Introduction

One of the things I really enjoy doing with the ministry the Lord has blessed me with is answering questions of believers and unbelievers alike. The questions people have never cease to amaze me; most I have never even considered myself.

This QFTBOC (Questions From the Body of Christ) series are articles from these questions I have received and will be in a question and response format.

If you or someone you know has a question pertaining to the Word of God – theology, difficult passages, eschatology, etc. – I would really like to hear from you.

If I end up using your question, and you would like to have your name and/or place of residence listed on the question in the article, please specify with your submitted question; otherwise, if I use your question, it will be listed as “Anonymous.”

Regardless, I will make every attempt to answer every person’s questions in a response to the emails I receive. Depending on volume, it may be a little while until you hear back from me, but my intention is to respond to all inquiries.

Other articles in this series are: QFTBOC: Civil Disobedience and Patriotism, QFTBOC: Memory – Fully Retained or Total Reset?, QFTBOC: Psalm 91, Protection, & God’s Will, QFTBOC: God’s Chastisement of His Children, QFTBOC: What’s Satan’s Problem?, QFTBOC: Can We Know Another’s Salvation?, QFTBOC: Childbirth Purification & Christ, and QFTBOC: Biblical Slavery.

Question

In response to your offer to answer questions, here is mine:

At the trial of Jesus at the home of the high priest, we are told that John was known to the high priest, so he was able to get Peter in. Then, of course, we are told how people accused Peter of being associated with Jesus, and he denied it. My question is, why did no one question John? If the high priest knew him, did he not know John was a follower of Christ? And, of course, John stood before the cross, apparently without fear of being arrested.

Related question…and since we are not to question people’s motives, maybe this is a wrong thing to ask. But considering that at least two of the brothers of Jesus at some point accepted Him as Lord, and He knows all things from beginning to end, I wonder why He committed Mary to John’s care, and we are told he took her into his care from that day onward. I just wondered why his brothers, at least after they came to Him, didn’t take over that duty. I’m thinking maybe He was trying to show us, as He had said earlier (to paraphrase very loosely), those who do His will are His brothers, sisters, and mother…so He may have been making that point?

I enjoy your articles on the Rapture Ready website!

Thank you!

Bev

Arkansas

Response

Hi Bev!

Thank you so much for your questions!

Unfortunately, we don’t have much Scripture to apply to your questions, but we do have our God-given and Spirit-guided wisdom, knowledge, and common sense that we can apply and offer up some possibilities in regard to these issues.

The Palace of the High Priest

“And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple: that disciple was known unto the high priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest. But Peter stood at the door without. Then went out that other disciple, which was known unto the high priest, and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter” (John 18:15-16).

Notice that both Peter and John followed Jesus, but John “went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest” while “Peter stood at the door without.” Peter eventually went in, as John “brought Peter in” to the court of the High Priest. But Peter stayed next to the door, seemingly out of fear.

What we don’t seem to know for sure is if John stayed with Peter outside in the courtyard or entered into the Palace for the interrogation of Jesus. In Mark 14:66 we get a little clearer picture of what this scene looked like. The text reads, “As Peter was beneath in the Palace.” Therefore, it appears that the courtyard below was where Peter remained, as the sham interrogation was held in the second story of the Palace. It seems very likely, to me, that John pressed into the palace with Peter left outside, came back out and let Peter into the courtyard, and re-entered the palace for Christ’s interrogation.

This is so important: John seems to have been with the Lord, but Peter was “without.” John, while with the Lord, had no fear; Peter, “without” the Lord, was seemingly terrified.

Earlier, this same Peter said with confidence at the last supper:

“… Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards. Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake. Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice” (John 13:36-38).

The lesson for us all is to stay close to the Lord at all times – through the good and the bad. In fact, it’s during the bad and difficult times we face that the Lord becomes our strong tower and rock of defense. Fear should never have any part in a Christian’s life, and the only way we can be sure we will never fear is when we are staying close to our God and Savior, Jesus Christ, and His Word!

