Monday, Jul 20, 2009

7-20 Sheep and Goats

Download this episode (18 min)   
I don’t get to see Tim & Debbie very often. They are missionaries to Mexico… but when they come through we always have a lot of fun together. Tim spoke on Sunday. I gave him 30 minutes and he took nearly 60! That’s the ole Mexican mentality. Time has little meaning down there. And I guess it was short compared to what he does down there! It was good though. After lunch where their son Caleb taught us some gross noodle tricks, we stopped at our house for a while. There, their son Josiah showed his amazing talents. He can take a penny, wrap it in a fold of skin on his knee and when he lets it go, it shoots out over his foot for a field goal. He showed us a few new sports called “knee-penny football,” and then one called “knee-penny baseball.” I knelt down by his feet while he shot the penny from his knee. After a count of 2 balls, 2 strikes I hit a line drive penny right at Josiah and he caught it for an out! That ended the game. We did have fun with the Blyckers! Keep them in your prayers.

Today's Scripture reading is 1 Kings 4; Zechariah 4; Luke 12:1-21
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com - Archives can be found at http://timewithgod.podbean.com

Today’s thought comes from Matthew 25 31 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 "All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 "And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 "Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world… 41 "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:

Sheep are good, goats are bad. Don’t tell my friends Dave & Barb… or Kyle & Marcia. They have goats. Goats eat poison oak and keep the brush down. They like goats. Goats are friendly and pet-able even if they are a bit difficult to corral. Maybe that’s their problem: they are stubborn and overly inquisitive. You don’t want to be a goat! You want to be a sheep. After the Great Tribulation discourse, Jesus told a few parables about readiness and noted that following the Return of Jesus Christ, comes the Sheep and Goat judgment. Whoever is left alive after those terrible seven years must face the “Son of Man” on his throne of glory. This is the judgment of the nations. Some people are “taken” to judgment (goats) others are “left” (sheep - the righteous). Those taken are sent to everlasting fire. Those left get to inherit the kingdom. The Apostle John added some details in Revelation 20 explaining that the kingdom would last 1000 years. This is what we call the Millennial Kingdom. Jesus Christ would be reigning on the earth, sitting on the throne of David. He also added that the resurrection of the righteous happens when Christ returns, but the resurrection of the unrighteous to judgment does not occur until the 1000 years expire. Daniel spoke of it (7:13-14) saying that the Son of Man would rule over all the nations. Micah spoke of it (4:1-8) calling it a reign of peace, prosperity and a time when all nations come to Jerusalem to worship. During that time the lion will lie down with the lamb (Isaiah 11:6-9), people’s lives will be extended for hundreds of years (Isaiah 65:20), and the Apostles will reign with Christ (Matthew 19:28) as will we! Once again we are confronted by the eschatological urging to be sure we are “sheep.” Sheep have a great future! The only way to become one is to put faith and trust in Christ alone for your hope of eternal life.

Dear Father. Thank you for your promise of a kingdom of peace! I look forward to the day when all is made right and I am in your presence. I long to worship you and have you transform me into your image. Thanks for the gift of eternal life!

“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”-

7-20 Sheep and Goats

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 12:35 PM |  MAKE A COMMENT  

<< Home