Prophetic Prospective Daily Devotional

As I was selecting the passage for our devotional reading today, I looked at John 14 and realized it was all so good, I decided to use the entire chapter for our extended reading.

There is such great truth in the whole chapter. In this devotional I'll share several highlights and I am sure you could add other great highlights, if you were writing the devotional.

Notice that our key verse and the first verse of John 14 both have the phrase, "Let not your heart be troubled". As you read these two verses you must remember the circumstances surrounding this chapter.

Jesus was with His disciples in an "upper room" and had been celebrating the "Passover Seder", the time when the Jews annually rehearse the story of the Exodus and would have a meal similar to the one their forefathers would have had on the first Passover Seder.

It was the meal of lamb, the "Passover Lamb", and "unleavened bread", along with "bitter herbs" the three ingredients called for in scripture. These foodstuffs were to remind the Jewish people of what took place some 1,500 years before that night recorded in John 14.

The next afternoon Jesus Christ would be crucified on Passover at 3:00 PM, in the last part of the Jewish day, which concluded at sundown. The disciples must have been having anxiety attacks not knowing what would, or could happen to them when Jesus was crucified.

The Lord comforts them with His words, "Let not your heart be troubled". Our key verse adds, "neither let it be afraid". This is, as well, the Lord's words of comfort for us even today when we face troublesome times.

The Lord also told them that when He went away, the Father would send the "Comforter", the Holy Spirit, verses 16 & 26. Jesus said the "Comforter" would not only comfort them but also teach them all things and bring all things to their remembrance that He had taught them.

This is another very practical promise for us today. The Lord began His comforting exhortation with the promise that He was going into the heavenlies to prepare a place for those of us who are a "prepared people", believers in Christ, Christians.

This promise also contained the promise of His coming back to get them, and us, and then to go with Him to that "prepared place". By the way, this passage is not talking about the Second Coming but instead it's the first mention of the Rapture.

At the Second Coming we return to Earth with Jesus, riding white horses, Revelation 19 & Zechariah 14, to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. This passage says, "I will come again and receive you unto Myself", verse 3. The passage is not describing the Second Coming, but is describing the Rapture, the time when we respond to His shout to enter the heavenlies to be with Him forevermore.

Remember, the disciples were very anxious that night, this new truth must have gone right over their heads. It would be around twenty-five years later before the Apostle Paul would make it very clear about the Rapture, I Thessalonians 4:13-18.

This is the first mention of the Rapture in scripture, and our Lord made the promise that it would happen, thus it will happen. The truth is that the Rapture could happen at any moment. There is not one prophecy that must be fulfilled before the Rapture. All prophecies remaining to be fulfilled happen after the rapture.

Keep looking up... It could be today.

The portion for our reading today is the record of the very first miracle that Jesus Christ did during His three and a half years of ministry. He healed the lame, restored sight to the blind, cast demons out of people, and even raised the dead. However, the first miracle was the making of wine out of water for the wedding guests at a wedding that He and His disciples were attending.

There is much I want to share with you from this passage of Scripture. Notice the comment in John 2:1 that on the "third day of the wedding" Jesus came with His disciples to a gathering that His mother was attending. It is referring to the "7-day feast" that follows the marriage ceremony of a Jewish couple. Even today, Jewish families celebrate the new marriage of their loved ones or friends for this 7-day period.


That will also be the case at the "Marriage Supper of the Lamb", Revelation 19:7-9, when, for 7 years, Christians, the "Bride", married to Jesus Christ, the "Bridegroom", will celebrate in the heavens that wedding. By the way, that is the reason the wine had run out for the guests. There were more that showed up than the father of the bride had expected.


The text tells us that the mother of Jesus asked Him to make "wine out of water". The truth is, that what Jesus did was not for the convenience of the wedding guests. He did no miracle for convenience but, instead, to confirm His Messianic claims. This is the case here also. I will prove that from the text in a moment.

But first, look at what actually happened. Jesus told His disciples to fill the 6 water pots full of water - but notice that they were special water pots. John 2:6 says "they were for the purifying of the Jews".

In other words, these pots had water with "ashes of the red heifer" in them. This ashen water was for purifying the Jews, for making them pure after being desecrated.

As we look to the future from this point in history in John 2, we know that the "blood of Jesus" makes us pure, not ashes of a red heifer in water. Jesus, with this miracle, took back the "red heifer ordinance", Numbers 19, the purification process for all who come unto Him, thus, water to wine with the wine, as always, symbolic of "His blood".

