JOHN 7:8-13
8 "You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come." 9 When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee. 10 But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. 11 Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?" 12 And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him. Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people." 13 However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.
The feast of Tabernacles (celebrating Israel’s exodus from Egypt) was upon the Jewish nation at this time. Also at this time, a plot was being hatched on how they might kill Jesus (vs.1; see also JOHN 5:16,18).
And His stepbrothers (their father was Joseph, the husband to their mother, Mary) didn’t believe His claims of being the Messiah – or even a prophet sent by GOD (MATT 13:57). They ‘egged Him on’, trying to provoke Him to display Himself and His claims, all the while believing He was a phoney.
However, the LORD didn’t go to the feast, not openly. He was being gentle as a dove, and wise as a serpent (serpents can feel vibrations on the ground from the footfalls of creatures, and if those vibrations are too strong, they understand this is some animal too big for their appetite, and instead, hide away; MATT 10:16).
Love Incarnate received hatred from those who should have loved Him as the long awaited Messiah (JOHN 5:43).
In GENESIS, the son of Jacob, Joseph was hated by his brethren in just this same way, which is why he’s an able ‘type’ of Christ in the Old Testament. Joseph wasn’t received the first time, but he was the second (when his brothers ended up bowing before him, just as GOD revealed to Joseph in a dream). Moses, another type of Christ was also rejected the first time but received the second.
One of the deacons of the Jerusalem church, Stephen made a point of this when he was dragged before the Sanhedrin and delivered a magnificent sermon there in ACTS 7. Before Stephen could make his closing argument – that this Jesus Whom they rejected (this first time), Israel will one day receive at His Second Coming – he was rushed by the Sanhedrin, dragged outside, and stoned to death.
There are skeptics that accuse the LORD Jesus of lying or deceiving here in this passage, because He said He wasn’t going to this feast, but did, once His family left for Jerusalem. Yet if one pays close attention to His Words, what He said was, “My time has not yet fully come.” In other words, it wouldn’t be until the fullness of time that He would leave for the feast, and a while later, it had arrived – and so He left.
With their intent of apprehending the LORD and then killing Him, they sought for Him and didn’t find Him. In His absence the controversy arose concerning His personage. Some were persuaded that He was a good man. Others claimed He was a deceiver. No one spoke openly in support of Him however because they feared the Jewish leadership who had the power to excommunicate anyone from the Temple, which would ensure a complete excising from Jewish society. They would become impoverished then as no one would hire them or sell to them or buy their goods.
And it’s so throughout history – everyone of us has the decision to make, whether to side with GOD or with people who oppose GOD.
Any pipedreams of peace founded in the hearts of human beings, who tout such claims of universal brotherhood are attempting to establish such on a false premise: that man “is basically good” for were that true, then true and lasting peace would indeed be achievable.
However, because human beings are essentially evil in heart, at enmity with his Maker, achieving any kind of genuine peace is not possible. The best he could manufacture would be a cessation of hostilities until circumstances made that impractical if not impossible. As long as our vertical relationship – between the Maker and His creation is antagonistic – there is no hope for amicable relationships horizontally.
As time progresses we will witness a greater and sharper polarization between lovers of GOD and haters of GOD with fewer and fewer souls who are indifferent or ambivalent towards GOD. I have witnessed this in my dealings with people when offering the Gospel. There is a sharp distinction in their reactions: some receive the message or a Gospel tract almost shyly and with a measure of gratitude. Others almost bark out a no! and steer clear of us. Very few react with an indifferent air.
And His stepbrothers (their father was Joseph, the husband to their mother, Mary) didn’t believe His claims of being the Messiah – or even a prophet sent by GOD (MATT 13:57). They ‘egged Him on’, trying to provoke Him to display Himself and His claims, all the while believing He was a phoney.
