“Whoa. It doesn’t sound so good”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Monday, December 18, 2023
Matthew 24: 15-31 (Forward, p. 50) CEV p. 1015
Bible scholars and pastors have debated the meaning of this passage almost from the beginning years of the church. Some have alleged that ‘the Abomination of Desolation’, the Horrible Thing in the holy place, refers to the destruction of the Temple by the forces of the Roman general Titus in the year 70 AD. And that, furthermore, that the further time of suffering Jesus mentions refers to the siege and destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in the First Jewish-Roman War of 66-73 AD. Some of these folks even suggest that Jesus did not actually predict this but that the writers of the gospels wrote this ‘back’ into the account after the fact in order to make it sound as if Jesus Himself had said it.
I think that it is safer to say, and truer to the plain text of the gospel account, to accept that Jesus said this, that He had actually predicted these future events. But, even then, a question arises: were these predictions meant to concern only the near future, like the Jewish-Roman Wars, or the more distant future, like today—or, both, or elements of both!
Certainly, many of these things did indeed happen ‘back then’, but not all of them (like the signs in the heavens). And a number of them have been repeated over and over again, like the siege of Jerusalem and the rise of false prophets. And, as for the signs in the heavens: who knows? ‘The sun will become dark, and the moon will no longer shine. The stars will fall, and the powers in the sky will be shaken.’ Has this ever happened, literally? And what will this look like, feel like? With the sun darkened, of course, the moon will not shine. But with the sun darkened, what will life on earth be like? On the basis of this, it is hard to tell.
But, as vague or uncertain as much of this might seem to us, two things are definite:
a) Firstly, nobody needs ‘to be in the dark’ as to whether Jesus has actually returned. There will be a sign in the sky (verse 30); it will be as apparent as a stroke of lighting that flashes from one end of the
sky to the other (verse 27). So, we don’t have to take on face value the word of some ‘secret’ Messiah; we can know it for ourselves!
So much for all those who have falsely predicted or proclaimed this over the years—when nothing happened, or it happened ‘in secret’.
b) And secondly, Jesus knows the future, our future, and the world’s future, and can be trusted, not only to warn us, but also to help, protect us, and see us through these terrible times. (Yes, it does indeed seem as if we will ‘have’ to endure at least some of this disastrous period—see verse 22—but for our sakes God will make it shorter.)
And so, we can always trust Him, who knows, and holds, the future, and works out all things to good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
Forward notes: “For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce great sings and omens, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect”
(verse 24).
“I was a senior in high school. A woman who had come to work in the school office volunteered to advise a big event that I had somehow found myself co-chairing. I was overwhelmed with the duty. This staff member told me she could help. She got more friendly, inviting me to her house. She told me about a religious movement I had never heard of, one in which she and her housemates took part. I went with her to one of the movement’s meetings, and its focus on the human leader seemed strange. But she was so friendly and insistent that I felt torn and confused.
“My mother suggested I write to an expert on religious cults; his response was that the organization was ‘definitely a cult.’ I realized that someone had taken advantage of me, but my mother helped me avoid going astray. Sometimes those first steps down an errant path have what seem to be innocuous beginnings.”
Moving Forward: “Thank God for those who have our best interests at heart. Let us be open to their wisdom and advice.”