May 1: Celebrating His Victory.
HIS COMING.
"They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory."--Matthew 24:30
I was standing on the Mount of Olives, and the view virtually took my breath away. There is a Jewish cemetery there, with thousands of tombs overlooking the temple. Some scholars believe that the earliest burials there date back three thousand years. Certainly, the cemetery was already there during the Second Temple period and the time of Jesus. I find it fascinating that Jesus decided to deliver His discourse about His second coming and the end times from this place, overlooking the temple and this oldest and most important Jewish cemetery.
Jesus was on the Mount of Olives when His disciples came to ask Him about the destruction of the temple (Matthew 24:1, 2), His coming, and the end of the age (verse 3). The Mount of Olives is mentioned in a prophecy found in Zechariah 14:4: "In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley." Now Jesus is on the Mount of Olives, in front of this ancient cemetery, overlooking the magnificent temple, and he chooses this specific place to discuss the destruction of the temple and, most importantly, the signs and the event of His Coming. At this time, the disciples were not able to distinguish between the two events; both probably seemed the same to them. After mentioning persecution, wars, pseudo-prophets, et cetera, Jesus reveals how this age of pain will end with His second coming! The Greek word for His coming is parousia; it is used three times in this discourse (Matthew 24:27, 37, 39) and not at all in the other Gospels. Parousia became the blessed hope of Christians in all ages.. In the New Testament, the word "hope" is used in the sense of "assurance," not in the English sense of "I hope this happens" but with the certainty that it will happen. When I visit my parents' tomb, I often imagine what that cemetery will look like on the morning of the resurrection, the day of Jesus' second coming. I can't wait! Jesus promised it, and therefore, it is a sure thing!
My Response:__________________________________________________________
HIS COMING.
"They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory."--Matthew 24:30
I was standing on the Mount of Olives, and the view virtually took my breath away. There is a Jewish cemetery there, with thousands of tombs overlooking the temple. Some scholars believe that the earliest burials there date back three thousand years. Certainly, the cemetery was already there during the Second Temple period and the time of Jesus. I find it fascinating that Jesus decided to deliver His discourse about His second coming and the end times from this place, overlooking the temple and this oldest and most important Jewish cemetery.
Jesus was on the Mount of Olives when His disciples came to ask Him about the destruction of the temple (Matthew 24:1, 2), His coming, and the end of the age (verse 3). The Mount of Olives is mentioned in a prophecy found in Zechariah 14:4: "In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley." Now Jesus is on the Mount of Olives, in front of this ancient cemetery, overlooking the magnificent temple, and he chooses this specific place to discuss the destruction of the temple and, most importantly, the signs and the event of His Coming. At this time, the disciples were not able to distinguish between the two events; both probably seemed the same to them. After mentioning persecution, wars, pseudo-prophets, et cetera, Jesus reveals how this age of pain will end with His second coming! The Greek word for His coming is parousia; it is used three times in this discourse (Matthew 24:27, 37, 39) and not at all in the other Gospels. Parousia became the blessed hope of Christians in all ages.. In the New Testament, the word "hope" is used in the sense of "assurance," not in the English sense of "I hope this happens" but with the certainty that it will happen. When I visit my parents' tomb, I often imagine what that cemetery will look like on the morning of the resurrection, the day of Jesus' second coming. I can't wait! Jesus promised it, and therefore, it is a sure thing!
My Response:__________________________________________________________
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