Sunday: A Powerful Confirmation of Prophecy
In the final days before the Cross, the disciples spoke with Jesus on the Mount of Olives. Imagine hearing Jesus say that the temple will be destroyed.
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Who knows exactly what went on in their minds, but the questions that they asked afterward indicate that they linked the destruction of the temple with “the end of the world” (Matt. 24:3).
Read Matthew 24:1-25. What overall message did Jesus give to His followers about the last days?
Matthew 24:1-25 makes it clear that, among other things, Christ is concerned with deceptions that will confuse His people through the ages and into the end time. Among those deceptions will be false prophets and false Christs. Some will come claiming to represent Christ (false prophets), and some will come claiming to be Christ. And the terrible thing is, people will believe them, too.
We have seen a sad but powerful confirmation of the Word of God. All through history, and even in our day, deceivers have indeed come, saying, “I am the Christ.” What a remarkable prophecy! Living in the time that we do, we can survey the long centuries of history and see (in ways those who lived in Christ’s time couldn’t) just how accurate that prediction was. We shouldn’t be surprised, either, if deceptions like these only increase as we near the final crisis.
Also, in the context of affirmation of faith, look at how Jesus depicted the state of the world. At various times in earth’s history since Christ, people had placed their hope in things they believed would eliminate or at least greatly reduce the sufferings and woe of humanity. Be it political movements or technology or science or reason — at one time or another people have placed great hope that these things would usher in a utopia here on earth. As the painful witness of history has shown again and again, these hopes have always proven ill-founded. The world today is just as Jesus said it would be. Christ’s words, spoken almost two thousand years ago, show just how misguided those hopes really have been.
Read Matthew 24:25. What can we take away from this that should help affirm us in our faith?
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Amos 3:7 Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing
without revealing his plan
to his servants the prophets.
In a deceptive world, God is revealing Himself to those who are seeking Him.
Surely - not maybe
The sovereign Lord - Daniel 2 when asked to reveal the dream of Nebuchadnezzar the answer of his wise men were only gods can reveal this kind of truth but they don't dwell among us.
My God the Creator of the universe is willing to reveal unto me His plan.
Does nothing - reemphasizing the point He does nothing. Who am I that He should be mindful of me to reveal his plans.
Without revealing His plan - I don't have to rush to the church when I have 911 event in USA. I don't have to be surprised when I listen to the news. It affirms what has been revealed in His word.
To his servants and prophets - It is not for the world to know. The world cannot understand godly things.
Matthew 13:11
11 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.
May God bless us with his continued revelation.
Amen, though Jesus is giving us warning, He is also giving us hope. He says don't go, don't believe, hold on to what has been given you and grow in the faith and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. No man knows the day or the hour when Jesus returns EVERY eye will see Him, this depicts a glorious entrance of our Savior, no He will not be in the upper room or the desert, He will be visible. Let's read and pray not to be deceived and let's ask Him to prepare us for His coming. May we tell others of these rich blessings and stand in the gap for them also. Pray without ceasing, and don't grow weary in well-doing. For if god is for us who can be against us?
God is love and love thrives well in knowledge of the object of our love. The bible says we love God because He first loved us; God's love stirs a reciprocal love to him.
We cannot love God without a knowledge of him even as John 17:3 states, thus God has been in the business of revealing himself to us in divers ways at different times as seen in Hebrew 1:1 and John 17:6. God has been striving to bring out His character out as it is in contrast to how the devil has marred it and has wished it to appear. He has as such continously made known his plan of salvation to us that we may not remain in darkness in regard to his action plan Amos 3:7, 1Peter 1:10-11.
The accurate fulfilment of prophecy in chronological order should not only mesmerise us but it should indicate to us the progress of our salvation and elicit our response to the churning out of issues. God's intent is to bless us with all spiritual blessings in Heavenly Places according to Ephesians 1:11 and the confirmation of prophecy is the token of the heavenly things John 3:12.
God wants us to be His friends, He actually calls us friends in John15:14,15, and share in His thoughts, intents and purposes as is evidently seen in John 14:29; 16:4. The accounts of the apostle of Jesus eyewitness were true but they do not exceed us in any way by being eyewitness for through the word of prophecy we can share in their benefits equally that is according to apostle Peter in 2Peter 1:16-21.The apostles' account notwithstanding the word of prophecy is regarded to be a sure confirmation of God's dealings with us. So in a nutshell we need to perceive the working out of our salvation as necessitated and facilitated by God's love in every fulfilment of prophecy.
What a gracious and loving Savior we serve who warned us of what would come so that we would be prepared. We do not have to fear what we see in the news. Jesus already knew it would happen. And just as all the terrible things He predicted are coming to pass, then so shall all the beautiful promises also come to pass:
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.’” (Revelation 21:1-4)
Through it all, we have Jesus' words to give us his hope, his comfort, his peace, and his joy.
Matthew 24 looks at the destruction of the temple(which also symbolises the world), the signs of the end and christ second coming. Its shows how the things that have been prophesied have come to pass thus giving confidence in the prophecy of times ahead (Matthew 24:25) and our hope by no other means than being found standing in Jesus for we know not the hour of his return (Matthew 24:36).