Remember I said no miracle for "convenience" but for ''confirmation". The miracle in John 2:11 was the first He did to manifest His glory, so that His disciples believed on Him.

One final thought, the next temple does need a red heifer and its ashes because it is not Messiah's Temple but the temple of the Antichrist. There is now a red heifer ready to fulfill that need.


Please also remember, the building of the next temple will not begin until after the Rapture. With all the preparations made for that next temple and the Jews wanting to start construction on that temple right now, it seems very likely that the Rapture is about to happen. Keep looking up, it could be today.

PRAYER THOUGHT: Thank you, Lord, for Your word that records the events of Your life which confirm Your Messianic claims.

This portion of Luke 24 that I have selected for today’s devotional reading is a record of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, as recorded by Dr. Luke. This event in history is the cornerstone of our faith due to the fact that Jesus Christ had to rise from the dead to prove He was who He said He was.

His resurrection is also proof that He can do what He said He would do, at this time in history and in the future. Jesus Christ died to take away our sin and rose from the dead to prove He was the one qualified to do that.

I could write a lot about the resurrection from this passage but I want to point you to several verses and share with you what may be some new thoughts for you to consider. Verses 4 to 6 are the portion of the text that I’m referring to for your consideration.

When the "Mary’s" arrived at the grave sight, verses 1-3, they found the "stone rolled away from the sepulcher". They even entered the burial sight and did not see the body of Jesus. The body was gone.

These ladies, also saw "two men in shining garments" standing near the burial sight. As the women stood there "perplexed" the two men spoke to them saying, "He is not here, but is risen", verse 6.

These two "men" had witnessed the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the only "eye witnesses" to the resurrection. They then gave testimony of what had happened to these ladies that had come to minister at the grave site of Jesus.

It is interesting to me that there were also "two men" watching Jesus ascend into heaven, as recorded in another book that Dr Luke wrote to reveal the activities of Jesus. The book of Acts records the events of that day when Jesus went to heaven as His disciples watched Him go to "His Father’s house".

Notice that in the account of the Lord’s return to heaven, after His resurrection, Acts 1:9-11, there were also "two men" standing by watching, verse 10. These men told those gathered there on the Mount of Olives that as He had gone to heaven, He would return to Earth someday.

I bring these two events, with "two men" in attendance at both, to your attention to have you consider that these "two men" are most likely the "Two Witnesses" of Revelation 11 who will have a three and one half year ministry from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

Remember, a "witness" gives testimony of what he saw. During the Tribulation Period to come the "two witnesses" will be preaching and there will be many people that come to salvation through Jesus Christ, a result of His resurrection.

The message of the Two Witnesses during the Tribulation, at least the first of the seven years, will be that Jesus resurrected from the dead and He is coming again. That’s the "gospel of the kingdom" that will be preached to the whole world, Matthew 24:14, before Jesus comes back to Earth.

One of those witnesses will be Elijah, Malachi 4:5. I rejoice every time they sing at church the song, "We are living in the days of Elijah". I do believe that we are living in "those days". These "days" will be those that will follow the Rapture of the Church.

Remember, before the Tribulation, the time period of the ministry of the "Two Witnesses", Jesus will shout for us to join Him in the heavens and that day could be today…. So keep looking up.

Once again we go to the "well" of the "Olivet Discourse" for a "prophetic prospective" that applies to our day as well as to the day Jesus spoke these words on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem and Dr Luke recorded them for us so that we might be able to read and learn from this passage, today.

Verses 5 and 6 of Luke 21 are parallel verses to both Matthew 24:1-3 and Mark 13:1-3. Jesus, while teaching on the Temple Mount on Monday afternoon of "Passion Week", made an astounding statement as He walked from the Temple, through the Eastern Gate, across the Kidron Valley and onto the Mount of Olives.

Jesus looked back at the "fifteen story" Temple shining brightly on the Jerusalem horizon, because of the gold on this worship center, and the Lord made a prediction that one day in the near future there would not be a stone standing upon a stone on this majestic Temple.

The disciples gathered quickly around Jesus to ask Him more about His statement concerning the Temple. In the record of the "Olivet Discourse" filed in Matthew 24 Jesus does not respond to the question of the disciples as to when His prophecy would be fulfilled.

However, in our devotional reading for today, Luke records what the Lord told the disciples about the destruction of this Temple. In Luke 21:5-28 you have Luke's version of the entire "Olivet Discourse".

