Prophecies


“When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those inside the city must leave it, and those out in the country must not enter it; for these are days of vengeance, as a fulfillment of all that is written. Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress on the earth and wrath against this people; they will fall by the edge of the sword and be taken away as captives among all nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

 

Scripture is filled with prophecies, both in the Old Testament and in the New. Many of the prophecies in the Old Testament were about Jesus, the Messiah who would bring the kingdom of heaven to man. As we know, these prophecies came to pass a little over two thousand years ago. In the New Testament, most of the prophecies were made by Jesus. One of them, as we have been reading over the past few days, was about the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, which was a magnificent edifice.

 

Both came to pass. During the rule of the emperor Titus, the Roman army besieged Jerusalem. It took place in stages over several months, until troops from four legions surrounded the city. Finally, to cut off the inhabitants completely, Titus ordered a wall to be built. In a matter of days, the “desolation” Jesus spoke about was complete. Now listen to this. The Christians who lived in Jerusalem and who paid heed to his warning fled the city when the first sign of soldiers appeared. Jesus’ warning, combined with a more recent revelation, prepared them for an evacuation, and consequently were spared from the effects of the siege. 

 

There is another prophecy contained in this passage, this one a little strange. Jesus says, “Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” What could this mean? The “Gentiles” are non-Jewish people and for centuries they moved through Jerusalem. However, in 1949, the modern State of Israel took control of the western and southern portions of Jerusalem. Jordan controlled the eastern portion and the Old City, but during the 1967 war, Israel took possession of the entire city. However, the temple mount is still under Muslim control. The Dome of the Rock, one of the holiest places of Islam, is situated there.

 

So, does that have to come under Jewish control for the prophecy to be fulfilled? I don’t pretend to know, but I do know that like the Christians who took Jesus’ warning seriously and were spared, we need to take heed of the things that Jesus says too, because these are not just matters of life and death as we understand life and death; these are matters of everlasting rest or eternal condemnation. I also know that Jesus will return, only this time it will be to judge us. And we need to be ready because it can be any time.

 

It could be today.

 

Watch a video of this reflection by Aneel Aranha here: https://youtu.be/80Lpp6n19Gk

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Let’s Get Healed - A Reflection on Matthew 18:21-19:1

Image
  Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, an
Read more

Patience - A Reflection on Luke 2:33-35.

Image
  And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”   This is probably the shortest passage that we have reflected upon this year. In it, we find a man named Simeon making a prophecy about three things. One, about Jesus. Two, about the people of Israel. And three, about the pain that Jesus’ mother Mary would go through. We have seen all his prophecies came true. But who is Simeon? And what can we learn from him? Ok. On the 40th day of his birth, Jesus is taken by Mary and Joseph to the temple to be officially inducted into the Jewish faith. When they were there, a man named Simeon came in to see them.   He is described as “righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the H
Read more

Dying and Killing

  The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God.” Jesus answered, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If those to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’—and the scripture cannot be annulled— can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” Then they tried to arrest him again, but he escaped from their hands. He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier,
Read more