John Was with Jesus, and Peter Was Not

It seems that the reason John wasn’t questioned for being a disciple of Jesus is because John was with Jesus, and it was Jesus who was being interrogated by the religious leaders. Peter, on the other hand, was outside and without the physical presence of Jesus and was therefore interrogated by those on the outside. John was in the physical presence of the Lord, and Peter was not. Again, the spiritual application of this event is a very important lesson for us all!

The people in the courtyard of the Palace had their focus on Peter as a disciple of the Lord, while the religious authorities were only interested in Jesus who was in their midst. The religious leadership’s reasoning seemed to be, if they could put Jesus to death, then His disciples would flee and be disbanded. The disciples, at this point and through the crucifixion, were never a concern of the High Priest and Israel’s religious leaders in their diabolical obsession to kill Jesus.

The Lord Caring for His Mother at the Cross

One of the most beautiful aspects of the cross – and there are many – is Jesus caring for and supplying for His mother’s future needs. Such love!

“When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home” (John 19:26-27).

Who would be more qualified to take on this responsibility than the “disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 21:7) and the gospel and epistle writer of the doctrine of love? John fit the bill; and Jesus, as Creator and knowing all things, knew that John was the right man for the job.

Why Didn’t James and Jude Care for Their Mother?

There is no record of James, Jude, or any of the earthly siblings of Jesus being at the cross. From what we can surmise from Scripture and extrabiblical sources is that the siblings of Jesus did not believe on Him until they saw Him after His resurrection.

For all we know, after their conversion to Christ, James and Jude may have taken over the care of their mother – or at least helped out significantly. We do know that John did a lot of traveling and, depending on how long Mary lived, Mary might not have wanted to go with him on his ministerial journeys. If she did live long enough, there was always the chance that she went with him to Ephesus, where it is believed John served in his later years, or some other location that John served at before he settled in Ephesus.

James, eventually becoming the leader of the Jerusalem church, may very well have taken his mother into his care. We just don’t know the circumstances here.

But I do think you “hit the nail on the head” that Jesus was turning the care of His mother at the cross to the most credible and loving person He knew. And, let’s be honest, John was the only man that we know of who was near the cross! James and Jude, not being present at the cross and unbelievers in Who their Brother was at that time, would not have been the best candidates for this positional role. As the eldest brother, Jesus took His responsibility of providing for His mother’s well-being very seriously and provided for Her as only He can.

Once His brothers understood who Jesus was and came to a saving faith in Him, then I’m certain they took their roles as sons and caregivers very seriously from there on out. How this all played out must remain a mystery as the Scriptures just don’t share this information with us.

Conclusion

Thank you again for your excellent questions, Bev, and thank you so much for your kind words – you made my day!

I pray that this has helped you and the reader in trying to illuminate possible answers to these very relevant questions. Like I said at the outset, there really isn’t any Scriptures to offer in answering these questions unequivocally, but I think we made a good attempt at offering some very real possibilities concerning these important events.

Love, grace, mercy, and shalom in Messiah Yeshua, and Maranatha!

➢ Email: mab10666@yahoo.com

➢ If you have not given your life to Jesus Christ and are seeking answers about God, Jesus Christ, the gospel, and salvation, please email me at mab10666@yahoo.com for information.

➢ I am still taking questions for the Questions from the Body of Christ series. If you or someone you know has a question pertaining to the Word of God – theology, difficult passages, eschatology, etc. – I would really like to hear from you.

➢ A listing of past articles may be found at my Article Listings on Rapture Ready or my Home Page on FaithWriters.

 

Necessity of Teaching a Literal Understanding of Prophecy

Why do so many believers today remain blind to the numerous signs that we live in the last days?

I believe a key reason for this lies with pastors and teachers today who in large numbers embrace amillennialism, a belief system that dismisses biblical prophecies related to Jesus’ thousand-year rule and the restoration of a kingdom for Israel. As a result, they regard the miraculous emergence of Israel as a nation as mere coincidence without any prophetic significance.

