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Day 88 Luke 21:5 Luke 21:5 And as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said, 6 As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 7 And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? And what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass? 8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draws near: go ye not therefore after them. 9 But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by. 10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: 11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. 12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake. 13 And it shall turn to you for a testimony. 14 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: 15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. 16 And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. 17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake. 18 But there shall not a hair of your head perish. 19 In your patience possess ye your souls. 20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. 21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. 22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 23 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! For there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. 24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. 25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. 27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draws nigh. You can look around the world today and see the different natural disasters taking place. Every year there seem to be an increase in the number of natural disasters and we wonder what we can do to prevent it or when will it end. Jesus told his disciples what would take place before the end came. He told them of the wars and rumors of wars. He told them about famines and natural disasters. He told them people would claim to be the Messiah. He told them the temple in Jerusalem would be destroyed, and they would be imprisoned and killed because they preached the gospel. History showed Jerusalem was besieged and the temple destroyed in 70 A.D. Emperor Nero had Christians killed in the arenas. Today we see the wars and rumors of wars. Men have claimed to be the Messiah and fooled many. Everything Jesus told his disciples would happen before the end, has or is happening. Then he said, the end wasn’t yet. There is yet one more sign Jesus spoke about – the desolation of Jerusalem spoken by the prophet Daniel. When that takes place, then the end is in sight. Then the Tribulation Jesus spoke about will take place, and people will flee, but there will be nowhere for anyone to flee. Daniel 9:23 At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision. 24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (KJV) Each week mentioned in Daniel is seven years. From the prophecy given to Daniel until Jesus was crucified was 483 years. There is one week remaining in the prophecy, and that is the Tribulation Jesus spoke about when Antichrist will make a covenant with Jerusalem for seven years of peace. However, he will break that covenant and bring desolation to Jerusalem. When the Tribulation begins there will be no place for anyone to flee, everyone will be affected by what will take place in the end times. In Matthew’s gospel, we see one ray of hope for Christians. Matthew 24:22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. (KJV) The elect are those who accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord. They will not see the Tribulation of the last seven years, because Jesus will rapture his church. There is also hope for Israel. When the age of the Gentiles is finished, then Israel will see God’s salvation. Right now, it is the age of the Gentiles. When Israel sees everything fulfilled as Jesus told his disciples, they will know he is their Messiah. As Christians, you look forward to the day when Jesus returns for his church. However, you also know the great price the people who don’t know Jesus as Savior and Lord will face during the Tribulation. Yet, even in the Tribulation, people will be saved. Let’s pray: Father, thank you for giving me a glimpse of what is still to come. Give me your heart for those who don’t know you as Savior and Lord and show them there is hope in you. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 18 November 2018 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay