conformed to the image of His Son.”
Our current sermon series is “the Chronological Life of Christ” where we are studying all four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and putting all the events in Jesus life in chronological order in order to understand and imitate our Lord’s perfect life.

7. 7 Chief Divisions of Jesus’ Life (Chad Laird)
Location(s)
Chapter(s) 1
Jesus’ Divine Preexistence
Heaven
Jn. 1 2
Jesus’ Divine Birth/Childhood
Egypt/ Nazareth
Mt. 1-2, Lk. 1-2 3
Jesus’ Divine Baptism/ Temptation/ Early Judean Ministry
Jordan River/ Judean
Wilderness/ Jerusalem
Mt. 3-4, Mk. 1,
Lk. 3-4, Jn. 1-4 4
Jesus’ Divine Galilean Ministry
Capernaum/ Sea of Galilee
Mt. 4-18, Mk. 1-9,
Lk. 4-9, Jn. 5-7 5
Jesus’ Divine Perean/ Late Judean Ministry
Jericho/ Bethany
Mt , Mk. 10,
Lk , Jn. 7-11 6
Jesus’ Divine Passion Week
Jerusalem/Bethany/Jerusalem
Mt , Mk , Lk , Jn 7
Jesus’ Divine Resurrection/ Appearances/ Ascension
Jerusalem/ Galilee/ Mount of Olives
Mt. 28, Mk. 16,
Lk. 24, Jn
We are currently studying what is called by scholars, “the later Judean and Perean ministry” of Jesus (the last six months leading up to His death and resurrection)

8. Harmony of the Gospels (Adapted from John MacArthur’s Study Bible)
Event
Location
Matt.
Mark
Luke
John
Latter Judean and Perean Ministry
Lunch with a Pharisee - Woes against the Scribes and Pharisees
Luke 11:37–54
Warning the disciples about hypocrisy
Luke 12:1–12
Warning about greed and trust in wealth
Luke 12:13–34
Warning against being unprepared for the Son of Man’s coming
Luke 12:35–48
Warning about the coming division
Luke 12:49–53
Warning against failing to discern the present time
Luke 12:54–59
MacArthur, J., Jr. (Ed.). (1997). (electronic ed., p. 1381). Nashville, TN: Word Pub.

10. Last Week: The Pursuit, Privilege, and Preparation of the Kingdom
What is the Kingdom of God and why should we PURSUE entrance into the Kingdom at all costs? Luke 12: "But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.
2. Why is the Kingdom of God such good news and such a PRIVILEDGE to enter? Luke 12:32 your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.
3. What do we have to look forward to in the coming Kingdom of God? (Supernatural Signs that Jesus did that will be normal/common place in the Kingdom) Luke 12:37 truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them.
4. How exactly does one get into the Kingdom of God? (Assurance of Salvation/Confidence we will gain entry into the coming Kingdom of God) Luke 12: "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
5. How can we practically PREPARE as believers for the coming Kingdom of God?
Luke 12: "Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit.

11. Readiness/Preparedness perizw,nnumi perizonnumi: to gird
Luke 12: "Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. 36 "Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. 37 "Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them.
Readiness/Preparedness perizw,nnumi perizonnumi: to gird
[Friberg] perizw,nnumi or perizwnnu,w as preparation for work or activity gird about, from the custom of shortening a garment by tightening the cloth belt around the waist; (1) active gird someone with something; passive be girded or fastened, with the accusative of the thing (LU 12.35); (2) middle gird oneself, bind about oneself (LU 12.37); with the accusative of what one is girded with (RV 1.13; 15.6); with the accusative of body part being encircled (EP 6.14); figuratively, girding denotes readiness for activity, ungirding denotes rest; idiomatically perizw,nnunai th.n ovsfu,n literally tighten the belt around the waist, i.e. get ready, prepare oneself (EP 6.14)
Ephesians 6: Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, 15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.
We can only give our attention to so many things. In the previous passage, Jesus warns about giving our attention to earthly wealth. Here he gives the positive alternative: Give
your attention to Jesus’ coming. This material is similar to that found in the Olivet Discourse (Mt 24:45–51), which clearly speaks of the Second Coming of Christ. But here it may refer more immediately to the impending cross of Christ.
To be “dressed ready for service” was more than wearing a cummerbund. The word “dressed” is actually “gird your loins.” The men in Palestine wore long, flowing robes which would get tangled up in their legs when they tried to work. The solution was to reach down between your ankles, gather up the bottom half of the robe and tuck it into the front of your sash (belt). It looked like a huge diaper. But at least you were then ready to work, run or fight (cf. 1 Kgs 18:46; also Eph 6:14 and 1 Pet 1:13). Furthermore, the verb “be” is a present imperative, indicating continued action. Thus, we are to continually be dressed—continually prepared—to serve the Master.
Not only are we to “gird our loins,” we are to keep our lamps lit (cf. Mt 25:1–13). These “lamps” were small dishes which could be held in the palm of your hand. You would simply fill the dish with oil and lay a wick in a groove made for the purpose. These little lamps were quite portable. But you had to take care to keep the wick trimmed and the bowl filled with oil.
Both being dressed and trimming your lamp was easy enough to do. But it did require diligence to stay prepared for the Master’s arrival from the wedding banquet. The word “return” (v. 36) means to “depart.” It carries the connotation of breaking up camp. In other words, the wedding party is over and he is coming home with his new bride. There was no way to tell when the man might come home. The party could last a few hours or a few days. Therefore, the return of the Master might be deep into the night—the second or third watch (9 p.m. to 3 a.m.). It wasn’t especially difficult, but it did take diligence. Likewise, those who wait diligently for Christ, even in the unexpected and uncomfortable times will receive a special blessing when he comes.
Once the Master of this parable does come home, there is an odd reversal of roles. The master was not supposed to serve the servants. That was just unheard of. But as a reward for their diligence, he does. This is precisely what Jesus did for us. The Son became the servant (cf. Lk 22:27; Jn 13:1–17). This would only happen in the kingdom of God.
Moore, M. E. (2011). The Chronological Life of Christ (pp. 397–398). Joplin, MO: College Press Publishing Company.

12. How do we get ready/be prepared for the coming Kingdom when Jesus reigns over the whole earth?
Seek the Kingdom of God (don’t be afraid, give to charity, store up unfailing treasure in heaven)
Remember we are SLAVES and Jesus is the Master/King of the Kingdom (we are to be standing ready to open the door/greet the Master upon His return, left to manage and protect His estate, and looking forward to reclining with the Master at a feast to celebrate His return)
So Until our Master returns, we are to:
Be Dressed in readiness (lamps lit – wedding feast analogy)
Be Waiting (like men waiting for their Master to return, open the door when the Master comes and knocks)
Be Alert (watching/anticipating His return – especially when Christ in the future again in selfless love/humility serves/waits on those at His banquet)
Be Ready (prepared for the coming of the Son of Man at unexpected time)
We are called to be Kingdom Preppers – What Kingdom preps have you made lately?
The Exhortation to Readiness
“Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.” (12:35–40)
Jesus exhorted His hearers to be ready for His return by means of four simple analogies from everyday life: clothing, lamps, servants, and thieves.
clothing
“Be dressed in readiness, (12:35a)
This phrase literally reads “let your loins be girded,” and takes into account the long, flowing robes worn by both men and women in Jesus’ day. Before they could work, fight, or run, people needed to gather up the loose material and tie it with a sash or belt. As they prepared for the Passover meal, God commanded the people of Israel, “Now you shall eat it in this manner: with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste—it is the Lord’s Passover” (Ex. 12:11). After his dramatic victory over the prophets of Baal, Elijah “girded up his loins and outran Ahab to Jezreel” (1 Kings 18:46). When he sent his servant Gehazi to heal the Shunamite woman’s son, Elisha instructed him, “Gird up your loins and take my staff in your hand, and go your way; if you meet any man, do not salute him, and if anyone salutes you, do not answer him; and lay my staff on the lad’s face” (2 Kings 4:29). The Lord commanded Job, “Gird up your loins like a man, and I will ask you, and you instruct Me!” (Job 38:3; cf. 40:7). When He commissioned Jeremiah for his prophetic ministry God said to him, “Now, gird up your loins and arise, and speak to them all which I command you” (Jer. 1:17). Peter’s exhortation in 1 Peter 1:13 literally reads, “Gird up the loins of your minds.” Jesus’ words are a call to readiness in light of His imminent return.
lamps
and keep your lamps lit. (12:35b)
Lamps have only one function: to provide light. In this case, as it often is, light is a figure for knowledge. This is not the time, Jesus warned, to be ignorant of these truths, stumbling around in the darkness; people need to be watchful and make certain that their lamp of knowledge is always lit. Later He would use lamps to illustrate the danger of spiritual unpreparedness in the parable of the bridesmaids. Unlike the wise virgins, the foolish ones (Matt. 25:1–12) allowed their lamps to go out. As a result, they were shut out of the wedding by the bridegroom, illustrating metaphorically the danger of spiritual unpreparedness.
The apostle Paul echoed this same warning when he wrote,
Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. (Rom. 13:11–14)
Because Jesus could return at any moment, people need to keep alert, have their lamps always lit, and not be lost in spiritual darkness.
servants
Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. (12:36–38)
Weddings in ancient Israel did not start or stop at a specific time. When the preparations were complete, the guests were summoned (cf. Matt. 22:2–4). The celebration could cover up to seven days, depending on how many people were there and how long the food lasted. The men who were waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast could not have known the exact time that he would return. Therefore, they needed to be constantly vigilant, so that they could immediately open the door to him when he arrived at home.
The master would not fail to reward those slaves whom he found on the alert when he returned. In an incredible reversal of roles to demonstrate the master’s pleasure at such readiness, Jesus says he proceeded to gird himself to serve the ones who served him and had them recline at the table as his equals as he waited on them. That is what Jesus Himself did for His beloved disciples (John 13:1–5; cf. Matt. 20:28; Luke 22:27) and will again do at the marriage feast of the Lamb in heaven (Luke 13:28–30). No matter when he arrived—even if it was in the second watch, or even in the third (e.g., 9 p.m. to 3 a.m.)—His ready servants would be blessed.
MacArthur, J. (2013). (pp ). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.
MacArthur, J. (2013). Luke 11–17 (pp. 157–160). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.

13. The Importance of Preparation for the Coming Kingdom of God
2 Peter 3: Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, 4 and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation." 5 For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, 6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. 7 But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. 11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! 13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, 15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation;
thieves
But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect. (12:39–40)
In this final analogy the picture is not of a returning master, but of a robbed master. The opening phrase, But be sure of this, introduces a truth to be treated as both obvious and emphatic. Looking back on the incident, it is self-evident that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. Thieves often dug through the walls of houses, and had he known when the thief was going to strike, the master surely would have been ready to prevent or thwart his attempt.
The element of surprise associated with a thief’s clandestine arrival fits the point of the unexpectedness of the Lord’s return. In Revelation 3:3 Jesus warned the church at Sardis, “Remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.” Both 1 Thessalonians 5:2–4 and 2 Peter 3:10 liken the coming of the Day of the Lord to that of a thief.
Jesus summarizes the four analogies He had just given in a concluding exhortation: You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect. The only way to avoid spiritual loss is to be ready at all times for Christ’s return.
Readiness starts with salvation. Earlier in Luke’s gospel Jesus had called people to repent or face rejection when He returns:
If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. (9:23–26)
But readiness also involves sanctification. In 2 Peter 3:14 Peter exhorted his readers, “Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things [the cataclysmic destruction of the earth and the heavens described in verses 10–13], be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless” (cf. v. 11). The redeemed demonstrate their readiness for Christ’s return by pursuing a godly life.
MacArthur, J. (2013). (pp ). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.
MacArthur, J. (2013). Luke 11–17 (pp. 160–161). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.

14. 4 Watches (Guard Duty) in the ancient Roman system during Jesus’ day
Luke 12: "Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. 39 "But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 40 "You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect."
4 Watches (Guard Duty) in the ancient Roman system during Jesus’ day
1st Watch: (sunset) 6:00p-9:00p
2nd Watch: 9p till 12:00a
3rd Watch: 12:00a-3:00a
4th Watch: 3:00a-6:00a (sunrise)
“You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect”
Luke 21:34; Matt. 24:36, 42–44; 1 Thess. 5:2–4; 2 Pet. 3:10; Rev. 3:3; 16:15.
MacArthur, J., Jr. (Ed.). (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed., p. 1540). Nashville, TN: Word Pub.
Ellicott: The Jews, since their conquest by Pompeius, had adopted the Roman division of the night into four watches –
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers,
The words “broken into” are literally “dug through.” Palestinian houses were built out of adobe-type bricks. Therefore it would be easier to dig through the wall than to break in the door. Now, if we knew when a thief was coming, it would be easy to keep him out (cf. Mt 24:42–44). Likewise, if we knew when Jesus was coming, it would be easy to be prepared for him. Our love for Jesus is not shown primarily in getting ready for his coming but in staying ready for his coming. He will come suddenly and unexpectedly (cf. Mt 24:36–25:30; 1 Thess 5:1–2; 2 Pet 3:10; Rev 3:3). We had better be prepared.
Moore, M. E. (2011). The Chronological Life of Christ (p. 398). Joplin, MO: College Press Publishing Company.