It stands to reason that if one dismisses the most significant piece of God’s prophetic calendar, the miracle of Israel’s current existence, one will also miss all the many other signs that tell us we live in the season of Jesus’ appearing to take His church back to His Father’s house.

Scoffers claim that those of us with a biblical awareness of the times interpret Scripture with a newspaper in one hand and the Bible in the other hand. However, just the opposite is true.

Here are three key examples:

1. Isaac Newton, based on his intense study of the books of Daniel and Revelation, predicted the re-establishment of Israel as a nation over 220 years before it happened.
2. David Reagan recently recounted a story regarding C.I. Scofield. Based on Ezekiel 38-39, in 1909 he wrote that someday a coalition led by Russia would invade Israel. Some criticized him because, at the time, Russia was a Christian nation, and Israel did not exist. Now, however, we see that such an invasion of Israel is a distinct possibility.
3. For years, prophecy watchers said Turkey, a friend of Israel not that long ago, would someday turn against God’s people. They said that based on Ezekiel 38-39. And this has happened in just the past ten years.

I could cite many more examples of how a literal understanding of biblical prophecy has enabled prophecy watchers to know what the newspapers would report many years in advance. But even more importantly, understanding what the Bible says about the news of today/tomorrow reassures us that God is in control as we watch events unfold just as He said would happen during the last days of human history.

Because we live in biblical times of the end, those who proclaim God’s Word must not keep silent regarding the signs that point to Jesus’ soon appearing and the start of the tribulation period. They have a distinct responsibility to teach a literal understanding of prophecy that aligns with the signs of the approaching seven-year tribulation;

Why is sound teaching on biblical prophecy so essential for the day in which we live?

Jesus Scolded Religious Leaders Who Missed the Signs of His First Coming

While on earth, Jesus chastised the religious leaders of the day for not recognizing the numerous signs that their Messiah stood in their midst. In Matthew 16:1-4 we read:

“He [Jesus] also said to the crowds, And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.’ So he left them and departed.”

Just like the Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus’ day, many of those in places of spiritual leadership today dismiss the many and varied signs of Jesus’ soon return. I believe that Jesus’ message to pastors and teachers who today dismiss the significance of the re-emergence of the nation of Israel would be quite similar to how He addressed the religious leaders of His day.

Would He not also scold church leaders today for failing to recognize the signs of His Second Coming so clearly laid out in Scripture?

There seems to be an assumption among those who criticize those of us who recognize the signs of Jesus’ return that we seek to scare people rather than encourage them regarding the future. Such is not the case. Recognizing that we live in biblical times, the season of Jesus’ appearing, allows us to assure the saints that God remains in control of history. The disturbing events of our day signal the nearness of Jesus’ appearing to take us to the place He’s now preparing for us (John 14:1-3). What an amazing and joyful expectation!!

The signs that we live in the last days should encourage our hearts even as we watch the world race toward the seven-year tribulation. Is this not why the apostle Paul repeatedly mentioned the comfort that comes from anticipating the rapture? (1 Thess. 4:18; 5:11).

Jesus is coming for us before the terrible day of the Lord (1 Thess. 5:9-10), and as such, it signifies the nearness of the rapture.

Jesus Warned Against a Failure to Emphasize Biblical Prophecy at Its Proper Time

There’s a phrase in Jesus’ parable in Matthew 24:45-50 that the Lord keeps bringing to my mind as a way of prompting me to write about it. The words appear in verse 45 where Jesus asks, “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?” (Emphasis mine)

The Greek word for “proper time” is kairos, which denotes an opportune or seasonable time. The word does not depict time on a clock but rather the appropriate occasion or opportunity for something to take place. The current season of Jesus’ soon appearing calls for the inclusion of biblical prophecy in the diet that spiritual leaders provide to those under their care.

