Messianic Viewpoint

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: Welcome to Shalomal and to this our 87th sermon from the Gospel of Mark with Messianic leader Jacques Isaac Gabizon. Sometimes we ask ourselves, what am I to do with my time, with my strength that the Lord has given me in these end days while we wait for his soon return? He has equipped us, each one who is a believer with at least one spiritual gift. This should not be neglected.

This, in fact, is the one gift that you can open up for yourself and keep for yourself. This is one gift that needs to be shared and in particular with the body of Messiah. So let's get right into today's program with Messianic leader Jacques Isaac Gabizon and Shalom Shalom.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: This generation is even more enhanced when we consider what exactly the religious faction want to achieve actually in Israel today. You heard of the judicial overhaul, right? This, if this bill is passed, it will give the government the right to overturn the decision of the Supreme Court in Israel. Now, if the government is composed of many religious factions, as it is now, then more religious decisions will be imposed on the state of Israel. As it is today, it is composed by this generation as Yeshua said. It is a return to the way things were in the first century.

What this verse tells us is that there is one thing that never changes unless a miracle happens, that is the generation or the heart of men. As it was, so it is today. Only Jesus can change this. But the next verse in Mark tells us that there is yet another thing that never changes, that is God and his word. So Yeshua says in verse 31, Heaven and Earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. And thank God for this. Otherwise, this generation on both sides, by the way, would lead Israel again into the abyss.

And so in verse 30 and 31, we have two sentences about what is temporary, that is this generation, this religion, which is transient, and what is eternal, that is his word. And the last one actually can fix the first one. It will. For that is the word of God where every individual will find wealth, will find blessing, and will find rest. When David, who only had the Torah to study, said in Psalm 11996, verse 96, he says, "I have seen a limit to all perfection. But your commandment is exceedingly broad. I cannot stop reading your word and studying your word. He could not get over the depth of the word of God, and so he wrote Psalm 119, by the way.

But do you know how many verses there are in this Psalm? 176 verses. And the word, the word word of God is mentioned in all but three of these 176 verses. Clearly, David was overwhelmed by its breadth, its length, its height, its depth, as Paul puts it in the book of Ephesians, speaking of the word, by the way. That is Yeshua himself. He is the word, of course. You know, there's a nice story I want to share with you attached to this verse of some and also to our verse 31 here of Mark 13.

Some ancient rabbis also have noticed that there are a few things that we cannot measure. First, they said the corner of the field for the poor. The law prescribed that the four corners of one's field should never be harvested. It is left to the poor. But how big should it be? Don't measure it, they say, just give and give as much because the Lord gives you so much. Second, never measure the first fruits that the Israelites brought to the temple during the feasts. The idea is that God is so generous and so good that you do not count or measure your tithe. Just offer as much as you can.

And the third thing that is immeasurable, it is the eternal endurance of the scriptures. This they got it very right, of course. And yes, heaven and earth will pass away, that is a prophecy, by the way. But the word contained in our Bible will never pass away. And it is then at this time, when Yeshua concludes his prophecies by saying something which baffled and still puzzles many. However, there's one beautiful truth that we read in verse 32. See what it says.

But of that day and hour, no one knows. Not even the angels in heaven, nor the son, but the Father alone. And so, since the son does not know, many concluded that he's not divine. But that is so too bad for they really are missing out on a great revelation of the nature of God, revealed to us in this verse. That Yeshua does not know is because he decided not to know, so to give us an example and enhance the hope of his coming at any moment of the day, as the rest of the verses actually will teach us. And his decision not to know speaks actually volumes to us.

Let me give you a similar example. When God of the Bible reveals characteristic of himself. When he said in Isaiah 43:25 for instance, I, even I am the one who wipes out your transgressions for my own sake and I will not remember your sins. The fact that the Lord decides to forget our sins, does that make him less of a God? On the contrary. It makes him a unique and sensitive and loving God, for he resolved to forget our sins for our good and welfare.

