Matthew 24:15-25 - Mar. 4, 2010
Matthew 24:15-25 - Mar. 4, 2010
"So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel -- let the reader understand -- then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now -- and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect -- if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time.
Matthew 24:15-25
In the verses we have for our devotion today, first Jesus is speaking about terrible times that will overcome people living in Jerusalem and the surrounding region. His reference is probably to the destruction of Jerusalem by Roman legions that took place about 40 years after Jesus ascended into heaven.
His advice for people living in Jerusalem when that horrific event comes was to flee for their lives. They shouldn’t even take the time to retrieve personal possessions from their homes. They should just run as fast and as far as they can. For that reason it would be especially difficult for pregnant women and nursing mothers.
But Jesus’ warning about the destruction of Jerusalem also points to the end of the world which will be ushered in by times of great distress, too. In fact, Jesus says that the stress of those final days will be so great that no one would survive. But in mercy God will cut that time short so that his faithful people are not overcome by the evil times.
Through it all, we must remember that there is no human power that can rescue us from the destruction at the end of the world. We can’t run fast enough or get away far enough to escape it. Our only hope is Jesus. He suffered and died to free us from the fear of facing the final day of God’s judgment. He rescued us from the eternal destruction that we were headed for because of our sin. He is our Savior through whom we have peace and joy with God – even in these last days..
Calm my heart, Jesus, with the comfort of your love. Take away my fears with the assurance of your salvation and your promise of life eternal with God. Help me live in hope and joy by faith in you as my dear Savior. Amen.
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