Sake Of The Elect - Matthew 24:22

Matthew 24:22 ESV 

And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

Israel is still the focus and the elect of God. Their disobedience made way for the church. The church does not displace the elect. Instead, it issues forth from the stump of the tree that is the legacy and light of God's chosen vessel of revelation. We are grafted into the tree of salvation and blossom in the branch of Judah. 

They will once again say, "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of The Lord".

Isaiah 65:8-9

Thus says the Lord:

 “As the new wine is found in the cluster,

and they say, ‘Do not destroy it,

for there is a blessing in it,’

so I will do for my servants 'sake,

 and not destroy them all.

 I will bring forth offspring from Jacob,

and from Judah possessors of my mountains;

my chosen shall possess it,

and my servants shall dwell there.

Zechariah 13:8-9

In the whole land, declares the Lord,

two thirds shall be cut off and perish,

 and one third shall be left alive.

 And I will put this third into the fire,

and refine them as one refines silver,

and test them as gold is tested.

 They will call upon my name,

and I will answer them.

 I will say, ‘They are my people’;

and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God. ’”

Great Tribulation - Matthew 24:20-21

Matthew 24:20-21 ESV 

Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.

Sabbath is the day of rest. Tribulation on that day would be in stark contrast to the peace of Sabbath. Winter would be a unfriendly season for travel. 

A great tribulation awaits Jerusalem. We may be unsure of the time, but there is no doubt to the certainty of it happening. The culmination and outpouring of God's wrath will be of an unprecedented magnitude. 

They will know He is God. 

Daniel 12:1-2

 “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Ezekiel 5:9

And because of all your abominations I will do with you what I have never yet done, and the like of which I will never do again.

Flee To The Mountains - Matthew 24:15-16

Matthew 24:15-16 ESV 

 “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place ( let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

In Exodus, God stood with His people in the wilderness. In the middle of that desolation God made a holy place. Here we see the opposite take place. The wicked and unclean of the wilderness appears in the holy place. 

The holy place is only the residue of what it used to be. God made the temple holy with His presence, but He abandoned the temple after Israel abandoned Him. 

Where God is not, there the Devil finds a way in. This only leads to desolation. 

Those in Judea are told to flee to the mountains, for those days signal destruction. 

To The End - Matthew 24:13-14

Matthew 24:13-14 ESV 

But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 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.

The subject of the end figures prominently in this passage. The current world will not always continue in its fallen state. In time we will reach the bottom. The end may not be in immediate sight, but we can see that it is coming. It is during this time we are called to endure and to keep the word of good news. In keeping the word we actually testify to its truth to all nations. 

If we keep the faith to the end, we will not come to an end, but the beginning because we will be with God and that is where it starts. 

In the beginning God...

Judges Me - 1 Corinthians 4:4

1 Corinthians 4:4 NIV 

My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.

Our conscience may be clear, but we are not innocent. How can this be?

It is the Lord's doing. Though we are sinners, He has washed us clean in the blood of His sacrifice. Even if our conscience condemns us, He is greater than our hearts or conscience. There is a freedom in The Lord which binds us in His love. 

The stain of death was upon us, but we are now written in the book of life. The Lord has judged us and we delight in His mercy. 

Will Grow Cold - Matthew 24:10-12

Matthew 24:10-12 ESV 

And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.

Falling away from the love of God is a real and present danger. From the parable of the seeds to the letter to the Ephesians in Revelation, we are warned of this possibility.

Most anyone would agree that lawlessness has and continues to increase the further we move away from God. Distancing ourselves from the warmth of God's love will guarantee the possibility of being left out in the cold. 

Mark 4:17

And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.

You Will Be Hated - Matthew 24:9

Matthew 24:9

“ Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name 's sake.

Tribulation for His name's sake began immediately after the giving of the Holy Spirit. The world hates the Spirit that was in Jesus and is in the believer. It is something foreign and contrary to the darkness it finds so comfortable. 

This is in sharp contrast to the love that seeks to save that very world. Love is the visible sign of those that seek God. Hate is the visible sign of the enemies of God. 

What is the sign of your life?

Luke 21:16-19

You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name 's sake. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives.

Luke 6:22-23

“ Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.