15. This week: “The Different of Jesus Christ during his 1st
MISSIONS
of Jesus Christ during his 1st
and
2nd coming”
Luke 12:31-53
The Bible teaches that human history will end when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to earth to take His people to be with Him, establish His kingdom, and punish the wicked. The second coming of the Son of God marks the end of the world as we know it. Scripture is as clear and trustworthy on Christ’s second coming as it is historical on His first coming. The return of the Lord Jesus in full glory is an essential, central doctrine of the Christian faith, not a secondary, speculative sideshow. Acceptance of it is mandatory, not optional.
In fact, in some ways the doctrine of the second coming is the most important truth of all. It identifies and describes the culmination of redemptive history, encompassing the judgment of the wicked, the blessing of the righteous, and the final and permanent exaltation and glory of the King of kings and Lord of lords. It unambiguously marks the end of history, when God’s purpose from before history’s beginning will be completed after its conclusion. Every detail revealed in Scripture concerning the culmination of God’s redemptive saga will be fulfilled with absolute precision.
This section of Luke 12 reveals the second coming to be both certain and uncertain. The Lord Jesus Christ expressed both realities in verse 40 when He declared that “the Son of Man is coming [a certain event] at an hour that you do not expect [an uncertain time].” The Bible associates various signs with Christ’s return at the conclusion of the tribulation, but none of them reveal the exact day and hour when it will occur (Matt. 24:36; 25:13). Because no events are specifically prophesied to precede it, the time of the rapture cannot be determined. Thus, the chronological sequence that it sets in motion (cf. Dan. 7:25; 12:7, 11–12; Rev. 13:5–6) is missing the key piece of information needed to determine when the Lord will return—when that sequence starts. That is one reason why date setting is so irresponsible. The New Testament is clear that these events are imminent, meaning they could start at any time with no warning sign (Heb. 10:25; James 5:7–9; 1 Peter 4:7; 1 John 2:18; Rev. 1:1; cf. Paul’s use of “we” and “us” in 1 Thess. 4:15, 17; Titus 2:12–13).
The proper response to that reality in every generation is watchfulness (Matt. 24:42–44; Mark 13:33–37; Luke 21:34–36). In this passage Jesus both exhorted His followers to remain at all times ready for His return, and told them why such readiness is important.
MacArthur, J. (2013). (pp ). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.
MacArthur, J. (2013). Luke 11–17 (pp. 150–157). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.
In fact, in some ways the doctrine of the second coming is the most important truth of all. It identifies and describes the culmination of redemptive history, encompassing the judgment of the wicked, the blessing of the righteous, and the final and permanent exaltation and glory of the King of kings and Lord of lords. It unambiguously marks the end of history, when God’s purpose from before history’s beginning will be completed after its conclusion. Every detail revealed in Scripture concerning the culmination of God’s redemptive saga will be fulfilled with absolute precision. Therefore anyone who depreciates, obscures, misrepresents or abandons the truth concerning Christ’s return comes perilously close to bringing divine judgment upon themselves:
I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book. (Rev. 22:18–19)
Yet despite the Bible’s clear warning against tampering with the doctrine of the second coming, many well-intended Christians do just that. Although Scripture’s description of the rest of redemptive history is precise and accurate, they somehow imagine that the end of the story is vague and uncertain. But tampering with the doctrine of the second coming corrupts biblical prophecy and tarnishes the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Some deny the second coming altogether, such as the adherents of the eschatological view known as hyper-preterism or full preterism. Mainstream preterism holds that the tribulation prophecies in Revelation 6–19 were fulfilled in the past. The only event left on the prophetic calendar is the literal, bodily return of Jesus Christ to end history and bring judgment on the wicked. Hyper-preterists take that view one step further. Misinterpreting Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:34, “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place,” hyper-preterists insist that all of biblical prophecy—including the second coming of Christ—was fulfilled in the events surrounding the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in a.d. 70.
This radical view of prophecy relegates not only Christ’s second coming, but also the resurrection of the dead and the great white throne judgment to the past. Adherents say that no prophecy of Scripture remains to be fulfilled, so that this present universe is the new heavens and the new earth promised in Isaiah 65:17, 66:22, 2 Peter 3:13, and described in Revelation 21 and 22. Sin will never be finally purged from God’s creation. Satan has already been defeated as much as he is going to be. There is no physical, bodily existence beyond the grave; believers exist as eternally disembodied spirits in God’s presence, while unbelievers are cast from His presence to live forever in the same form. Hyper-preterists treat such passages as 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17, 1 Corinthians 15:22–24, 53–54, and Philippians 3:21, which clearly promise a bodily resurrection from the dead, as allegories describing spiritual, not literal, realities.
Such radical views of prophecy have disastrous consequences, undermining virtually every fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith. As noted above, they deny both the second coming of Christ and the bodily resurrection of the saints. But denying the literal, bodily return of Christ means denying His bodily ascension, since as the angels told the apostles, “This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). Even more alarming, denying the bodily resurrection of believers entails denying the bodily resurrection of Christ, whose resurrection is the pattern for all who will rise from the dead (1 Cor. 15:20–23). Amazingly, some hyper-preterists have no qualms about taking their view to that extreme and, in a lame effort to be consistent, conclude that Christ, too, rose from the grave spiritually, not physically.
Of course, denying the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ destroys the Christian faith. The apostle Paul bluntly warned the Corinthian believers, some of whom were, like contemporary hyper-preterists, denying the bodily resurrection (1 Cor. 15:12), “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins” (v. 17). Like Hymenaeus and Philetus before them, hyper-preterists “have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and … upset the faith of some” (2 Tim. 2:18). (I critique hyper-preterism in my book The Second Coming [Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway, 1999], 9–13.)
At the other end of the spectrum from those who deny the second coming are those who sensationalize Scripture’s teaching on that future reality. They do so by interpreting the Bible’s teaching regarding the future through the lens of current events. That approach to prophecy has generated endless speculation about how certain people or events supposedly have fulfilled various prophecies. For example, some were convinced that the catastrophic events of the First World War heralded the coming of the Apocalypse. Later, others suggested that Hitler, Mussolini, or Stalin were the Antichrist.
After the Second World War a spate of books appeared claiming that the rebirth of Israel as a nation in 1948 triggered the countdown to Armageddon. Like the hyper-preterists, their authors misinterpreted Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:34. They claimed the “generation” of which the Lord spoke was the one alive in 1948, and hence Armageddon could not be more than forty years away. All were, of course, proved wrong when the rapture, tribulation, and Armageddon failed to materialize by the end of the 1980’s.
Even worse, despite the Lord’s explicit declaration, “But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone” (Mark 13:32; cf. Acts 1:7), there has been no shortage of date setting regarding Christ’s return. One popular writer on biblical prophecy convinced thousands of people that the rapture and the beginning of the tribulation would take place in He wrote a runaway best seller, 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988, wherein he boldly predicted that the rapture would take place in September of that year during Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year). Undaunted when the rapture failed to take place as predicted, the book’s author wrote another book the following year purporting to give 89 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in Needless to say, that book also was wrong. Still another false prophet wrongly claimed that the Lord would return in Seventeen years later he predicted that Christ’s return would take place in All predictions were bogus.
But while some deny the second coming outright and others sensationalize it, far more Christians simply appear to be indifferent to it. To them, the return of the Lord is a tertiary doctrine of limited importance, generating endless speculation and controversy while having little practical value in everyday lives. An earthbound Christianity, with its man-centered theology, “Christian” psychology, pragmatism, and pseudo-sanctified materialism (prosperity gospel), is too focused on the here and now to have any real interest in the second coming. The implication is that this life, which is but a fleeting vapor that soon vanishes (James 4:14), is more important than the life to come. What God has planned for the future is far more blessed than anything this present life can offer. To lose sight of the reality that no earthly benefit can compare to the joy and blessing Christ will deliver when He returns is disobedient and foolish.
First, the promise of God demands it. The Old Testament contains more than three hundred prophecies of the coming Messiah, more than one hundred of which were fulfilled in the first coming of Jesus Christ. That leaves at least two hundred prophecies remaining to be fulfilled at His second coming. For example, in Psalm 2:6–9 God promised that His Son would be King over all the earth and rule with a rod of iron. Isaiah 9:6–7 describes His reign as from David’s throne. Micah 4:3 and Jeremiah 23:5 also speak of Christ’s earthly rule. Zechariah 14:4–9 graphically describes His return to earth to reign as King. God cannot lie (Titus 1:2) and will not change His mind (Num. 23:19). The promises He has made demand that the Lord Jesus Christ return to fulfill them.
Underscoring its profound significance, the Bible reveals at least ten reasons why the Lord Jesus Christ must return to earth bodily in the same manner that He left (Acts 1:11).
Second, the claims of Jesus demand it. During His earthly ministry He repeatedly referred to His second coming (e.g., Matt. 24:27, 30, 37, 39, 44; Mark 13:26; 14:62; John 14:2–3). He gave an extended and detailed discourse (Matt. 24–25) on the events surrounding His return, and alluded to it in numerous parables (e.g., Matt. 24:45–51; 25:1–13; 25:14–30; Luke 19:12–27). The concluding chapter of the Bible records Jesus’ promise to come again in His own words (Rev. 22:7, 12, 20). Christ’s veracity and credibility are thus inextricably tied to His second coming.
Third, the testimony of the Holy Spirit demands it. The “Spirit of truth” (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13) inspired the human writers of Scripture (2 Peter 1:20–21), who repeatedly wrote of Christ’s return (e.g., 1 Cor. 1:4–7; Phil. 3:20; Col. 3:4; 1 Thess. 4:16–17; Titus 2:13; Heb. 9:28; James 5:7–8; 1 Peter 1:13; 5:4; 1 John 3:2). The Spirit, along with the Father and the Son, testifies that Jesus Christ will return to earth in triumph and glory.
Fourth, God’s program for the church demands it. Having gone to prepare a place in heaven for His people (John 14:2), Jesus will one day return to take them there (v. 3). The New Testament pictures the church as betrothed to Christ (2 Cor. 11:2), who will one day return for His bride (cf. 1 Cor. 1:7; Phil 3:20; 1 Thess. 1:10; Titus 2:13) and take her to the marriage feast (Rev. 19:6–9).
Fifth, the corruption of the world demands it. The return of Jesus Christ is the blessed hope of believers. But for the unbelieving world it is the terrifying prospect of immediate judgment, as the Lord Jesus Christ brings destruction, devastation, and death to the ungodly (cf. John 5:25–29; 2 Thess. 1:7–10; Jude 14–15; Rev. 19:11–16) and establishes His righteous kingdom. The final chapter of earth’s history will be written by Jesus, the world’s rightful heir (Heb. 1:2; cf. Rev. 5:1–5), when He returns.
I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn” (Zech. 12:10).
Sixth, the future of Israel demands it. The elect remnant of Israel will one day repent and be saved. In Ezekiel’s vivid imagery, the dry bones will come to life (Ezek. 37) when, as God promised
Paul wrote that “all Israel will be saved” when “the deliverer [the Lord Jesus Christ] will come from Zion He will remove ungodliness from Jacob” (Rom. 11:26). That promised cleansing and salvation of Israel requires Jesus to return to earth.
Seventh, the vindication of Christ demands it. It is inconceivable that the last view of Jesus the world will have is one of Him hanging on a cross between two criminals. No unbelievers saw any of His post-resurrection appearances. His resurrection glory, seen only by believers, has not yet been manifested to the world, but that will change one day. At Christ’s second coming, the whole world will see “the sign of the Son of Man … appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory” (Matt. 24:30; cf. Rev. 1:7). Jesus, who was publicly mocked, spit upon, scourged, and crucified, must return to reveal Himself to the world as its King and Lord.
Eighth, the judgment of Satan demands it. The usurper who is the present ruler of this world (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; cf. 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:2; 6:12; 1 John 5:19) will not be allowed to maintain his rule forever. Jesus must and will return to vanquish him, destroy his kingdom of darkness, and sentence him to eternal punishment in hell (Rev. 20:2, 10).
Ninth, the hope of believers demands it. Their longing “for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus” (Titus 2:13) will not go unrequited. So central to the Christian faith is hope in Christ’s return that 2 Timothy 4:8 defines Christians as those who “have loved His appearing.” The Lord must return so that “the proof of [believers’] faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:7).
Finally, the groaning of creation demands it. Romans 8:18–22 personifies creation as groaning under the pain of the curse brought about by the fall (v. 22) and waiting “eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God” (v. 19) when “the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (v. 21). That will happen when Jesus Christ returns.
The return of Jesus Christ launches a sequence of events that will mark the end of the universe and this world in their present state. There will be a nuclear holocaust of unimaginable proportions as “the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10; cf. v. 12). Before that happens there will be a final judgment and sentencing to the eternal lake of fire of all the ungodly at the great white throne of God (Rev. 20:11–15). Preceding that judgment, Christ will reign for a thousand years on the earth in His millennial kingdom (Rev. 20:4). Before the advent of the millennial kingdom, Jesus will return in judgment (Matt. 25:31–46) in what is commonly known as the second coming, although the term is broader (Rev. 19:11–21). Before the second coming, the tribulation, the seventieth week of Daniel’s prophecy of the seventy weeks (Dan. 9:24–27), will take place for seven years prior to the Lord’s return (Rev. 6–19). It will be an unprecedented outpouring of divine judgment. Before the tribulation there will be the rapture of the church, the trigger that sets in motion all of those subsequent events.
Described in three key passages (John 14:1–3, 1 Cor. 15:51–53; 1 Thess. 4:16–17), the rapture is a signless event and could take place at any time. It is to be distinguished from Christ’s return at the end of the tribulation. At the rapture, Christ comes for His saints (John 14:3; 1 Thess. 4:16–17), but not to earth. He meets them in the air (1 Thess. 4:17) to take them with Him to heaven (John 14:2–3) to receive their rewards (1 Cor. 3:10–15; 4:1–5; 2 Cor. 5:10) and participate in the marriage feast of the Lamb (Rev. 19:7). In contrast, seven years later, at Christ’s return at the end of the tribulation He comes not for His saints, but with His saints (Rev. 19:14; cf. vv. 7–8), who descend with Him from heaven to earth (Zech. 14:4). In addition, the rapture passages mention no accompanying judgment. Nor is there any reference to the church in Revelation 6–19, which describes the tribulation. (For further evidence that the rapture will precede the tribulation, and hence is to be distinguished from the Lord’s posttribulational return in judgment, see Revelation 12–22, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary [Chicago: Moody, 2000], 212–13.)

