The Desolation that Compels Us

“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:20-24).

Jesus directed His discourse to the first big event of the last days, the desolation of Jerusalem. To correctly discern the precious truth our Teacher shares here, we must remember that the last days are those days between the ascension of Christ and His return. He wants His disciples in every age to be living every day as if it is the last day here on earth before His return. He also wants us to remember that the days after His visit and ministry on earth would be very different from the days that went before. The last days would begin with the siege and destruction Of Jerusalem, the city at the heart of God’s great plan of reconciliation with mankind… “At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the LORD, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart” (Jeremiah 3:17). Jerusalem is also the city close to the heart of Jesus… “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (Luke 1,3:34). Let’s remember that Christ is becoming enthroned in our hearts and in these last days, He wants us to be responsive to the desolation that compels us.

The desolation of Jerusalem would scatter Christ’s disciples. Jesus wanted His disciples to leave the comfort and familiarity of Jerusalem to carry the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth… “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The first days after the birth of the church were filled with blessing as the church grew by the thousands, but the first phase of God’s plan for the church to reach the world would not last for long. Persecution, then the siege and destruction of Jerusalem propelled the disciples with the message of the gospel out into the Gentile world… “Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). God sometimes shakes and brings desolation to our world in order to compel us to carry His gospel to others.

The desolation of Jerusalem would not last forever. Jesus promised that… “Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled”. What did He mean by “the times of the Gentiles”? The Spirit inspired Paul to give an answer… “A partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (Romans 11:25). Jerusalem’s desolation will end when the gospel has reached the whole world… “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). The Gentile domination of Israel until the return of Christ should compel true disciples in every age to share His gospel and make disciples of all nations… “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).

The desolation of Jerusalem would fulfill God’s vengeance. God is jealous over Jerusalem… “So the angel who talked with me said to me, ‘Cry out, Thus says the LORD of hosts: I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion” (Zechariah 1:14). The Spirit inspired Paul to reflect the Lord’s jealousy for the heart of the true disciple, because He gave His life in exchange for our heart… “For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2). His divine jealousy moves God to bring about the desolation of the fruit of our adulterous behavior and compels us rise above the world’s temptations and to grow in holiness.

As we grow up into Christ, we are moved to make disciples of the nations in word and deed by…

The Desolation that Compels Us.