End Times Exit Strategy Daniel 12

Return of Christ, Rescuing our own from the Apostasy

Monthly Archives: April 2017


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Exit Strategy End Times: “Why did Jesus cry out?”

blowing shofar3“Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!”

In prayer this morning the question came to me, “Why did Jesus cry out?”

We all remember the famous words of Jesus in Mark 15:34 KJV, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”

We have heard, “Oh God can’t look upon sin!” which is not in the scriptures. It is true that God can and does at times hide His face from us, which is different.

Recently in a Passover Shabbat study I attend, Psalms 22 came to my attention. It is one of many Old Testament verses quoted by Jesus during His life.

Psalm 22:1 (NASB) “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning.”

It seemed to me that Jesus had something else in mind when He cried out, quoting this verse.

John 8:28 (NASB) “So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.”

Jesus goes on to say in (John 8:29 (NASB) “And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”

Now maybe you can see what I am seeing. Jesus just spoke of being crucified and then about NOT being left alone, or forsaken.

Can we allow our mind to venture out a little? Jesus was also called the Son of David. See Matthew 9:27, 12:23, 15:22, 20:30, 21:9, and Luke 1:32 where the prophesy of the Messiah is spoken.

Why would it be so far fetched that Jesus would cry out His (other) Fathers words as spoken in Psalms 22? They were inspired also yes? What would He mean by doing so? Might He be pointing to something other than what we have thought for so long?

Jesus knew this song of David. David was a man after God’s own heart. Wasn’t Jesus also? When David wrote this Psalm he was in distress. The Psalm was written hundreds of years before Jesus was born.

We can accept the idea that as the Son of God and the Son of Man, Jesus has two fathers he can follow even as we often follow the honorable aspects (and dishonorable aspects because we judged) of our earthly fathers while our heavenly Father is attempting to bless the good we have learned as He tries to get us to renounce the bad, and does this all at the same time!

David cries out in apparent desertion in PS 22:1-2 and yet in the next verse, ”But thou art holy, O thou that inhabits the praises of Israel.”  Yes David, God is sovereign in the universe no matter what we are experiencing. Now God, as the Son of God is experiencing distress as David did.

Is Jesus quoting Psalm 22, reminding those nearby of the prophesy, knowing they have memorized it also, and sung it themselves? Maybe over the next three days they will ask their Rabbi to read it to them?

Hanging there, is Jesus saying to them as they watch and to us, “I know what this looks like but God is Holy! I am not forsaken any more than David was! I trust the Almighty Father!” In light of Psalm 22 and the hind sight of the resurrection, this is huge! It was His intention, I believe, to clarify the event as divine!

And then we might not wonder any longer what Jesus thought. He knew the Word, “…be Thou not far off…” in Psalm 22:19. How can we think Jesus was actually forsaken or if He even thought He was?

And again in Psalm 22:24 (KJV) “For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, He heard.” Surely here of all places, Jesus is afflicted. Then God did not hide His face from Jesus! Let us put to death the idea that God was not looking or does not look upon sin. It is an affront to His Holy Omniscience and love for us.

On the contrary whatever Jesus is experiencing, feeling, thinking, HE KNOWS, and we should know, “…neither hath He hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, He heard.”

Why did Jesus cry out? Not because He was forsaken but to claim He was NOT forsaken!

Jesus was not forsaken and we are not either! You may have already felt that but now you know better for sure.

We are not alone when we cry out to God, Jesus within cries out with us.”

If we remain in His grip, how far from His heart can we be!”

Michael

    Exit Strategy

   We initiate the return of Christ!  (The E-book)

Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, many others and around the world. $6.99


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Exit Strategy End Times: “For My own sake.”

blowing shofar3

“Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!”

Isaiah 43:25 (NASB) “I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins.”

It should be freedom for us just to read this verse from Isaiah. How is it that we have not grasped this side of God’s salvation equation, His side of it?

The Father has said over and over, “I forgive you,” and yet sometimes we rehearse our failures over and over again. We believe in forgiveness, we want forgiveness, but we recall our mistakes over and over again and it is often because of unresolved conflicts, because the person or persons we hurt have not returned to us in the grace that comes from God. Oh sure we would be so thankful to recover from this loss, but what about God? How does He feel about our cycle of regret?

As we ask God again and again, confessing our sin over and over, believing somehow it will have a positive affect on those others, we need to know it is not positive with God! We are wearying God!

Isaiah 43:24B (NASB)
24  “… Rather you have burdened Me with your sins, You have wearied Me with your iniquities.”

Yes any repetition of sin wearies God but can we grasp that our rehearsing of already forgiven sin, sin we are no longer committing is especially wearying to God? We might as well still be doing it!

The first portion of that verse Isaiah 43:24A says, “You have bought Me not sweet cane with money, Nor have you filled Me with the fat of your sacrifices; …” These things God once required, Jesus has already brought to Him. Jesus is our sacrifice. So let’s consider the second portion of 43:24 and our responsibility.

Awaken to His blessing! We have confessed our sin. He has already forgiven us “for My own sake.”  Get this! He REALLY does want to spend eternity with you and I. Amazing I know! We need to get this.

He says, in Isaiah 43:26 (NASB) “Put Me in remembrance, let us argue our case together; State your cause, that you may be proved right.”

“OUR case?” Wow, our case Lord? I am the one with the problem Lord, not You.

Loved ones our case is His case! Praise God! Yes He is our advocate but not like one that walks away after the verdict. He is invested in us and within us! Furthermore, He may agree that we are right but sometimes being right is not righteous. Righteousness must always be our goal and it is always His goal for us. Taking the blame ourselves in order to make peace IS Christ.

A few weeks ago “for My own sake,” finally registered with me. I am loved beyond God’s knowledge of me. (Ephesians 3: 17-19 NASB)and if I am rooted and grounded in the love of Christ, that knowledge about me will not keep me from being filled up to all the fullness of God? YES, all the fullness of God. Also, it is, “for My own sake!”

I also realized, my reviewing of my own failures (already forgiven) was wearying God! I did not miss-interpret the verse. I received what the Spirit of God was applying to me personally. That is what counts loved ones. It legitimately set me free. We know He is trying to move us along toward eternity.

Now that I have explained my take on these verses, read them again for yourself. Is He speaking to you?

Isaiah 43:24-26 (NASB)
24  “… Rather you have burdened Me with your sins, You have wearied Me with your iniquities.” (Things He has already dealt with and forgotten.)
25  “I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins. (So why remind Him over and over and weary Him by doing so?)
26  “Put Me in remembrance, let us argue our case together; State your cause, that you may be proved right. (If you must, so we can finish this)

Let this be the day, Resurrection Day 2017, that you crucify those past sins permanently!  Do not weary God any longer. Free means free! Praise Him always and maybe then He can work on those you offended more easily! Reconciliation is the heart of God. Reconciling you to Himself is a very personal matter to Him.

Start there, He is saying, “For My own sake!”

“If we remain in His grip, how far from His heart can we be!”

Michael

    Exit Strategy

   We initiate the return of Christ!  (The E-book)

Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, many others and around the world. $6.99