Category: Christ’s earthly ministry

Training Replacements #6

Saturday, June 14, 2025

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26 KJV).

One of the lesser-known purposes of Christ’s earthly ministry was that He trained 12 men to continue His work once He returned to His Heavenly Father!

With national Israel languishing in unbelief during the early Acts period, persecution against the 12 Apostles (Matthias included) begins to escalate. Immediately following the healing of the lame man at the Jerusalem Temple (Acts 3:1-11), Peter delivers a public sermon to attach a meaning to that miracle (verses 12-26). As the Holy Spirit speaks through Peter to the crowds of the Jewish people who have gathered, He opens their understanding to see with spiritual eyes this illustration of the blessings of Israel’s kingdom restoration (which Christ, now resurrected, will bring when He comes back).

In the opening verses of chapter 4, Israel’s religious leaders are grieved (worried) because “unauthorized” Peter and John are teaching the people and preaching through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. (These priests and the Sadducees deny resurrection—Matthew 22:23; Mark 12:18; Luke 20:27; Acts 23:6-8.) Peter and John are arrested, jailed, and stand trial the following day, during which trial Peter delivers another sermon.

Concentrate on Acts 4:13 now: “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” Peter and John were just fishermen, who, from a natural-man viewpoint, were “unlearned” (without formal Jewish religious training) and “ignorant” (uneducated; in Greek, “idiotes!”). How could these “lowly peons” be important enough to be connected to the healing of the lame man? What “scholarly” education had they obtained to possess such wisdom and teach/preach so powerfully? Israel’s unbelieving religious leaders simply cannot fathom it! When asked, Peter and John freely confess that “they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). The Lord Jesus has trained them well, and the Holy Spirit is building on what they learned during Christ’s earthly ministry….

Note: In order to bring you a special study tomorrow, we will temporarily break away from this devotionals arc….

Training Replacements #5

Friday, June 13, 2025

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26 KJV).

One of the lesser-known purposes of Christ’s earthly ministry was that He trained 12 men to continue His work once He returned to His Heavenly Father!

Though they forsook Him in Gethsemane, the Lord restored the 11 Apostles to ministry during the 40 days following His resurrection (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-20; Luke 24:45-53; John 20:21-23; John 21:1-25; Acts 1:1-12). During this time, He also instructed them from the Old Testament Scriptures how Judas Iscariot’s vacated office needed to be filled—and He ultimately chose Matthias to occupy that twelfth position (Acts 1:15-26; cf. Luke 24:44,45). Approximately a week after Christ’s ascension, the Holy Ghost comes down upon the Little Flock on the Day of Pentecost (Acts chapter 2).

As before with Christ’s earthly ministry, the Apostle Peter calls Israel to repentance or change in mind—except, now in early Acts, the crucifixion is a further development in their unbelief and rejection of Messiah. All the words Jesus spoke, and all the miracles He performed during Matthew to John, are on Peter’s mind as the Holy Spirit brings those events to his memory (Acts 2:22-24,32,36; cf. Acts 3:13-21; Acts 4:10-13; Acts 5:29-32; et cetera; cf. Acts 10:34-43).

Scanning those chapters of early Acts, we discover how the 12’s ministry is an extension of Christ’s earthly ministry. Individual Jewish salvation, Israel’s national conversion, and the nation’s subsequent rise to kingdom glory to bless all nations or Gentiles, are still the primary issues (Acts 3:19-26). Miraculous demonstrations to confirm that word—miracles to preview the kingdom blessings—still play an integral part in God’s ministry (Mark 16:17,18; Acts 2:43; Acts 3:1-12; Acts 4:7-17; Acts 5:1-16; Hebrews 2:3-5; Hebrews 6:4,5). These ordinary, weak, fallible men have been “endued [gifted, empowered] with power from on high” (Luke 24:49), exactly as Christ foretold in Acts 1:8: “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Nevertheless, something drastic interrupted their fulfillment of that commission….

