O JERUSALEM,
JERUSALEM

37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!
38 "See! Your house is left to you desolate;
39 "for I say to you, you shall see Me no
more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'"
(Matthew23:37-39)

Jerusalem in the Scriptures is symbolic of the Church in general. The word "Jerusalem" means "city of peace".

Paul writing to the church at Galatia makes a
distinction between the two Jerusalems - the
natural one and the spiritual one. Both
Jerusalems are described symbolically as mothers
with children.

25 for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia,
and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is,
and is in bondage with her children;
26 but the Jerusalem above is free, which is
the mother of us all. (Galatians 4:25-26)

We see that when Jesus laments over Jerusalem,
He is actually lamenting over BOTH the natural
Jerusalem AND the spiritual one. From history
we know that Jerusalem had a record for killing
the prophets God sent to her to warn her to
repent of idolatry. The irony of it all, is that the
city of God had a tendency to reject God
Himself when He came to them in the form of
these men. This led to the ultimate of all ironies
- the rejection of the man Jesus, who was in fact
God in the flesh. And all this by those zealously
attempting to adhere to the principles of God
but at the same time rejecting the person of God
in Jesus.
37 "And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has
testified of Me. You have neither heard His
voice at any time, nor seen His form.
38 "But you do not have His word abiding in
you, because whom He sent, Him you do not
believe.
39 "You search the Scriptures, for in them you
think you have eternal life; and these are they
which testify of Me.
40 "But you are not willing to come to Me
that you may have life. (John 5:37-40)

We, as born-again believers, have the seed of the
word of God living and abiding in us because we
were willing to "come to Him" and "believe in
Him". Likewise, as we learn to recognise those
sent by God, we will be able to receive the word
living in them which may be the very anointing
we need to have the yokes and bondages
destroyed in our lives and be changed from glory
to glory into the image of the Lord. Many times
we struggle with not being able to overcome the
carnal nature because we fail to recognise His
"form" when He comes to us. Let not the Lord
say about us the same that He said to the
Pharisees: "But you are not willing to come to
Me that you may have life".

Speaking on the heavenly Jerusalem, Paul tells
the Hebrew church:

22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to
the city of the living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of
angels,
23 to the general assembly and church of the
firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God
the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men
made perfect,
24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new
covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that
speaks better things than that of Abel.
(Hebrews 12:22-24)

As in the natural Jerusalem, the Jerusalem from
above has a history of stoning and killing those
sent to her, especially those sent to warn her
about her apathy and idolatry. As in her natural
counterpart, she has failed to recognise the
person of Jesus coming to her through these
prophets. Seeing them more as threats to her
security and well-being, she has tended to
embark on a mission of persecution motivated
by self-preservation. A root to this has been her
insecurity. Because she lacks an understanding of
the love and grace of God, she will tend to resist
those who posses the confidence of the Lord and
have found their security in Him.

Jesus was typical of this. He was a man full of
confidence in His Father. He was never
motivated by the fear of man, thus never
submitting to the desires of being approved by
man. Being free in this way allowed Him to do
only the Father's will without the pressure of
yielding to public opinion.

23 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the
Passover, during the feast, many believed in
His name when they saw the signs which He
did.
24 But JESUS DID NOT COMMIT HIMSELF
TO THEM, because He knew all men,
25 and HAD NO NEED THAT ANYONE
SHOULD TESTIFY OF MAN, for He knew
what was in man. (John 2:23-25)

At the end of His ministry, Jerusalem rejected
Jesus to the point of crucifying Him. Even so, at
the end of this age, Jerusalem will once again
reject the man Jesus who will be the man-child
birthed in the life of the overcomers. Once
again, "Jesus" will be "crucified" as His people will
face enormous persecution even from their own.

In Matthew's gospel, we find Jesus sending out
the twelve disciples with the commission to
proclaim the nearness of the kingdom of heaven.
These same twelve disciples were given great
authority to cast out devils and anoint the sick
with oil and heal them.
5 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded
them, saying: "Do not go into the way of the
Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the
Samaritans.
6 "But go rather to the lost sheep of the
house of Israel.
7 "And as you go, preach, saying, 'The
kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
8 "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the
dead, cast out demons. Freely you have
received, freely give. (Matthew 10:5-6)

We can see from verses 5-6 that the commission
today is not necessarily to go to unbelievers, but
rather to the lost sheep of God's kingdom
(whether they be in the "world", sitting in the
pews, or even preaching behind a pulpit).
However, in bringing healing and wholeness to
God's people, these disciples were to face great
persecution BY THEIR OWN, even as Jesus came
to His own, and was rejected by His own.

