PROPHECY OF CHRIST’S RETURN

“And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south” (Zech. 14:4 NKJV).

Details of the Lord Jesus’ return to the earth to bring peace to Israel and to rule over the earth fill the Old Testament. This is one of those exciting verses about His return. It speaks of the place of His return and the power of His return.

Place of His return - “In that day His feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives.” When the Lord Jesus Christ returns to rule and bring peace to the world, He will touch down on Mount Olivet. That is fitting, because it was from this mount east of Jerusalem that the Lord Jesus ascended forty days after His resurrection (Acts 1:9-12). This return must not be confused with the rapture. In the rapture, the Lord Jesus does not comes to the earth but simply meets believers in the air. Here He comes to earth to rule and reign. This event will end the war of Armageddon, destroy the enemies of the Jews, and exalt the Lord Jesus Christ as never before on the earth.

Power of His return - “The Mount of Olives shall be split in two.” When the Lord Jesus Christ touches down on the Mount of Olives, a great earthquake will split the mount in two from west to east. Some years ago a major hotel chain wanted to build a hotel on top of this mount. They were told by engineers that it would be unwise because of a geological fault under the mount, which in case of an earthquake, could ruin the hotel. So no hotel was built. The Bible, however, gave this advice 2,500 years ago. The Bible is also faithful in telling us where not to build our lives. The only foundation upon which to build is the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 3:11). Any other ground will bring ruin.

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Bible Reading 2)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“The return of Christ represents not only the ultimate sense of accountability but the ultimate sense of hope as well!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Escape...attention

In Acts 26:26 we read, “For the king, before whom I also speak freely, knows these things; for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner!” (NKJV).

Escape...attention is the Greek word lanthánō (λανθάνω = lan-than'-o). It means to lie hidden, concealed, to be unknown. To be hidden from someone, to escape his knowledge or notice. In the Septuagint lanthánō was used to describe unintentional sins that are temporarily hidden from public attention. It was also used to refer to an intentional sin that is deliberately hidden. In the New Testament lanthánō expresses the concept of physical concealment. By stating that none of these things escapes the king’s attention” the apostle Paul was pointing to the public nature of the Gospel events (Acts 26:26).

“Fear Nots” Found in the Bible

“The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?” (Psalm 118:6 KJV).

Did You Know…

According to the law found in Leviticus, fortune-tellers or mediums were to be stoned to death as a punishment (Lev. 20:27).

Bible Quiz

According to the Book of Proverbs, what will bite you and poison you like a snake?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: What was God’s judgment on Miriam for speaking against Moses? Miriam became leprous for 7 days (Num. 12:10-14).

Names For the Lord Jesus in the Bible

“FAITHFUL WITNESS”

"And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood!” (Rev. 1:5 NKJV).

1. Meaning – FAITHFUL WITNESS speaks of the Lord Jesus as the One whose testimony is infallible and whose sayings must all come to pass.

2. Insights – As the “Faithful Witness,” the Lord Jesus is the trustworthy revealer of the Father (John 14:9). By His perfect, sinless life and by His words and works, He showed us the character of God. By His present ministry among the churches (Rev 2–3) He reveals the continuing interest and concern of the Father. This means believers can depend on His promises. However, more importantly, the Lord Jesus provides the perfect model for Christians who will bear witness for Him.

Did You Know – Christian History

Benjamin Banneker was born November 9, 1731 in Baltimore County, Maryland. He was an African-American naturalist, mathematician, astronomer and almanac author. A landowner, he also worked as a surveyor and farmer.

Banneker’s grandmother Molly, had come from England to America as an indentured servant. When her term of service was over, she bought the farm on which Banneker was born. At the same time she bought two slaves to help her work it. Later she freed both and married one, Banna Ka. Their daughter, Mary, bought a slave named Robert, whom she also freed and then married. Benjamin was their son. Molly taught Benjamin and his brothers and sisters to read, using the Bible as a textbook. Benjamin also learned to play the flute and violin. When a Quaker school opened nearby, he attended. The schoolmaster changed the boy’s last name from Bannaky to Banneker.

At fifteen, Banneker took over operation of the family farm and devised a system of ditches and dams that watered it year around from natural springs. Banneker also proved to be a polymath (a person who excels in many fields of endeavor). Taking apart a watch, he studied its workings and carved a wooden clock based on the principles he learned. It kept good time for forty years. His work on the clock resulted in many requests for his expertise in repairing watches, clocks, and sundials. Joseph Ellicott, an industrialist, asked Banneker to build him a similar clock, which he did. The Ellicott brothers became Banneker’s close friends and loaned him books from which he taught himself astronomy and mathematics. He learned so well that he predicted an eclipse correctly when prominent astronomers and mathematicians got it wrong.

In time, Banneker became famous for the almanacs he produced between 1792 and 1802. He sent a copy of his first almanac to Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson with a letter protesting that the man who declared that “all men are created equal” owned slaves. He argued against slavery on the basis of his Christian beliefs. Jefferson responded with enthusiastic words, but no political reform. But Banneker may be most famous for a contribution he made to the nation when he was sixty. He was helping the Ellicott brothers lay out Washington, D. C. as the nation’s capital. The architect in charge of the city plans was Pierre L’Enfant. Because of his bad-temper, L’Enfant was dismissed from the post. He took his plans with him. Banneker recreated them from memory. In addition to his other work, he also published a treatise on bees, did a mathematical study on the cycle of the seventeen-year locust.

Banneker died in 1806 at the age of 74. The U.S. Postal Service issued a postage stamp in his honor in 1980. In 1981, Benjamin Banneker Academic High School, a Washington D.C. college preparatory high school, opened and was named in his honor.

A Little Humor

A college student was confused as his professor spoke about the pre-millennial view, the pre-trib rapture, the mid- trib, and the post-trib; and finally he was in despair. He folded his arms, sat down, and said, I.A.K.” The professor said to him, “What does that mean?” The student said, “That means I am confused.” The professor said, “Confused” doesn’t start with a ‘K.’” The student replied, “You don’t know how confused I am.

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Salvation changes our heritage from a living death to a deathless life!”