16. The Big Picture/Overview of Luke 12:31-53
Jesus’ Mission During His 1st Coming: SAVE
Luke 12: "But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!
Matthew 18:11/Luke 19:10 "For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost .
Luke 5:32 "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.“
John 12: "I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness. 47 "If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.
John 18: Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."
Jesus’ Mission For His 2nd Coming: JUDGE
Luke 12: "I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled!
1 Chronciles16:33, Psalm 9:8, 82:8, 96:10-13, 98:9 (the Lord will judge the earth with righteousness)
Acts 17: "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead."
The Lord taught this same principle in Matthew 24:44–51 (cf. Mark 13:33–37 and the similar teaching in the parable of the talents [Matt. 25:14–30]), indicating that it was a recurring theme of His teaching. MacArthur, J. (2013). Luke 11–17 (p. 162). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.

17. The Contrast of the 2 Missions of Christ from the book of John (to save & then to judge)
John 3: "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
John 5: "For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. 22 "For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. 24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. 25 "Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 "For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; 27 and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. 28 "Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, 29 and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.
John 6: "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 "This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. 40 "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.“

18. Diagram From Answers in Genesis/Ken Ham

19. Today (5 November, 2017) is the
Chad: Because the period of twelve such lunations—a lunar year—is approximately 354 days, 8 hours, 48 minutes, and 34 seconds ( days), purely lunar calendars lose around 11 days per year relative to the Gregorian calendar.
If you take 5778 x 11 days = days (divided by 365) = years (perhaps the year 6000 is only years away) (tribulation would start approximately 40 years from now.
The Hebrew Calendar The 6000 Years of Biblical Man
Article:
October 7, 3761 B.C.­ The date God created Adam and Eve (according to the Jews of the Middle Ages). This date is still used in calculating the year of the Jewish calendar. According to the Hebrew calaendar the seventh "day" (if we consider a day to God to be a thousand years to man as the Bible says) will begin in September or October 6001 A.D. The following table beginning from the year 2000 lists the corresponding Jewish year that coincides with the Christian era date and also the years remaining until that "7th Day" arrives and "everything that belongs to God has to be returned to Him irrevocably". Jesus said the last days would be so violent and wicked, God has shortened the time for the sake of the elect.
The Jewish Calendar
Jewish Year 5761 ­ Tishri 1 (begins in Autumn During Christian Year 2000) - Years Remaining Until
Jewish Year 5764 ­ Tishri 1 (begins in Autumn During Christian Year 2003) - Years Remaining Until
Jewish Year 5763 ­ Tishri 1 (begins in Autumn During Christian Year 2002) - Years Remaining Until
Jewish Year 5762 ­ Tishri 1 (begins in Autumn During Christian Year 2001) - Years Remaining Until
Jewish Year 5766 ­ Tishri 1 (begins in Autumn During Christian Year 2005) - Years Remaining Until
Jewish Year 5765 ­ Tishri 1 (begins in Autumn During Christian Year 2004) - Years Remaining Until
Jewish Year 5769 ­ Tishri 1 (begins in Autumn During Christian Year 2008) - Years Remaining Until
Jewish Year 5768 ­ Tishri 1 (begins in Autumn During Christian Year 2007) - Years Remaining Until
Jewish Year 5767 ­ Tishri 1 (begins in Autumn During Christian Year 2006) - Years Remaining Until
Jewish Year 5770 ­ Tishri 1 (begins in Autumn During Christian Year 2009) - Years Remaining Until
Jewish Year 5773 ­ Tishri 1 (begins in Autumn During Christian Year 2012) - Years Remaining Until
Jewish Year 5772 ­ Tishri 1 (begins in Autumn During Christian Year 2011) - Years Remaining Until
Jewish Year 5771 ­ Tishri 1 (begins in Autumn During Christian Year 2010) - Years Remaining Until
Jewish Year 5774 ­ Tishri 1 (begins in Autumn During Christian Year 2013) - Years Remaining Until
Jewish Year 5777 ­ Tishri 1 (begins in Autumn During Christian Year 2016) - Years Remaining Until
Jewish Year 5776 ­ Tishri 1 (begins in Autumn During Christian Year 2015) - Years Remaining Until
Jewish Year 5775 ­ Tishri 1 (begins in Autumn During Christian Year 2014) - Years Remaining Until
Jewish Year 5778 ­ Tishri 1 (begins in Autumn During Christian Year 2017) - Years Remaining Until
Jewish Year 5781 ­ Tishri 1 (begins in Autumn During Christian Year 2020) - Years Remaining Until
Jewish Year 5780 ­ Tishri 1 (begins in Autumn During Christian Year 2019) - Years Remaining Until
Jewish Year 5779 ­ Tishri 1 (begins in Autumn During Christian Year 2018) - Years Remaining Until
Jewish Year 5783 ­ Tishri 1 (begins in Autumn During Christian Year 2022) - Years Remaining Until
Jewish Year 5782 ­ Tishri 1 (begins in Autumn During Christian Year 2021) - Years Remaining Until
Jewish Year 5786 ­ Tishri 1 (begins in Autumn During Christian Year 2025) - Years Remaining Until
Jewish Year 5785 ­ Tishri 1 (begins in Autumn During Christian Year 2024) - Years Remaining Until
Jewish Year 5784 ­ Tishri 1 (begins in Autumn During Christian Year 2023) - Years Remaining Until
There are three major feast days in the ancient Hebrew calendar
Yom Kippur (the Day of God) celebrated on Tishri 10, 9 days after the Jewish New Year
Feast of Weeks - ('First Fruits' or first harvest) 50 days after Passover begins
Passover - Early Spring (7-day celebration beginning on 14th day of Nissan)
Christian Holy Days and their Jewish counterparts
The light of Christ shining on earth replaces the Day of Atonement.
Pentecost replaces Feast of Weeks ('First Fruits') (50 days after Easter Sunday)
Easter replaces Passover
Saint's Day (All Souls, All Saints) - November 1 (No Jewish counterpart)
Advent (The 12th day of Christmas - January 6) "Appearance" - No Jewish counterpart
New Years Day (January 1) replaces Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Years (Tishri 1).
Christmas superscedes Hanukkah (Feast of Dedication - Jewish Feast of Lights)
Ash Wednesday (beginning 40 days of Lent) - No Jewish counterpart
The Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar, based on moon cycles. The Christian calendar is a sun calendar, based on annual cycles.
Passover is a Jewish celebration honoring the flight from Egyptian captivity. It is combined with the Feast of the Unleavened Bread which also pertains to that escape. It is celebrated on the 14th day of Nissan (the first month in the Hebrew calendar). See Exodus 12:1-20 and Exodus 23:15. Because the Jewish calendar is based on the moon, this festival falls on different days in the Christian calendar each year. The Christian counterpart to Passover is the seven-day Holy Week starting with Palm Sunday ­ a week that includes Good Friday (the day of crucifixion) and ending with Easter Sunday.
The Feast of Weeks (Harvest) was a festival where the "first fruits" of the harvest were offered to God. It was celebrated 50 days after the beginning of the Passover. See Exodus 23:16 and Leviticus 23: In Christianity, the Holy Spirit descended from the Father and the Son on that day in 30 A.D., 52 days after Jesus had been handed over to the forces of the prince of this world in Gethsemane.
The Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah, falls on the first day of the 7th Hebrew month, Tishri ­the new moon of the 7th month. The New Year is also called the 'Feast of Trumpets', because it involves the blowing of trumpets (a "shofar", or ram's horn). No trumpet is sounded if Tishri 1 falls on saturday, the Jewish sabbath.  Rosh Hashanah begins a ten-day period of spirituality culminating with Yom Kippur, the day of God, the highest holy day in the Hebrew Calendar, a day of fasting, worship and reconciliation.
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement is celebrated 9 days after Rosh Hashanah on the 10th day of Tishri . It is the highest holy day in the Jewish calendar and is called 'Yom Kippur', or "Day of Atonement".  The Jews call this day, "the Day of the Great Pardon".  Christian symbolism imparts enormous prophetic symbolism to this day with respect to the 'ingathering', viewing the "Day of Atonement" in relation to the declaration in Psalms that a "day" to God was like a "thousand years" to man (Ps.90:4). Joshua's declaration that God "stopped the sun in the sky to make one day into almost two" (Joshua 10:12-14) stretched that "day" into almost 2000 years, bringing it into our own times, with an end time not far distant. It is a day that will culminate in the breathtaking vision seen by the prophet Daniel (Dan.7:9), when God, Himself, will appear seated on His throne before all mankind.
The Feast of Ingathering (also known as the Feast of Tabernacles) is the 3rd major holiday in the month of Tishri. Seven days long, this feast commemorated the end of the fruit harvest.  The Feast of Tabernacles begins on the 15th day of Tishri (the seventh month in the Hebrew calendar). See Exodus 23:16 and Leviticus 23:  The Feast of Tabernacles celebrates the sovereignty of the Lord.  It is called Tabernacles to celebrate the temporary shelters the Israelites had to dwell in during their 40-year journey out of Egypt.  Christian prophecy equates the Feast of Tabernacles with communion offered in the churches during the "Day of the Great Pardon" brought by baptism into the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who went to the cross to atone for the's sins of all who would accept His free gift of forgiveness from God.  The prophet Zechariah predicted severe punishment for all nations that failed to celebrate this feast (Zech. 14:16-21).  In relation to this prediction, and the feast it heralds, scripture declares that a "beast" will come and put a stop to sacrifice and oblation, and tied this action to the end of the world, as did the prophet Isaiah (Dan.9:26-27; Is. 24:1-6).
All Jewish feast days, celebrations and festivals are connected in some way with the number 7.
Sabbatical Year. Every 7th year a year was declared for the land to lie fallow. During that year, freed from labor, the people were to spend their time in instruction in the ways and laws of God.
Jubilee Year. Every 50th year all property had to be returned to its original owner. All Hebrew slaves were freed. The Jubilee year was designed to stop the wealthy from taking the land into the hands of just a few. It also remined the people that the "original owner" is God and is to Him that all belongs, and to whom it all must one day revert.
The Jewish calendar is based on the birth of Adam in the Garden at Eden. That date was determined by Hebrew scholars around 1000 A.D. to have occurred on October 7, 3761 B.C. This date corresponds to the year 1 in the Hebrew calendar, and has ever since formed the basis for that calendar. The Hebrew calendar, therefore shows us a 6000 year period involved in the history of mankind, with today's date less than 240 years shy of the year 6000 and the advent of the 7000th year. In prophecy terms each "thousand" equates to a "day" to God. That means the 7th day begins just a couple of hundred years from now.  Since scripture dictates that everything that belongs to God must be returned to Him without equivocation on the 7th day, the advent of that day is seen by prophecy to herald the end of the world. Jesus said that the last days would be cut short, so if that expectation is correct, the end will come before the Hebrew year 6001.
The Christian calendar is based on the appearance of Jesus Christ, the Messiah promised by Moses.  The Christian calendar entered it's third day on January 1st,  Prophecy predicts that the Christian era on earth (in terms of the "light" of Christ brought by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in 30 or 33 A.D.) will last "almost" 2000 years.  As with the end of the Mosaic calendar, Christianity's calendar has also almost reached the end predicted for it in scripture. This, in light of the fact that Moses predicted that the people would see God, the Father, face to face early on the "third day". He ordered the Israelites in the desert of Sinai to "wash and clean for two days" and then meet God face to face on the third day. This washing and cleaning is seen by prophecy as relating to the term of baptism on earth, structuring a two-day "Day of Atonement" (Gen.3:18; Ex.19:10-11; Joshua 10:12-14).
The Christian Calendar
The "Edict of Milan" ­ The Roman emperor, Constantine, legalized Christianity in the year 313 A.D.
.The Roman emperor Theodosus, a fierce Christian, together with Galerius in the east issued decrees making Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire in 392 A.D., completely forbidding pagan worship in the world.
Until 1582, New Years Day in the Christian calendar was celebrated on March 25th, a date which coincided closely with the beginning of the first Jewish month (Nisan), i.e., the beginning of Passover and Easter. 
In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII moved New Years Day to January 1st when he initiated the Gregorian calendar. Britain did not accept this change until Russia adopted it in 1918, and Turkey in 1927.
If Jesus began preaching in 27 A.D. as some think, exactly 365 years passed between the time He began preaching and the time world paganism officially ended, i.e., a year of years. 
If Jesus was conceived in Mary's womb by the Holy Spirit on Christmas day, he would have been born nine months later, i.e., around the 7th of October. That is the day Jewish tradition gives for the start of creation. It is the day that began the Hebrew 6000-year calendar.
Today (5 November, 2017) is the
16th of Cheshvan, 5778 according to the Jewish Calendar
(222 years before the Year 6000)
(but if the Jewish Calendar is off just a bit – dating the start of Creation just 200 years off…who knows…we are very close!!!

