Luke 21:5-38.
“And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled,” Luke 21:20-24.
As we come to study the next section of the words of the Saviour’s prophecy, given in response to the question of His disciples, verse 7, we come face to face with that which I allude to in my title for this study. In these verses there is that to which I refer as ‘a much misunderstood and misapplied prophecy by the Saviour.’
I. THERE IS A CLOSE SIMILARITY BETWEEN THE ABOVE PASSAGE AND MATTHEW 24:15-31.
Matthew 24:15-22 reads:—
“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”
Yes, there is a close similarity but they do not refer to the same events as those of Luke 21:20-24. That I will seek to show you. It is this seeing the two portions of Holy Scripture as referring to the same events which creates a misunderstanding of the Saviour’s words.
But firstly please learn that:
1. The tactics of the enemies of God and His people never change! On a number of occasions I have said that the devil is a slave of his own depraved heart and mind. He instinctively attacks the cause of God in a manner dictated by his own depravity.
I am sure that most readers have watched a video of the lions in Africa hunting their prey. Their tactics never change!
Well, so it is with the one who “as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour,” 1 Peter 5:8.
As the lions of Africa CANNOT change their instinctive hunting methods, so it is with the lion from hell and all who follow him.
Similarity
Consequently, you will see a great similarity in the Bible’s record of the many attacks, from many sources, upon God’s people throughout the ages.
How often we read, ‘AGAIN’ in regard to the backsliding of Israel and also the repeatedly attacks of her enemies.
“And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD,” Judges 4:1. What they did was the result of the devil’s temptations and allurements but it always followed the same pattern. See Judges 6:1, 8:33, 10:6, 13:1 for examples of this repetition!
Depraved man cannot alter his habits, just as the devil cannot alter his. As a result we may see a foreshadowing of the final events of this age, when the great apostasy takes place, when the devil and those duped by him muster their forces in a manner manifested in the many previous attacks he launched. (more…)