In verses 20-24 you have the answer to the disciples question about when the Temple would be destroyed. Jesus said, verse 20, that when they saw "armies" gathered around Jerusalem that would be a "significant sign" as to when the Temple's destruction would take place.

Jesus told the disciples that when they did see the "warning signs" to "flee to the mountains",verse 21. In the context of historic fact about the Roman Army who surrounded Jerusalem and the Temple for three years we can see how things unfolded.

General Titus gave the order to destroy the Temple and this mighty Roman Army followed through on that infamous day in 70 AD. I believe the Jews in 70 AD fled to "Masada" a "fortress stronghold" built by Herod the Great at the southwestern corner of the Dead Sea.

I make this statement because of verse 24. This verse gives us information about what happened the day the Temple was destroyed and literally ripped apart, stone by stone with no stone remaining upon another as the Roman Army finished their destructive work.

By the way, the prophecy of Jesus was fulfilled almost forty years to the day after the Lord gave this prophecy. Notice verse 24 again, it is detailing how when the Temple was destroyed the Jews were scattered to the nations of the world.

Then another prophecy about Jerusalem appears. The prophecy is that the Temple Mount will be "trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled". "Gentiles", the United States, European Union, the United Nations, Arab Nations and all Gentile nations of the world who play a role in having control of the city of Jerusalem today and in particular the Temple Mount.

These Gentiles will continue to do so until Jesus comes back to Jerusalem and destroys the "Gentile world powers". The stage is set for this prophecy to be fulfilled. Remember, the Rapture happens first and then these prophecies are fulfilled.

By the way, the Rapture could happen today!

Our key verse has a relationship with the ancient Jewish prophet Daniel and his writings, which I will get to in a moment. Let me set the scene for you as you read the extended portion of our devotional.

The previous thirteen verses, verses 28-40, are a description of the Lord's "Triumphal Entry" into the city of Jerusalem and onto the Temple Mount. The people who had rejected the Lord now welcomed Him into the city as a ruling King.

It is interesting to note the response of the Pharisee, verse 39, and what Jesus had to say to them as they complained to the Lord of all the commotion by His disciples, asking Jesus to rebuke His disciples. Jesus responded with, if He had shut up those who welcomed Him the "stones would have cried out for Him".

Verses 45 and 46 reveal the "priestly" attitude of Jesus against the money-changers in the Temple. He rebuked these money-changers and threw them out of the Temple. In verses 47 and 48 we see Jesus the "prophet", the teacher who taught in the Temple complex the people who were attentive to hearing Him.

But now back to our key, verse 42. Jesus was very moved when He stood atop the Mount of Olives overlooking the Temple Mount in the city of Jerusalem. Luke wrote that "Jesus wept" over what He saw, a needy people who had rejected their Messiah.

Then Jesus said that on this day of His "Triumphal Entry" the people failed to receive the One described in Daniel's prophecy, Daniel 9:25-26. An in-depth study of this prophetic passage in Daniel would show that this day when Jesus entered Jerusalem, He was doing so on the day Daniel predicted it would happen.

Daniel's prophecy indicates that from the decree by Artaxerxes, Nehemiah 2, to allow Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the streets and walls of the city, which took place April of 445BC, until the day, Saturday, in April 30AD when Jesus made His Triumphal Entry, could be figured out to the exact day (see my audio series, "The Daniel Papers").

The day Jesus stood there was that day predicted, not the day before or the day after. Jesus got to Jerusalem on the exact day it was foretold for Him to be there. The people of Jerusalem had not read Daniel's prophecy. They did not recognize He was to be there in Jerusalem at that time.

This is also the case with us today. We can determine where we are in God's "prophetic time" by studying His "prophetic word". We must study the prophetic Word of God to recognize when Jesus is coming back. It could be today!

What is meant by, "it could be today", is not referring to the Second Coming but the Rapture, when Jesus calls us up to meet Him in the "air". Everything is ready for the Rapture to take place, right now. There is not one prophecy that must be fulfilled before the Rapture, all prophecy yet to be fulfilled will be after the Rapture. Indeed, it could be today.

This passage in Luke 17 is another of those conversations that Jesus had with His disciples and one of the times when He would be teaching them prophecy. In this message the Lord uses some of the same information as used either before, or that he would use later in His teachings.

Notice verse 26, where our Lord speaks of the "Days of Noah" as He will, chronologically, later, in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. By the way, the last of this chapter helps to explain about those who were "taken" in these prophetic passages in Matthew, Mark and Luke.

