Our paragraph topic is: (The destruction of Jerusalem) Part 3.
Christ continues with his predictions about the destruction of Jerusalem. He is speaking to his disciples so that they will know of the coming doom and to the crowd around them. This is new. It is not heard of before. He is the one who has brought about miracles, raised the dead, cured the sick, made cripples and the lame to walk, cured lepers. He is the one all the people are talking about. And now he is talking about the destruction of Jerusalem.
This new word may cause panic among the people. It may cause fear to run rampant. It may cause the leaders to take action to stop this talk of the destruction of Jerusalem. But Jesus is making a prediction of the coming doom of Jerusalem and he wants the world to know of it. He is telling the people: "And let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything from his house."
Destruction will be swift. It will be keen. It will be unrelenting. It will spare no one in it's path. So flee when you can with only your life and nothing else, less you loose it. Death is at your heals, one step behind you. This is the message that Christ is preparing his disciples and the people for, letting them know how they are to survive the coming doom. They must heed his words and flee for their lives when the time comes or slaughter will overtake them.
What are we to learn today, of this message given so long ago. Does it have meaning for the people of today. Jerusalem was destroyed but today it is rebuilt. Is it due for destruction again? The Jewish people were proud of what their religion had built. They were a rich nation. God provided for them for many years. Yet they rebelled and Jerusalem fell. Is there a message in their history for the rest of the Christian world? Are we provided for by God? Does he watch over us, does he protect us? Are we a proud people because of our God?
Christ came down from heaven to show us how to live, to be an example for us. He was gentle, and kind and loving, and forgiving. He gave of himself to those in need and those who believed in him. Do not be afraid he would always say. Have the faith of a mustard seed. Seek the kingdom of heaven first and all other things will be given you, for your Father knows your needs. These were some of his words to us, written for us to read and to know. Written for us to carry with us in our daily lives that we will have his words to guide us through life. The key to life is in his words. It is there for those who desire to find it, there for those who seek to know it, for those who seek to have it to open the door of their life eternal. Open yours!!
Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ . The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.