The “faithful and wise servant,” therefore, is the one who watches for the coming of “the Son of Man” (v. 44). And as the signs multiply regarding the nearness of his Lord’s return, he adjusts the “food” he sets before those whom he serves so that it corresponds with the nearness of Jesus’ return.

I interpret Jesus’ words here as a warning that those of us who today minister God’s Word to others have a particular responsibility to instruct others about the Lord’s soon return and warn them regarding the soon start of the tribulation period. I believe Jesus’ parable, recorded in Matthew 24:45-50, strongly cautions Bible-believing pastors and teachers against repeating the error of the Pharisees and Sadducees (see Matt. 16:1-4) who did not recognize their Messiah despite the many ways He fulfilled Old Testament Scripture.

What I am saying is this: Now is the season to proclaim our hope in Jesus’ soon appearing.

In centuries past, it was enough to emphasize the Gospel past and present with a lighter emphasis on the future tense of the Gospel. We revere great preachers such as Charles Spurgeon for his clarity on the good news of salvation, and today we sorely need his razor-sharp biblical insight into God’s grace and eternal security.

However, along with Spurgeon-like insight into God’s steadfast love and mercy, we also need sound teaching on future things. So many pastors either ignore the signs of the end times or cloak biblical prophecies under a mysterious veil of allegory so that those texts have no relevance for us today. They treat biblical prophecy as an allegorical code, especially the book of Revelation, that only they can fully understand. In the end, their message lacks any comforting value for those of us in the twenty-first century.

Jesus Warns Us Against Dismissing the Words of the Book of Revelation

Those who dismiss 90% of the book of Revelation as allegory should not expect those to whom they minister to find even a smidgen’s worth of encouragement in the remaining 10%. That’s because such an approach places the rest of John’s message under a shroud of uncertainty.

For example, if the apostle’s description of the New Jerusalem is not a physical one, but only symbolical pertaining to another reality, how can one have any confidence in John’s other descriptions of the eternal state in Revelation 21-22? How can we trust the precious words of Revelation 21:4 if other key promises contained in these chapters are allegories subject to the varied interpretation of others?

The bottom line is this: we are not free to interpret the book of Revelation any way we please and expect that to inspire hope in those who hear or relieve their fears.

One thousand years means one thousand years; it’s not the eternal state but rather Jesus’ millennial reign that precedes it. Forty-two months means forty-two months; forty-two months is most certainly not the church age; it signifies three and a half years, just as the text tells us. If we cannot trust the words we see on the pages of Scripture, then whose interpretation of them do we believe?

Several varied prophetic schemes have arisen from allegorical ways of looking at the book of Revelation. If words don’t mean what they appear to mean, how do we know which one of them is correct? Not only that, but a wide variance of opinion also exists among them as to what is literal and symbolical. With the use of allegory, we have no objective basis to know what a text really means.

God’s inspiration of His Word applies to the very words of the prophetic texts of the Bible, to the intent of the human author. The Lord does not give us license to change the meaning of a text so that it has no relevance whatsoever to the words we see in front of us. Jesus warns us against such allegorical interpretations of the last book of the Bible in Revelation 22:18-19. Do not symbolical understandings of Revelation take “away from the words of this book of prophecy?” Yes, they most certainly do.

I suspect many will scoff at me for writing these things, but I must write what I believe the Lord has laid upon my heart. I know we live in biblical times, the season of Jesus’ return, and although I may not get everything totally correct, I am persuaded of the truth of Scripture, and that leads to my conviction that Jesus is coming for His church in the near future.

I dare not predict when this will happen, but the signs of the approaching tribulation period tell me the fulfillment of John 14:2-3 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-57 is ever so close at hand.

Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Matt. 24:35). He spoke those words after talking about the tribulation and the signs of His return to earth. As we watch the precursors to these tribulation events erupt all around us, how can we conclude anything else apart from the fact that we live in the last days of human history?

Jonathan Brentner

Website: Our Journey Home

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