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This week we conclude our study of Luke chapter 17. Please read verses 20-25 every day this week and, if possible, use a different translation each day, asking God to open your eyes to fresh revelation from His Word.
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Luke 17:22-23 (The Message)
‘He went on to say to his disciples, “The days are coming when you are going to be desperately homesick for just a glimpse of one of the days of the Son of Man, and you won’t see a thing. And they’ll say to you, ‘Look over there!’ or, ‘Look here!’ Don’t fall for any of that nonsense.”’
I’m sure that most of you reading this will have heard of someone called Nostradamus. He was a pharmacist from France born in the 16th Century and is famous for making a large number of predictions about the future. Many people read his ‘prophecies’ and then apply them to past events. It’s possible to make almost anything fit when using this reverse ‘mapping’. For example, Nostradamus mentions someone called ‘Hister’ and those people who want to ‘prove’ the prophecy say that there was a spelling mistake and it should have read ‘Hitler’.
Many other people have made such predictions about the return of Jesus and the end of the world. As early as 44 A.D., Josephus records that there were people declaring themselves to be the returned Messiah. Over the centuries, so many people have tried to predict the return of Jesus and during the past few decades there have literally been hundreds of predictions by so-called theologians.
As time marches on, as Christians we are very eager for Jesus to return as I explained yesterday. The Church faces increasingly difficult challenges and yearns for the moment when the trumpet will sound. As a by-product of this desperate longing, the church becomes more susceptible to people who claim to ‘know the time of His return’. It’s the same kind of thing as offering a drink to someone. If you offer a glass of water just after they’ve drunk a cup of coffee, then they will probably refuse the offer. If, however, they’ve not had a drink all day then they will probably take you up on it.
We are ‘thirsty’ for His return and therefore have to be very careful about how we respond to current circumstances. In our verses today, Jesus makes this point very clear. The Message translation gives an even more striking understanding. If someone says that Jesus has returned or will return on a specific date, “Don’t fall for any of that nonsense!”
Many people have been deceived over the years and have been led to believe that Jesus has returned in the form of a ‘new messiah’. Cult leaders have led so many astray and have preyed on the hunger and thirst for Jesus’ return. Matthew 24:36 records Jesus’ words in regard to His return: ‘But about that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.’
There is no need to look at ancient prophecies or to try to decipher the writings of Nostradamus. We should not listen to church leaders who say that Jesus will return on a specific date. Jesus has made it clear for us: He is going to return and that’s a fact. However, only the Father knows when. Our responsibility is to keep looking for that return and be on our guard to ensure that we’re not caught by surprise. May our lives be pleasing to Him and let His Kingship be evident in all we say and do.
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