The Close of the Age

"Do you have any last words?" That question is asked to a person that is to die for a crime. Reading Matthew 21-24, I just realized these were some of Jesus' last words. Let's take a listen.

With great foresight Jesus tells of the coming destruction of Jerusalem and signs of the close of the age. He closes by urging us, "Therefore you must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect" (Matthew 24:44). Jesus wails on the religious leaders with seven "woe"s that challenge their hypocrisy and then wails over Jerusalem's coming desolation (Matthew 23). I guess He wasn't trying to win a popularity contest. He answers trick questions with great savvy (Matthew 21-22) and asks those who are trying to trap Him, "If David calls him Lord, how is he his son?" This refers to King David's inspired words (Psalm 110:1) that say, "The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right end until I put your enemies under my feet.'" No one could answer Jesus' question that challenged them to probe the mysteries of who He is -- fully God and fully human, having existed forever in the past as God and also being born at Bethlehem.

My observations/response:

• Jesus is certainly no whimp but powerfully challenges people to know the "Truth" so that they can be prepared for His return.
• I wish that I could have such clarity on life -- Jesus is so perceptive!

Your thoughts?

The picture is taken from the Mount of Olives and looks down on present day Jerusalem. The perspective helps us to see how much higher the Mount of Olives is and it also shows a bit of the valley in between the Mount of Olives and the eastern wall of Jerusalem. The second picture is of the Mount of Olives looking from Jerusalem. The Mount of Olives has a large cemetery where the deceased lie in hopes of meeting Jesus there when He returns to earth and raises the dead. It is there that Jesus spoke Matthew 24-25; there that Jesus ascended into heaven and there Jesus will return (Acts 1:9-11).