However, the LORD didn’t go to the feast, not openly. He was being gentle as a dove, and wise as a serpent (serpents can feel vibrations on the ground from the footfalls of creatures, and if those vibrations are too strong, they understand this is some animal too big for their appetite, and instead, hide away; MATT 10:16).
Love Incarnate received hatred from those who should have loved Him as the long awaited Messiah (JOHN 5:43).
In GENESIS, the son of Jacob, Joseph was hated by his brethren in just this same way, which is why he’s an able ‘type’ of Christ in the Old Testament. Joseph wasn’t received the first time, but he was the second (when his brothers ended up bowing before him, just as GOD revealed to Joseph in a dream). Moses, another type of Christ was also rejected the first time but received the second.
One of the deacons of the Jerusalem church, Stephen made a point of this when he was dragged before the Sanhedrin and delivered a magnificent sermon there in ACTS 7. Before Stephen could make his closing argument – that this Jesus Whom they rejected (this first time), Israel will one day receive at His Second Coming – he was rushed by the Sanhedrin, dragged outside, and stoned to death.
There are skeptics that accuse the LORD Jesus of lying or deceiving here in this passage, because He said He wasn’t going to this feast, but did, once His family left for Jerusalem. Yet if one pays close attention to His Words, what He said was, “My time has not yet fully come.” In other words, it wouldn’t be until the fullness of time that He would leave for the feast, and a while later, it had arrived – and so He left.
With their intent of apprehending the LORD and then killing Him, they sought for Him and didn’t find Him. In His absence the controversy arose concerning His personage. Some were persuaded that He was a good man. Others claimed He was a deceiver. No one spoke openly in support of Him however because they feared the Jewish leadership who had the power to excommunicate anyone from the Temple, which would ensure a complete excising from Jewish society. They would become impoverished then as no one would hire them or sell to them or buy their goods.
And it’s so throughout history – everyone of us has the decision to make, whether to side with GOD or with people who oppose GOD.
1 JOHN 5:19-20The LORD Jesus did not come to bring unequivocal peace to this world; He came to bring reconciliation between sinful man and a holy GOD through His atonement, and by making peace with GOD (ROM 5:1) in this way, mankind would experience peace in heart – no longer adversarial towards GOD (ROM 8:7) and thereby bring peace to the extent that we would become peacemakers (MATT 5:9) until Christ, the Prince of Peace would bring everlasting peace!
19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in wickedness. 20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
Any pipedreams of peace founded in the hearts of human beings, who tout such claims of universal brotherhood are attempting to establish such on a false premise: that man “is basically good” for were that true, then true and lasting peace would indeed be achievable.
However, because human beings are essentially evil in heart, at enmity with his Maker, achieving any kind of genuine peace is not possible. The best he could manufacture would be a cessation of hostilities until circumstances made that impractical if not impossible. As long as our vertical relationship – between the Maker and His creation is antagonistic – there is no hope for amicable relationships horizontally.
As time progresses we will witness a greater and sharper polarization between lovers of GOD and haters of GOD with fewer and fewer souls who are indifferent or ambivalent towards GOD. I have witnessed this in my dealings with people when offering the Gospel. There is a sharp distinction in their reactions: some receive the message or a Gospel tract almost shyly and with a measure of gratitude. Others almost bark out a no! and steer clear of us. Very few react with an indifferent air.
MATTHEW 10:34-39We can expect this trend to continue, right up to the time when the reign of antichrist is fully established in the 70th Week of DANIEL. The fact of the matter is people are either children of the light or children of darkness (EPH 5:8); either children of GOD (JOHN 1:12) or children of the devil (JOHN 8:44). In truth, there are no spiritual orphans in this world. And only the family of GOD will be welcomed into the eternal kingdom. However, the LORD still keeps this door to salvation open for whoever wants Him.
34 "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 "For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; 36 "and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.' 37 "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 "He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
2 CORINTHIANS 6:1-2
1 We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For He says: "In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
REVELATION 22:17
And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.
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