Take heed
Scripture: Luke 21:5-11
5 And as some spoke of the temple, how it was
adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, 6 "As for these things
which you see, the days will come when there shall not be left here one stone
upon another that will not be thrown down." 7 And they asked him,
"Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign when this is about
to take place?" 8 And he said, "Take heed that you are not led
astray; for many will come in my name, saying, `I am he!' and, `The time is at
hand!' Do not go after them. 9 And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be
terrified; for this must first take place, but the end will not be at
once." 10 Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom; 11 there will be great earthquakes, and in various
places famines and pestilences; and there will be terrors and great signs from
heaven.
Meditation: How would you respond if someone
prophesied that your home, land, or place of worship would be destroyed? Jesus
foretold many signs that would shake peoples and nations. The signs which God
uses are meant to point us to a higher spiritual truth and reality of his
kingdom which does not perish or fade away, but endures for all eternity. God
works through many signs and events to renew and purify us to set our hearts
firmly on him and him alone.
To the great consternation of the Jews, Jesus
prophesied the destruction of their temple at Jerusalem. The Jewish people took
great pride in their temple. The foretelling of this destruction was a dire
warning of spiritual judgment in itself. They asked Jesus for a sign that would
indicate when this disastrous event would occur. Jesus admonished them to not
look for signs that would indicate the exact timing of impending destruction,
but rather to pray for God's intervention of grace and mercy. Jesus said there
would be many signs of impending conflicts and disasters – such as wars,
famines, diseases and etc…– which would precede the struggles of the last days
when God's anointed King would return to usher in the full reign of God over
the earth. In that day when the Lord returns there will be a final judgement of
the living and the dead when the secrets of every heart will be brough to light
(Luke 12:2-3; Romans 2:16).
Jesus' prophecy of the destruction of the temple at
Jerusalem was a two-edged sword, because it pointed not only to God's judgment,
but also to his saving action and mercy. Jesus foretold the destruction of
Jerusalem and the dire consequences for all who would reject him and his saving
message. While the destruction of Jerusalem's temple was determined (it was
razed by the Romans in 70 A.D.), there remained for its inhabitants a narrow
open door leading to deliverance. Jesus said: "I am the door; whoever
enters by me will be saved" (John 10:9).
Jesus willingly set his face toward Jerusalem, knowing that he would
meet betrayal, rejection, and death on a cross. His death on the cross,
however, brought about true freedom, peace, and victory over the powers of sin,
evil, and death – not only for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, but for all – both
Jew and Gentile alike – who would accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Do you
know the peace and security of a life submitted to the lordship of Jesus
Christ?
Sometimes we don't recognize the moral crisis and
spiritual conflict of the age in which we live, until something "shakes us
up" to the reality of this present condition. God reminds us that a future
judgment and outcome awaits every individual who has lived on this earth. The
reward for doing what is right and pleasing to God and the penalty for sinful
rebellion and rejection of God are not always experienced in this present life;
but they are sure to come in the God's day of final judgment. The Lord Jesus
tells us that there will be trials, suffering, and persecution in this present
age until he comes again at the end of the world. God intends our anticipation
of his final judgment to be a powerful deterrent to unfaithfulness and
wrongdoing. God extends grace and mercy to all who will heed his call and his
warning. Do not pass up, even for one day, God's invitation of grace and mercy
to seek first his kingdom of righteousness and peace.