The Messiah’s Secret – Fulfilment of Prophesies 

The parable of the talents is not so much about money. It’s about Jesus leaving them at his ascension and his disciples being trusted to use their God given ability (talents) to tell people about Jesus and it’s the same for us today

Verse 15, "To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability." Using our ability God’s gifts to tell people about Jesus

 

The Apprentice

Three teams to promote the Bible.

The task: each team takes one of these three Christian items to hand out: Comic strip, Christmas Cards, Book Markers.

Each person in the congregation can only receive one of these three things.

You will have only 3 minutes to complete the task.

The team that distributes the most, when the egg timer fills the lower bottle, is the winner.

Second - this team come back next week

and the third team will be fired. This team give their item to the winning team.

The parable of the Talents informs us that Jesus expects us

 to be actively contributing to the work of making Him known

in expectation of his return to the earth.

Readings: Matthew 25: 14-30. 1 Thessalonians 5: 1-11

The Apprentice game was about working as a team everybody having apart to play whether in producing the handouts or in offering it to people as a gift. The gift is the message in our readings this morning it speaks of Jesus at some point in the future returning to the earth.

In the Bible we find prophesies that indicate that Jesus’ return is nearer than we think and one of those prophesies is in the process of being fulfilled .

In Luke’s gospel Jesus pointed to a time when he said, “Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” Luke 21. 24 

Many Christians believe that this prophecy was fulfilled in 1967 after the 6 Day War when after Israel took over Jordan’s eastern half of the city. Israel controlling Jerusalem after a gap of 2,000 years.    

However, today many more Christians believe that this prophecy was fulfilled only in part in 1967. The times of the Gentiles continues until Jesus returns.  

Romans 11: 25, 26. “Hardening has come upon part of Israel until the full number of the Gentiles comes in, and so all Israel shall be saved; as it is written, The Deliverer shall come from Zion and he shall banish ungodliness from Jacob.”                                                                                                                                       

This hardening of Israel’s heart, is their rejection of Jesus as the Christ that will persist until Jesus returns, so this is the period of time we are in now, it is linked with other prophesies that lead us to understand that Israel has to control Jerusalem until Jesus returns.

According to Zechariah Israel’s present day defence of Jerusalem is described as a great stone like the heavy stone that grinds the corn. 
 Zech 12: 2, 3. “On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it shall grievously hurt themselves.” Meaning that Israel is using a strong hand against their enemies, as we have seen over the last few years in the contention between Israel and the Palestinians.                                                                                                                                                 

Since the 1970’s there have been numerous attempts to bring a peaceful settlement between Arab, Jew and Palestinian. On Wikipedia which is an on line encyclopaedia The website ’Israeli – Palestinian peace process’  summarises the peace initiatives and treaties up to the present day: like the UN resolution 242 November 22^nd 1967, The Oslo Accords, Camp David year 2,000 and the ‘Road Map’ for peace.

During this time some agreements have been made making process towards peace. The website concludes on a positive note there are people on both sides involved in Joint economic effort and development.

But prophesies indicate that Israel will find no true peace until Jesus returns

Zechariah 14: 2-4 “I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city. Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. On that day his feet will stand on the mount of Olives.”

We are living now in the time that is leading up to where Jerusalem will be surrounded by the armies of nations and Israelis will flee to the mountains and only a remnant will remain. 

Jesus calls the church to watch, be ready for when this sign is being fulfilled.

“When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you know that its desolation is near.“ Luke 21: 20  

As Paul wrote we who are in the light and are awake to this prophecy. Paul assured the Christians at Thessalonica, we are not destined to be involved in this battle at Jerusalem

Paul had informed the Thessalonians that Jesus will call out his body of believers to meet with him in the air, before he returns to the Mount of Olives. This meeting is were both those who have died in faith are awakened and those who are alive, in the light, all will come together at this awesome event and meet Jesus face to face.

After this takes place when Christians are taken out from the earth, people who come to faith they will go through  the tribulation, this period of time when the tension will build up  between the nations against Jerusalem and those who come to faith during this time will suffer.

So, this is when the times of Gentiles are fulfilled, when the full number have come to faith. Jesus will return and take up the fight with the remnant of Israel and Jesus the Christ defeats the nations that will be lead by the antichrist against Jerusalem.                       

To conclude: At God's timing Jesus will call out his church before this battle takes place and he will call when we least expect, so we must be ready, the sign of Jerusalem no longer being trodden down by the Gentiles is quite significant and so we can be sure that God will bring this prophecy to its full conclusion.

34 prophesies were fulfilled in one day, on the day of Jesus crucifixion, so we can rejoice with the angels as they watch with great anticipation as these events unfold, looking and expecting Jesus to call out his church.