Dear Family and Friends,

Have you ever found yourself doing something really hard – but can’t seem to stop? Like re-watching The Passion of the Christ every Easter?

I spent a good part of my week doing something harder. I dove into Flavius Josephus’ The Wars of the Jews, to learn more about the destruction of the temple. This was tough reading.

Why do this to myself?

Jesus prophesied that the temple would be destroyed in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. His discourse is confusing to most because Jesus intermingles His prophecy of the end times with the destruction of the temple.

Despite the confusion, they are actually best read together. The destruction of Jerusalem and the temple was a warning, a prelude to the end of this age.

Reading about the war and the suffering was emotionally draining. Trust me, none of us want to experience the final chapter of this age.

In the midst of all this doom and gloom, there was a glimmer of hope – an uplifting story about the early church during the siege of Jerusalem. But before I share, let’s look at a few verses in Luke 21 specific to Jesus’ prophecy of the temple.

“Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God.

But Jesus said, ‘As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.’”  Luke 21:5-6 NIV

Jesus’ prophesy came to be when the Romans burned down the temple in 70 CE. And God was clearly involved.

Titus, the Roman leader of the conquest, complimented the construct of the temple and said, “We have certainly had God for our assistant in this war: and it was no other than God who ejected the Jews out of these fortifications.”

And did you notice that Jesus’ prophecy was fulfilled 40 years after He was crucified?

God gave this generation of Jews 40 years to repent and obey, the same number of years He gave His chosen people after leaving Egypt.

Let’s continue, “‘Teacher,’ they asked, ‘when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?’”

“When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written.”  Luke 21:7,20-22 NIV

In the year 312 CE, Eusebius, the bishop of the church in Caesarea, undertook the task of recording the history of the early church. Today he is considered the Father of Church History.

Included in his work, Historia Ecclesiastica, is the following account of the Christians in Jerusalem prior to the fall.

“The people of the church in Jerusalem, in accordance with a certain oracle that was given through revelation to those who were worthy in the place, were commanded to migrate from the city before the war and to settle in a certain city of Perea—Pella it was called—to which those who believed in Christ migrated from Jerusalem, so that when holy men had completely abandoned the royal capital of the Jews and the whole land of Judea, the judgment of God might at last overtake them for all their crimes against the Christ and his apostles, utterly blotting out that very generation of the wicked from among humankind.” 

Let’s begin to close with a few thoughts.

My prayer is that you found today’s passage to be a faith builder. To see Jesus’ words come to life should fill us with more confidence and trust and love for Him.

Ancient writings mention that church leaders and others were holding church gatherings in Jerusalem after the war. They returned, the church survived and the Gospel continued to spread. 

Jesus’ closing remarks recorded in Matthew, Mark and Luke differ somewhat. But they all have one phrase in common – Jesus telling His disciples to keep watch.

The church in Jerusalem (meaning people) kept watch. They saw the sign of Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, and they followed His directions to flee.

Today, as we begin the New Year, Jesus is giving us the same message. “Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”  Luke 21:36 NIV

Our world is filled with distractions – and at the same time signs are appearing.

I am not yet ready to declare the end is near. But we are one year closer to the end. Given the path our world is on, I encourage us to keep (or start) watching for the signs.

Finally, if you are not familiar with the signs Jesus spoke of, make time to read Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. The best thing you can do this week is prepare yourself for the year ahead.

In love always,