And when he says in the book of Amos, this is one of my favorite verse, you have Amos verse 13. Behold, I am weighed down by you as a cart full of sheaves is weighed down, says the Lord. This is God who speaks as he allowed himself to feel the burden and weight of sin and he says, "I am weighed down by you." But why doesn't he just go away? You know why? Because he loves. The fact that he suffers with us and the fact that he who is independent, who lives in eternity, decides to be disturbed by our actions, because he loves us so much, does not render him any less of the sovereign God that he is.

On the contrary, for you will not find anyone who pretends divinity to care anywhere near as much as the one who is true divinity, that is Yeshua HaMashiach. When Yeshua, who is sinless, allowed himself to be tempted. It is to also tell us that he understands us and that he can help us grow and overcome our infirmities. When Yeshua was hungry, when he was thirsty, and when he allowed men to mistreat him and to crucify him for our sake, all these things make him a true divine being whose nature is true love. In no way it diminishes his righteousness, but reinforces the mercy that comes with righteousness.

And has he not showed us his divine powers in the first 12 chapters in Mark? He showed us in a few times his power over the forces of evil, who themselves readily confessed and confirmed his divinity when they said, "What do we have to do? Yeshua, son of the Most High." This is a divine title. He demonstrated his power over sickness and not any sickness, but leprosy, a disease they knew only the divine Messiah would cure, and other sicknesses as well, such as restoring the sight and casting out demons from one who was mute and deaf.

He demonstrated his power, do you remember over nature, when he quieted the storm by just saying, "Silence, be quiet." And so it was quiet. It was a dead silence. He also showed his mighty powers over death. When everyone saw the daughter of a synagogue official that she was dead, he went to her and spoke to her and said, "Talita Koom!" and she rose from the dead. That is who Yeshua is, powerful and divine.

And so when Jesus says, he does not know, it is because he decided not to know, so to give us an example to follow and so to teach us how we ought to wait for him, not by calculating a date, but by expecting him at any moment, even right now. Isn't it exciting that he can come at any time? This verse 32, which really is like a huge bump in this chapter, was surely designed so that we pay attention to these final words of Jesus. Verse 32 is really in preparation for those last words, that is that we see in verse 33 to 37.

Where Jesus says that his coming is very imminent and he repeats it over and over. And this, especially for the believers today, when the next prophecy to occur really is the rapture. This is very, very imminent. Let me remind you of these repetitions from verse 33 to 37. Take heed. Verse 33. Keep on the alert. Verse 33. Stay on the alert. Verse 34. Be on the alert. Verse 35. Be on the alert. Verse 37. He's repeating, right?

And twice, he emphasizes the fact that you do not know when he appointed time will come. Verse 33. You do not know when the master of the house is coming. Verse 35. Yet, despite all of this, many right then and throughout history, and even today, came up with dates. It matters not that he decided not to know. These decided that they know better than Jesus and came out with dates and with signs which have nothing to do with his coming.

Like recently the blood moons. Have you heard of that? Or the prediction of world economic or political collapse at a certain month. This is part of date setting. This, by the way, date setting is a sign that you will find in cults. This is a particularity of leaders of cults. Find out about your denomination and see if there were any date setters and ask yourself a question, would I bet my eternal future on false prophets? But Yeshua's first audience, by the way, were the Jewish people. And within rabbinical Judaism, there were constant date settings beginning in the first century up to today.

And they were done by prominent rabbis. And so it is to the Jew first that this warning is addressed, and for major, major reasons. There's one book that was published in 1927 titled The History of Messianic Speculations in Israel. It was written by Abba Hillel Silver. It was his PhD thesis. And there he accumulated some disturbing facts about well respected and revered rabbis in Judaism today who came out with dates as to when the Messiah was to come.

