Life Recovery Bible - Flipbook - Page 48
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Go ahead and finish what your ancestors
started. 33 Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will
you escape the judgment of hell?
34
“Therefore, I am sending you prophets
and wise men and teachers of religious law.
But you will kill some by crucifixion, and
you will flog others with whips in your synagogues, chasing them from city to city. 35 As
a result, you will be held responsible for the
murder of all godly people of all time—from
the murder of righteous Abel to the murder
of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you
killed in the Temple between the sanctuary
and the altar. 36 I tell you the truth, this judgment will fall on this very generation.
32
Jesus Grieves over Jerusalem
37
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that
kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather
your children together as a hen protects her
chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t
let me. 38 And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate.* 39 For I tell you this,
you will never see me again until you say,
‘Blessings on the one who comes in the
name of the Lord!’*”
CHAPTER 24
Jesus Speaks about the Future
As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds,
his disciples pointed out to him the various Temple buildings. 2 But he responded,
“Do you see all these buildings? I tell you
the truth, they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of
another!”
3
Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives.
His disciples came to him privately and said,
“Tell us, when will all this happen? What
sign will signal your return and the end of
the world?*”
4
Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, 5 for many will come in my name,
claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and
threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these
things must take place, but the end won’t
follow immediately. 7 Nation will go to war
against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes
in many parts of the world. 8 But all this is
only the first of the birth pains, with more
to come.
9
“Then you will be arrested, persecuted,
and killed. You will be hated all over the
world because you are my followers.* 10 And
many will turn away from me and betray and
hate each other. 11 And many false prophets
will appear and will deceive many people.
12
Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the
love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one
who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And
the Good News about the Kingdom will be
preached throughout the whole world, so
that all nations* will hear it; and then the
end will come.
15
“The day is coming when you will see
what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the
sacrilegious object that causes desecration*
standing in the Holy Place.” (Reader, pay attention!) 16 “Then those in Judea must flee to
the hills. 17 A person out on the deck of a roof
must not go down into the house to pack.
18
A person out in the field must not return
even to get a coat. 19 How terrible it will be
for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. 20 And pray that your flight
will not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For
there will be greater anguish than at any time
23:38 Some manuscripts do not include and desolate.
23:39 Ps 118:26. 24:3 Or the age?
24:9 Greek on account of
my name.
24:14 Or all peoples.
24:15 Greek the abomination of desolation. See Dan 9:27; 11:31; 12:11.
24:2-8 Many people needing or seeking recovery are greatly discouraged by the fear that things
will go on indefinitely in the same miserable, dysfunctional way they are now. As Jesus began his
Olivet discourse (Matthew 24–25), he looked ahead to events surrounding his return to earth, and
he promised that someday true recovery would take place (24:13). But he also warned that things
would get worse before they get better, which parallels the normal course for recovery. We need
to hang in there until our program is complete and we are restored.
24:14 Because God loves everyone, he is delaying the world’s judgment until all parts of the
world have heard the message of salvation. This does not mean that everyone will accept the gospel; but every group will have had a chance to respond. As we get closer to world evangelization,
we get closer to Christ’s second coming. Have we accepted Jesus and his plan for salvation and
recovery? If not, time is running out.
24:36-51 Jesus did not tell us when the final redemption of this evil world will come. In the same
way, we may not know when our personal recovery is to be complete. All of us are still recovering,
one day at a time. None of us has arrived. Not until Christ’s second coming will we be relieved of
daily working, watching, and recovering.
