Dear One,
The people asked Jesus when the temple would be destroyed and the stones would all fall down, signifying to them the end of religious laws and the beginning a new covenant, My covenant of the Spirit of forgiveness.(Luke 21:6-7) While Jesus ministered to people He showed that the laws were ineffective to Him because the strict adherence to them restricted His workings of miracles for people. He broke many religious laws in order to free My children from demonic works in their lives.
Jesus answered the people by telling them to not be deceived because there would be people who would claim to be the Christ but they would not be. He said that there would be spiritual wars and earthly commotions but that they should not be fearful because those things must happen. He said that there would be disharmony between nations and earthquakes, fearful sights and great signs in the heavens. He said that before all of that happened that His believers would be persecuted, taken to the synagogues, being brought before kings and rulers because of being His followers. He told them not to think about what they were going to say to their accusers because He would give them wisdom and insight. He told His followers that they would be hated because of Him. But, he said that not a hair on their heads would perish. He wanted them to know that they would suffer some effects of being loyal to Him, but they would be protected.
He said that when the end of the age of religious laws came, upon His death and resurrection, that they would be wise to flee to the mountains. Then He prophesied that Jerusalem, the seat of their religious laws, would be taken over by Gentiles (the unbelievers who were unclean) who would become divinely included in My favor, My new covenant of forgiveness with all people. He described that there would be signs in the sun, the moon, the stars and the seas. He described that the demonic powers in the heavens would be shaken by His conquering the demonic nations, the principalities and powers of the air when He went to hell and took back authority to earth from the devil and gave it to people when He came to earth in the glory of My Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. (Luke 21:24-26)
Jesus promised them that their generation would not pass away until the things He prophesied came into being. He had already told them that they would not die until My kingdom came to earth.
Sure enough, what He told them actually came to pass and was written about by the disciples. When He was crucified and resurrected, Luke reported that even though it was mid day, total darkness came upon the earth for three hours. The sun was darkened and the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom, signifying the end of the old covenant of laws and end of the veil darkening the minds of people, that it would be removed also. The most dramatic sign was that the body of Jesus was gone, resurrected out of the tomb. (Luke 23:44-46)
Matthew described even more of the things that Jesus had prophesied. He wrote that when Jesus died on the cross that the veil in the temple tore from top to bottom, that there was a huge earthquake and the rocks of the temple fell. He said that the graves were opened and many bodies of the saints rose from their graves and went to the city, appearing to many people. Signs and wonders, as spoken of by Jesus, accompanied His death and resurrection. (Matthew 27:50-54) It is reported that when the centurion and the people who were with Jesus when He died, when they saw the earthquake and all of the signs and wonders that happened that they recognized Him as the Son of God. Jesus, Himself, appeared to many, many people before He ascended to Me. Those signs and wonders were attested to by hundreds of people. (Mark 16: Luke 24; John 20-21)
Shortly thereafter, on the day of Pentecost, a cloud filled the house where the believers were waiting, a mighty wind blew in the house and there appeared cloven tongues of fire on the heads of the people, just like Jesus prophesied. Peter cleared up the confusion of the people when He reminded them of the prophet Joel and his prophesy that in the days of My last covenant with people that I would pour out My Spirit upon all people, that My sons and daughters would prophesy, see dreams and visions, that I would show wonders in the heavens above and signs in the earth, blood, fire and vapors of smoke which happened on the day of Pentecost, that the sun would be turned to darkness and the moon to the color of blood would happen before the glorious day would come where My fire would appear in the earth in the lives of My children. (Acts 2: 15-20) He said that what had happened to them on that day was when I poured out My Spirit upon all flesh and (18) and that whomever called upon My name would be saved from the works of the devil because My authority would be restored to My children, the authority that was stolen by satan from Adam at the beginning. (Acts 2:21)
It all happened just like Jesus prophesied, His death, His resurrection, His returning for 40 days, and then His coming in the person of My Holy Spirit back to earth to live in My children, which was the mystery that I hid from the foundation of the world, which was Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Forgiveness of sins and loving others as I love you are My only admonitions to My children under My new covenant of the Spirit. After Jesus rose from the dead He breathed My Spirit into His disciples and told them that whose sins they forgive are forgiven and whose sins they retain are retained. (John 20:21-23) He had already told them that His new command to replace all of the old ones is that you love others as I love you. (John 13:34-35) When you love others as I love you, as empowered by My Spirit to do, then you fulfill all of the old commandments which are null and void.
In the person of My Holy Spirit I even give you the power to forgive sins and love others. How fortunate you are that I am your loving Father and you have chosen My ways above your ways.
Your Father of All Provisions
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