AUDIO RECORDING OF THIS LESSON
In the arrest of Jesus are veiled references to the tribulation and to the Lord’s Second Coming. It should not be a surprise to find these veiled references since Judas Iscariot, the son of perdition, will be here during the final part of the tribulation. In this passage he is getting warnings that will apply to him then.
Verses 47-49 – The Kiss [Lk 22:48] – the kiss is associated with the worship of Baal in 1 Ki 19:18 – it is connected with the worship of the calves in Hos 13:2 [like the golden calf that Aaron made and the golden calves that Jeroboam placed in Bethel and Dan – the kiss is connected, therefore, with the worship of the antichrist – they greeted Absalom with a kiss in 2 Sam 15:5 and he is a type of the antichrist – the kisses of an enemy are found in Prov 27:6 – and yet these are all perversions since the kiss will be connected with the worship of Jesus in the millennium [Ps 2:12]
Verse 50 – The Friend – Jesus called Judas “friend” – and by searching Ps 41:9 and the cross reference in Jn 13:18 [notice the 13 and the 3 x 6 in the verse and chapter numbers] we find out just what kind of friend he really was – the Lord addresses the devil as “friend” when he finds him at the wedding without a wedding garment [Matt 22:11-13]
Verse 51-52 – The sword – Peter was rebuked for standing in the way of God’s will – when Jesus warned him about the sword, he gave him what John later wrote in Rev 13:10, which is addressed to antichrist – Jesus will have a sword in Rev 19:15, 21 when he returns
Verse 53-54 – Legions of angels – Jesus refused to call these angels because of Jn 18:36 – his kingdom is not now of this world – but he’s going to set it up in the future and when he does, the angels are going to fight Rev 12:7
Verse 55 – As against a thief – according to Jn 10:1, 10 the thief is the devil – in Jn 12:6 Judas was identified as a thief – and he will be a thief in 2 Thes 2:3-4 when he steals God’s throne – and in Is 10:13 the devil is the thief who steals the treasures of the countries whose boundaries he breaks down – Jesus was crucified with thieves and he will return as a thief 1 Thes 5:2-3 – you know, we’re getting awfully close to his return – even so, come, Lord Jesus