Now, we don't know how many Jews listen to these prophecies. For instance, you know, one major rabbi gave a date of 1210 as the return of the Messiah, a big mistake. For at that time, the Crusaders were in Israel, and if some Jews decided to go to Israel to usher the Messiah, they would have been surely killed. One historian, Gilbert, said that these Crusaders, and I quote, mercilessly persecuted and slaughtered the Jews in Israel. Perhaps this is the type of things that Yeshua had in mind when giving such powerful warning.

Doesn't Yeshua here echo the words of Moses in Deuteronomy 18:20? But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die, it says. That is, when someone gives a prophecy, and this prophecy doesn't come about with accuracy of a 100%, as it was demanded from all the prophets of the Bible, then this individual is a false prophet. See the severity and the punishment here. This is reflected in the words of Jesus in Mark 12:32 at the end of this chapter when he warns us not to come up with dates.

Also, have you noticed that in this verse, the angels also do not know? This knowledge is hidden from them, and surely, they themselves would love, I'm sure, to know when God's creation will finally be freed of sin. We know that they are always inquiring about many things. Paul tells us that we believers have become a spectacle to them. Do you know that? That's in First Corinthian chapter 4 verse 9. Not that they are so interested in us as much as seeing God working in us and through us, so that, as the spirit says, listen to this, Ephesians 3:10.

The manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities as the angels in the heavenly places. What this says is that now the manifold wisdom of God will, his will, even part of his nature is now being known through what? The body of the Messiah, the church, the Ecclesia, to whom the angels, that is the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, are looking at. Do you see the depth of the revelation we are given in the word of God. We know who in heaven knows and does not know concerning the date of the son's arrival.

And they are eagerly waiting for the second coming for this will mark a new phase in eternity. Now, there is within this prophecy is another short but very powerful parable. It's found in verse 34. This is what he says as we wait for him. See what it says. It is like a man on a journey who upon leaving his house and putting his servants in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert.

So at the time, many Jewish houses were located in a courtyard, enclosed by a wall, uh, with a front giving to the streets, and right at the entrance of the courtyards was the Shomer, that is the doorkeeper, who excluded any unwanted visitors. And inside the courtyards were the servants of the man who went away on a journey. Now, there's something that Jesus says. Here about all the servants that really concerns us today. Assigning to each one his task.

The question then, if we are the servants and Yeshua is our master, what then is our specific personal task that the Lord has assigned to us, as it says here? Do we know what is ours? What this short parable emphasizes is that as we are waiting for the coming of the Lord, he also gives us a mission to accomplish. And it is our first task to figure out what it is. And it should not be that difficult, but it is important.

Important because it would be the basis on which the Lord will recompense us or not, at the Bema seat of Christ. Remember that verse, Second Corinthian 5:10? For we must all appear at the Bema seat of Christ. This is a judgment seat, by the way. So that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. This judgment spoken of here is not the same as the final judgment of the White Throne.

The believer has already been judged on the Tav, but this judgment which is yet to come, and for every believer is very particular as it speaks of the things done in the body, that is the deeds and actions we have been assigned here on Earth. Are we doing them? So, what has the Lord assigned for you? That's the question, by the way. Things we can do especially for the Messiah and for the proclamation of the word to the unsaved, something we cannot do in heaven.

Perhaps our task is through prayer, through serving, through teaching, through encouraging others. Get hold of those many spiritual gifts in the Bible. They are powers given to an individuals to do the work of the Lord. God will give us these powers. Where are your spiritual gifts? The best way to start is by praying and asking the spirit of God how you can serve and find out the many blessings that the Lord has in store for you, and look around.

There's so much work to do. And so the emphasis here is to know what the Lord has assigned for us to do and also to stay awake, something he stresses in the next verse. Now, notice the times given when the servants ought to be ready to welcome the master. Verse 35. Therefore, be on the alert for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether it's in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows or in the morning.

Here we have four watches at night that he lists. The evening is between 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. That is the first watch. The second watch is between 9:00 to midnight. The third is called the rooster's crow from 12:00 to 3:00 a.m. And the fourth is drawn from 3:00 to 6:00 a.m. But why only mention hours in the night? Because this is when we sleep. Spiritually, that means that we should always be on the alert, always waiting for the master to come.