Training Replacements #4

Thursday, June 12, 2025

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26 KJV).

One of the lesser-known purposes of Christ’s earthly ministry was that He trained 12 men to continue His work once He returned to His Heavenly Father!

Israel’s opposition to the Lord Jesus Christ gradually increased during those three years. He ordained 12 Apostles in Matthew chapter 10. Israel’s unbelief culminated in chapter 12 (see verses 14-21), with the nation’s religious leaders plotting to murder Him. It is here that His public ministry begins to close and a private ministry commences.

By the time of chapter 13 (cf. Mark chapter 4 and Luke chapter 8), He preaches to the multitudes in parables (riddles, stories with hidden meanings), but, in private, He explains all of these parables to His disciples—especially His Apostles. Note particularly Matthew 13:1-17, Mark 4:1-13, and Luke 8:1-10. These parables are spoken in light of His soon departure—His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. His First Coming will end with His return to His Heavenly Father. While He is gone, the parables are in force all the way to His Second Coming and subsequent Millennial Kingdom.

In the context of today’s Scripture (John chapters 13–16)—what is known as the “Upper-Room Sermon”—Christ is having a final meal (Passover) with His Apostles and other members of the Little Flock. He is then on His way with them to the Garden of Gethsemane (chapter 18) following His “high priestly” prayer of chapter 17. As He makes numerous references to the Holy Spirit’s coming in Acts chapter 2 (cf. John 14:16-18,26 [today’s Scripture]; John 15:26,27; John 16:7-15), He is preparing those 12 Apostles to go on without Him as the Holy Spirit arrives to take over His ministry. They will draw on the Holy Spirit’s power to know where they are on the Bible timeline and be able to preach to Israel in early Acts all that they heard during those three years of Matthew to John. Indeed, the Lord Jesus Christ has been training replacements, and they now conduct their ministry as the Book of Acts opens….

Training Replacements #3

Wednesday, June 11, 2025

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26 KJV).

One of the lesser-known purposes of Christ’s earthly ministry was that He trained 12 men to continue His work once He returned to His Heavenly Father!

“Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined” (Isaiah 9:1,2).

Christ accomplished Isaiah’s prophecy in Matthew 4:12-17: “Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

As the Lord Jesus Christ taught Father God’s words to the nation Israel who had so neglected it for centuries, He expelled the Bible ignorance like light removes darkness. Individual Jewish souls were rescued from satanic bondage. Calling specific men to be His disciples (students), He announced, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17; Luke 5:10)—including brothers Simon Peter and Andrew, and brothers James and John sons of Zebedee. These fishermen forsook their nets, their fishing business, and were appointed by the Lord as His fishermen. Such “fishers of men” would now use the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom to “lure and catch” Jewish souls, bringing them back to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob….

Training Replacements #2

Tuesday, June 10, 2025

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26 KJV).

One of the lesser-known purposes of Christ’s earthly ministry was that He trained 12 men to continue His work once He returned to His Heavenly Father!

According to Luke 4:16-21, Jesus’ first recorded sermon, Isaiah 61:1,2 outlines the goal of His earthly ministry: “The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD….” He has come to Israel to “preach good tidings [‘gospel,’ ‘good news’] unto the meek.” Of course, He had only three years (see Luke 13:7), so it was impossible for Him to preach in every city and every town of Israel during such a short time. He therefore made preparations in light of this His absence.

Roughly a year into His ministry, the Lord Jesus selects 12 men from among His disciples (students). These are the 12 Apostles of Israel (see Matthew 10:1-4). As He gradually withdraws from public ministry, they spend more time with Him and He instructs them further. When He first commissions them, the Bible says: “These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:5-8). The same Gospel of the Kingdom that He preached (Matthew 4:17,23; Matthew 9:35) is their Good News of the Kingdom to preach. He taught them precisely what to say and what to do to confirm or authenticate their message, just as He Himself taught and demonstrated His words to be true….

Training Replacements #1

Monday, June 9, 2025

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26 KJV).

