Tag Archives: the temple

LUKE’S GOSPEL…STAND FIRM – 54

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“”Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.” “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?” …He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.” …Everyone will hate you because of me. But not a hair of your head will perish. Stand firm, and you will win life.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭21‬:‭5‬-‭9‬, ‭17‬-‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

How relevant are Jesus’ warnings for us today!

Our world is in turmoil. Talk about shaking! God said He would, in the last days, shake everything…and for one reason, to sift the temporal and transient from the permanent and eternal. 

“See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭25‬-‭27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Sobering words! People think that this world is eternal. They act as though everything they live for and depend on will last forever but …there’s a problem!

What is the most serious problem in our world and world system today, which has always been since Adam? Jesus put His finger on it…deception! The entire world, without God, functions on a delusion…that man can run the world his way, without God. 

God’s arch enemy had one purpose in mind when he confronted Eve, and Adam through her…to lure them by deception into delusion…that they could be free from God to be God. The deception was subtle. By following the devil’s insinuation that God was not to be trusted, they transferred authority, not to themselves, as they thought, but to the devil. They placed themselves firmly in his camp. Instead of being free to live and serve God, they became slaves to Satan.  

So, in answer to the disciples’ question, “When will the disaster (destruction of the temple) happen and how will we know when it’s about to happen?” In the other gospels, for example, in Matthew…their question not only related to the fate of the temple in the near future, but also to Jesus’ return and the end of this age…

“As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭24‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.”

A great deception…the first of many signs…about what? Do we not have many voices proclaiming, in the midst of the current shaking, “Listen to me! I have the authority to tell you that Jesus’ return is near.” These would-be false messiahs interpret prophecy according to their own imagination, putting in place timelines and dates and casting doubt on Jesus’ words…Jesus said clearly, 

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

Matthew 24:36 NIV

Why would the Father keep secret the day of His Son’s return? 

First, this is part of the protocol of the Jewish wedding. The Bible has in it, among other themes, the story of the Father’s search for a bride for His Son. Having chosen His Bride, and before the Groom comes to claim His Bride, He, the Bridegroom, prepares the bridal chamber, at His Father’s house, for the consummation of the marriage. He would return for her when the Father was satisfied with the condition of the bridal chamber. Thus, only the Father could determine the time of the Bridegroom’s return. 

So, as Jesus told His disciples…

“My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Wedding talk…He would return for them at the Father’s appointed time. 

Second, the great danger is that many people, even including some of God’s own people, would live careless lives with the idea that they could repent in good time for Jesus’ return.    

Jesus often spoke of His return and how to be ready…

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭24‬:‭42‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭24‬:‭45‬-‭46‬ ‭NIV‬

The crux of the matter is simple. Mature believers are those who are steadfast in their faith and secure in their knowledge and practice of the truth. They are not easily unsettled by those who propagate deception or fear. They remain faithful to their calling and their tasks. They are ready at all times, no matter the circumstances, for Jesus’ return. They know that testing and suffering may come but their hope is in God and in the security of His eternal kingdom. As Paul wrote…

“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So, in the midst of whatever form the shaking may take…wars, famine, political turmoil, natural disasters, family upheavals, even loss or death…our hope is anchored to the eternal values and promises of God’s kingdom.   

To be continued…

A HEAP OF RUBBLE?

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A HEAP OF RUBBLE?,

“One day people were standing around talking about the temple, remarking how beautiful is was, the splendour of its stonework and memorial gifts. Jesus said, ‘All this you’re admiring so much — the time is coming when every stone in that building will end up in a heap of rubble.’

“They asked Him, ‘Teacher, when is this going to happen? What clue will we get that it’s about to take place?'” Luke 21:5-7 (The Message).

Amazing, isn’t it, how things that seem so permanent and indestructible can disappear without warning in a moment! The Israelites had put such confidence in the durability of their temple that they could not believe that it would ever be destroyed.

Jeremiah warned them, centuries before, about putting false hope in their temple. “Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the Lord. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel says: ‘Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. Do not trust in deceptive words and say, ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!’ If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless and the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your forefathers for ever and ever. But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless.'” Jeremiah 7:2b-8 (NIV).

The Babylonians came and did exactly what Jesus predicted was about to happen again — they reduced their temple to rubble and plundered all its treasures. Perhaps the people who commented to Jesus on its beauty had forgotten its history. 

There are lessons for us to learn from this incident as well. God places no value on things if they do not serve the purpose of enhancing our relationship with Him and the fruit of that relationship. How many people foolishly put their confidence in inanimate things like crucifixes, St Christopher images or even a rabbit’s foot or family photograph to keep them safe instead of trusting in the living God! Even our money is not infallible!

Of course we have to remember that we live in a world where “stuff” happens. No one is immune from the problems and tragedies that affect all human beings. Jesus warned us that these things are inevitable (John 16:33), but He also promised that in Him we have a place of refuge – peace – that will protect us from the effects of these adversities.

Sometimes bad things happen just because we are part of an imperfect world; sometimes we are the victims of other people’s choices and sometimes we bear the consequences of our own poor choices. In this case, destruction was coming on Jersusalem because God’s people had rejected their Messiah and called down His blood on their own heads.

We may not escape the troubles that inevitably happen but we can have an eternal safeguard that carries us beyond the confines of this life. God’s promise to those who love Him is infallible: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew He predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.” Romans 8:28-29 (NIV).

We must never be caught up in foolish superstition that trusts in things and not in God. God and His word are reliable in a world that is fragile and transient. “The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”  1 John 2:17 (NIV).