August 9: THE SAVIOR’S FORESIGHT
“And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:13-14
The rapid unraveling of this world intensifies the impetus of God’s last-day church to fulfill the great commission through sharing the everlasting gospel. Real hope can be found nowhere else. Jesus presented to His disciples the essence of the perils facing the church until His return.
At the end of His ministry, Jesus was heartbroken over the condition of the religious leaders, as they were full of hypocrisy and lawlessness (23:28). He desired to gather them as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings (v.37), but their fatal flaw was an unwillingness to accept correction. Jesus saw the result of their unfortunate influence in the world: “You make [a proselyte] twice as much a son of hell as yourselves” (v.15).
The disciples, wanting to cheer Him, pointed to the beauty and grandeur of the temple gleaming in the afternoon sun. And that’s when He began to give “landmarks” of what lay ahead. “Not one stone shall be left here upon another…” (24:2). Not only would the temple be destroyed, but the entire city of Jerusalem thoroughly laid waste. Daniel worded it this way: And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary (Daniel 9:26). That prince was Titus, the son of Vespasian who was Rome’s emperor. The siege of Jerusalem under the military command of Titus in 70AD was among the most gruesome in the history of the world.
The warning of Jesus paid off for His followers. They recognized Rome as the abomination of desolation (Matthew 24:15 – see also Daniel 11:31; 12:11), the promised sign to watch out for. Luke recorded this warning as being surrounded by armies (Luke 21:20). Just after the initial advance, led by General Cestius, the Romans inexplicably retreated. God’s providence for escape was gratefully heeded, and it was just as Jesus had said: “Not a hair of your head shall be lost” (v.18). After the Christians escaped, the siege was resumed by Titus. The woe that befell the unfaithful city is unutterable (a summary is written in the curses of Deuteronomy 28:49-58).
The Savior could see all the way through to the last generation. The last-day deception is akin to the great sin of the Jews which was the rejection of Christ. The downfall of the Christian world will be the rejection of the law of God. The death of His Son paid the penalty for the breaking of His Ten Commandment law: the only section of all Scripture spoken directly to the people by the voice of God Himself and written in stone by His own finger. Christ died to secure forgiveness for repentant lawbreakers. He lives to intercede for all who desire the transformation of a recreated (clean) heart. This is the heart of the gospel! Heaven will be populated with joyful, law-abiding citizens.
“Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him…” The LORD is well-pleased for His righteousness’ sake; He will exalt the law and make it honorable. Isaiah 42:1, 21
For further study: Matthew 3:2,8,11; 4:17; 9:13; 11:20,21; 12:41; Mark 1:4,15; 2:17; 6:12; Luke 3:3,8; 5:32; 10:13; 11:32; 13:3,5; 15:7,10; 24:47; John 14:15; 15:14; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 8:22; 11:18; 17:30