One of the lesser-known purposes of Christ’s earthly ministry was that He trained 12 men to continue His work once He returned to His Heavenly Father!

Read John chapter 14, verses 23-26, today’s Scripture in context: “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me. These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” Observe how the Holy Spirit will bring to the memory of the 12 Apostles all that Christ said to them during Matthew to John.

Flip over to chapter 15, verses 26 and 27: “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.” Again, the Holy Ghost will empower the 12 Apostles on the basis of what they saw and heard during Christ’s three years of earthly ministry.

Lastly, chapter 16, verses 12-14: “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.” Once more, the Holy Spirit’s ministry during Acts is necessary to sustain the 12 men the Lord Jesus trained in Matthew through John….

Reaping and Sowing #4

Friday, May 23, 2025

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7 KJV).

Let us not be ignorant brethren concerning the concept of “reaping and sowing!”

During the centuries before Christ, Israel worshipped Gentile idols. Consequently, Satan’s lie program distracted the Jewish people from John the Baptist’s preaching, Jesus Christ’s preaching, and even Peter’s preaching in early Acts. Israel sowed unbelief and will reap the horrors of (the future) Daniel’s 70th Week!

The LORD speaks in Proverbs 1:20-33: “[20] Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: [21] She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, [22] How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? [23] Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. [24] Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; [25] But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: [26] I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; [27] When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.

“[28] Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: [29] For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: [30] They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. [31] Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. [32] For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. [33] But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.”

There is an old farmers’ adage, “You reap what you sow, you reap more than you sow, and you reap later than you sow.” In short, our actions have consequences—the outcome reflects the decision, the outcome will be more extreme than we thought when we made the decision, and the outcome does not immediately follow the decision. Let us now see today’s Scripture in context….

The Seventy Weeks of Daniel #5

Sunday, April 27, 2025

“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy” (Daniel 9:24 KJV).

What precisely are these seventy weeks of Daniel? How do they form the backbone of prophecy?

Today’s Scripture highlights seventy weeks of years, or 490 years overall. Daniel 9:25-27 divides them into three segments: “seven weeks” (49 years) followed by “threescore [3 times 20, or 60] and two weeks” (434 years) followed by one last “week” (7 years). Verse 25 declares these seventy weeks commence with “the going forth of the commandment to restore and to [re-]build Jerusalem [what the Babylonian invasions destroyed]… the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.” Nehemiah 2:1-8 fulfills this circa 445/444 B.C., roughly a century after Daniel prophesied it.

“Seven weeks [of years]” (49 years) is the length of time from the commandment of Nehemiah chapter 2 to the completion of the Hebrew Bible with Malachi (circa 397/396 B.C.). Another “threescore and two weeks [of years]” (62 weeks of years, or 434 years) brings us up to A.D. 32. Featuring years of 360 days each, God’s calendar in Daniel closed the first 69 weeks of years (483 years) just days before Calvary when “the Messiah” was “cut off” or killed (Daniel 9:25,26; cf. Isaiah 53:8). Daniel’s 69th week of years ended on the very Sunday Jesus entered Jerusalem on the donkey a few days before His crucifixion (see Luke 19:28-44, noting that significant “thy [Israel’s] day” and Israel’s pitiful ignorance of it in verses 41,42!).

Messiah Jesus died after Daniel’s 69th Week, leaving the last week of years unfulfilled even today. This final week is Daniel’s 70th Week of Daniel 9:27, to run its course after our dispensation closes. Incidentally, the war against Jerusalem in Luke 19:43,44 is that of Daniel 9:26, corresponding to the battles of Daniel 11:5-20. Conflicts against Jerusalem will eventually lead to the diabolical Antichrist’s rise to power and his one-week (seven-year!) peace treaty in which he promises to protect and bless Israel and Jerusalem (see Daniel 11:21-45). We are in the “gap” between Daniel’s 69th Week and Daniel’s 70th Week, our dispensation totally isolated from the seventy weeks of Daniel….

