Was he wrong?
Hi there, this is the LifeSpring One Year Bible Rewind
and coming to you from Riverside, California,
podcasting since 2004.
My name is Steve Webb.
I'm your OG Godcaster.
This is the podcast that comes to you every day
and we're reading the entire Bible together in a year.
I'm so glad you're here.
Welcome.
I'm glad to be back too.
I had to take a couple of days off.
The website is lifespringmedia.com.
It is Scotch Tape Day.
This is the one day of the year where being clingy is actually a virtue.
Okay, well, fine.
This is also Gospel Saturday.
We'll read Mark 9 and 10.
Then I'll have some comments on our reading, and then we'll find out what happened on this
date in church history.
Remember that tomorrow we'll have a time of prayer, so please send in your praise or prayer
request right now.
Let's begin.
Our Heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you for your goodness.
We thank you for your word.
We thank you for your grace and your love.
And we pray, God, that as we read today, you would teach us.
We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Mark chapter 9.
I can assure you that some of the people standing here will not die before they see God's kingdom come with power.
Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him.
They went up on a high mountain where they could be alone.
There, in front of the disciples, Jesus was completely changed,
and his clothes became much whiter than any bleach on earth could make them.
Then Elijah and Moses appeared and were talking with Jesus.
Peter said to Jesus,
Teacher, it is good for us to be here.
Let us make three shelters,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.
But Peter and the others were terribly frightened,
and he did not know what he was talking about.
The shadow of a cloud passed over and covered them.
From the cloud a voice said,
This is my son, and I love him. Listen to what he says.
At once the disciples looked around, but they saw only Jesus.
As Jesus and his disciples were coming down the mountain,
he told them not to say a word about what they had seen,
until the Son of Man had been raised from death.
So they kept it to themselves, but they wondered what he had meant by the words,
raised from death. The disciples asked Jesus,
Don't the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come before the Messiah does?
Jesus answered, Elijah certainly will come to get everything ready. But don't the scriptures also
say that the Son of Man must suffer terribly and be rejected? I can assure you that Elijah has
already come, and people treated him just as they wanted to, as the scriptures said they would.
When Jesus and his three disciples came back down, they saw a large crowd around the other disciples.
The teachers of the law of Moses were arguing with them. The crowd was really surprised to see
and everyone hurried over to greet him. Jesus asked, What are you arguing about? Someone from
the crowd answered, Teacher, I brought my son to you. A demon keeps him from talking. Whenever the
demon attacks my son, it throws him to the ground and makes him foam at the mouth and grit his teeth
in pain. Then he becomes stiff. I asked your disciples to force out the demon, but they
couldn't do it. Jesus said, You people don't have any faith. How much longer must I be with you?
Why do I have to put up with you? Bring the boy to me.
They brought the boy, and as soon as the demon saw Jesus, it made the boy shake all over.
He fell down and began rolling on the ground and foaming at the mouth.
Jesus asked the boy's father, How long has he been like this?
The man answered, Ever since he was a child, the demon has often tried to kill him by throwing him into a fire or into water.
Please have pity and help us if you can.
Jesus replied, Why do you say if you can? Anything is possible for someone who has faith.
At once the boy's father shouted, I do have faith. Please help me to have even more.
When Jesus saw that a crowd was gathering fast, he spoke sternly to the evil spirit that had kept
the boy from speaking or hearing. He said, I order you to come out of the boy. Don't ever bother him
again. The spirit screamed and made the boy shake all over. Then it went out of him. The boy looked
dead, and almost everyone said he was. But Jesus took hold of his hand and helped him to stand up.
After Jesus and the disciples had gone back home and were alone, they asked him,
Why couldn't we force out that demon? Jesus answered, Only prayer can force out this kind
of demon. Jesus left with his disciples and started through Galilee. He did not want anyone
to know about it, because he was teaching the disciples that the Son of Man would be handed
over to people who would kill him, but three days later he would rise to life. The disciples did not
understand what Jesus meant, and they were afraid to ask. Jesus and his disciples went to his home
in Capernaum. After they were inside the house, Jesus asked them, What were you arguing about
along the way? They had been arguing about which one of them was the greatest, and so they did not
answer. After Jesus sat down and told the twelve disciples to gather around him, he said,
If you want the place of honor, you must become a slave and serve others. Then Jesus asked a child
to stand near him. He put his arm around the child and said, When you welcome even a child because of
me, you welcome me, and when you welcome me, you welcome the one who sent me. Teacher, we saw a man
using your name to force demons out of people, but he wasn't one of us, and we told him to stop.