In verses 16-26 we read of this persecution.
When reading the following verses, you must
take into consideration the spiritual symbolism.
It is of paramount importance to recognise that
most things Jesus states in the whole of chapter
10 that would happen to the disciples on their
mission did not actually take place. The resulting
conclusion could only mean that this was not
only to be fulfilled at a later time in their lives,
but also that this remains a spiritual implication
to all disciples throughout the ages, as well as a
final testimony of what will happen to the
disciples (overcomers) as a whole at the end of
time (Important: see verse 23)!!! REMEMBER
TO WHOM THE DISCIPLES WERE SENT (v. 5
- 6)!!!

16 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the
midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents
and harmless as doves.
17 "But beware of men, for they will deliver
you up to councils and scourge you in their
synagogues.
18 "You will be brought before governors and
kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and
to the Gentiles.
19 "But when they deliver you up, do not
worry about how or what you should speak.
For it will be given to you in that hour what
you should speak;
20 "for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit
of your Father who speaks in you.
21 "Now brother will deliver up brother to
death, and a father his child; and children will
rise up against parents and cause them to be
put to death.
22 "And you will be hated by all for My
name's sake. But he who endures to the end
will be saved.
23 "When they persecute you in this city, flee
to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you
will not have gone through the cities of Israel
before the Son of Man comes.
24 "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a
servant above his master.
25 "It is enough for a disciple that he be like
his teacher, and a servant like his master. If
they have called the master of the house
Beelzebub, how much more will they call
those of his household!
26 "Therefore do not fear them. For there is
nothing covered that will not be revealed, and
hidden that will not be known. (Matthew
10:16-26)

Who are the "wolves" of v.16 and where are they
found?
Who are the "men" and what are their
"synagogues"? (v. 17)
Are the "governors" and "kings" of v.18 to be
taken literally or symbolically?
Are those mentioned in v.21 symbolic or literal?
Who are the "all" of v.22?
Who does the persecuting of v.23?
Who called the master of the house Beelzebub?
(v.25)
Who is it that you should not fear? (v.26)
REMEMBER TO WHOM THE DISCIPLES
WERE SENT (v. 5 - 6) and take into
consideration the "timing" of verse 23.

Now read on ..................................................

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.
(Matthew 10:34-39)

Between WHO has the Lord brought the sword
instead of peace? (v.34) The answer is in verses
35 and 36.
But in v.35, are the people mentioned symbolic
or literal?
Is the "household" of v.36 natural or spiritual?

REMEMBER TO WHOM THE DISCIPLES
WERE SENT (v. 5 - 6)

The conclusion to all this as it pertains to our
main text of Matthew 23:37-39 is found in
verses 40-42.

40 "He who receives you receives Me, and he
who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.
41 "He who receives a prophet in the name of
a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. And
he who receives a righteous man in the name
of a righteous man shall receive a righteous
man's reward.
42 "And whoever gives one of these little
ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a
disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no
means lose his reward." (Matthew 10:40-42)

Please note that Jesus identifies Himself with
those He sends out. It is an eternal law that -
whenever one comes in the name of God
carrying the authority of God, then whatever
you do to that person you do unto God. HOW
you receive the one whom God has sent is
exactly HOW you receive God Himself.

....and said to them, "Whoever receives this
little child in My name receives Me; and
whoever receives Me receives Him who sent
Me. For he who is least among you all will be
great." (Luke 9:48)

There are many ways in which to receive one
another, in particular those in the kingdom of
God. Jesus, in verse 41 of Matthew 10, moves
from speaking about prophets to speaking about
righteous men. Notice that He is expressing two
levels of faith here. If, on the one hand, you
recognise the one who comes to you as a
prophet, then you make yourself available to the
prophetic anointing this person may carry. If, on
the other hand, you recognise this SAME person
as only a righteous man, not recognising the
prophetic anointing he may have, you will
receive the anointing he may carry as a righteous
man, but at the same time you disqualify
yourself from any prophetic giftings this man
may posses. Do you see it? Let me stretch your
faith a little...... What if you were to receive this
same man as GOD HIMSELF coming to you
through the life of this person? Imagine the
anointing you make yourself available to? Think
about it!

Going back to our text in Matthew 23:37-39, we
read that in spite of Jerusalem's persecution and
rejection of the LORD (in the form of "prophets
and those sent to her"), the Lord's heart has
always been to "gather her children together, as
a hen gathers her chicks under her wings". His
covenant with Israel through Abraham has
always been one of provision and protection on
the basis of Israel's obedience.