20. (good example of Charismatic/Pentecostal who claims that an angel spoke to him and showed him prophecy/insight into the end times that no one else knows because his dad named him Gabriel and because a prophet spoke over him at age 12). Basically he has recalculated the beginning of creation by assuming that Jesus will return 2000 years exactly after his death, takes recreation of Israel in 1948 and Moses “definition” of a generation (80 years) and adds 1948 til get 2028 and then subtracts to get 3972 B.C.)
By Gabriel Ansley
Excerpt from Undeniable Biblical Proof Jesus Christ Will Return to Planet Earth Exactly 2000 Years After His Death
For instance, Lightfoot, in AD 1644, calculated the
was plainly and obviously accepted as near 4000 BC. (It is important
person in the 1600’s, the date for the creation of the universe & Earth
Biblical Creation at 3928 BC. But no matter whom the Bible believing
you wrestle with the understanding that these “Biblical Creation dates”
planes, computers, satellites, atomic bombs, or knew m Israel would
were determined in/at a time LONG before mankind invented cars,
be reborn as a nation. In other words, I am not “making-up” some false
4000 BC for centuries!)
assertion after the fact; mankind has known Earth’s genesis was around
2nd Coming!—combined with other Biblical secrets the Lord has
for Scripture unmistakably prophesied of her rebirth right before Jesus’
But, today, knowing Israel became a nation again in AD 1948—
revealed to me (that I will disclose in this book), I now have the benefit
about that? My date is hitting all over the bulls eye of the two famous
more precisely, calculate a date of 3972 BC for the Creation. How
of working backwards (I will explain soon) and am able to now, much
dates I cited in the paragraph above from 4 centuries ago! In other
a Creation date around 4000 BC. In fact, it does the very opposite; the
time” Biblical prophecy does M contradict the Bible’s assertion of
words, even what God has done in the last century in firlfilling “end-
evidence farther validates and strongly supports the truth of the Bible’s
which means we are obviously living today in the time surrounding
maintains the Creation of the world is somewhere around 4000 BC,
claim. Therefore, with all things considered, it is irrefutable the Bible
6,000 years of history on planet Earth!!!
years of mankind’s history? Did God give us any clues in the Bible that
But who cares, right? What is the big deal concerning 6,000
is God incopporated His master TIME plan for mankind on Earth IN the
period? The answer is an 0verwhelming...YES! !! The dazzling fact
the w of 6,000 years on planet Earth would be a significant time
Why did it not take Him 3, 8, 11, 15, or any other number of days? And
the Bible records God created the world in p days and m on the 7th?
Bible’s 7 day Creation stogi! Did you ever sit down and wonder why
what is up with God resting on the 7th day? God does not need to rest!!!
would think the Bible’s Creation story is just a silly fable.
who made this stuff up? I can understand perfectly well why someone
So why is a “day of rest” part of the Creation story? I mean, seriously,
astonished at what you find! Soon, it becomes apparent the story is not
on the ex_act words used in the Bible’s 7 day Creation story, you will be
Ah, but if you take a spiritual lens and zoom in a little closer
stupid at all as God’s infinite wisdom and foresight come into perfect
the prophet Isaiah: “For I am God, and there is NONE else; I am God,
synopsis of God’s plans for mankind’s time on planet Earth! !! God told
focus: For the Creation story was/is actually a terse PROPHETIC
counsel shall stand, and I WILL DO all mv pleasure ...Hearken unto
and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My
and there is NONE like me, Declaring the END from the BEGINNING,
me, ye stoutheartea’, that are far fi‘om righteousness ” (Isaiah ).
in the future. Now seriously... HOW did God do all THAT from the
would occur from the beginning, and also “things” that would happen
In other words, God is clearly saying here that He told WI-IEN the END
contained in the Z day Creation story’s verbiage! ! !
beginning, which was the Creation? Friend, it was & stunningly
cl andestinely concealed it in the fact that the Creation “event” concluded
HO_W did God “declare the END” from the beginning? He
Biblical revelation of this time comparison came to us through Moses
was God’s “prophetic time key” for the length of a day. God’s first
in Z days. Say what? Look, the only thing missing initially to mankind
1 day = 1,000 years! Most people whimsically gloss over this verse to
are but as yesterDA Y” (Psalms 90:4). In other words, in God’s eyes,
in the 14L11 Century BC: “For a thousand years in thy (God’s) sight
simply mean “time is irrelevant to God”, but these people are severely
1 day = 1,000 years in God’s sight. Consequently, this little innocuous
Scripture was given to mankind to really, truly, prophetically declare
mistaken for NOTHING could be any farther from the truth!!! This
see) the Z day Creation story actually represented and foretold of an
His complete plan for mankind on Earth. In short (as you will soon
Bible verse actually contained God’s “prophetic master time key” for
absolutely fixed 7 day (7,000 year) plan for mankind’s time on planet
beginning. . .in 7 days!
Earth. Therefore, God fl told when the END would occur from the
Incidentally, realize “time” was also created by God, for the
determined as part of His Creation. Subsequently, God’s master m
sun once. Thus, this “length of time” is something God arbitrarily
length of our year is simply the time it takes planet Earth to orbit the
plan for mankind was/is to be completed after planet Earth makes 7,000
running this show and He has been ever since the beginning! He will
trips around the sun! Friend, if you have not figured it out yet, God is
surely do ALL His pleasure, and He has a set time, place, and purpose
for evegthing.
mankind. (Note: numbers are also just a natural byproduct of God’s
In the Bible, God uses numbers to communicate things to
fashioned around a m of Z, He instituted the Z day week—which is
too!) So, since God’s master TIME plan for mankind on Earth was/is
created, seeable, physical world—which means He created them,
words, EVERY 7 day week that passes mankind (most unknowingly)
glimpse of His overall 7 day (7,000 year) plan for mankind! In other
7 revolutions of Earth on its axis—from Creation as a continual, mini—
pays tribute to the Creator God’s Master Time Plan!!! Is that not
orbits of the celestial bodies are like the interior workings of a giant
mankind on Earth is written into His Creation: The revolutions and
awesomely incredible? Friend, the TIMING of God’s master plan for
grandfather clock, ticking off the seconds of His amazingly precise plan.
people would say in the “last days” right before Jesus’ 211d Coming:
During the 1”" century AD, the Apostle Peter wrote ab out what
“there shall come in the last days scofters, walking after their own
you even said it with your own tongue! Did you notice in the verse
Peter 3:3, 4). Have you heard someone hiss like this recently? Maybe
lusts, And saving, Where is the promise ofhis (Jesus 217—“) coming? ” (II
to believe the Bible is a fairy tale. Oh, but then Peter makes an amazing
they live in lustful sins and do not want to change! They willingly want
above w_hy people scoff at the idea of Jesus’ 2nd Coming? It is because
statement right in the middle of his discussion on the timing of Jesus’ 2nd
city” (II Peter 3:8). Wow, are you kidding me? w_hy would the Holy
dfl is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one
Coming: “But, beloved, be not IGNORANTofthis one thing, that %
Peter) KNEW the time comparison of 1 day = 1,000 years is God’s
timing of Jesus’ 2nd Coming? Friend, the Holy Spirit (writing through
Spirit lead Peter to write THAT in the middle of a talk concerning the
we would not be scoffrng right now!!!
Earth! And if we “last days” peOple would recognize what “time” it is,
“prophetic master Time key” for discovering when Jesus will return to
narrative found in chapter 1 of the book of Genesis. Be prepared to
1,000 years, let us now take a closer look at the astonishing Creation
Armed with the divine PROPHETIC knowledge that 1 day =
be dumbfounded for God not only told WHEN the end would occur
Creation story’s narrative, EACH day’s activities prophetically mirrored
prophesied remarkably about “things” in between, for in the 7 day
from the beginning by utilizing Z days for the Creation, but He also
used to describe the “events” of each of the 7 Creation days actually
mankind’s history!!! Do you understand? In other words, the language
the “major spiritual occurrence” of THAT particular 1,000 year period of
foreshadowed the most important spiritual event(s) of that particular
revelation.
millennial day [See Figure #2]. Let us take a look at this mind-boggling
Day 1 represented the first 1,000 year period of mankind on
3972 BC for the Creation). This millennial day’s most momentous
Gregorian calendar (I’ll explain shortly how I arrived at my date of
Earth, which would run from 3972 BC to 2972 BC on our current
spiritual event was to be the “spiritual fall” of Adam & Eve after they
the difference between good & evil—which is to say “light & dark”.
the “tree of the knowledge of good & evil”, mankind instantly learned
sinned in the Garden of Eden. Having eaten the forbidden fruit from
that it was GOOD: and God DI VIDED the light from the darkness ”
light and SEPARATED the light from the dark: “... God saw the light,
Consequently, we read on the first day of Creation that God made
(Genesis 1:4) The Bible would later go on to refer to good as light and
the light” (John 3:19, 20). Do you see? In short, the spiritual watershed
light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth
evil as darkness. Jesus said, “...and men loved darkness rather than
And God had prophetically declared the “event” and its “timing”, albeit
evil (light & dark) became discernible (separated) in mankind’s hearts.
moment of the 13‘ millennial day on planet Earth was when good &
secretly, in the Creation story’s lst day narrative!
the millennial day when the worldwide flood of Noah would devastate
on Earth, which would run from 2972 BC to 1972 BC. This was to be
Day 2 represented the second 1,000 year period of mankind
planet Earth. Friend, the stogr of Noah is actually a detailed prophetic…
The million dollar question then is how LONG is a Biblical
Summary of Ch. 1
generation of people? Astonishingly, the answer is found in the very
1,000 years! How about that? Do you think that is just a coincidence?
SAME Psalm of Moses that first gave us God’s time Key of 1 day =
Moses wrote: “The days ofour years are threescore years and ten (70);
he have possibly known over 3,300 years later, with the advent and
90:10). Moses wrote this Psalm in the 14th Century BC! How could
and if by reason of strength they be [ourscore years (80] ” (Psalms
advancements of modern medicine, the average lifespan of men and
+ 80 years) is the latest possible year that would still fulfill Jesus’
Moses’ words are precisely true today! Therefore, AD 2028 (AD 1948
women would still be between 70 & 80 years? It is astounding that
parable!
Because there is a HUGE Biblical secret the Spirit of the Lord revealed
Why do I believe AD 2028 is E year of Christ’s 2nd Coming?
history! The amazing secret is Jesus’ death, burial, & resurrection
points like a neon sign to AD 2028 as the 6,000th year of mankind’s
to me in AD 2008 (that I have already alluded to in this chapter) which
story and will be clearly revealed in the “Moses” Chapter. But this truth
The proof of this secret is contained in the details of an ancient Bible
absolutely occurred during mankind’s 4,000t—h year of histogr on Earth!
is also contained in other Biblical details that I will reveal. After you
is glaring, yet I know of NOBODY who ever understood the meaning
When God revealed these “things” to me I was stunned. For the truth
learn them, you will know without a shadow of a doubt this fact is truth!
either, except for God’s Spirit revealing it to me.
behind the Biblical details that prove this truth! And I never would have
me to say with certainty he will come back EXACTLY 2,000 years
Knowing Jesus’ death occurred during year 4,000 allows
knew definitively what year Jesus died, I could tell you with absolute
(Remember, the story of Noah will absolutely prove this.) Thus, if we
from that year, because he WILL return to Earth during year 6,000!
dates are from AD 26 to AD 30. Therefore, Jesus’ 2nd Coming could be
know the year of Jesus’ death? Well, not positively, but the respected
certainty what year he will return! Do you understand? So, DO we
anywhere from AD 2026 to AD But wait! We know the fig tree
limit the date of Jesus’ 2nd Coming from AD 2026 to AD 2028!
from Christ’s parable runs out in AD Consequently, I can farther
(Israel) budded in AD 1948 and the “80 year generational time limit”
with numbers! (And after reading this book, you will too!) Friend,
2027? Because I have acquired a keen appreciation for God’s perfection
So, why do I believe Ad) 2028 is E year and not AD 2026 or
it would not be like God to have Christ return during Israel’s 78th or
lead the Israelites out of their Egyptian troubles when he was 80 years
number 80? Oh, that is a whole different ballgame! !! God sent Moses to
79th national birthday, for the numbers do not mean anything. But the
sitting in their temple proclaiming himself to be Godl—during Israel’s
to save Israel out of their current day troubles—when the Antichrist is
old. Thus, it seems very fitting that God will send Jesus Christ to Earth
80th Birthday. Consequently, my spirit believes Jesus’ 2nd Coming will
year of Creation!
you know how I calculated 3972 BC (AD 2028 — 6,000 years) as the
occur in the year AD 2028, which places his death in AD 28. And now
show you how God continued to verify it by controlling the details of
Earthly master Time plan in this chapter, but throughout this book I will
Well, I have only introduced you to God’s 7 day (7,000 year)
ancient Bible stories. I will even show you how God further confirmed
the “Moses” chapter). But for now, with respect to God’s 7 millennial
Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection (this information is contained in
it, mind-bogglingly, by reproducing it the actual “Z day week” of
years after the year of his death, resurrection, and ascension! (The full
absolute certainty Jesus Christ will return to planet Earth exactly 2,000
day master Time plan for mankind on planet Earth, I can tell you with
digest the Biblical secrets contained in the rest of this book.)
weight of this sobering TRUTH will only hit you after you mentally

