St. Matthew, Chapter 24, verse: 18; Flee from the fields.

 Our paragraph topic is:  (The destruction of Jerusalem) Part 4.  

Flee to the mountains.  Flee from the housetops.  Take nothing with you except your life least you die.  These are the words of Christ.  Destruction is coming to Jerusalem and all should know of the impending doom.  All should be aware of what is to happen.  

Jerusalem was a great and beautiful city.  How could this happen to it.  It was well constructed and well guarded.  Yet here was this man, this prophet, this Messiah proclaiming that it would fall and that all should flee least they loose their lives.

How could this be?  The Jews were a religious people protected by the hand of God.  He was their protector, their provider.  Had they not followed his commandments?  Had they not worshipped him according to his precepts, handed down by their fore fathers?  Why was it that this Christ was predicting the destruction of their sacred city?  What did he know?  What knowledge did he have that the Scribes and the Pharisees did not?  Yet he told his disciples and the people:  "And let him who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak."

The destruction of Jerusalem from the mouth of Christ must have been a shocker for the disciples.  They were proud of their city as were all the inhabitants and the Jews.  It took many years for it to be built.  It took many hands and lives for it to be completed.  Yet here he was proclaiming its destruction to the people.  Who would have thought or even imagined that this would happen?  But here was Christ Jesus proclaiming it will be destroyed.

Would you believe?

 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.

St. Matthew, Chapter 24, verse: 17; Flee from the housetops.

 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.

St. Matthew, Chapter 24, verse: 16; Flee to the mountains.

 Our paragraph topic is:  (The destruction of Jerusalem) Part 2. 

Time was an important factor in those days.  Where you lived, and worked, meant a great deal in terms of status and well being.  Yet for the coming destruction, location was also important.  It meant whether you had time to escape the oncoming slaughter.  It meant whether you had time to outrun the danger that was coming.  It meant whether you would live or die.

The farther away you were from the center of destruction meant that you had the time to get away from it all, to outrun death itself before it came knocking at your door.  This is what Christ was telling his disciples.  Do not hesitate.  Do not stop to take worldly belongings.  Run for your lives because death was coming and it would be swift.  He told them:  "Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains."

Jerusalem, the sacred place for the Jews, was not a place to flee from but a place to go to, a place of sanctity.  The Israelites did not believe that their city would be destroyed.  They believed that they were protected by their god.  They were a sacred people delivered by the hand of God from the bondage of Egypt to the sacred land of Jerusalem.  Why would their city be destroyed?   Why would their temple be torn down?  Why would death ravage their land when God  himself had protected them for all these years?

This is what Christ was telling his disciples, warning them of the destruction to come.  He was the Messiah.  He was the word of God come down from heaven to walk among the people as an example of the one true God.  He came to redeem the people, to show the way to the kingdom of heaven.  He came to pay the price for the sins of all that all might have new life eternal if they believed in him.  He is the key.  He is the gate keeper, the shepherd, the Lord of all.  

God the Father made him human that he might be with us, teach us, show us how to live, how to love, how to follow the commandments that we may be able to enter into the kingdom of heaven.  Let him who reads understand.  The knowledge is here for those who seek to know.  The door is open for those who wish to find it.  His love is fulfilling for those who need.  For there is everlasting peace in the knowledge of his wisdom and love.  Come!  Peace awaits your finding.

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.