James 1:1-2

"James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes, (Jews) which are scattered abroad, greeting. (now I hope I've proven where they came from) 2. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers (testings is a better word than) temptations;" Well now, what's the testing? The Tribulation. How in the world did these Jews take any joy in this coming Tribulation? Because of what's to follow! What's to follow? The King. The Kingdom! Remember, all of the Old Testament laid that out so clearly, that after the Tribulation would come the King and His Kingdom!


Let's go back and let's look at one of the first instances. Matthew chapter 19 verse 27. Now this is Christ still in His earthly ministry, but toward the end of it now. And Peter is going to ask a pertinent question. I mean, these guys are just as human as we are, remember?


Matthew 19:27

"Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?" Now Peter's not talking about his Salvation; he knows he's got that. So what's he talking about? Reward. What are we going to get for having left our fishing and our families and all the good life on the Galilee? What's the reward? All right, and Jesus doesn't put him down. It was a valid question. All right, now here it comes.


Matthew 19:28a

"And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory,..." Regeneration. What's that referring to? When this old world will be made back like it was in the beginning. It's going to be regenerated. Now the best example I always give is your car battery. Leave your lights on. Get out there and it's dead as a door nail. What do you do? Well, you put a charger or a jumper cable on it and we regenerate it - and that old battery which was dead is brought back to its original condition. That's regeneration.

All right, so this is what the Lord is telling the disciples. That before the Son of man can sit in the throne of His glory, the earth is going to have to be regenerated. Now, in order to pick up what that regeneration is going to amount to, come back with me now to Acts chapter 3, and again, never forget, all these statements are concerning the coming Tribulation, and the return of Christ, and the setting up of His Kingdom. All right, in Acts chapter 3, it's a follow up of the Pentecostal sermon in Acts chapter 2; and again Peter is appealing to the Nation of Israel to repent of having crucified their Messiah - and that, if they would, here was the promise.