21. Luke 12:41 And Peter said, "Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?"
This section in Luke 12 is a PARABLE
Reminder: Why the Lord used parables (a way to reveal truth to the believing and obscure things to the unbelieving – a means/form of condemnation for those whose hearts are closed/against the Lord Jesus)
Matthew 13:10-17/ Mark 4:10-12
Matthew 13: And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?“ 11 And He answered and said to them, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. 12 "For whoever has, to him shall m ore be given, and he shall have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. 13 "Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
Mark 4: And with many such parables He was speaking the word to them as they were able to hear it; 34 and He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples.
Luke 8:10 And He said, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, in order that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.
Peter is asking who the parable is addressed to (us – the 12 disciples) (everyone else – all the other Jews/crowd following Jesus, including the Pharisees and Jewish elite who were trying to trap and even kill Jesus.
Christ did not directly answer Peter’s question (v. 41), but implied that these truths apply to all believers—most of all those to whom much has been committed
MacArthur, J., Jr. (Ed.). (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed., p. 1540). Nashville, TN: Word Pub.
Chad – I disagree respectfully with Jmac - the us seems to best be the 12 disciples (whom he regularly took aside in private to explain the parables – and who, with the exception of Judas were true believers). Everyone else are probably the Jews/religious leaders who are likely the servants who know God’s will but do not welcome or serve Jesus and will be assigned a place/hell with unbelievers.
Mark Moore writes, “Peter, in his typical style, acts as spokesman for the group. Jesus, in his typical style, answers Peter’s question with a question (cf. Mt 24:45–51). Peter is really asking about position. That is, “Are we alone your special servants?” Jesus answers by speaking about responsibility. That is, “If I have given anyone responsibility he needs to see that it is carried out.” It really does not matter if the servant is Peter alone, the Apostles alone or everyone standing there. The point is, if Jesus has given you a task, you’d better worry about keeping faithful to the task instead of worrying about what others are doing or have been given to do. Elsewhere, however, Jesus specifies that the command to watch applies to everyone (Mk 13:37).
Moore, M. E. (2011). The Chronological Life of Christ (p. 399). Joplin, MO: College Press Publishing Company.

22. Luke 12: And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? 43 "Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. 44 "Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
I. The GOOD SLAVE
Faithful (πιστός pistos: faithful, reliable)
Sensible (φρόνιμος phronimos: practically wise, sensible)
Put in charge of other slaves (καθίστημι kathistemi: to set in order, appoint) *** to give rations (σιτομέτριον sitometrion a measured portion of food)
The Master finds them doing His will (working/obedient) when He returns (ποιέω poieo: to make, do)
REWARD: The Master will BLESS the faithful slave (μακάριος makarios: blessed, happy), specifically by putting him in charge of all His possessions
(Moore) In the kingdom of God, as in all successful organizations, those who execute responsibility well are given more and more responsibility. In a sense, Jesus is answering Peter’s question about position. “Do your job well,” says Jesus, “and you will be given more to do.” As he says elsewhere, “He who is faithful in little will be given much” (Lk 16:10).
Responsibility is easy to carry out when the boss is watching and the first few minutes after he leaves. But when the boss is away for weeks or months at a time, it is easier to slip into irresponsibility. Then comes the true test of an employee’s character. Likewise, in the realm of the kingdom of God, many have thought, “Jesus has been away so long. Surely I still have time to straighten up my life before the Lord returns.” Read carefully and observe! Our love for Christ is not primarily shown in getting ready for his coming, but in staying ready for his coming.
Moore, M. E. (2011). (p. 399). Joplin, MO: College Press Publishing Company.
As noted above, (Jmac) the faithful and sensible steward represents genuine believers. They manage well the spiritual riches God has entrusted to their care, and are ready for Christ’s return. Pistos (faithful), as always in the New Testament, has the meaning of “believing,” indicating that this servant represents the redeemed. Phronimos (sensible) is the result of salvation and describes a thoughtful, prudent, discreet believer, who has the wisdom that is from above (cf. James 3:17). Believers understand the urgency and importance of living in the hope of their Lord’s return. They have not only utilized the resources available to everyone; the revelation of God in creation (Rom. 1:18–32) and the law of God written in the hearts of all people (Rom. 2:15), but also when exposed to the gospel, they believed it, repented, and were saved. Like the faithful steward, they acted responsibly. Put in charge of his master’s servants and instructed to give them their rations at the proper time, he did exactly that. His master would not fail to reward him for carrying out his will; blessed is that slave, Jesus said, whom his master finds so doing when he comes. When He returns Jesus too will reward those who have faithfully carried out His will. Just as the master put the faithful servant in charge of all his possessions, so also will the Lord give His faithful servants corresponding responsibility in the kingdom (cf. 12:32; 2 Tim. 2:12).
MacArthur, J. (2013). (pp ). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.
MacArthur, J. (2013). Luke 11–17 (pp. 162–163). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.
12:43 Blessed is that servant. The faithful steward pictures the genuine believer, who manages well the spiritual riches God has put in his care for the benefit of others, and the careful management of the master’s estate. Faithful expression of the duty of such spiritual stewardship will result in honor and reward (v. 44).
MacArthur, J., Jr. (Ed.). (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed., p. 1540). Nashville, TN: Word Pub.
Moore, M. E. (2011). The Chronological Life of Christ (p. 399). Joplin, MO: College Press Publishing Company.

23. Luke 12: "But if that slave says in his heart, 'My master will be a long time in coming,' and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; 46 the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
II. The BAD SLAVE
Rationalizes unfaithfulness (says in his heart/makes excuses) – the Master will be delayed (χρονίζω chronizo: to spend or take time, delay) so I can do what I want in the mean time
Beats/treats the other slaves harshly (τύπτω tupto: to strike, smite, beat)
Wastes Time/parties rather than working hard (eats, drinks, gets drunk) (μεθύσκω methusko: to make drunk)
The Master surprises the slave, finds him/her NOT about His will, not prepared/expecting His return (προσδοκάω prosdokao: to await, expect)
PUNISHMENT: The Master will CUT HIM IN PIECES (διχοτομέω dichotomeo: to cut in two, cut asunder, punish with greatest severity) and ASSIGN A PLACE WITH THE UNBELIEVERS (literally “share the place of the unfaithful.” (ἄπιστος apistos: unfaithful, unbelieving)
(Moore) This talk about cutting someone to pieces is surely hyperbole, although it was not uncommon among ancient nations (cf. 1 Sam 4:12; Dan 2:5; Heb 11:37). Yet we must recognize that the characters in the story represent the false teachers and religious hypocrites who will endure eternal judgment (cf. Acts 20:29–30; Mt 7:15–23).
Moore, M. E. (2011). (p. 399). Joplin, MO: College Press Publishing Company.
Moore, M. E. (2011). The Chronological Life of Christ (p. 399). Joplin, MO: College Press Publishing Company.
12:45 to beat the … servants. This wicked steward’s unfaithfulness and cruel behavior illustrates the evil of an unbelieving heart.
12:46 cut him in two. I.e., utterly destroy him. This speaks of the severity of final judgment of unbelievers.
MacArthur, J., Jr. (Ed.). (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed., p. 1540). Nashville, TN: Word Pub.
In contrast to the faithful slave the unfaithful slave, ignoring the exhortation in verse 40, said in his heart, “My master will be a long time in coming.” Lacking a sense of urgency, he continued to do whatever satisfied him. And that included brutality inflicted on the slaves, both men and women, as well as continuing to eat and drink and get drunk. Instead of properly managing the resources placed in his charge, he used and abused them for his own gluttonous and drunken pleasure. He lived under the illusion that he had plenty of time to enjoy his sin before his master returned.
Many people live their lives under the same illusion, assuming they can do as they please and turn to God just before the end. Such reasoning is both foolish and dangerous, since no one knows when he or she will die, or when the Lord will return. Nor does that faulty reasoning take into account the deadly danger of apostasy (cf. Heb. 6:4–8). It fails to realize that God may harden the hearts of those who persist in hardening theirs so that they reach a point where they cannot repent and believe (John 12:37–40; Rom. 1:24, 26, 28; Heb. 10:26–27).
Illustrating the danger of such faulty reasoning, the unfaithful slave miscalculated the time of his master’s return. He was caught unprepared when his master came back on a day when he did not expect him and at an hour he did not know. In a drastic and severe act of punishment symbolizing God’s judgment on the wicked, his master cut him in pieces and assigned him a place with the unbelievers. With the word unbelievers, the metaphor becomes reality. The place where the unprepared will spend eternity is hell, where pleasure is replaced by everlasting pain as “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 24:51).
But while all unbelievers will be sentenced to hell, our Lord makes clear here that the degree of their punishment will differ. Jesus alluded to that fact by describing, in addition to the defiant slave mentioned above, two other types of unfaithful slaves. The first was a slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will. He was not wickedly defiant, but only distracted; he did not abuse his master’s resources nor flagrantly defy his master’s will, but neither did he obey him. As a result, he was unprepared for his return. Unlike the defiant slave, who received the severer punishment of being cut in pieces, this slave would receive the lesser punishment of many lashes. A third slave did not know his master’s will. His ignorance did not exonerate him from judgment, since he committed deeds worthy of a flogging. However, he received the least severe punishment of the three, receiving but few lashes.
MacArthur, J. (2013). (pp ). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.
MacArthur, J. (2013). Luke 11–17 (pp. 163–164). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.