In verses 34-36 Dr Luke records the words of Jesus about those who would be "taken". If you don't understand that in this passage Jesus is speaking of His Second Coming, and not the Rapture, you will get mixed up eschatologically.

At the Rapture those who are Christians will be "taken" into the heavenlies to join Jesus, forever. However, when a passage is referring to the Second Coming the ones "taken" are the ones who go to "judgment" and the ones "left" will "rule and reign" with Christ in His Kingdom to come.

To better understand this principle Jesus gives us the last verse in Luke 17. When asked where the people would be "taken" the Lord said, to "where the eagles be gathered together", verse 37.

In that context, you may want to read Job 39:27-30 which explains that where the "eagles gather together is a place of judgment". Therefore, those "taken" in Matthew 24, Mark 13,Luke 17 and 21 are all taken to judgment.

The ones "left" are the ones who will join Jesus to rule and reign. At the Rapture, a different event from the Second Coming, separated by at least seven years, the ones "taken" are the Christians.

Before we leave this passage, notice verse 28. The Lord had mentioned the "Days of Noah" which took place 4,500 years ago. In His mention of the "Days of Lot", these days were 4,000 years ago, days after the worldwide flood.

Interestingly, the "Days of Noah" were days when angels, the "sons of God" had a sexual relationship with the "daughters of men", Genesis 6:1-4 and Jude 6 and 7 .

The "days of Lot" also referred to the Jude passage, which was a time when the people, "gave themselves over to fornication", at Sodom and Gomorrah. Today it is referred to as homosexuality. I prefer the Biblical terminology, "sodomy", men, sexually with men and woman sexually with woman.

Because of this "sodomy" God destroyed the civilization of Sodom and Gomorrah. Today "sodomy" is allowed throughout all of society by educational, governmental and even religious leaders.

God does not hate "sodomites", the person, but "sodomy", the act. Jesus said when you see this type of "un-Godly sexual behavior" and see it as very prevalent in our society, that is a time when He could return to the earth.

We are living in those days. Jesus is coming and it could be in the "days" like the "days of Lot". Keep looking up!

In each passage of Scripture I discuss with you in our daily devotion, I endeavor to point out some very practical principles that will help each of us in our Christian experience. This will be the case today as well.

I also will point out prophetic passages and help you to look to the future for the fulfillment of these passages. Today, we will do that before we finish our thoughts about this passage.

There are some great practical principles found in these 13 verses of our reading. Notice that the Devil comes to tempt Jesus in a time of seeming weakness. Our Lord was 40 days in the wilderness going without food. The Devil is right there beside Him to put the Lord to the test in three different approaches.

First, the Devil tries the physical. The Lord has not eaten and the Devil challenges Him to turn the stone into bread. Jesus said to the Devil, the Word of God is more important than eating. One cannot live by only satisfying the physical need for food.

Then the Devil offers Jesus the kingdoms of this world. At this point, the Lord tells Satan to get behind Him, a method of resisting the Devil, James 4:7.

The third challenge was for Jesus to jump from the high spot of the temple into the arms of the angels who were to protect Him, Psalm 91:11-12. Notice the Devil even used the Scriptures to tempt Jesus. The Lord responded and told the Devil he was not allowed to tempt the Lord, Deuteronomy 6:16.

The other great truth, a very practical truth found in this passage, is the fact that the Lord responded each time to the Devil by quoting Scripture, verse 4, verse 8, and verse 12. Our defense against the Devil is the Word of God. We need to have it in our hearts and minds so well that we can respond to the Devil's testing by quoting Scripture.

Now let’s look at the prophetic significance of the passage. Notice that the Devil said to Jesus that he had the "kingdoms of this world" and the power to give the kingdoms of this world to our Lord. Under the sovereignty of God, the Devil does have control of the "kingdoms of this world" at this time in history.

In reality, the Devil has had the "kingdoms of this world" since Genesis 3, the fall of man. He will have those kingdoms until the Lord returns and sets up His Kingdom given to Him by God the Father, Daniel 7:13-14.

From that point on, Jesus is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Satan will be bound for the first 1,000 years of the Lord's Kingdom reign, Revelation 21:3, and then thrown into the Lake of Fire, Revelation 20:7-10 for eternity.

The "king of this present world", Satan, will be defeated and imprisoned by the King of all Kings, Jesus Christ. That time in history is drawing closer every day.

PRAYER THOUGHT: Help me, dear Lord, to learn and know the Word of God so that I will be able to use it when the testing comes to me.