Jesus said to his disciples,
Don't stop him. No one who works miracles in my name will soon turn and say something bad about me.
Anyone who isn't against us is for us, and anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name just because you belong to me will surely be rewarded.
It will be terrible for people who cause even one of my little followers to sin.
Those people would be better off thrown into the ocean with a heavy stone tied around their necks.
So if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. You would be better off to go into life paralyzed
than to have two hands and be thrown into the fires of hell that never go out.
If your foot causes you to sin, chop it off. It would be better off to go into life lame
than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. If your eye causes you to sin, get rid of it.
You'd be better off to go into God's kingdom with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown
into hell. The worms there never die, and the fire never stops burning. Everyone must be salted with
fire. Salt is good, but if it no longer tastes like salt, how can it be made salty again?
Have salt among you, and live at peace with each other. Mark chapter 10. Jesus then left that place
and went into the region of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds of people came to him,
and as was his custom, he taught them. Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking,
Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife? What did Moses command you? He replied.
They said, Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.
It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law, Jesus replied.
But at the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason,
a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one
flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no
one separate. When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. He answered,
Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she
divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery. People were bringing little
children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus
saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder
them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not
receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. And he took the children in
his arms, placed his hands on them, and blessed them. As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to
him and fell on his knees before him. Good teacher, he asked, what must I do to inherit eternal life?
Why do you call me good? Jesus answered. No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments.
You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false
testimony. You shall not defraud, honor your father and mother. Teacher, he declared, all these I have
kept since I was a boy. Jesus looked at him and loved him. One thing you lack, he said. Go, sell
everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me.
At this the man's face fell. He went away sad because he had great wealth. Jesus looked around
and said to his disciples, How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God.
The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, Children, how hard it is to enter the
kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who
is rich to enter the kingdom of God. The disciples were even more amazed and said to each other,
Who then can be saved? Jesus looked at them and said, With man this is impossible.
but not with God. All things are possible with God. Then Peter spoke up,
We have left everything to follow you. Truly I tell you, Jesus replied,
No one who has left home, or brothers, or sisters, or mother, or father, or children,
or fields for me in the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age,
homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and fields, along with persecutions,
and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
They were on their way to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished,
while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the twelve aside and told them what was
going to happen to him. We're going up to Jerusalem, he said, and the Son of Man will be delivered over
to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him
over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he
will rise. Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. Teacher, they said, we want you to do
for us whatever we ask. What do you want me to do for you? he asked. They replied, Let one of us sit
at your right and the other at your left, in your glory. You don't know what you're asking, Jesus
said. Can you drink the cup I drink, or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with? We can,
they answered. Jesus said to them, You will drink the cup I drink, and be baptized with the baptism
I am baptized with. But to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to
those for whom they have been prepared. When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with
James and John. Jesus called them together and said, You know that those who are regarded as
rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.
Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,
and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be
served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Then they came to Jericho.
As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man,
Bartimaeus, which means son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside, begging. When he heard that it
was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. Many rebuked him
and told him to be quiet. But he shouted all the more, Son of David, have mercy on me. Jesus stopped
and said, Call him. So they called to the blind man, Cheer up, on your feet, he's calling you.
Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. What do you want me to do for
you? Jesus asked him. The blind man said, Rabbi, I want to see. Go, said Jesus, your faith has healed
you. Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
Today in verse 1 of chapter 9, Jesus said, I can assure you that some of the people standing here
will not die before they see God's kingdom come with power. So what do you suppose Jesus was
talking about here? Was he talking about his second coming? Was he talking about the rapture?
If so, then was he wrong?
This seems to be one of those difficult passages that we hear about once in a while, doesn't
it?
Well, let's ask ourselves whether Jesus was ever wrong, or if he was even capable of being
wrong.
What do we believe about him?
Is Jesus God?
Yeah.
Well, if he's God, then one of the attributes of God is omniscience, which means all-knowing.
So, was he wrong?
He can't be.
Well, if he wasn't wrong, then what does that leave us with?
After all, the disciples died before Jesus' second coming or the rapture, right?
Well, as always, it's important to look at what?
Yeah, the context.
We need to look at the verses before and after this verse.
