Lenten Devotion for 8 April 2011 Anno Domini

Lenten Devotion for 8 April 2011 Anno Domini
14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: 15 And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house: 16 And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. 17 But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 18 And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. 19 For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. 20 And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days. 21 And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not: 22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. 23 But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things. (Mark 13:14-23)

The Abomination that Maketh Desolate: There are as many theories regarding the meaning of this term as there are Commentators of Scripture. Quoting our LORD’s reference to this matter in Matthew - When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) (Matt 24:15) Standing in the Holy Place! We know that there were abominable deeds performed during the inter-testimental period relating to Jerusalem and the Temple. We also know that only thirty seven years after these words were uttered, that Commander Titus surrounded Jerusalem and starved the wretched people until they were consuming even their own babies! These verses today most certainly have at least a double application of times and circumstances. The Lord means this to remain a mystery to the larger audience, “whoso readeth, let him understand” but implies that diligent study and earnest prayer may be required to peek behind the mystery. An interesting passage in Daniel is quite telling, in my view: “ And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.” (Dan 11:31) This, I do not believe, refers to the terrible destruction of Titus’ Roman armies for they destroyed very completely the Temple. We may not understand fully this passage until the scroll of time unrolls more fully, however, a following verse of Daniel may be related: “Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.” (Dan 11:37). When a young boy of ten years age, Daniel and Revelations were my favorite books because of the vivid imagery which they offered. But my youthful mind could never grasp the meaning of verse 37 above. Today, I do, indeed, see the abomination that maketh desolate standing in the Holy Place. We are today ordaining and consecrating practicing homosexuals. This may not be the meaning here, but interesting to note. (see Lev 18:22 for this abomination).
One major point here overrides all others – God does have an Elect people, and He makes provision for them. The Elect are those made reference to in the 17th Article of our Church: “He has decreed by His counsel, secret to us, to deliver from curse and damnation; those whom He has chosen in Christ out of mankind, and decreed to bring by Christ to everlasting salvation, as vessels made to honor." So we should not be deceived by the events looming before us though we may need to closely examine and relate all events directly to the clear Word of God. God cares for His Elect so deeply that He will sooner shorten those days of great trouble than have them deceived by imposters. All those of wealth, power, and cunning, regardless of royal status, are nothing in the eyes of God compared to His precious Elect. God’s actions are definitely centered around His Chosen and Elect people from out of the world – not around that of the world itself.
Another point to consider is that God does make provision and plan for us to take measures to defend ourselves. We do not rest on our election, but rather make it sure. We are to flee certain destruction and heed the warnings, too, given in Scripture. When imminent danger approaches, we are to sell our shirts and buy a sword if we do not have. God does not limit our well-being to spiritual only, but also to physical safety. Those dear Christians living in lands where they may suffer beheadings (even today), imprisonment, torture, etc. do not suffer for lack of any spiritual blessing. If God had intended to rapture us from the hurt and pain of the troublesome times approaching, surely He would have already raptured these dear souls, else an apology would seem appropriate.
Finally, be not deceived by discordant voices multiplying in the public forum. You should know that the world is very clever, cunning, and hateful of Christ. Whatever means they may manufacture (science, falsely so-called; phony logic and reason; false religion, etc), do not be deceived! If “love of money is the root of all evil” you may be sure that ministries built upon wealth and opulence are probably not the source of soul-saving truth. Tone out those voices that make extra-biblical claims. If we may not prove words by Canon Scripture, we must discount them. God is not going to tell secrets to individuals regarding His people that He has not told in Scripture. “God has shared a great mystery with me!” is a lie out of the Dark nether-world. There is One who has descended and ascended up to heaven again – that is the Lord Jesus Christ. At the last, Christ tells us that to be forewarned is to be fore-armed. Expect clever attempts at deception from the same serpent that spoke from the tree in the Garden, and listen not to that voice!