24. III. The Bad Place (Hell)
Luke 12: "And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, 48 but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been they will ask all the more. given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him
III. The Bad Place (Hell)
Lashes (δέρω dero: to skin, to thrash, to strike, to beat, to hit) (punish)
Many lashes (knew the Master’s will – did not do it)
Few lashes (did not know of the Master’s will – did not do it
12:47, 48 The degree of punishment is commensurate with the extent to which the unfaithful behavior was willful. Note that ignorance is nonetheless no excuse (v. 48). That there will be varying degrees of punishment in hell is clearly taught in Matt. 10:15; 11:22, 24; Mark 6:11 and Heb. 10:29 (see notes there).
12:49 fire. I.e., judgment. See note on Matt. 3:11. For the connection between fire and judgment, see Is. 66:15; Joel 2:30; Amos 1:7, 10–14; 2:2, 5; Mal. 3:2, 5; 1 Cor. 3:13; 2 Thess. 1:7, 8. MacArthur, J., Jr. (Ed.). (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed., p. 1540). Nashville, TN: Word Pub.
High handed sin (cf. Num 15:30–31) will be severely punished. Those who know better and still do wrong, or who know what is right and do not do it, will fall under heavy condemnation. Luke uses a savage word for “beat” which can also be translated “skin,” “flay,” or “flog.” Sins of ignorance (Num 15:27–29; Ps 19:12) will be punished lightly but will still be punished. Why? Because the servant should have learned the master’s will. All people know something of God (Rom 1:20), and will be judged according to their level of understanding (Rom 2:12–13). Ignorance is no excuse. Moore, M. E. (2011). The Chronological Life of Christ (p. 400). Joplin, MO: College Press Publishing Company.
(Jmac)’ concluding words provide the basis for the differing degrees of punishment in hell. From everyone who has been given much, He warned, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more. The degree of punishment for unbelievers is directly related to their knowledge of the truth. The more truth people know, the more dangerous it is for them to reject it. In light of Christ’s imminent return, to defiantly reject the gospel, be indifferent to it, or be ignorant of it risks eternal tragedy. The exhortation to all is, “Behold, now is ‘the acceptable time,’ behold, now is ‘the day of salvation’ ” (2 Cor. 6:2). Everyone is called to “repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15; cf. Acts 17:30; 26:20), because those who refuse to do so will perish (Luke 13:1–5; John 3:18) and face God’s eternal wrath (John 3:36).
The warning in Hebrews 10:26–31 is sobering:
For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
MacArthur, J. (2013). (p. 165). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.
MacArthur, J. (2013). Luke 11–17 (p. 165). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.
Unarguably, history’s most infamous example of missed opportunity is Judas Iscariot. He had the privilege, granted only to eleven other men, of living and traveling with, and experiencing for three years the presence of Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory incarnate. Yet inconceivably, after that intense personal companionship with the incomparably perfect Son of God, observing daily all the miracles He performed and hearing His unparalleled teaching, Judas betrayed Him and sold Him out for a paltry sum. Against the pure glory of Jesus, Judas appears as the most profoundly wretched man who ever walked on earth. Jesus pronounced his doom when He said of him, “Woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born” (Matt. 26:24). Judas, who on earth knew intimately the Lord of heaven, will spend eternity away from His presence in hell, relentlessly tormented by his accusing conscience and the memory of his wasted opportunity. But it is the nature of hell that, though those who suffer without relief regret their pain, they do not change their attitude toward the One they rejected.
While in a personal sense Judas is unique, in a categorical sense he is not. There were many Judases in Jesus’ day, if not in degree, then certainly in kind. There were many who rejected Him after being exposed to His teaching, seeing His miracles, and witnessing His perfectly holy life. That generation in Israel was the most privileged one in all of human history, being the only one to have God incarnate walk among them. But it was a Judas generation that rejected Jesus despite being eyewitnesses to massive, irrefutable evidence of who He was. The most privileged generation in human history became its most tragic example of wasted opportunity.
Every generation since, including our own, has had its share of Judases. There have always been many who, though exposed to the monumental evidence that clearly reveals Jesus’ true identity, refuse to believe. Like Judas, they too will suffer the most severe eternal consequences for wasting their opportunity (cf. Heb. 10:26–31). In this passage Jesus addressed a warning to all such people.
The Jewish messianic expectation, based on their understanding of the Old Testament, was that the Messiah’s arrival would usher in unparalleled peace. One of the most well-known messianic passages calls Messiah the “Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6). Isaiah 55:12 promised that the nation would be “led forth with peace” in Messiah’s kingdom (cf. 66:12; Ps. 72:7; Ezek. 34:25), when God promised to make an everlasting covenant of peace with them (Ezek. 37:26).
In the New Testament Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, expressed his confident hope that Messiah would “guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:79). In John 14:27 Jesus promised His followers, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful” (cf. 16:33). Quoting Isaiah 57:19 Paul wrote that Messiah “came and preached peace to [those] who were far away, and peace to those who were near” (Eph. 2:17), and added in Colossians 1:20 that He made that peace “through the blood of His cross” (cf. Luke 2:14; Acts 10:36; Rom. 5:1).
Tragically, Israel forfeited the peace that God had promised when they rejected the Messiah through whom it was to be realized. There could be no national or worldwide peace until Messiah set up His earthly kingdom that was a future reality. In the meantime as redemptive history unfolds, the gospel offers personal peace that comes from salvation only through faith in Jesus. Having rejected the Prince of Peace, Israel had no hope for His kingdom of peace. Neither was there any hope for personal peace.
As noted in chapter 10 of this volume, chapter 12 of Luke’s gospel marks a turning point in our Lord’s ministry. By now the majority of the Jewish people were hardened in their rejection of Him, and His ministry became largely one of warning. Beginning with the concluding verses of this chapter, those warnings became increasingly urgent and frequent (vv. 56, 59; cf. 13:3, 5, 9, 24–30, 35, 14:24; 19:41–44). In this passage Jesus gave three warnings concerning missed opportunity. He warned of the certainty of coming judgment, the reality of present strife, and the danger of lacking discernment.
MacArthur, J. (2013). (pp ). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.
MacArthur, J. (2013). Luke 11–17 (pp. 168–169). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.

25. Dr. Mark Moore – why annihilationism is not Biblical
“This does not imply that the punishment will be pleasant or tolerable. It is still hell. But this does clearly seem to teach degrees of punishment. Some theologians have taken this to indicate a position called annihilationism (e.g., Clark Pinnock, John Stott, Edward Fudge, Michael Green, Russell Boatman). Basically, this position asserts that God will punish evildoers for an appropriate time in a literal hell and then their souls will be extinguished forever. The arguments for this position include: (1) Based on 1 Tim 6:15–16, human immortality is found only in connection with God’s divine Spirit and a resurrected body (1 Cor 15:50–54). Thus, if humans are eternal in hell, God must sustain them there just as they are sustained here on earth. This would create an uncomfortable, eternal metaphysical dualism in which God would never completely redeem the universe. (2) The Bible teaches that sinners will be destroyed (Ps 37:2, 9–10, 20, 38; Mal 4:1–2; Mt 3:10–12; 10:28; Gal 6:8; 1 Cor 3:17; Rom 1:32; Phil 1:28; 3:19; 2 Pet 2:1, 3, 6; 3:6–7; etc.). While these passages may figuratively speak of eternal hell, so might the word “eternal” in other passages hyperbolically speak of utter and eternal annihilation (e.g., Mt 25:46; Mk 9:48; Rev 14:11). (3) Annihilationism pictures God as just, rather than a vindictive despot who creatively but sadistically tortures the damned well beyond any reasonable period of time. Thus, Annihilationism becomes an effective apologetic against those who charge God with being the author of an eternal Auschwitz.”
Moore, M. E. (2011). The Chronological Life of Christ. Joplin, MO: College Press Publishing Company.

26. Luke 12:49& "I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! 51 "Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division;
IV. The GOOD/final Mission for Jesus (to judge the earth)/ The BAD result and outcome for all unbelievers
The second cost to the world is that Jesus will cause divisions. Because there is no “neutral zone” with Jesus, he will divide even the most intimate family relationships. One must be decisively for him or against him. The result is tragic, but inevitable if we are to have the benefits he brings.
Jesus did bring peace on the earth (Lk 2:14; 7:50; 10:5), but his peace is only promised to Christians. Unbelievers can’t have it. Furthermore, it is a peace of the inner life (Jn 14:27; 16:33), since Christians are often roughly handled in this hostile world. According to this passage, that rough treatment will sometimes even come from family (cf. Micah 7:6). Moore, M. E. (2011). The Chronological Life of Christ (p. 401). Joplin, MO: College Press Publishing Company.
The Certainty of Coming Judgment
“I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! (12:49–50)
The gospel divides all of humanity into two categories, both for time and eternity: the saved and the lost; the redeemed and the unredeemed; those who will spend eternity in heaven, and those who will spend it in hell.
The phrase I have come is a technical term used in several places by the Lord to speak of His mission, which He defined in Luke 19:10 when He said that “the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (cf. Matt. 9:13). “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets,” He cautioned, “I did not come to abolish but to fulfill” (Matt. 5:17). In John 5:43 Jesus declared to the hostile Jewish leaders, “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him.” Jesus told those listening to His discourse on the bread of life, “I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38). Jesus is the good shepherd, who “came that [His sheep might] have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). He came “as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in [Him] will not remain in darkness” (John 12:46); He “did not come to judge the world, but to save the world” (v. 47). On the night before His death Jesus said to the Twelve, “I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and going to the Father” (John 16:28). He told Pilate, “For this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth” (John 18:37).
Although He came to save the lost, Jesus’ mission was also one of judgment; He came to cast fire upon the earth. Fire is used frequently in Scripture as a picture of God’s judgment (e.g., Deut. 32:22; 2 Sam. 22:9; Pss. 21:9; 78:21; 97:3; Isa. 26:11; 29:6; 30:33; 66:15–16; Jer. 4:4; 15:14; 21:12; Lam. 2:3–4; 4:11; Ezek. 21:31; 22:21, 31; Amos 1:4, 7, 10, 12, 14; 2:2, 5; 5:6; Nah. 1:6; Luke 3:9, 16–17; 2 Thess. 1:7–8; Heb. 10:27). The Jewish people were familiar with the Old Testament’s predictions of God’s fiery judgment, but they believed it would fall on the Gentiles. They never expected that, at Messiah’s coming, judgment would fall on them. But Jesus came to save only the lost sinners who repent and believe, and to judge those who refuse to do so, Jew or Gentile. “For judgment I came into this world,” He said, “so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind” (John 9:39; cf. 5:22–30).
Just as fire not only consumes what is combustible, but also purifies what is not, the gospel is a fire that either purges or punishes. Those who believe, it purges; those who reject, it consumes (John 3:18). It is “to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life” (2 Cor. 2:16).
The Lord’s exclamation, How I wish it were already kindled indicates that the judgment to which He referred was yet to take place. The event that would kindle the fire of judgment was His death, which Jesus described as a baptism He had to undergo. Baptism refers to His immersion under divine judgment (cf. Mark 10:38); before He judged unbelievers for their sin, Christ Himself was judged by God for the sins of believers. That took place at the cross when He “redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us” (Gal. 3:13; cf. Isa. 53:5–6, 11–12; Rom. 4:25; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24). In that verse Paul expressed the essential, non-negotiable doctrine of penal substitution, which “states that God gave Himself in the person of his Son to suffer instead of us the death, punishment and curse due to fallen humanity as the penalty for sin. This understanding of the cross of Christ stands at the very heart of the gospel” (Jeffrey, Steve, Michael Ovey, and Andrew Sach, Pierced for Our Transgressions [Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway, 2007], 21).
So appalling for the sinless Son of God was the thought of bearing sin and being separated from the Father that He exclaimed, How distressed I am until it is accomplished! Although Gethsemane was the most agonizing time of anticipation, Jesus lived His life in a perpetual Gethsemane. There was never a time when He was not aware of the suffering that lay before Him. Distressed translates a form of the verb sunechomai, which has the basic meaning of being seized, gripped (as with fear), or under the control of something. It is used in Luke 8:37 to speak of the Gerasenes being “gripped with great fear” after Jesus cast out demons into a herd of pigs. In Luke 19:43 it refers to Jerusalem being hemmed in by the Romans during the siege of a.d. 70; in Luke 22:63 it is used of the men holding Jesus, and in 2 Corinthians 5:14 of Christ’s love controlling believers. In Philippians 1:23 Paul used it when he wrote to the Philippians that he was “hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better,” but realized that “to remain on in the flesh [was] more necessary for their sake” (v. 24). The distress of Christ as He agonized in the garden was not a sign of weakness, but of absolute, pure holiness being revealed by the thoughts of bearing sin and divine judgment. It was the only possible response. How could the sinless Son not be distressed in agony so that He sweated blood!
Accomplished translates a form of the same verb used of Jesus’ triumphant cry from the cross, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). In my commentary on that verse I noted,
It was a shout of triumph; the proclamation of a victor. The work of redemption that the Father had given Him was accomplished: sin was atoned for (Heb. 9:12; 10:12), and Satan was defeated and rendered powerless (Heb. 2:14; cf. 1 Peter 1:18–20; 1 John 3:8). Every requirement of God’s righteous law had been satisfied; God’s holy wrath against sin had been appeased (Rom. 3:25; Heb. 2:17; 1 John 2:2; 4:10) every prophecy had been fulfilled. Christ’s completion of the work of redemption means that nothing needs to be nor can be added to it. Salvation is not a joint effort of God and man, but is entirely a work of God’s grace, appropriated solely by faith (Eph. 2:8–9). (John 12–21, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary [Chicago: Moody, 2008], 356)
The Lord was hard-pressed between the suffering and the purpose; between the pain and the plan; between enduring the cross “for the joy set before Him” (Heb. 12:2) and desiring to be restored to the glory that He had had in the Father’s presence before coming into the world (John 17:5); between His own will and the Father’s. Yet He never wavered, and at the end said in the garden, “Not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42).
MacArthur, J. (2013). (pp ). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.
MacArthur, J. (2013). Luke 11–17 (pp. 170–172). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.