After these things the word of the LORD came
to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be
afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your
exceedingly great reward." (Genesis 15:1)

The reference to the "shield" is the covenant of
protection, and the reference to "exceedingly
great reward" is the covenant of provision. This
covenant promise made to Abraham
automatically flows on to his natural and
spiritual seed.

O seed of Abraham His servant, You children
of Jacob, His chosen ones! He is the LORD our
God; His judgments are in all the earth. He
remembers His covenant forever, The word
which He commanded, for a thousand
generations, The covenant which He made
with Abraham, And His oath to Isaac, And
confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, To Israel as
an everlasting covenant, Saying, "To you I will
give the land of Canaan As the allotment of
your inheritance," (Psalm 105:6-11)

In Galatians chapter 3 we read:

29. And if you are Christ's, then you are
Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the
promise.

To both the natural and the spiritual seed the
Lord's promise of protection has been Psalm 91.
Verse 4 in particular, has been one His heart's
cry.

He shall cover you with His feathers, And
under His wings you shall take refuge; His
truth shall be your shield and buckler.
(Psalm 91:4)

However, the rejection of Jesus resulted in the
Lord's prophetic warning that, "See! Your house
is left to you desolate". The fact of the matter is
that because of Jerusalem's ultimate rejection of
Christ, in 70AD the Romans under Titus
destroyed the great city with approximately
1,000,000 Israelites losing their life through
battle or famine. Likewise, there is a solemn
warning to the Church that if she continues to
reject Christ coming to her through His people,
there will come a time coming when God may
well say, "See! Your house is left to you
desolate". That time will come when the beast
rises out of the sea and is given authority to
make war against the saints and to overcome
them (see Rev 13:7).

In Luke's gospel we have an account of how
Jesus was moved with compassion over
Jerusalem as He approached the city in His final
week.

41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and
wept over it,
42 saying, "If you had known, even you,
especially in this your day, the things that
make for your peace! But now they are hidden
from your eyes.
43 "For days will come upon you when your
enemies will build an embankment around
you, surround you and close you in on every
side,
44 "and level you, and your children within
you, to the ground; and they will not leave in
you one stone upon another, because you did
not know the time of your visitation."
(Luke 19:41-44)

Notice that in verse 41 He weeps as He
approaches the city. Likewise, in the last days, the
Son of God will approach His people, the
Church, and weep due to His overwhelming
compassion for His people. His heart towards His
people has always been for their well-being. His
dealings ALWAYS FOR THEIR BENEFIT.

This was meant to be THEIR day (verse 42), and
for THEIR peace, but because of their sinfulness
and idolatry, they missed THEIR day of visitation
(verse 44). The resulting consequence was that
their enemies would be allowed to come against
them, surround them, and level their city to the
ground. This happened to the natural Jerusalem,
but will also happen to the Spiritual Jerusalem at
the end of the age

1 Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod.
And the angel stood, saying, "Rise and
measure the temple of God, the altar, and
those who worship there.
2 "But leave out the court which is outside
the temple, and do not measure it, for it has
been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread
the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.
(Revelation 11:1,2)

The temple referred to here is not a physical
temple but rather a spiritual one. This is not to
imply that there will not be a physical temple, or
even that this physical temple will not be
trampled on by gentiles, but rather that any
physical temple exists mainly to point to a
spiritual one.

16 Do you not know that you are the temple
of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in
you?
17 If any man defile the temple of God, him
shall God destroy; for the temple of God is
holy, which temple ye are. (1 Cor 3:16,17)

The three main areas of the temple (ie. the outer
court, the Holy Place, and the Most Holy
Place/Holy of Holies) represent the nature of
every believer. Even as the Levetical Priesthood
functioned throughout the three levels, so we
also as believers exhibit the nature associated
with those three levels. Our is to enter into the
Most Holy Place by faith thus being changed
from glory to glory till we permanently dwell in
God's presence thus outwardly and practically
manifesting full nature of Almighty God in our
lives.
The spiritual "outer court" mentioned in
Revelation 11:2 is a representation of those
Christians who exhibit the outward (usually
carnal) aspects of a Christian walk. They
definitely need a "treading underfoot" to push
out any forms of carnality that prevent the Lord
from being glorified in their lives.

