God's kingdom has come, is coming, and will come

New Guest: Like this one, most posts are devotional; those related to CAR BIZ can be found by searching for that title. You might start with 'Welcome,' the first post in the archives, dated November 12, 2008, where I introduce myself and the blog.

Saturday, November 14, 2009
Devotions: Ps 87, 90, 136; 1 Macc 2:1-28; Rev 20:1-6; Mt 16:21-28

The city of God sits atop Mount Zion—source of earthly joy and wonder, home of the hearts of God’s people, wellspring of sacred song and dance. YHWH Himself is the Dwelling of His people. Our God is eternal, almighty, holy and good. We are flickering candles in the winds of eternity, overwhelmed by the wrath of holy God; we live amid toil and trouble in this fallen world. Lord, teach us to number our days and to obtain a heart of wisdom. Make me glad as many days as I have languished; let Your power be manifest in my work and walk today! Let the favor of our God be upon us, and Lord, establish the work of my hands, I pray. God’s steadfast love endures forever! I thank You, God of gods, Lord of lords. You are Creator of everything; You have ordered the universes. You have chosen and delivered a people for Yourself; You brought them out of bondage in Egypt by mighty works; You opened the sea before them; You led them through the trackless wilderness for two generations; You never forget Your people. We thank the God of heaven and earth, Whose steadfast love endures forever!

A priest named Mattathias moved from Jerusalem to Modein and settled there with his five sons. He deplored the blasphemies being practiced in Judah and Jerusalem—the ruin of his people and the holy city, now in the hands of Gentiles, God’s temple dishonored and stripped. The babies and youth of the Jews were put to the sword, and everything holy was being profaned by the Gentiles. He despaired of life; Mattathias and his sons tore their clothes and mourned in sackcloth. Then the officers of Antiochus Epiphanes arrived in Modein to force similar desecrations there. They singled out Mattathias and demanded that he be the first apostate to obey the king’s commands. Mattathias refused: ‘I and my sons and my brothers will live by the covenant of our fathers. We will keep the laws and ordinances; we will not obey the king and turn aside from our religion.’ Another Jew came forward to offer a pagan sacrifice on Modein’s altar; Mattathias ran forward and killed the apostate on the altar, then he killed the king’s officer who was enforcing pagan sacrifices, and tore down the desecrated altar, like Phineas had done against Zimri [Num 25:6-15]. Mattathias called all who was zealous for the law and supported the covenant to follow him, and he and his sons fled into the hills, leaving all their goods behind in the city.

John’s vision continues: ‘I saw a heavenly angel come down, holding the key to the abyss and a great chain. He bound the ancient serpent, the Devil, Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, shut and sealed it over him.’ Satan will be bound there for a thousand years, to deceive the nations no more, until he is set free for a short time. Then John saw thrones, on which sat those to whom God committed judgment, and the souls of the martyrs beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not taken the mark of the beast on their foreheads or hands. They came to life and ruled with the Messiah for a thousand years. The remaining dead were not in this first resurrection, that of the blessed. Those of first resurrection will never die and will be priests of God and of Messiah and will reign with Him a thousand years.

Once Peter had confessed Him as Messiah, Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, suffer many things from the elders, chief priests and scribes, be killed and on the third day, be raised from death. Peter took Jesus aside and intended to rebuke Him; but Jesus in turn confronted Peter: ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are hindering Me! In this, you are not on God’s side, but that of men.’ Jesus told His disciples, ‘If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, and take his cross and follow Me. Whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. What will it benefit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his life? What can a man give in return for his life? For the Son of man will come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will repay every person for what that person has done. I tell you truly: there are some standing here today who will not taste death before they see the Son of man coming in His kingdom.’