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

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