It was on this day that Titus completely surrounded the city of Jerusalem, allowing no one in and no one out. A generation before, Yeshua had spoken of this time:
“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her.” (Luke 21:20-21)
It’s reasonable to assume that those who heeded this warning were spared and those who did not, even if they were good people, perished in the siege. This suggests a couple of things: first of all, a person can hang onto something, even if it’s a good something, too long. And, God is willing to allow those things that He has ordained – in this case Jerusalem – to be destroyed when it no longer serves its intended purpose.
There are believers who take the position that, in spite of the warnings of trouble that we see all around us, no action on their part is necessary. They feel all they need to do is to sit back, be faithful and wait for the Creator to snatch them from the jaws of the enemy. Besides, they conclude, God wouldn’t allow anything bad to happen to His people. But what if those same people are wayward?
The point is, deliverance is based on more than just believing what the Creator says; sometimes it requires us to act upon what He has commanded us to do. First and foremost, we are expected to turn from anything that is contrary to His will; in short, we must repent. Moreover, there are times when practical things must be done. For instance, what would have happened to the first born in Egypt if their father had heard the instructions of the Lord, believed them, but then failed to actually slaughter the lamb and put the blood upon the doorposts? What would have happened to humanity if Noah had heard the warning of what was to come and received instructions from the Lord but failed to build the ark per God’s instructions? What will happen to those believers who are not acting upon God’s instructions for today and refuse to heed the signs He’s sending us, now?
I believe the warning concerning the siege of Jerusalem that Messiah gave was not to scare people into immobility, but to spare them from destruction and prepare them for function. Likewise, the Father is doing the same, today. He’s warning us of impending trials and tests, not to scare us, but to prepare us so that we will be equipped to function in our purpose for these last days. And even though we need to do prepare in a practical manner, we must not become obsessed with preparation, in order to survive. We should prepare in whatever way we can, within our means, in order to function so that we can continue being what we’ve been called to be – light in the midst of darkness. Those followers who believed Messiah’s warning and fled from Jerusalem didn’t do it so that they could hide away, never to be seen nor heard from again. No. They were spared so that they could continue being His witnesses, and so should we.
Let’s pay attention to what the Father is saying so that we can be prepared to ride out any storm that comes our way, so that afterwards, we may be positioned to continue the work He has given us.
Shalom.
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