Prepare, Don't Speculate

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Opening Prayer

God of today and all my days, speak to me as I wait before You. Help me to be prepared for You.

Read MATTHEW 24:15-25

^[15] “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel-let the reader understand- ^[16] then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ^[17] Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. ^[18] Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. ^[19] How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! ^[20] Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. ^[21] For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now-and never to be equaled again. ^[22] “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. ^[23] At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. ^[24] For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. ^[25] See, I have told you ahead of time.

Meditate

The terrible times of the first century have been echoed many times throughout the centuries. Even today, some of our fellow Christians will be running away from evil regimes, tortured and killed for their faith.

Think Further

In A.D. 70 the Roman armies destroyed the Temple of Jerusalem and much of the city. What had looked so impressive and so permanent was completely destroyed (Mark 13:1). Today’s passage clearly relates to Jesus’ prediction of that terrible event. It makes for uncomfortable reading, and the Jewish historian Josephus provides supporting evidence in gruesome and terrifying detail.

Jesus described this imminent destruction with a chilling phrase from Daniel: “the abomination that causes desolation” (15; Dan. 9:27; 11:31; 12:11). Daniel’s prophecy doubtless pointed towards events surrounding Antiochus Epiphanes, who set up a pagan statue in the Temple in 167 B.C., “desolating” its worship, but now Jesus warns of worse to come. From A.D. 66 to 70, the nation, the city and the Temple endured four years of siege, characterized by a brutality and ruthlessness that were unequalled (21), with the near impossibility of escape and with the most appalling fatalities (17-20). Commentators recognize that in this section the two horizons overlap: there are sections relating to the specifics of the fall of Jerusalem and others which relate to the whole period before Christ returns. The point is this: when you see the Temple destroyed, when you realize that the prediction was precisely fulfilled and when you understand why such judgment came upon the city–then that is a foretaste of the subsequent judgment on the world, just as sure and just as deserved.

Our present world might look stable and our life might seem so predictable and permanent, but God’s judgment is certain; he keeps his promises. “See, I have told you in advance” (25). This passage is not for speculation, but for preparation, and so too with all of the promises which will now follow.

Apply

How do God’s acts of judgment in the past shape your prayers, motives and actions today?

Closing prayer

Sovereign Lord, I need Your assurance that You are in control. Comfort Christian brothers and sisters who face fierce opposition.

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