"You Shall Not See Me Again Until . . . "

Our theme scripture for this week is from Luke 13:35. Jesus is mourning over the people of Jerusalem and saying that He wanted to gather them under His wings but they were not willing. Jesus says in verse 35, "You will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'" What exactly is Jesus saying? He is saying that His covenant people will not see Him again until they call Him "Blessed" upon recognizing Him as their Messiah.

Luke 13:35 is an extremely important verse in attempting to figure out when Jesus will return to earth. People tend to look at the "Signs Of The Times" trying to see how close we might be to the return of Jesus. This is important but might not be as important as the moment Jewish people receive Jesus as their Messiah and call Him "Blessed." Our recent messages mentioned about a spiritual awakening happening among the Jewish people but still the vast majority of them have not recognized Jesus as their Messiah.

Romans 10:9-10 says, "That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus Is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." This is the true salvation message along with John 3:16. For a person to receive salvation they must believe in their heart that Jesus is the Son of God and God raised Him from the dead and then confess these truths with their mouth. This applies to both Jew and Gentile.

Why then has this been so difficult for God's covenant people? Romans 9:30-32 says, "What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works." They have not sought a righteousness of faith but a righteousness of law and works.

The good news is This Is Not The End Of The Story. Romans 11:1 says, "I ask then, Did God reject His people? By no means!" Our Lord God is still in control and He has a plan for His covenant people. Stay Tuned!

May The Lord Bless You And Keep You This Day And Every Day,

Frank