Wednesday, Jul 08, 2009

7-8 Jesus Predicts, History Records

Download this episode (21 min)   
“Can I come talk to you?” It was Cheryl (not her real name). We made an appointment. Cheryl came to know Christ as Savior at Pine Grove several years ago. She was one of those bright stars that sprung up quickly… but the troubles of the world choked her joy. She was addicted to gambling. It wiped out their savings. For years she has been on the edge of losing her home and her marriage. “I’ve quit gambling!” She said. God orchestrated a set of circumstances that ended her gambling spree! Seven Feathers regularly gave her complimentary hotel rooms and meals to entice her to gamble. She wanted to do something special for her dying friend, so for the first time ever, she asked them for a free meal for him. They refused. Suddenly she realized that they didn’t care about her, just her money! “That was it” she said. Now pray that Cheryl will remain free!

Today's Scripture reading is 2 Samuel 23; Zephaniah 2; Luke 8:26-56
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com - Archives can be found at http://timewithgod.podbean.com

Today’s thought comes from Luke 21:12 "But before all these things… 20 when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. 21 "Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. 22 "For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 23 "But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. 24 "And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Jesus predicts that Jerusalem will be destroyed! Remember the key phrase… before all these things? That means the desolation of Jerusalem will occur before the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord. The Day of the Lord is yet to come, the destruction of Jerusalem occurred in AD 70 after years of conflict. The early Christians took the prophecy in Luke to heart. Historians tell us that in AD 66, Roman military commanded by Cestius Gallus came to Jerusalem to put down a Jewish rebellion. After surrounding the city they began their siege. Then, for no apparent reason Cestius withdrew his troops and left the area. It was then that the Christians made their escape. They fled to a place in the mountains 60 miles away called Pella, so that when Titus, another Roman general came several months later, there was not a Christian in the city! Under General Titus, over one million Jews were killed in the siege. Another ninety thousand were taken captive and sold as slaves. This resulted in the dispersion of the Jews into all the nations of the world. Up until this time Christianity was still “in the fold of Judaism.” The Jews were suspicious of Christians and considered them an aberration, but they grudgingly thought of them as an offshoot of Judaism. Relations were never good, but when the Christians abandoned the Holy City, the Jews never forgave them. This is the breaking point between Christianity and Judaism. The Jews were angry at the Christians for leaving, the Christians pointed to the destruction of Jerusalem as the vengeance of God for rejecting the Messiah, just as Jesus had said. In Luke 19:43-44 Jesus cried out, “the days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation." Everything was fulfilled just as Jesus said it would be!

Dear Father, I pray for the peace of Jerusalem. The nation has been destroyed and dispersed into every country in the world, yet you brought them back. May they come to know their Messiah and may the day come soon when they and the world are at peace.

“Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:34 AM |  MAKE A COMMENT  

<< Home