We of course physically need to sleep, but these are the ones who have the best nights of sleep for they know that they are under the protection of God and that their Savior is coming soon. That will give you peace, by the way. Knowing prophecies, understanding that the Lord will come at any time, and Jesus repeats it here and also in the book of Revelation, will give you that peace. This is well explained to us when Paul spoke about the second, that is the coming tribulation times and he said in First Thessalonians chapter 5 verses 4 to 6, "But you, brethren, are not in darkness that the day would overtake you like a thief.

For you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness, so then let us not sleep as as brothers do, but let us be alert and sober." So the believer will not be surprised by the coming of the Lord to meet him in the air, for the reason why he or she will not be surprised is because we're always waiting for him. And so, after the many prophecies and advice given in this chapter, Yeshua's last words, verse 37, are, "What I say to you, I say to all, be on alert."

The words of these prophecies are for all believers of all times, for these prophecies cover not only the last seven years of the tribulation, but all the time from the moment the body of the Messiah, the Ecclesia of God was born to the second coming. Whether it is his coming to take his bride, which he will meet in the air, or his second coming where he will set his feet on the Mount of Olives, both these reunions should be anticipated with great hope.

And see that throughout these prophecies, the emphasis is especially put on our spiritual growth, on our sanctification, on our service to God. Now, to close, I read an illustration about one man's dream. So a man once dreamt and passing into the world beyond. So an angel met him and showed him a great golden book and he says, "What is this?" "It is the book of your life," was the reply. So looking closer, he saw that there were some writing on the first page. "What is there?" he asked. "These are your evil acts," said the angel.

And you see that there are many. So the angel turned the page, and the dreamer saw that the next sheet was even more closely written. These, said the angels, are your evil words that you see that you see that there are more of them than your acts. So the men began to tremble. The next page was still more closely written. "What are these?" asked the dreamer. "These are your evil thoughts, and you see that there are many, many of them." With trembling voice, the dreamer asked about the fourth page.

The angel turned it over, and lo, it was all black. And so at this point, the man said, "Can I go back, right? I want to go back to Earth and try to redo these things." But lo and behold, the angel turned to the fifth page, and it was all white. And as he turned to the fifth page, all the others became white. Why? Because God will not remember your sins. You can come in, he says. What is true in this story is that once we reach heaven is what we read in Isaiah 43:25, "I will not remember your sins," God says.

This is the beauty about believing in Yeshua. He cleanse us from everything in the past and prepared a beautiful future for us. Amen. Let us bow our head in prayer. Avinu Malkeinu, this morning we praise you and glorify you for you are the unsearchable God beyond every created being's comprehension. We thank you for your spirit of light, who dwells in every believer so that we may know the true God. And know Yeshua HaMashiach, whom you have sent.

He is the one who allows us to be able to proclaim and explain great mysteries. And so, Lord, we ask that you fill this place with the power of your participation, for we have offered to you our praises and our love. Heal the sick, comfort the weary. Give us the powerful joy from heaven so that we can be the salt of the Earth and bring light and blessing wherever we go. Beshem Yeshua HaMashiach. And to the congregation, the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord makes his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen and amen. May the Lord bless you all. Amen.

Guest (Female): Welcome to this segment of our program, the Q&A with Messianic leader Jacques Isaac Gabizon. This question is so often asked by many believers and even unbelievers. What happens to those who have never heard the gospel? Do they have the potential to be saved? So let's tune in and see how Jacques Isaac deals with this difficult dilemma. Be blessed.

Guest (Female): Hello, Pastor Isaac. I have been blessed by your teaching on Revelation, but I'm wondering about all those millions of people from so many cultures past and even present who have lived and died and never had the opportunity to hear the gospel and make a decision about Yeshua. I've always thought that they will be judged by their deeds at the great white throne, and based on whatever God's criteria was for these people, this would be the way that they would have their names recorded in the Book of Life. Thank you in advance for this insight.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: Thank you for this question. It is one that is not easy to answer. The first approach about this age-long dilemma is to set one important teaching of the Scriptures, which says that there's no salvation apart from the Messiah, that is, no one goes to the Father except through Yeshua. We read in John 14:6, that is, Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me." This means that that other religions, other faith do not lead to God.

