God, page-145

  1. 11,921 Posts.
    Very good Taughtbuffet, so the typical things that took place on earth picture something of much greater import to do with the heavens.
    John the Baptist’s ministry commenced about six months before that of Jesus, but during that time two classes began to show up. On the one hand there were John’s disciples, whom John introduced to Jesus and who, with others, formed the nucleus of the one class. They were humble men and truly God-fearing men, such as Nathanael, “an Israelite for a certainty, in whom there is no deceit,” as Jesus testified. On the other hand, when John “caught sight of many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to the baptism, he said to them: ‘You offspring of vipers, who has shown you how to flee from the coming wrath?’”—John 1:47; Matt. 3:7.
    At the Passover time in the spring of 30 C.E. Jesus Christ cleansed the temple of bankers and businessmen who were turning the temple into a “house of merchandise.” (John 2:13-17) From the beginning of his ministry he began to teach and train his disciples. No longer at a disadvantage, they now felt that life had a real purpose. From their new vantage ground they had direct proof of God’s loving favor and protection. What a happy contrast for them! But what a bitter contrast for those rulers whose position and prestige had hitherto been unchallenged! How often they must have writhed at the fearless and public exposures that they had to listen to from the lips of Jesus. As representing his Father, Jesus continued without letup throughout his ministry to show favor to the humble and disfavor to the haughty. Sometimes he referred to the two classes by plain speech, as in the Sermon on the Mount, but more often in his public teaching he made use of illustrations. Even so, though not grasping all the detail, the religious rulers knew well enough when he was speaking about them. As Matthew records: “When the chief priests and the Pharisees had heard his illustrations, they took note that he was speaking about them.”—Matt. 21:45.
    On Monday of the year 33, Jesus again cleansed the temple by driving out the merchants and turning over the tables of the money changers. This was no anarchist inciting to riot or revolution. This was the righteous Son of God and he quoted Scripture to back up his action, saying: “It is written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a cave of robbers.” It will be recalled that three years prior to this, Jesus had demonstrated his burning zeal for Jehovah’s pure worship by similarly cleansing the temple of these greedy commercial elements. So what was the response to this second cleansing? “The chief priests and the scribes and the principal ones of the people were seeking to destroy him.” They thus proved to be unreformed and unreformable.—Matt. 21:12, 13; Luke 19:45-48.
    In a similar way Jesus in 1914 Jesus proceeded to evict Satan from the heavens (Revelation 12:7-10) and soon will abyss him for 1,00 years.
    And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven with the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand.  He seized the dragon, the original serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for 1,000 years.  And he hurled him into the abyss and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not mislead the nations anymore until the 1,000 years were ended. After this he must be released for a little while.------ (Rev 20:1-3)
 
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