27. Luke 12:50 50 "But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!
V. The BAD/initial Mission of suffering for Jesus/ The GOOD GREAT result for us as believers
In this passage Jesus counts the cost for the world and for himself. The cost for Jesus will be Calvary and all it entails: alienation from the Father, becoming sin for us, rejection by his own people, physical torture, public abuse, etc. Jesus calls it a baptism (cf. Mk 10:38–39), that is, an inundation in suffering. The cost to the world is both fire and division. This fire almost certainly refers to judgment. Because Jesus was tortured, Jerusalem comes under God’s curse (Mt 27:25; Lk 23:28–31). This will be clear enough in A.D. 70 when the city is destroyed. Even beyond that, Jesus is the judge (Jn 5:22, 27), and his words are the standard by which men are judged. While this fire signifies judgment, it can also include cleansing. That which is not burned by the fire will be purged by it.
Moore, M. E. (2011). The Chronological Life of Christ (pp. 400–401). Joplin, MO: College Press Publishing Company.
12:50 a baptism. A baptism of suffering. Christ was referring to His death. Christian baptism symbolizes identification with Him in death, burial, and resurrection. distressed. See note on Matt. 26:38. till it is accomplished. Though distressed about His coming passion, it was nonetheless the work He came to do, and He set His face steadfastly to accomplish it (see note on 9:51; cf. John 12:23–27).
MacArthur, J., Jr. (Ed.). (1997). (electronic ed., p. 1540). Nashville, TN: Word Pub.
MacArthur, J., Jr. (Ed.). (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed., p. 1540). Nashville, TN: Word Pub.
The Lord’s exclamation, How I wish it were already kindled indicates that the judgment to which He referred was yet to take place. The event that would kindle the fire of judgment was His death, which Jesus described as a baptism He had to undergo. Baptism refers to His immersion under divine judgment (cf. Mark 10:38); before He judged unbelievers for their sin, Christ Himself was judged by God for the sins of believers. That took place at the cross when He “redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us” (Gal. 3:13; cf. Isa. 53:5–6, 11–12; Rom. 4:25; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24). In that verse Paul expressed the essential, non-negotiable doctrine of penal substitution, which “states that God gave Himself in the person of his Son to suffer instead of us the death, punishment and curse due to fallen humanity as the penalty for sin. This understanding of the cross of Christ stands at the very heart of the gospel” (Jeffrey, Steve, Michael Ovey, and Andrew Sach, Pierced for Our Transgressions [Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway, 2007], 21).
So appalling for the sinless Son of God was the thought of bearing sin and being separated from the Father that He exclaimed, How distressed I am until it is accomplished! Although Gethsemane was the most agonizing time of anticipation, Jesus lived His life in a perpetual Gethsemane. There was never a time when He was not aware of the suffering that lay before Him. Distressed translates a form of the verb sunechomai, which has the basic meaning of being seized, gripped (as with fear), or under the control of something. It is used in Luke 8:37 to speak of the Gerasenes being “gripped with great fear” after Jesus cast out demons into a herd of pigs. In Luke 19:43 it refers to Jerusalem being hemmed in by the Romans during the siege of a.d. 70; in Luke 22:63 it is used of the men holding Jesus, and in 2 Corinthians 5:14 of Christ’s love controlling believers. In Philippians 1:23 Paul used it when he wrote to the Philippians that he was “hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better,” but realized that “to remain on in the flesh [was] more necessary for their sake” (v. 24). The distress of Christ as He agonized in the garden was not a sign of weakness, but of absolute, pure holiness being revealed by the thoughts of bearing sin and divine judgment. It was the only possible response. How could the sinless Son not be distressed in agony so that He sweated blood!

28. Explains why there are “baptisms” (plural) listed in Hebrews 6:1-2
Jesus’ baptism into suffering on the cross is the “baptism” that saves us (the true only SOURCE of SALVATION)
The context of 1 Peter 3:18-22 is so important (we are saved by Jesus’ baptism into suffering (“died for sins once for all”) on our behalf on the cross
Water baptism symbolically pictures Jesus’ baptism of suffering on the cross for our sins as our sins are included/paid for in that original baptism
Explains why there are “baptisms” (plural) listed in Hebrews 6:1-2
1 Peter 3: For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; 19 in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, 20 who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. 21 Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you-- not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience-- through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.
Romans 6:4 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
Colossians 2: For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; 11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, 14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.
(William D. Edwards, MD, Department of Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; Wesley J. Gabel, MDiv, West Bethel United Methodist Church, Bethel, MN.; Floyd E Hosmer, MS, AMI, Dept of Medical Graphics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; Homestead United Methodist Church, Rochester, MN; review of article and excerpts from On The Physical Death of Jesus Christ, JAMA, March 21, 1986 – Vol 255, No. 11). (The medical terms in this article have been edited into layman’s terminology by: Carol R. Ritchie; TNCC, MSN, RN, CNOR.)
Scourging and Crucifixion In Roman Tradition
Flogging was a legal preliminary to every Roman execution, and only women and Roman senators or soldiers (except in cases of desertion) were exempt.  The usual instrument was a short whip with several single or braided leather thongs of variable lengths, in which small iron balls or sharp pieces of sheep bones were tied at intervals.  For scourging, the man was stripped of his clothing, and his hands were tied to an upright post.  The back, buttocks, and legs were flogged either by two soldiers (lictors) or by one who alternated positions.  The severity of the scourging depended on the disposition of the lictors and was intended to weaken the victim to a state just short of collapse or death.  As the Roman soldiers repeatedly struck the victim’s back with full force, the iron balls would cause deep contusions, and the leather thongs and sheep bones would cut into the skin and subcutaneous tissues.  Then, as the flogging continued, the lacerations would tear into the underlying skeletal muscles and produce quivering ribbons of bleeding flesh.  Pain and blood loss generally set the stage for circulatory shock.  The extent of blood loss may well have determined how long the victim would survive on the cross.  After the scourging, the soldiers often taunted their victim.
Scourging Practices
Although the Romans did not invent crucifixion, they perfected it as a form of torture and capital punishment that was designed to produce a slow death with maximum pain and suffering.  It was one of the most disgraceful and cruel methods of execution and usually was reserved only for slaves, foreigners, revolutionaries, and the vilest of criminals. Roman law usually protected Roman citizens from crucifixion, except perhaps in the case of desertion by soldiers.
Crucifixion Practices
(The cross) was characterized by an upright post and a horizontal crossbar, and it had several variations.  It was customary for the condemned man to carry his own cross from the flogging post to the site of crucifixion outside the city walls.  He was usually naked, unless this was prohibited by local customs.  Since the weight of the entire cross was probably well over 300 lb. (136 kg), only the crossbar was carried.  The crossbar, weighing 75 to 125 lb. (34 to 57 kg), was placed across the nape of the victim’s neck and balanced along both shoulders.  Usually, the outstretched arms then were tied to the crossbar.  The processional to the site of crucifixion was led by a complete Roman military guard, headed by a centurion.  One of the soldiers carried a sign on which the condemned man’s name and crime were displayed.  Later, the sign would be attached to the top of the cross.  The Roman guard would not leave the victim until they were sure of his death.
At the site of execution, by law, the victim was given a bitter drink of wine mixed with myrrh (gall) as a mild pain reliever.  The criminal was then thrown to the ground on his back, with his arms outstretched along the crossbar.  The hands could be nailed or tied to the crossbar, but nailing apparently was preferred by the Romans.  The nails were tapered iron spikes approximately 5 to 7 in (13 to 18 cm) long with a square shaft 3/8 in (1 cm) across.  The nails commonly were driven through the wrists rather than the palms.
Outside the city walls was permanently located the heavy upright wooden post, on which the crossbar would be secured.  To prolong the crucifixion process, a horizontal wooden block or plank, serving as a crude seat, often was attached midway down the post.   
After both arms were fixed to the crossbar, the crossbar and the victim, together, were lifted onto the post.  Next, the feet were fixed to the cross, either by nails or ropes. Nailing was the preferred Roman practice.  Although the feet could be fixed to the sides of the post or to a wooden footrest, they usually were nailed directly to the front of the post.  To accomplish this, flexion of the knees may have been quite prominent, and the bent legs may have been rotated outward.
When the nailing was completed, the sign was attached to the cross, by nails or cords, just above the victim’s head.  The soldiers and the civilian crowd often taunted and jeered the condemned man, and the soldiers customarily divided up his clothes among themselves.  The length of survival generally ranged from three or four hours to three or four days and appears to have been inversely related to the severity of the scourging.  However, even if the scourging had been relatively mild, the Roman soldiers could hasten death by breaking the legs below the knees.
Not uncommonly, insects would light upon or burrow into the open wounds or the eyes, ears, and nose of the dying and helpless victim, and birds of prey would tear at these sites.  Moreover, it was customary to leave the corpse on the cross to be devoured by predatory animals.  However, by Roman law, the family of the condemned could take the body for burial, after obtaining permission from the Roman judge.
Since no one was intended to survive crucifixion, the body was not released to the family until the soldiers were sure that the victim was dead.  By custom, one of the Roman guards would pierce the body with a sword or lance.  Traditionally, this had been considered a spear wound to the heart through the right side of the chest—a fatal wound probably taught to most Roman soldiers.  Moreover, the standard infantry spear, which was 5 to 6 ft (1.5 to 1.8 m) long could easily have reached the chest of a man crucified on the customary low cross.
The scourging prior to crucifixion served to weaken the condemned man and, if blood loss was considerable, to produce conditions leading to a severe drop in blood pressure, fainting, and even organ failure.  When the victim was thrown to the ground on his back, in preparation for transfixion of his hands, his scourging wounds most likely would become torn open again and contaminated with dirt.  Furthermore, with each respiration, the painful scourging wounds would be scraped against the rough wood of the post.  As a result, blood loss from the back probably would continue throughout the crucifixion ordeal.
With a knowledge of both anatomy and ancient crucifixion practices, one may reconstruct the probable medical aspects of this form of slow execution.  Each wound apparently was intended to produce intense agony, and the contributing causes of death were numerous.
Medical Aspects of Crucifixion
It has been shown that the dense fibrous tissue connecting the bones together, and bones of the wrist, can support the weight of a body hanging from them, but the palms cannot.  Accordingly, the iron spikes probably were driven between the radius, the heavier of the two forearm bones, and the carpals, the eight wrist bones.  Another probability for placement of the spikes could be between the row of carpal bones nearest the radius, or through the strong fibrous band-like tissue that covers the carpals, which forms a tunnel for the various fibrous bands connecting the eight carpal bones. The nail driven at this location would crush or sever the rather large median nerve. This nerve provides sensation and movement, particularly to the 2nd and 3rd fingers. Damage to the median nerve results in a contracture or a claw-like deformity of the hand. The damaged nerve would also produce excruciating bolts of fiery pain in both arms. 
It is likely that the deep peroneal nerve, extending to the front of the ankle, and branches of the medial and lateral plantar nerves, would have been injured by the nails driven through the feet.  Although scourging may have resulted in considerable blood loss, crucifixion per se was a relatively bloodless procedure, since no major arteries, other than perhaps the deep plantar arch, a confluence of arteries in the foot, pass through the favored anatomic sites of transfixion.
The crucial effect of crucifixion, beyond the excruciating pain, was a marked interference with normal respiration, particularly exhalation.  The weight of the body, pulling down on the outstretched arms and shoulders, would tend to fix the chest muscles used for breathing in an inhalation state and thereby hinder passive exhalation.  Accordingly, exhalation would require using the abdominal muscles rather than the chest muscles, and breathing would be shallow.  It is likely that this form of respiration would not suffice and that a high level of carbon dioxide in the bloodstream would soon result.  The onset of muscle cramps or tetanic contractions, due to fatigue and the high levels of carbon dioxide in the blood, would hinder respiration even further.
Adequate exhalation required lifting the body by pushing up on the feet and by flexing the elbows and pulling the shoulders inward.  However, this maneuver would place the entire weight of the body on the bones in the feet, and would produce searing pain.  Furthermore, flexion, or bending of the elbows would cause rotation of the wrists about the iron nails and cause fiery pain along the damaged median nerves.  Lifting of the body would also painfully scrape the scourged back against the rough wooden post.  Muscle cramps and loss of feeling in both the outstretched and uplifted arms would add to the discomfort.  As a result, each respiratory effort would become agonizing and tiring, further reducing the oxygen levels in the blood, and lead eventually to asphyxia.
The actual cause of death by crucifixion was multifactorial and varied somewhat with each case, but the two most prominent causes probably were shock from inadequate perfusion of critical organs due to blood loss and inadequate oxygen levels in the blood due to inability to breathe properly.  Other possible contributing factors included dehydration, stress-induced arrhythmias of the heart, and congestive heart failure with the rapid accumulation of fluid around the heart and in lungs.  Death by crucifixion was, in every sense of the word, excruciating (Latin, excruciatus, or "out of the cross").
At the Praetorium, Jesus was severely whipped.  (Although the severity of the scourging is not discussed in the four Gospel accounts, it is implied in one of the epistles (1 Peter 2:24).  A detailed word study of the ancient Greek text for this verse indicates that the scourging of Jesus was particularly harsh.)  It is not known whether the number of lashes was limited to 39, in accordance with Jewish law.  The Roman soldiers, amused that this weakened man had claimed to be a king, began to mock him by placing a robe on his shoulders, a crown of thorns on his head, and a wooden staff as a scepter in his right hand.  Next, they spat on Jesus and struck him on the head with the wooden staff.  Moreover, when the soldiers tore the robe from Jesus’ back, they probably reopened the scourging wounds.
Scourging of Jesus
The severe scourging, with its intense pain and appreciable blood loss, most probably left Jesus in a preshock state.  Moreover, bleeding from the skin particularly from the capillaries around the sweat glands from severe stress had rendered his skin particularly tender.  The physical and mental abuse meted out by the Jews and the Romans, as well as the lack of food, water, and sleep, also contributed to his generally weakened state. Therefore, even before the actual crucifixion, Jesus’ physical condition was at least serious and possibly critical.
Death of Jesus
The gospel of John describes the piercing of Jesus’ side and emphasizes the sudden flow of blood and water.  Some authors have interpreted the flow of water to be fluid from the lining inside abdomen or urine, from an abdominal midline perforation of the bladder.  However, the Greek word used by John (pleura) clearly denoted laterality and often implied the ribs. Therefore, it seems probable that the wound was in the chest and well away from the abdominal midline.
Two aspects of Jesus’ death have been the source of great controversy, namely, the nature of the wound in his side and the cause of his death after only several hours on the cross.
Although the side of the wound was not designated by John, it traditionally has been depicted on the right side.  Supporting this tradition is the fact that a large flow of blood would be more likely with a perforation of the heart near the distended and thin-walled right atrium or ventricle than the thick-walled and contracted left ventricle.  Although the side of the wound may never be established with certainty, the right seems more probable than the left.  The water probably represented fluid draining from the tissues lining the lung and heart and would have preceded the flow of blood and been smaller in volume than the blood. Perhaps in the setting of low blood volume and impending acute heart failure, lung and heart tissue drainage due to cellular imbalances may have developed and would have added to the volume of apparent water.  The blood, in contrast, may have originated from the right atrium or the right ventricle or perhaps from a collection of blood from the lining around the heart.
Jesus’ death after only three to six hours on the cross surprised even Pontius Pilate.  The fact that Jesus cried out in a loud voice and then bowed his head and died suggests the possibility of a catastrophic terminal event.  
*Editor’s Note: From Scripture there is reason to believe that the spear that was thrust into Jesus side was the cause of His death.  In the Gospel of John, the parallel account reads: “And so, when Jesus had received the vinegar, He said, ‘It is finished.’  And bowing His head, He yielded up His spirit.  The Jews therefore, so that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the Sabbath, because it was apreparation day (for that Sabbath was a high day), requested of Pilate that their legs might be broken and the bodies be taken away.  Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first one, and the legs of the other who was crucified with Him.  But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs; but one of the soldiers had pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water had come out” (John 19:30-34). 
Clearly, the weight of historical and medical evidence indicates that Jesus was dead before the wound to his side was inflicted and supports the traditional view that the spear, thrust between his right ribs, probably perforated not only the right lung but also the pericardium and heart and thereby ensured his death.*
The actual cause of Jesus’ death, like that of other crucified victims, may have been multifactorial and related primarily to shock from low blood volume, exhaustion asphyxia, and perhaps acute heart failure.  A fatal cardiac arrhythmia may have accounted for the apparent catastrophic terminal event.
The latter half of this verse, which includes the words “...Then another took a spear and out came water and blood,” has been omitted from the King James Version.  However, some ancient manuscripts contain this part of the verse.  The latter part of the verse is also found in other manuscripts that are designated by letter (L, T, Z) and by number (33, 49, 892 and 1241).  Older translations which contain the complete verse are the Moffatt translation and the Fenton translation.  Newer translations generally footnote this portion of Matthew 27:49 rather than including it in the text.  The weight of evidence indicates that the latter half of the verse is an authentic part of the Greek text and should be included in translations of the New Testament.  The veracity of this portion of Matthew 27:49 is substantiated by the records in John 19:34 and 20:27.
When the missing part of Matthew 27:49 is restored, it is clear that the final cause of Jesus’ death was from the spear that the soldier had thrust into His side.   This full verse reads: “But the rest said, ‘Let Him alone!  Let us see if Elijah comes to save Him.’  Then another took a spear and thrust it into His side, and out came water and blood.”
The Greek verb enuzen enuzen is an aroist past tense verb of nusswnusso.  Therefore, this aroist verb enuzen enuzen clearly indicates that the soldier had pierced Jesus’ side with the spear in the immediate past, that is just prior to the time that the other soldier came to break Jesus’ legs, but found that He was dead already. 

