34 lines
1.6 KiB
Markdown
34 lines
1.6 KiB
Markdown
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title = "Luke 21:10–19"
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date = "2023-01-30"
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### [Read the passage.](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Lk21.10-19)
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Having said that the Day of the Lord will not be in the immediate future, Jesus
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gives more details about what kinds of things will happen before then. Wars,
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earthquakes, famines, and pestilences will sweep across the earth at various
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times. "Terrors and great signs from heaven" (_v. 11_) is an interesting
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phrase, and it may mean that these things will happen periodically before the
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end times too. If so, they are an expression of God's mercy, by giving people a
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chance to repent of their sins and follow Him before they are swept away in
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judgement.
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Before all these things, though, the followers of Jesus will be persecuted and
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handed over to the authorities. Jesus encourages His disciples by saying that
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He will give them the words to speak at that time, so that the rulers will have
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an opportunity to hear the Gospel as well. Whether the rulers repent and
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believe is not the disciples' concern, though, for some will and some won't.
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Some disciples will be set free, some will be beaten and imprisoned, and some
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will be put to death.
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And yet, Jesus says not one of them will perish. This only makes sense if there
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is life after death, and in this way Jesus has promised His followers that He
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will take care of them even through death, for it is not the end of them. Being
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faithful to Jesus is more important than preserving our own lives because our
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relationship with Him will last so much longer than the short time we have on
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this earth.
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* * *
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Give us the endurace to pursue You over our own self-interests.
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