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Day 268

Luke 21 : 20-28 "ARE YOU DRAWN TO STUDY THE SCRIPTURES EVEN MORE CLOSELY?"

Day 268 – Luke 21

Text: Luke 21 : 20-28

ARE YOU DRAWN TO STUDY THE SCRIPTURES EVEN MORE CLOSELY?

Jesus wanted Jerusalem to take His words seriously. What He had said about the destruction of Jerusalem was not to be dismissed lightly. Thus He called His hearers to consider the prophecies that spoke about the destruction of Jerusalem.

The Book of Daniel contained a very vivid description of how the Messiah would be killed and also how Jerusalem would be destroyed! Jesus told His Disciples that they must believe His Word, which confirmed the prophetic word written by Daniel (Cf. Daniel 9).

How important it is to pay close attention to what the Scriptures have to say! Let us consider another important statement Jesus made as He spoke about the destruction of Jerusalem.

“But woe to those who are pregnant
and to those who are nursing babies
in those days!
For there will be great distress in the land
And wrath upon this people.
And they will fall by the edge of the sword,
And be led away captive into all nations.
And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles
Until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”
Luke 21:23-24

REMINISCENT OF THE MINISTRY OF JEREMIAH THE PROPHET

As we read the words of warning Jesus uttered concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, we are reminded of Jeremiah the prophet. He was one of the most prominent Old Testament prophets who preached about the destruction of Jerusalem under the hands of the Babylonians. The prophecies of Jeremiah were often given with many tears (Cf. Jeremiah 4:19; 9:1 etc). The prophet wept copiously as he preached that word given to him by God! Jerusalem would be destroyed for its wickedness and its sinful ways!

He wept as he thought about Jerusalem. He said,

“Why has this people slidden back,
Jerusalem, in perpetual backsliding?
They hold fast to deceit;
They refuse to return

Even the stork in the heavens
Knows her appointed times;
And the turtledove, the swift, and the swallow
Observe the time of their coming (Ref. to migratory instincts)
But My people do not know the judgment of the Lord.”
Jeremiah 8:5, 7

Jeremiah was opposed by many false prophets. On one occasion when Jeremiah preached about the destruction of Jerusalem, they reacted and wanted to put him to death. This excerpt reveals the fact that it was hard for the prophet of God to preach on subjects like the destruction of Jerusalem.


“Thus says the Lord:
‘If you will not listen to Me,
To walk in My law which I have set before you,
To heed the words of My servants the prophets
Whom I sent to you…
Then I will make this house like Shiloh,
And will make this city a curse to all the nations
Of the earth.’ “
Jeremiah 26:4-6

The reaction of the religious leaders was almost predictable.

“So the priests and the prophets and all the people
heard Jeremiah speaking these words
in the house of the Lord (Temple in Jerusalem),
…the priests and the prophets and all the people
seized him, saying,
‘You will surely die. Why have you prophesied
in the Name of the Lord, saying,
‘This house shall be like Shiloh
and this city shall be desolate,
without an inhabitant?’
And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah
In the house of the Lord.”
Jeremiah 26: 7-9

WHEN GOD’S WORD GOES UNHEEDED

Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Babylonians once before! This event was chronicled (Cf. 2 Kings 24 and 2 Chronicles 36). Reasons for the destruction of Jerusalem under the Babylonians were clearly stated by the historians of Jerusalem.

Once again, Jerusalem faced the prospect of being destroyed – this time by the Romans! As in the days of Jeremiah, so in the days of Jesus, the rebellious city refused to pay attention to the prophetic words of Jesus!

In rejecting the Messiah, Jerusalem had sealed its doom. The land will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led captive into all nations! Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD and fulfilled what the Scriptures and Jesus had said! In his time, Jeremiah had also solemnly warned Jerusalem about the wrath of God and how it would fall upon the city, but he too went unheeded.

How well do we heed God’s Word? We bring great distress to our lives when we do not take God’s Word seriously! God’s Word must always be taken most seriously. We imperil ourselves unnecessarily when we do not pay close heed to God’s Word!