Times of the Gentiles

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Scripture: Luke 21:20-24 (ESV)

20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, 22 for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. 23 Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Devotion:

            It seems that the tiny nation of Israel is back in the headlines again. Jesus who is speaking in the passage above made the prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the nation Israel. This was accomplished in A.D. 70. What then is going on in this tiny country today? It is being trampled by us Gentiles until God gives the command for the return of Jesus to fulfill the prophesy’s found in the book of Revelation. We, however, are given no specific timeline for the return of our Savior Jesus Christ. We are to live by faith and in the hope of His imminent return.

            We always get nervous when violence shakes the fragile peace of Israel and the Middle East. We read in our Bibles that the final battles will take place in this war-torn piece of real estate. But we are never given clear and unmistakable timelines or description of events that will accompany the fulfillment of all that the Bible promises. We hope that the return of Christ will happen soon. We also fear that we will not be prepared and ready to meet our Savior when He returns. While we cannot predict the day and hour of Christ’s return, we can be prepared for it.

            All that is necessary for our salvation was accomplished on the cross and in the empty tomb of Jesus. We could not save ourselves, so Jesus started and finished the work of redemption for us. All we need do is to believe that Jesus has done this for us and live by faith in hope of this promise. We need not be afraid or anxious because we have been given our salvation freely as a gift by the Father through the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit. God has prepared good works for us to do while we wait, but those good works will not save us. Only the death of the Son on the cross and His resurrection have the power to do that. Let us pray then that God will find us ready for His return.

Prayer:

            Heavenly Father, hear our prayer today. We give you control over our lives today. We pray that we may live in the assurance of Christ’s return and our ultimate victory over sin and death. We thank you that You sent Jesus to prepare a way for us to be saved, and then sent your Holy Spirit that we may be assured and empowered to live forever with You. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the entire Middle East today. We pray sincerely hoping that You will save many more souls before your return in glory. Amen.

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