Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Devotions: Matthew 24:26-35

Jesus Tells About His Return

Points:
Jesus is telling his disciples about His return and speaks about how it will be obvious to everyone what is happening. He says, "For as lightening that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man". Jesus continues to give details of what will happen at that time and describes a very somber awakening - "Immediately after the distress of those days; the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn." Jesus tells his disciples that the people will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky "with power and great glory". Angels will sound trumpets announcing the arrival of the Son of Man. Jesus goes on to give an analogy of a fig tree that will signal the coming such as when the twigs of the tree become tender and the leaves come out, "you know that summer is near". "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."

Problems:
Jesus says many things here about the second coming and specifically how "the nations of the earth will mourn". This is because they will suddenly realize that the Bible is true and that they are about to be held accountable for the lives that they've led. It's going to be a rude awakening for a lot of people on that day.

Parallels:
Mark 13:24-31; Luke 21:25-33

Promises:
Jesus promises that His words are true and they will never "pass away". The earth is only temporary and will, at some point, pass away. He also mentions that heaven will pass away and and obviously He is speaking of the prophecy of Revelations. If so, then there will be a new heaven and a new earth. "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea" (Revelation 21:1).

Perils:
The perils I see in this passage stem from the people not believing Jesus' words and see him as a prophet; not the Messiah. This is what Jesus means when he says, "and all the nations of the earth will mourn". And again, the signs that Jesus talks about will be pretty evident that something major is happening. I would just bet that there will be a lot of conversions on the day of Jesus' second coming.

Precepts: 
The command or precept that jumps out to me in this passage is that we should believe what Jesus is saying as truth and make every effort to prepare for His second coming because we really don't know when that day will be. Instead of being a "Doomsday Prepper" and burying ourselves in bunkers with guns, ammo, and food, the Christian bunkers will be  a never failing faith in our Lord, our arsenal consists of the Word of God as written in the Bible, and our nourishment comes from spiritual fulfillment of our souls through the Son who provides to us life-giving water.

Applications:
I can apply this message in my life today by believing in Jesus' teachings and words as truths. I will stay focused on Him to manage what I do not understand and remain faithful. I see evidence every day of the signs Jesus spoke about in this passage and know that the fig tree twigs are growing tender. The leaves on the tree are starting to open. I know Jesus could come at any time and I will be ready by sheltering myself in my bunker, preparing my arsenal, and by gathering my nourishment.  

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