“Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.”
~ Luke 12:51
Hi James and Ellen,
What do you see today as signs of the end times? Do you see global warming as a sign of the end times? Do you see the increased frequency of natural disasters as a sign of the end times? Do you see a pending pandemic as a sign of the end times? Do you see the fighting that is going on in the Middle East as a sign of the end times? Are you ready to come face to face with Jesus Christ – God the Son, as He returns to planet Earth? Luke 12 begins with Jesus telling a sprawling throng of thousands of guys, gals and kids that there would be unmistakable signs pointing to His eminent return to planet Earth. Jesus told the guys, gals and kids who were listening to Him that He knows that when they see clouds moving in from the west, that they know that it is going to rain and that when they feel wind blowing from the south, that they know that it is going to be a hot day. Jesus told the guys, gals and kids who were listening to Him that if they could tell what the weather is going to be, that they will know when the time is near for Him to return to planet Earth. Verse 51 has Jesus telling these same guys, gals and kids “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.” Jesus went on to tell the guys, gals and kids who were listening to Him that families will become irreconcilably divided because of Him. Jesus said things very bluntly at times. Jesus ended this question and answer time with His specific reference that guys and gals who were living on planet Earth will never attain peace. Jesus began this question and answer time with a reference to Pharisee legalists – guys who perceived themselves as being self-appointed guardians and self-anointed appliers of the laws that God – through Moses, had given to His specially chosen guys and gals – which He expected them to obey. Jesus called Pharisees hypocrites. Jesus never couched what He said nor did He ever parse His words to make friends; Jesus used truth to support His words and to effect changes in the lives of guys, gals and kids who were listening to Him.
Do you sense God eyeballing you right now? God is. God sees your actions. God knows your thoughts. None of your thoughts and actions have escaped having already been entered into God’s individualized records. God has two colossal file cabinets. One of the super mega file cabinets has “Blasphemers of the Holy Spirit” written on the outside of it. This ginormous file cabinet is filled with all the names of the guys, gals and kids who have not been and who will never be forgiven by God. God will never forgive a guy, gal or kid who refuses to acknowledge as absolute truth what took place – going on 2000 years ago now, on a cross when God – as God the Son, sacrificed His life as a ransom payment for the sins of guys, gals and kids. God will forever disown and eternally disclaim these guys, gals and kids as they are rejecting Him – as God the Spirit, by not making a decision of faith to believe in Him – as God the Son. The other gigantic file cabinet has “Acknowledgers of the Son of Man” written on the outside of it. This mammoth file cabinet is filled with all the names of the guys, gals and kids who have been and who will be forgiven by God – as God the Father. God purged all filth from the lives of these guys, gals and kids when He – as God the Son, painfully languished on a cross until He died. Jesus told the guys, gals and kids who were listening to Him that God was not the only Being always watching them; that God uses His angels to either champion them or renounce them. Your personal life record card in the “. . .” file cabinet has the reports of these angels who have seen your actions and heard your words. Guys, gals and kids are always under God’s microscope.
As your grandpaa continues to peruse this chapter, the one theme that seems to continue to jump out at him is Jesus’ effort to reinforce a mindset that His Dad – Who is God the Father, will always take care of each guy, gal and kid who unconditionally trusts in Him. Jesus mentions ravens and lilies as examples of His Dad’s care of a bird and a flower that have no way of taking care of themselves. Your grandpaa left an income producing job as the manager of the Beneficial Finance office in Aberdeen, South Dakota, to relocate to Chicago, Illinois – where your grandpaa began attending classes as a fulltime student at Moody Bible Institute. Your grandmaa and grandpaa – after living for a couple of months in a first floor apartment in a house, would use up the money that they had when they moved to Chicago. Even though your grandpaa was working parttime in a Beneficial Finance office in Chicago, your grandpaa was not earning enough money to buy food and pay bills. When the day came when about the only thing that was still left in the house to eat was some squash that a friend had given to them, a gal who your grandmaa had gotten to know at the Northwest Alliance Church in Chicago, and a gal acquaintance of this gal – whose husband was one of the two funeral directors at the Zeiger-Mueller Funeral Home, showed up at the front door of the house where your grandmaa, grandpaa, dad and Aunt Lynn were living. The two gals had brought with them bags and bags of food stuff and other kinds of stuff. Your grandmaa and grandpaa were asked a few days later if they would be interested in moving into the Zeiger-Mueller Funeral Home to . . . God gave your grandpaa at this time an example of how He daily takes cares of His adopted kids’ specific needs. Your grandmaa and grandpaa – as the caretakers of the Zeiger-Mueller Funeral Home, were paid $100 a week – less about $15 to cover federal taxes and social security deductions. Your grandpaa – because he did not have to work a parttime job, had more time to focus on his studies at Moody Bible Institute. (Seventeen years have passed since this missive was first written. Debauchery, mistrust and fear are being cultivated today by a political party in the United States and regimes throughout planet Earth.)
Luke 12 (661)