They say it is the same God, but God cannot contradict himself. Not all religion lead to the same road, none of them except through faith in Yeshua is given as an option. The exclusivity of God is seen as well in the Hebrew scriptures. We can cite Isaiah 45:5 where Jehovah says, "I am the Lord and there's no other. There's no God besides me." But the Hebrew scriptures and the New Testament, very often, and with no loose terms, emphasize the exclusivity of God.

The God of the Bible is the sole sovereign over human affairs. Now, once this truth is set, once this truth is established, uh comes your difficult question. What about those who never had the opportunity to hear the gospel? Let us start out by saying that this is an assumption that does not fit the character of God. For it is an assumption, a presupposition to say that they never heard or met God. While while one cannot understand how some people will come to see the Lord, we know on the other hand that Yeshua died for the whole world.

As we read in John 3:16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. If Yeshua came for the whole world, would he not make sure that the whole world will somehow get to know him first? For we know from Second Peter 3:9, that he will do his utmost. God will do his utmost to have as many as it is possible to spend eternity with him.

There we read, the Lord is not wishing that any to perish for all to come to repentance. That's his wish. Now, considering the graceful and loving nature of our God throughout the scriptures, I am convinced that every human being will have his or her opportunity to see the Messiah before he or she would stand at the white throne judgment. One example to close, uh today we hear of so many Muslims, for instance, who see the Messiah through dreams and visions and then come to a saving knowledge of God.

I do not have to be Pentecostal to believe this, because I understand that the Lord does not limit himself when it comes to the salvation of a soul. This is when we may say like Abraham before he pleaded before for the people of Sodom in Genesis 18:25, says, "Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?" This is where Abraham rests his case and admits that he cannot comprehend it all and just remits to God his full confidence. Even before his argument, Abraham said, "You are justice and surely justice you will bring about."

I want to tell you that these words of Abraham personally helped me to make sense of many problems life brings. It helps me to realize that I don't have to resolve every such profound problem because I cannot. While the Bible is clear that there is only one name through whom we can be saved and that it is the name of Yeshua, Jesus himself, and while I don't know how he accomplishes his process, what I know is that the judge of all the Earth does right, and this is really enough for me. It helped me to look to God and to trust him even more and say like Moses that the secret things belong to God.

As for us, there's so much work to be done in our neighborhood. I'll also note that from this passage that God will do his utmost again to save every individual. And so that even while he judges, he is also so compassionate and extends his mercy, his great mercy to all. I rest my case on the goodness of God.

Guest (Female): Shalom Ariel is a daily radio program emphasizing the Jewish perspective of scripture. God is not through dealing with Israel, nor will he renege any of the promises he has made to her. Our teacher for this program, Jacques Isaac Gabizon is a Messianic Jewish believer and Messianic leader at Beth Ariel congregation, right here in Montreal. If you've been encouraged by the messages, we'd love to hear from you.

Give us a call at 1888-685-5902, or you may write us at info@bethariel.ca. You are also welcome to join us for our Saturday morning services. We are located at 6297 Monkland Boulevard, corner of Madison in NDG. The message is given in English, but we do offer simultaneous translation into French and Russian. Services begin at 11:00 a.m. We have Shabbat school for children of all ages up to and including teens.

You may also download audio messages from our website at bethariel.ca and enjoy other in-depth teaching from Jacques Isaac. If you would like to sign up for informative newsletters, log on to our website and add your name to our email list. Shalom Ariel is a listener-supported program. If you have it on your heart to donate, it will be a great blessing for the continuing ministry and outreach of Beth Ariel. Thank you and Shalom Shalom.