Recognizing the Signs
Luke 19:41-44 NIV
As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace - but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you."
When Jesus approached the city of Jerusalem for the final time, he looked at the city and wept, because he knew what was coming. Then He made the statement above.
What was Jesus talking about? To paraphrase, He said, "If you had just paid attention to what my Father's Word said, you'd know who I am, and that I am the only one who can bring you peace. But because you ignored His Word, He as now hidden the truth from your eyes. By ignoring the prophecies (esp. Daniel 9:24-25), you didn't even recognize what TIME it is - time for God to come to you in human form. Now your time is up, and so Jerusalem - and the temple - will be destroyed." And in 70 A.D., this terrible prophecy began to be fulfilled when the Roman army under Titus destroyed the temple and killed 600,000 Jews. In 135 A.D. the destruction of the city and the dispersion of the people was completed.
What does this have to do with you and me? Everything! God is still around. His Word is still active. His plan is moving along as always. His Word is filled with prophecies that point us to the time of Jesus' Second Coming. And yet so very few people recognize how close that time really is. No one knows the specific day or hour - only the Father knows that. But He gave us things to watch for. specific events both in nature and in the world. And He also told us what will happen to those who ignore His Word. Just as Jesus' prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem came true, so, also, will these later and much more terrifying prophecies come true.
Do you recognize what's going on in the world as biblical prophecy being fulfilled? Or will you, like the people of Jerusalem, be blinded to the truth unto destruction? Think about it.
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