There are a few Scriptures that just came to me. They are not necessarily connected, but some I find quite interesting. I’m going to give them to you as they came to me. Meditate on them and see what God opens up to you of His Word.
Luke 12:40 (NKJ) Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
I do most of my studying from the KJV Bible and when this verse of Scripture came to my mind it came in King James English. It spoke to me. When I got ready to write this I picked up my NKJV, but it didn’t speak to me like what I remembered from my KJV. So back to the KJV.
Luke 12:40 (KJV) Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
Do you see the difference? The NKJV just says that His coming is at an hour when you do not expect it. The KJV, on the other hand, says that He is coming “when you think not.” What does that mean? It means that your thinker is a barrier to the coming of the Lord. Notice that “cometh” or “is coming” is in the present tense. It is not referring to a coming of the Lord in the future. It is referring to His present spiritual coming, the coming of His presence in us (II Thessalonians 1:10). His presence and life coming forth in us is greatly hindered by the thinking processes of our natural mind. Many Christians are experiencing a spiritual death because they cannot conquer their carnal mind. Paul says in I Corinthians 15:26 that “the last enemy to be destroyed is death.” Then in Romans 8:6 he says it is death to be carnally minded. Therefore, when “ye think not” gives entrance to the presence of the Lord.
This is the way I have always thought about this Scripture: The Son of man cometh at an hour when ye do not think. Anyway, I decided to look up the literal translation of the Greek. Here it is: And ye be prepared because in what hour ye think not the Son of man comes. The KJV, then, is more accurate in giving the mystical truth that the Holy Spirit is speaking to us. The preparation for His presence is learning to overcome your natural thinking. You cannot serve two masters. You cannot be subject to the carnal mind of your fallen nature and the mind of Christ at the same time. One of them has to go. His presence will come forth in you when “ye think not.” Now for the next short one.
Luke 12:41-42 Then Peter said
to Him, Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people? (The
Lord answers Peter’s question with another question in the next verse.)
42 And the Lord said, Who
then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his Master will make ruler over
His household, to give them their portion of food in due season?
Peter is asking about a particular parable; however, the same question could be asked about the whole Bible. Who is the message for? To whom is the Lord speaking through the Scriptures?
Jesus gave the “parable of the sower” in Matthew chapter thirteen. The disciples were there and also a great multitude. Was the teaching in the parable for everyone there, or was it just for the disciples? How about today – is the Word of the Lord for everyone that reads it, or is it only for the disciples? Jesus ended the parable saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (verse 9). It was for those who have the capacity to hear it. They all heard the words spoken, but how many heard what He was really saying? Anyone that can read may read the Scriptures, but how many have the capacity to hear what the Lord is saying through them?
The disciples knew that the multitude didn’t really understand the parable, so they asked Him why He was speaking in parables – “Don’t You want everybody to hear the Word?” Jesus’ answer is in verse eleven. It has been given to you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
Why are the mysteries of the Kingdom only for disciples? Jesus answered that question when He answered Peter’s question in Luke 12:42. Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his Master will make ruler over His household, to give them their portion of food in due season? There is a divine order for the ministry of the Word, and it is given in the feeding of the five thousand. I’m sure you remember the story, so we will only look at one verse.
John 6:11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise to the fish, as much as they wanted.
The fish and the loaves here represent the spiritual bread of the Word of God. It is given for the disciples to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. So the divine order is that the Lord gives to His disciples and His disciples to those who are sitting; that is, to those who are prepared to receive the Word at the hands of the disciples. One more short one.
Luke 4:21 (NKJV) Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.
Luke 4:21 (KJV) This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears.
The modern version of the NKJV is more palatable to the natural mind, but the KJV is more accurate in giving the mind of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Teacher of the mystical, the Words of Spirit and Life of the Lord (John 6:63).
Jesus went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. He read Scripture from the Book of Isaiah. The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Luke 4:18-19. He then closed the book and said, This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears.
Where the NKJV says “today” the KJV says “this day”, and where the NKJV says “hearing” the KJV says “ears”. The word “today” means the period of time of 24 hours. The term “this day” means something else entirely. “This day” is not referring to the period of time we call “today”. We understand that the spiritual and mystical meaning of the word “day” in the Scriptures is speaking of a spiritual relationship with the Lord or the spiritual ministry of the Lord through His many-membered Body (If you have been reading The Trumpet messages for the last few years, you should understand this spiritual interpretation.).
The term “this day” as Jesus is using it is referring to the ministry He spoke of in Luke 4:18-19, The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to…. Then He said “this day” (or “this ministry”) is fulfilled in your ears.
The Scripture Jesus read in the synagogue to the Jews that were there was not fulfilled in their “hearing” or their “ears.” They heard the words, but they did not hear the Words of Spirit and Life. In John 6:63 Jesus said, “The words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit and they are Life.” “Ears” is correct and “hearing” is not. The word “ears” tells us to whom Jesus Christ is really speaking. After giving the “parable of the sower” Jesus said, “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 13:9); that is, let him hear that has the spiritual capacity to hear the words of Spirit and Life. Those Jews in the synagogue did not have the ability to hear words of Spirit and Life. They were not the ones Jesus was really speaking to. He was speaking to those who have ears to hear.
Jesus spoke a mystical message to the seven churches in Revelation chapters two and three. At the end of each message He said, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22). These verses tell us exactly who the Lord was speaking to when He said, “This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears.” He is speaking to the churches. What churches? The churches of His Kingdom; the churches that make up the many-membered Body of Christ. Why is it for them? It is because the ministry of Jesus Christ, which He spoke of in the synagogue, is fulfilled in and through the many-membered Body of Christ.
James 1:22 Be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Matthew 7:24 Whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man…. It is the church of His Kingdom that will hear and do. In other words, The Scripture (Word of the Lord) will be fulfilled in the Body of Christ and through the Body of Christ, for only the Body of Christ has the ears to hear the Word of the Lord. Those who are not doers of the Word do not have ears to hear. The Jews in the synagogue did not have ears to hear. Jesus knew that; He was not speaking to them. Was He speaking to you? Will His Word be fulfilled in you and through you?
Copyright © 2005 by Henry DuBose