This verse could...
Illustration
Object:
This verse could refer to the beautifully fitted stones and jewels in the temple wall. We might feel the same about the beautiful church building that we worship in with its lovely stained-glass windows. How would we feel if someone told us that it would all be destroyed? Wouldn't we think that was sacrilegious? All the buildings we almost worship here and in foreign lands where beautiful cathedrals have stood for centuries, they could be our replacement for the temple walls, which had also stood for ages. We know that things don't last forever. We saw an ancient cathedral in Europe that had been bombed in WWII and only the front remained. But who would have known?
Was that meteor that crashed in Russia a sign from heaven? What about the earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that have hit the U.S. and the rest of the world? What of that hurricane that destroyed so much of the east coast? If it happened to you, you could see it as a sign from God.
These things are happening all over the world in wars and natural tragedies, but Jesus is talking about the faith that the Israelites placed in their sacred buildings. If the Pharisees heard him say such things it could be an instant death knell for him. He is talking about more than buildings!
Jesus gives his disciples a hint of the coming of the end. One thing would be false prophets. Paul warned against anyone who would preach a different gospel other than the one he was preaching -- even if it came from an angel from heaven, let him be damned! That would immediately make one think of Muslims and Mormons who each claimed that their message came from an angel from heaven! There are others rising up today who claim to be prophets and who preach about the end of the world, predicting Armageddon or some great disaster to happen. Some have all kinds of restrictions about women's subservient roles. Even the religious bookstores are full of false and true information.
Jesus tells us that there will be wars and revolutions, but don't be frightened by them. Nation will rise against nation, he warned. As I often say, we see this displayed on our televisions every day! We wonder if it will ever stop! It is all coming true. I have wondered if it was always taking place, but that we have better news coverage today. When I was a child, we would read a headline of a farm accident in the next county. Now we read of a bus accident in India!
The hardest part is when Jesus says that we may be caught up in the middle of all this and may even lose our lives! Now it is getting close to home! It is one thing to see tragedies on TV, but quite another having them on your front step! Make sure your insurance is paid up. I mean your spiritual insurance!
Was that meteor that crashed in Russia a sign from heaven? What about the earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that have hit the U.S. and the rest of the world? What of that hurricane that destroyed so much of the east coast? If it happened to you, you could see it as a sign from God.
These things are happening all over the world in wars and natural tragedies, but Jesus is talking about the faith that the Israelites placed in their sacred buildings. If the Pharisees heard him say such things it could be an instant death knell for him. He is talking about more than buildings!
Jesus gives his disciples a hint of the coming of the end. One thing would be false prophets. Paul warned against anyone who would preach a different gospel other than the one he was preaching -- even if it came from an angel from heaven, let him be damned! That would immediately make one think of Muslims and Mormons who each claimed that their message came from an angel from heaven! There are others rising up today who claim to be prophets and who preach about the end of the world, predicting Armageddon or some great disaster to happen. Some have all kinds of restrictions about women's subservient roles. Even the religious bookstores are full of false and true information.
Jesus tells us that there will be wars and revolutions, but don't be frightened by them. Nation will rise against nation, he warned. As I often say, we see this displayed on our televisions every day! We wonder if it will ever stop! It is all coming true. I have wondered if it was always taking place, but that we have better news coverage today. When I was a child, we would read a headline of a farm accident in the next county. Now we read of a bus accident in India!
The hardest part is when Jesus says that we may be caught up in the middle of all this and may even lose our lives! Now it is getting close to home! It is one thing to see tragedies on TV, but quite another having them on your front step! Make sure your insurance is paid up. I mean your spiritual insurance!
