Wednesday Thought -- August 10, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

In Luke 21, Jesus talks with His disciples about the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the age. It is a hard passage to decipher. It is hard to tell when Jesus is talking about the destruction of Jerusalem and hard to tell when He is talking about the things that will happen before the end of the age.

“The time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.” (Luke 21:6) Jesus is clearly talking about the destruction of Jerusalem here and what He predicted came to pass with precision. In 70 AD the Roman army encircled Jerusalem and when the siege was over, the city was destroyed and the very stones of the temple had been thrown down.

“Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and, 'The time is near.' Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away." (Luke 21:8-9) Wars, revolutions, deceptions, false prophets – all of these things will happen, but they won’t be signs that the end of the age has come.

“Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.” (Luke 21:10-11) Earthquakes, famines, pestilences, signs on earth and signs in heaven – terrible things will happen in this world.

Persecution, betrayal, execution – these are just some of the things that will happen to those who follow Jesus. In a strange twist, in one verse Jesus says, “They will put some of you to death.” (Luke 21:16) Then, two verses later, “But not a hair of your head will perish.” (Luke 21:18) Physical death will occur, sometimes because we are followers of Jesus, but our lives, our real lives, will never even be touched.

“Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” (Luke 21:24) You can trace the history of Jerusalem from the day of Jesus until this very day and recognize the clear fulfillment of that prophetic word. It seems that Jerusalem has always been in turmoil and never have the Jews lived in peace there – not since before Jesus – and not till God declares that the day of the Gentiles is over.

So many confusing prophecies and pictures. Troubling times seem the norm, not the exception. And history testifies to the truth of that picture. The earth has lived in turmoil for thousands of years and continues to do so.

So what? “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life.” (Luke 21:34) “Be always on the watch.” (Luke 21:36)

Those bits of wisdom from Jesus provide the bottom line for all of us as we wait the fulfillment of the confusing prophecies about the end of the age: be careful to follow the Lord and be watchful for His coming.

His, by Grace,

Steve