Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Signs of the Times (20)


We have finished our discussion of the Antichrist, whose universal rule is not only one of the signs of the coming of Christ, but is also a sign that Christ’s return to save us has come. Antichrist’s rule shall end because Christ comes on the clouds of heaven to bring His church into glory with Him.
             As our Lord finishes describing the Antichrist in Matthew 24:15, He admonishes His people to flee from their homes and residences. He writes that when the Antichrist comes and establishes his kingdom, “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” Matt. 24:16-20.
            I have not emphasized before, and perhaps not even mentioned the fact that Jesus, in Matthew 24 is speaking, not only of the end of the world when He returns to this earth to take His people to heaven, but is also speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. It was in that year that the Jews rebelled against the Romans who ruled over them. The Roman government ordered Titus and his legions to march into Palestine and utterly destroy the nation, especially Jerusalem.
            This was done. Titus marched against Jerusalem, captured the city and destroyed every building in it. Titus set up an eagle in the most holy place, the symbol of Roman rule, and forced the Jews to worship it on pain of death. Thousands of Jews were killed, many by crucifixion, until there was not any more wood to make crosses. Israel ceased to exist.
            Jesus is speaking of this event as well as of the signs of His coming, because the destruction of Jerusalem was a type of the end of the world, for it was the end of the old dispensation with all its types and shadows. Many of the signs of which Jesus speaks in Matthew 24 took place also in 70 AD.
            As I mentioned earlier, the abomination of desolation, which is a name for the image of Antichrist, was set up in the holy place of the temple by the Romans and Israel was forced to worship it. It is in connection with that terrible event that Jesus commands the Jews to flee, for there were Christians in the city as well as the wicked and rebellious Jews.
            These Christians, obeying the command of Christ to flee, did so. They fled to a small area east of the Jordan River called Pella. This settlement of Jews lasted for many years and the refugees maintained their Christianity in Pella. The history of the early post-apostolic church speaks frequently of them.
            But the same is true for us when Antichrist comes, because of the rise of Antichrist and his bitter hatred of God, Christ and the church, and because of his determination to destroy the church: believers are ordered by Christ Himself, their Saviour and the Captain of their salvation, to flee into the mountains. Just before Christ returns, what happened in Jerusalem in 70 AD will also happen world-wide and believers must flee.
            It will no longer be a sin to leave one’s church and flee from it, for the abomination of desolation will be set up in the holy place, and believers will no longer be able to worship God in corporate, congregational worship. Their worship will be limited to their private devotions or to devotions with a few fellow saints and family as they run for their lives to some safe hiding place. The rule of Antichrist will literally be the end of the church and her worship.
            That fact that the church can no more meet will not be a disaster or a defeat of God’s work, for the work and calling of the church will be over. All God’s elect will have been saved and there is no need any more for mission work to be performed or for covenant instruction of children in schools and churches to be done. And Christ is about to take them all to heaven.
            But Jesus gives another reason why God’s faithful people should flee. The last and final and most terrible persecution will then take place. And the people of God will have to flee to survive. But I will discuss that persecution in a later article.
            Jesus warns His dear brothers and sisters that His admonition comes with great urgency. Just as soon as it is evident that God’s people cannot worship any more in their churches, they must flee. Nothing must delay them; not even for a moment. Jesus uses various specific instances to drive this point home. If they are on a housetop, they must not come down, but flee by the way of other housetops, which could be done in Jerusalem. But the point is that they must leave all their possessions behind and not try to take some things with them. If they are working, they must leave their jobs behind, not return to their homes even to fetch their clothes, but they must flee immediately.
            I do not think that Jesus means these things literally, but He uses them to impress upon us that the urgency to forsake all our possessions is very great. It is great because to linger and hesitate will mean certain death, for persecution comes with Antichrist’s take-over of the church.
            He means too that it will be for us the final choice between Christ and faithfulness to Him, and our delight in possessing earthly things. Today we can sort of “have our cake and eat it too.” We can have the world and its things, and also have Christ. But then, under Antichrist, the choice will be final and definite: no longer both Christ and the world; no longer treasures on earth and treasures in heaven; no longer a peaceful and prosperous life: only suffering.
            But our Lord also means what He said already in the Sermon of the Mount in Matthew 6:24-34. God will take care of us. He ordered the ravens to bring bread and meat to Elijah. Christ fed 5000 people with five loaves and a few fishes. God sent manna to Israel for 40 years in the wilderness. He can and will take care of us also.
            Then we will know with certainty those who set their hearts on heaven and those who could not leave their earthly places and possessions. Remember Lot’s wife – who turned to salt because she loved Sodom more than heaven. What do we love most? Our homes and jobs and pleasures and money? Or do we love heaven more and Christ our Lord more than life itself? Even though it means suffering and fleeing and even death? It is best to decide now.

With warm regards
Prof. H. Hanko.

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