The Bible’s Season of New Life

Monday, April 21, 2025

“God that made the world and all things therein… he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;” (Acts 17:24,25 KJV).

May we never forget the true meaning of Eastertime!

Satan is the master counterfeiter: from Genesis to Revelation, the Scriptures reveal how the devil schemes to “be like the most High” (Isaiah 14:14). Whatever God does, Satan defiles that work by introducing false doctrine, distracts mankind from God’s truth by mimicking His actions, discourages God’s people from His ministry by using incorrect thinking patterns, and so on. Why? Satan wants the worship that God alone deserves (Matthew 4:8-10; Luke 4:5-8).

Consider Christmastime. Centuries before Christ, Satan had pagans worshipping the birth of the sun god in early winter—near the date that Jesus Christ (God the Son) took upon human flesh in the virgin Mary’s womb! Now, consider Eastertime. Centuries before Christ, Satan had pagans worshipping fertility deities and new life in early spring, near the date that Jesus Christ (God the Son) died for our sins and resurrected victoriously over sin, death, hell, and Satan to give us new life! (To Satan’s delight, today’s average church member is not mindful of relevant sound Bible doctrine during Christmastime and Eastertime—the devil’s distractions have never lost their efficacy!)

The God of the Bible instituted in Israel a festival, Passover (the killing of a spotless lamb and its bloodshed in early spring), while they were still in Egypt (Exodus chapter 12)—Passover’s annual observance reminded them of JEHOVAH delivering them from Egyptian slavery unto new life. Israel did not understand its meaning until 1,500 years later. The true Passover lamb, Jesus Christ, died and shed His sinless blood during that annual Passover feast (early spring), and He resurrected in new life to give them spiritual life and liberty.

Yes, the pagans may have “hijacked” this time of year for the devil’s glory, but we can disregard their ignorance: spring is God’s season for new life. We can still use this season to bring the God of the Bible glory by remembering that He has given us physical life (today’s Scripture), and He offers us new life (that is, spiritual life) through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection! 🙂

Excruciating Thursday

Thursday, April 17, 2025

[Reader discretion advised: Christ’s sufferings are graphically described below.]

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man” (Hebrews 2:9 KJV).

His three years of earthly ministry have expired, but His greatest work is yet to come!

During the all-night interrogation in the “kangaroo court,” His sentence is passed—execution by crucifixion. They have scourged, beaten, and punched Him. Covered in their spit, they laugh at Him, and strike His head with a rod to force on the crown of thorns. His back shredded, His skull possibly fractured, His beard ripped off. His massive blood loss weakens Him further. Having been stripped of His clothing, He struggles to carry His heavy cross to Mount Calvary: Simon must carry His cross for Him. The crowds watch Him, laughing and jeering. His little flock looks on in total shock.

They lay Him on the wooden cross, yanking His limbs to nail them in place. His bones unbroken, but exposed, and His limbs dislocated. They pierce His hands and feet with long spikes, severing the median nerve in the hands, causing permanent hand paralysis. They raise up that cross, and He hangs, slowly suffocating due to His own weight. Every breath becomes increasingly difficult, His lungs fill with fluid, His heart becomes progressively strained. Eventually, He cannot breathe, and thus dies.

Now imagine His spiritual suffering. Three hours into His crucifixion, His heavenly Father and the Holy Ghost have abandoned Him. For the first time ever, He is totally alone. Physical and spiritual darkness now cover the earth. The weight of all the world’s sin and sins of all time crushes His soul. God’s undiluted wrath falls upon Him, as it does on those suffering in hellfire. He cries out in agony. Hanging on that cruel cross, with His spiritual eyes, He observes Satan himself and all his evil creatures snickering and cheering. He looks out to see His disciples staring at His helpless disfigured body. Oh, if only they knew how His physical and spiritual bodies were being tormented, utterly tortured beyond imagination!

After six hours of excruciating pain, He finally lets Himself die….

Please check out our archived Bible Q&A: “Was Jesus Christ really crucified on Friday?”