St. Matthew, Chapter 24, verse: 19a; Those with child.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The destruction of Jerusalem) Part 5.  

Take nothing with you.  Run for your life if you are to be saved.  Don't turn back for anything, else you loose your life for death is at your heals.  Christ delivers a dire message to his disciples and to the people about the coming destruction of Jerusalem.  Everyone, all the Jews are praising their city, enjoying the sights and sounds of its beauty.  But not Christ.  He is warning the people of impending doom. 

Those who believe are shocked.  Those who disbelieve ignore, pass his prediction off as idle gossip from those who would spread fear.  The leaders and rulers of the people are terrified that this man who has captured the minds and hearts of the people is now spreading rumors of destruction of their great city.  It means ruin for their leadership.  And most horrified are those who are with child or children.  He is saying:  "But woe to those who are with child."

Women beware that you will suffer most because you are with child!  Death and destruction will find you first and foremost because you are unable to flee fast enough to outrun death.  You will be swallowed up by the oncoming horrors of destruction.  And the women know the truth of what the prediction means because they have seen and heard the meaning of tragedy and war.  Women are the possessions of destruction and those with child are ravaged the most.

Even today we see the loss of life due to natural disasters.  And those most vulnerable are the women and children especially those with child.   Floods and fires and hurricanes and storms and all kinds of natural disasters occur around the world in places where people live that do not have adequate means to prepare themselves for oncoming disasters.  Loss of life is precious, something that tears at our hearts when we see and hear of such in places in the world.

Christ was a sort of early warning system in those days in that he was telling the people what was coming that they might prepare themselves for the event.  The same as we have today, early warning systems that give us knowledge of impending doom that we might have minutes to escape death.  Even at the clutches of death though we must prepare ourselves daily thanking God for his precious gift of life and thanking him for the sacrifice made by Christ Jesus ,on the cross, to give us new life.  Believe in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and know that the promise of Christ is yours for the asking.  Death is but a door that we must all go through to transform ourselves to the true spirit of life that Christ has given us.  Know that it is yours for the asking, yours for the receiving, yours for the keeping that no one can take away.  Take the narrow path and God will be with you.  

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: 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.