The fires of persecution are one such forms of
"trampling". These are effective tools used to
purify many of our selfish motives and actions.
These are weapons against lukewarmness,
complacency, apathy, indifference, compromise,
and carnality. If we haven't dealt with these areas
in our lives, then the fires of persecution are an
excellent tool in the hands of God, quite often
(but not always the case) making us fall to our
knees crying out for forgiveness and help. This
too is God's grace and mercy in our lives.

The 42 months mentioned in Revelation 11:2 is
the number representing the complete trampling
of the flesh for the purpose of purification (ie. 7
x 6.......7 being the number completeness......6
being the number of man/flesh). Subsequently,
we find the same number two chapters later.

Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw
a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven
heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten
crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous
name..................And he was given a mouth
speaking great things and blasphemies, and he
was given authority to continue for forty-two
months................It was granted to him to
make war with the saints and to overcome
them. And authority was given him over every
tribe, tongue, and nation .................
(Revelation 13:1,5,7)

As in the Jerusalem of Jesus' time, the Church
has also at times "missed her day of visitation" by
not recognising those sent to her. Here in the
last days, the "beast out of the sea" will be used
to purify the people of God, even as the "great
fish" was used to swallow Jonah only to produce
one of the greatest preaching anointings this
world has ever seen. The same will occur in the
last days with the result being a church having
repented from her Laodicean state and receiving
an anointing to preach the gospel with signs
following to a sinful world. In effect, the last
days church will be "spewed" out back into God's
will and His presence, which is the only place that
she will be able to find the grace she needs for
the hard times she is about to face.

There is a voice going out today. There is a call
going forth to God's people! There are ones
"crying in the wilderness". Do we have an ear to
hear? Do we even recognise the ones sent to us?
We don't have to be disciplined by the beast.
How can we expect to obey God if we don't
recognise His voice? If we submit ourselves unto
God and come and come under His mighty
hand, allowing His dealings to purify us NOW,
we will find His grace which we so desperately
need in times of trouble.

14 "Because he has set his love upon Me,
therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on
high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer
him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver
him and honor him. (Psalm 91:14,15)


Even the two witnesses of Revelation 11:1-13
could well say the same as Jesus......."O
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the
prophets and stones those who are sent to
her!.........(Matthew 23:37)......because........."If
you had known, even you, especially in this
your day, the things that make for your peace!
But now they are hidden from your
eyes."(Luke 19:42). They themselves (whether
they be two individuals or symbolically two
ministries) will be rejected by their own and
even killed.

And their dead bodies will lie in the street of
the great city which spiritually is called Sodom
and Egypt, WHERE ALSO OUR LORD WAS
CRUCIFIED.(Revelation 11:8)

Our Lord was crucified in Jerusalem
(symbolically meaning the Church). In the 13th
verse we find another reference which points to
this being the Church.

In the same hour there was a great earthquake,
and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake
seven thousand people were killed, and the rest
were afraid and GAVE GLORY TO THE GOD
OF HEAVEN.(Revelation 11:13)

This the fate of many who are the voice of God
to this generation. Yes, it did occur to the Old
Testament prophets. Yes, it did occur to Jesus
Himself. And, Yes, it will occur to the last days
ministry that will bear the voice of the Lord. But
the problem is, it is occurring RIGHT NOW! We
have almost all be guilty of this at one time or
another. For some, who once rejected the ones
God sent, are now themselves being rejected.
The question remains, what are we as individuals
going to do about it? We so desperately need
each others anointings to set us free and build up
the body ........to a perfect man, to the
measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ
(Ephesians 4:13)

At times, we have the tendency to receive a
stranger's voice and reject the voice of the Great
Shepherd Himself. This problem expresses itself
on two levels. Firstly, there are those rejecting
God's voice coming to them. Secondly, there are
those suffering from persecution by their own
because of undealt levels of rejection.

Rejection is on of Satan's primary entry points
into a believer's life. Every Old Testament
prophet had to overcome rejection, as he faced
often hostile "brothers". The LORD Himself sent
prophets to face the people knowing full well
that they would reject the words of the prophet.

3 And He said to me: "Son of man, I am
sending you to the children of Israel, to a
rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me;
they and their fathers have transgressed against
Me to this very day.
4 "For they are impudent and stubborn
children. I am sending you to them, and you
shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD.'
5 "As for them, whether they hear or whether
they refuse; for they are a rebellious house;
yet they will know that a prophet has been
among them.
6 "And you, son of man, do not be afraid of
them nor be afraid of their words, though
briars and thorns are with you and you dwell
among scorpions; do not be afraid of their
words or dismayed by their looks, though they
are a rebellious house.
7 "You shall speak My words to them, whether
they hear or whether they refuse, for they are
rebellious. (Ezekiel 2:3-7)

The LORD sees that any rejection of a prophet
has ALWAYS meant the rejection of God
Himself! We see this in the story of the people
of Israel asking for a king from Samuel.

