LEARNING DAILY

 

Matthew 16:2-4, He replied, “You know the saying, ‘Red sky at night means fair weather tomorrow, red shy in the morning means foul weather all day.’  You are good at reading the weather signs in the sky, but you can’t read the obvious signs of the times!  Only an evil, faithless generation would ask for a miraculous sign, but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah.”  Then Jesus left them and went away.  Jesus (NLT)

 

The Pharisees and Sadducees were trying to test Jesus claims by asking for a sign from heaven.  They had chosen not to believe Jesus was the Messiah because He had not fit into their expectations of a military leader that would deliver the Jewish people from the Roman oppression.  They demanded some sign from heaven that would open their eyes and convince them differently.  “Ironically, Jesus Himself was the ”sign from heaven” that the Jewish people sought” (DJSB).  Jesus had already given them many miracles to believe in; they chose not to believe them.  How many more signs would be necessary before the Jewish leaders and people would believe He was the Messiah?

 

Jesus’ answer was to draw them to the Prophet Jonah.  Jonah was given a task, chose to run from it, was swallowed by whale where he stayed in its belly for three days.  The whale spit him up near Nineveh where he was to deliver God’s message of repentance.  We have the ability to understand that Jesus spoke of Jonah as a type of Messiah referring to His death and resurrection.  That was the only sign they would get and they needed to figure it out.

 

All people, today, have the opportunity to read God’s Word and discern the signs of the times.  Too many want a sign from heaven before they believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior.  I am amazed at the amount of data receiving stuff that can tell us about the weather we will have days in advance.  Sometimes, the forecast is even correct! 

 

Many people today are wondering and asking if we are in the last days.  The Bible gives plenty of “signs” about the end of days as we know them.  They are occurring everyday all around us and people ignore them, not able to discern what is happening.  It is sad because most people still do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God, sent to save all who would believe in Him the greatest sign of all (JSESB).  Too many people today are blind to the second coming of Jesus Christ even though He was very clear to the conditions that would be occurring on earth before He did so.  Too many scoff and laugh, asking where is He?  They ask has not every generation since Bible times been saying their generation will see His return?  Like the Pharisees and Sadducees who questioned Jesus, many today do not believe despite the miracles that happen around them every day.

 

The Lord Jesus Christ still reveals Himself to those who earnestly seek Him.  He does not reveal Himself to spiritual frauds (DJSB).  We have been given warning after warning, sign after sign from the Bible and see them happening right now.  They are growing in severity, confusing the spiritually blind!  It is time to diligently seek the Lord and His discernment for what is occurring around us!  Do so in faith that He desires us to be able to be able to read the signs of the times.

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible.  I have added Jimmy Swaggart’s Expositor’s Study Bible to be referred to from now on as JSESB