29. Difference between Jewish flogging (dero)
(40 lashes minus 1) the Apostles received (Acts 5:40, Mark 10:34, 2 Cor. 11:22-30) VS
Roman Scourging (spagello & mastigoso) Jesus received (Mt. 27:26, Mark 15:15, Luke 18:33, Mark 10:34, John 19:1)
Scourging of Jesus – Mt. 27:26, Mark 15:15, (friberg) φραγελλόω as inflicting punishment after the pronouncement of a death sentence and prior to execution flog, scourge, beat with a whip
Jesus predicted future scourging in Luke 18:33 and Mark 10:34 (also in John 19:1)– word here is μαστιγόω fut. μαστιγώσω; 1aor. ἐμαστίγωσα; literally, as beating with a lash or whip flog, scourge, whip (MT 10.17); figuratively, of God's corrective punishment chastise, punish severely (HE 12.6)
Vs. Jewish flogging – Mark 13:9, Acts 5:40
Meaning: to skin, to thrash
δέρω dero
Matthew 27: Then he released Barabbas for them; but after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.
Mark 10: "They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again.“
Luke 18: Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. 32 "For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon, 33 and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and the third day He will rise again."
John 19:1-3 Pilate then took Jesus and scourged Him. 2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and put a purple robe on Him; 3 and they began to come up to Him and say, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and to give Him slaps in the face.
Mark 13:9 9 "But be on your guard; for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them.
Acts 5:40-6:1 40 They took his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. 41 So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. 42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
2 Corinthians 11: Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ?-- I speak as if insane-- I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. 24 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. 26 I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; 27 I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern? 30 If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness.
What Does Flogged Mean? A Biblical Definition of Flog, Flogged or Flogging
 AUGUST 15, 2015 BY JACK WELLMAN
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What does flogging mean? What is the biblical definition of flogging or being flogged?
Flogging is the act of whipping or lashing someone or the act of methodically beating the human body with special implements such as whips, lashes, rods, or any other device that inflicts pain and harm. Most of the time it involves a severe beating or chastisement so being flogged is one of the most inhumane things that one person or persons can do to another.
Flogging is…
Flogging was a very common occurrence during the first century in Judea and more so with the early Christians and particularly with the apostles. Perhaps no one endured more flogging in the early church than the Apostle Paul where one time “the tribune ordered him to be brought into the barracks, saying that he should be examined by flogging, to find out why they were shouting against him like this” (Acts 22:24). I find it interesting that they flogged Paul to find out what they were shouting against him so he was flogged illegally, even before he was convicted of any wrongdoing. And “when they had stretched him out for the whips, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned” (Acts 22:25)? This fulfilled Jesus’ prophecy where He said “I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town” (Matt 23:24).
The Apostles Flogging
When the apostles were preaching the gospel, they were brought before the Sanhedrin and chastised “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood” (Acts 5:28) but “Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings.” (Acts 5:29)! After they spoke about whether they should kill them or not “They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go” (Acts 5:40). How did the apostles react? They left “rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name” (Acts 5:41). Again, the apostles being flogged fulfilled Jesus’ prophesy that many of them He would send out would be flogged (Matt 23:24). Jesus had warned the disciples elsewhere to “Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues” (Matt 10:17) and this is exactly what happened. Flogging was not new to the New Testament for in the Old Testament “Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment” (Heb 11:36).
The Apostles Flogged
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No one in human history has endured more suffering than Jesus Christ did. Jesus prophesied that the Son of Man (Himself) “they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise” (Mark 10:34). In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus said “And after flogging him, they will kill him” (Luke 18:33a) which of course they did. Despite Pilate proclaiming Jesus’ innocence, he gave into the pressure that the Jews were exerting on him and they “took Jesus and flogged him” (John 19:1). Of course this was part of God’s plan as “it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief when his soul makes an offering for guilt” (Isaiah 53:10). It is from this flogging, and even worse, scourging, that “Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities” (Isaiah 53:11). Jesus didn’t have this happen to Him against His will or against the will of the Father. It was part of the providential, redemptive plan of God. Jesus received the wrath of God that we deserved and the Sinless One died for the sinful ones.
Jesus Flogged
Someday there will come something far worse than flogging for all who refuse to believe in Jesus (Rev 21:8) and it will be the wrath of God on all who disbelieve in Him (John 3:36b) however there is still time today to repent and put your trust in Christ. Anyone who does this has had God’s wrath satisfied in Christ but anyone who doesn’t has to receive the wrath of God themselves. That is something that I wish for no one.
Conclusion
Article by Jack Wellman
Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Blind Chance or Intelligent Design available on Amazon.
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30. Luke 12:51-53 51 "Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth
Luke 12: "Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; 52 for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. 53 "They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."
VI. The BAD yet GOOD divisions - even in families – that inevitably come over which side each member takes in regards to Jesus Christ
John 7: Now at the festival the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus and asking, "Where is he?" 12 Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, "He is a good man." Others replied, "No, he deceives the people." 13 But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the leaders.
John 9: His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue That was why his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."
John 12: Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved human praise more than praise from God.
Luke 14: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters-- yes, even their own life-- such a person cannot be my disciple.
The Reality of Present Strife
Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” (12:51–53)
The dividing that the gospel of Christ brings is for both time and eternity. In this discourse Jesus gave a parable involving just and unjust servants that illustrated eternal separation (see the exposition of 12:41–48 in the previous chapter of this volume). The faithful steward represents those who are ready for Christ’s return; who are obedient to the gospel, believe in Jesus, confess Him as Lord, and are saved (Rom. 10:9). They will be rewarded with blessedness forever in heaven. The unfaithful stewards (whether defiant, distracted, or ignorant) represent unbelievers, who do not believe in Jesus, accept the gospel, or repent. They will be sentenced to varying degrees of eternal, conscious punishment in hell.
But how they respond to Jesus will not only divide people in eternity, but also in time, as the Lord’s rhetorical question, Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division, reveals (cf. Matt. 10:34). It was reasonable for the Jewish people, based on the Old Testament teaching noted earlier in this chapter, to suppose that Messiah would bring peace. But Jesus told them that He came not to bring peace, but rather division. When there is no peace between sinners and God, there will be no peace between people, but rather strife and conflict.
To illustrate His point Jesus chose society’s most fundamental unit, the family (cf. a similar illustration in Micah 7:6). He often used the phrase from now on to describe something that was beginning, and would continue to be that way in the future (e.g., Matt. 23:39; 26:29; Luke 5:10; 22:69; John 8:11; 13:19; 14:7). Jesus, who came as the Prince of Peace to reconcile sinners to God (2 Cor. 5:18–20), was and would continue to be, at the same time, the great divider (cf. John 7:43; 9:16; 10:19).
In the Lord’s hypothetical illustration five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law. (Six members of the household are named, but there are only five individuals, since the mother of the son and the mother-in-law of the daughter-in-law [her son’s wife] are the same person.) This illustration has played out innumerable times in real families since Jesus’ day. The offense of the gospel often causes those who reject and hate it to make outcasts of even family members who believe it. In Matthew 10:21 Jesus revealed how far family division over Him could go: “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.” But He made the following comforting promise to those who lose their earthly families because of the gospel: “Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life” (Matt. 19:29).
MacArthur, J. (2013). (pp ). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.
MacArthur, J. (2013). Luke 11–17 (pp. 172–174). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.

31. Application