8:1 Now it came to pass when Samuel was old
that he made his sons judges over Israel.
2 The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the
name of his second, Abijah; they were judges
in Beersheba.
3 But his sons did not walk in his ways; they
turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes,
and perverted justice.
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered
together and came to Samuel at Ramah,
5 and said to him, "Look, you are old, and
your sons do not walk in your ways. Now
make us a king to judge us like all the
nations."
6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they
said, "Give us a king to judge us." So Samuel
prayed to the LORD.
7 And the LORD said to Samuel, "Heed the
voice of the people in all that they say to you;
for they have not rejected you, but they have
rejected Me, that I should not reign over
them. (1 Samuel 8:1-7)

Samuel had to overcome rejection. These people,
(his OWN people), had rejected his sons thus
rejecting him. Samuel, however, not being
moved by the will of the people, went and
prayed to the LORD (verse 6) who told him that
the people had not rejected him but the LORD
Himself. Samuel was quite free from the need of
man's acceptance, therefore, was able to make
the hard decisions in the face of opposition.
Undealt with rejection will do the opposite. It
will cause one to water down God's truth for fear
of persecution. King Saul was a classic example of
this (see 1 Samuel 15:24).

In Samuel's case, the LORD knew that the people
were rejecting Him, but the people themselves
thought they were rejecting Samuel. Why? They
failed to recognise God's voice when He came to
them. Their eyes were on man. Their eyes were
on Samuel. They had to have been - they were
asking for a king in place of God! The people saw
this as the "the voice of Samuel" as opposed to
the voice of the LORD.

Nevertheless the people refused to obey the
VOICE OF SAMUEL; and they said, "No, but
we will have a king over us (1 Samuel 8:19)

It is interesting to note that just one chapter
earlier, Samuel was respected as the voice of the
LORD, judging all of Israel, and even leading
them into battle! What happened? One moment
he is God's representative, the next moment
rejection. We so often do this in our lives. The
clue is we MUST SEE BEYOND a man of God
speaking and see the LORD Himself coming to
us! Perhaps we wouldn't be so quick to act in
disobedience if we recognised God Himself
coming to us rather than just His representative.
At times what we really need is a healthy fear of
the Lord!
Recognising God's voice will take discernment
on our part. Discernment cannot be conjured
up. It is a fruit of spending time in the Lord's
presence, and a product of a life of faith and
obedience to the truths already revealed to us.
Obedience to what we already know allows
greater revelation and light to come upon us. If,
on the other hand, we reject "known light" (ie.
God's truth that we are consciously aware of),
then we enter darkness and we harden our hearts
depending on the level of light rejected. The
greater the truth we consciously refuse to walk
in, the greater the hardening of our hearts, which
causes greater blindness. In such a state, we place
ourselves in a position of not being able to see
any further light (once again depending on the
level of truth rejected). In this condition, how
are we to recognise those sent to us?

At times, we come to the point in our lives
where things are confusing and we recognise that
we have hardened our hearts. This is the time to
humble ourselves, go back to the Lord, and ask
Him to reveal which areas we have been
overlooking - I mean those often small,
seemingly insignificant areas we have disobeyed
God in. With a humble attitude like this, praise
God, it doesn't take too long before the Lord
begins to show you the areas of your heart to
change. Consequently, if we keep this attitude,
we become subject to greater revelations by the
Lord.

........for "God resists the proud, But gives grace
to the humble." (1Peter 5:5)

Wisdom is another by-product of this type of
heart attitude. Discernment of thoughts and
intent of the heart becomes evident in our lives.
Now we are not only able to recognise God's
voice to us, which we so desperately need, but
also become available mechanisms TO BE the
voice of God to this world. With our face to the
ground and our hearts towards Him, the Lord is
able to entrust us with the eternal riches of His
kingdom, without the concern that we will abuse
them.

As the Old Testament prophets faced rejection,
we too must be the voice of God without the
rejection created by the fear of man. We are to
fear the Lord not man! The one whom we fear
we will submit to. Once we recognise levels of
rejection and fear of man we are well on our way
to overcoming them. All is not lost. Jesus paid
the price for us to overcome this enemy of ours.