So, this was verse 1 of chapter 9.
What did it say at the end of chapter 8?
Well, at the end of chapter 8, Jesus talked about his suffering and death and the fact
that he would come back, quote, in the glory of his father with the holy angels, unquote.
Now, back to our chapter today, chapter 9. In the verses immediately after he makes the statement
that we're trying to figure out, we read that six days after he spoke these words, he took Peter,
James, and John up on a high mountain, and, quote, there in front of the disciples, Jesus was
completely changed, and his clothes became much whiter than any bleach on earth could make them.
Then Elijah and Moses appeared and were talking with Jesus. Unquote. And then dropping down a few
verses, we read, quote, The shadow of a cloud passed over and covered them. From the cloud,
a voice said, This is my son, and I love him. Listen to what he says. Unquote. So, I guess these
three disciples did see a glimpse of God's kingdom coming with power. They saw Jesus in His glory,
and they heard the voice of God the Father proclaiming that Jesus is His Son and must be
listened to. This experience was important for these three key disciples. They saw Jesus in His
heavenly glory, and they heard the voice of God the Father. It gave them a deeper understanding of
the deity of Jesus. Up until then, they'd only seen Him as a man. Now they knew Him as God.
Over at GotQuestions.org, they wrote, The disciples never forgot what happened that day
on the mountain, and no doubt this was intended. John wrote in his gospel, We have seen His glory,
the glory of the one and only, in John 1.14. And Peter also wrote of it. He wrote,
We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
For He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to Him from the majestic glory, saying,
This is my Son whom I love, with whom I am well pleased.
We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with Him on the sacred mountain.
That was 2 Peter 1, 16-18.
GotQuestions.org continues, those who witnessed the Transfiguration bore witness to it, to the
other disciples, and to countless millions down through the centuries. So when Jesus said,
I can assure you that some of the people standing here will not die before they see God's kingdom
come with power, He wasn't wrong, was He? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Tomorrow we'll read
1 Corinthians 13 and 14.
Today's verse of the day is Mark 9-1. Jesus continued,
I assure you that some standing here won't die before they see God's kingdom arrive in power.
That's Mark 9-1.
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I have some people to thank today.
I'm a bit behind because I did have to take a couple of days off to recharge.
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Brother Michael, I really do appreciate you, brother.
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Wow, that's a really good point, Minion.
I know I wouldn't be too thrilled about it.
Thanks for sharing that thought, and God bless you, and thank you so much for all the boosts.
just a quick reminder for you this week on verses we missed i'm taking a closer look at
psalm 46 10 be still and know that i am god guess what that is not a whisper of calm it's a command
spoken into chaos you can find the episode right now at verses we missed.com or your podcast app
Got a question for you. What do a 16th century martyr and a 19th century prince of preachers
have in common? Well, they both spent their final days proving that some truths are worth
more than life itself. Today is January 31st, and it's a day of both birth and bittersweet
farewells in the history of the Church. First, we go to 1561. In the shadow of the Spanish
Inquisition, a pastor named Guido de Bray helped publish the Confescio Belgica, or
Belgic Confession. De Bray famously tossed a copy over the castle wall to King Philip II of Spain.
It wasn't a manifesto of rebellion, but a clear, beautiful defense of the Reformed faith. He wanted
to prove that his people weren't radicals but followers of the Word. Though he would eventually
die for his faith, his confession survived and remains a primary doctrinal standard for Reformed
churches across the globe today. And then we fast forward to this same day in 1892.
In the quiet air of Menton, France, the Victorian era's greatest voice fell silent.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers, passed away at the age of just 57.
After decades of ministry at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London,
in years of battling both physical pain and theological controversy, Spurgeon entered his rest.
He left behind a legacy of thousands of sermons that are still
downloaded and read by millions every single year.
Beloved, please send in your praises and prayer requests at prayer.lifespringmedia.com
or email me at steve at lifespringmedia.com or text me or leave a voicemail right here.
Life Spring Family Hotline, 951-732-8511.
I'll share them on the show and I'll include them in my own prayer time.
Beloved, until tomorrow, may the glory of the Lord shine clearly in your life and may he bless you
richly. Thank you so much for being here. My name is Steve Webb. Bye.
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The Lifespring One Year Bible Rewind is a Lifespring Media production
hosted by Steve Webb, the OG Godcaster since 2004.