The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever
trusts in the LORD shall be safe. (Prov 29:25)

We must understand that no matter how many
people reject us we have never been rejected by
God Himself. On the other hand, Jesus was
.......rejected by His natural family (John 7:1-5)
.......rejected by His home town (Mark 6:1-5)
.......rejected by a Samaritan village (Luke 9:51-
53) .......rejected by the people He performed
miracles for (Matthew 11:20-24) .......rejected by
the religious leaders of His time (John 11:45-53)
.......rejected by the civil authorities (Matthew
27:27-31) .......rejected by the people of
Jerusalem after performing miracles for them
(Mark 15:29,30) .......rejected by the thief on the
cross with Him (Mark 15:32) .......rejected by His
own disciples (Matthew 26:15,34,56). And
finally, the worst of all - suspended in the air on
the cross .......rejected by earth .......rejected by
heaven .......rejected by God the Father Himself
(Matthew 27:46).

This was the worst of all pains. The pain of the
cross was not in the nails, the whipping, the
beatings, the humiliation of hanging naked on
the cross, the revilings, the false accusations, the
crown of thorns, the sarcastic tauntings. NO!
The pain of the cross was in the fact that the
Father Himself would turn away from His own
Son after the Son whole-heartedly, completely,
FULLY, submitted to EVERY will of the Father in
EVERY area of ALL His life. Jesus did not deserve
this - WE DID and DO!. This is what really killed
the Son of God.

Why the rejection by the Father? Why not just
the beatings and the physical death? The
Scriptures say........You are of purer eyes than to
behold evil, And cannot look on
wickedness...(Hab 1:13). God the Father had to
turn away in rejection of His Son, and in so
doing, made us able to be partakers of His
acceptance when He rose Jesus from the dead.
Because of Jesus, you and I never have to live
with the fear of God ever turning His face away
from us.

.........For He Himself has said, "I will never
leave you nor forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5)

Now if we recognise the fear of man or rejection
in our lives, we have an avenue to identify
ourselves with Jesus' rejection, death, burial,
AND RESURRECTION. We are in Him, are we
not? Are we not risen together with him? Are we
not seated together in heavenly places at the
right hand of the Father? Are we not accepted in
Him? Has He not given us of His nature in the
Holy Spirit?

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of
His great love with which He loved us,
5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made
us alive together with Christ (by grace you
have been saved),
6 and raised us up together, and made us sit
together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 that in the ages to come He might show the
exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness
toward us in Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace you have been saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift
of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus for good works, which God
prepared beforehand that we should walk in
them.
11 Therefore remember that you, once
Gentiles in the flesh; who are called
Uncircumcision by what is called the
Circumcision made in the flesh by hands;
12 that at that time you were without Christ,
being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel
and strangers from the covenants of promise,
having no hope and without God in the world.
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were
far off have been brought near by the blood of
Christ.
14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made
both one, and has broken down the middle
wall of separation,
15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity,
that is, the law of commandments contained
in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one
new man from the two, thus making peace,
16 and that He might reconcile them both to
God in one body through the cross, thereby
putting to death the enmity.
17 And He came and preached peace to you
who were afar off and to those who were near.
18 For through Him we both have access by
one Spirit to the Father. (Ephesians 2:4-18)

Now let's identify with Him (Jesus) and exhibit
His nature which is in us, and love all those
whom God sends our way, regardless of how
they treat us. Let's love sacrificially, even as the
Son of God loved to the point of death. Let's get
our eyes off ourselves and onto the Lord,
recognising that

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no
longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and
the life which I now live in the flesh I live by
faith in the Son of God, who loved me and
gave Himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

Now we know that when people reject us, they
really reject the Lord. Likewise, when we reject
others, we also reject the Lord Himself!

CONCLUSION

There is a time coming when the Lord Jesus
Christ will come back to His Jerusalem and, as in
the first time, not everyone will recognise Him
because of the religious and traditional attitudes
of the hearts of most of His people. He will once
again be persecuted because this time He will
come in the form of His servants. It is His heart's
cry to look after His people, but first His people
must learn to recognise those that come to
them in the name of the Lord.

Jesus concludes by saying, "for I say to you,
you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed
is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'"
The warning is obvious - WE WILL NOT BE
ABLE TO RECOGNISE THE LORD IF WE DO
NOT RECOGNISE HIM IN HIS PEOPLE.

BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART:
FOR THEY SHALL SEE GOD.
(Matthew 5:8)