FBC Daily Devotional – August 3, 2021

Luke 18 and the Hiddenness of Prophecy

Well, good morning, a good Tuesday morning to you. I hope your week got off to a good start yesterday. We're reading in Luke chapter 18 today, and there's this passage that we come across that really can kind of leave our heads scratched a little bit, can't it?

I'm talking about where verses 31 through 34, Jesus very clearly tells his disciples what's going to happen. So in verse 31, he begins by saying, we're going up to Jerusalem. He says, look, disciples, pulls them aside.

He says, look, we're going up to Jerusalem, and all the things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. Okay, so there's Old Testament prophetic scriptures that are going to be accomplished in Jerusalem.

Well, like what? What's going to happen? Jesus says, glad you asked that question. Here's what's going to happen. The Son of Man is going to be delivered to the Gentiles, will be mocked and insulted and spit upon.

They will scourge him and kill him. And the third day, he will rise again. Well, that's all pretty straightforward and very clear, isn't it? I mean, how much clearer can you get than the language that he just used?

Insulted, mocked, spit upon, scourged, killed, rise again. Very clear, vivid language. And yet, verse 34 says, they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken.

So there's a couple of things in play there, aren't there? Clearly, the verse tells us, they didn't get it. They did not understand what Jesus had just told them. But we also have some insight as to why they didn't understand.

They didn't have understanding because it says, it was hidden from them. So there's a power here in play that is beyond the control of their own rational thought processes. And that is that God the Spirit did not give them eyes to see, didn't give them ears to hear, and a heart to understand what Jesus was actually saying.

And we know later on, when the crucifixion came and they seemed like they were totally taken off guard by this. And when the resurrection occurred, they were not expecting it. So they truly didn't get it.

Eschatology and the Limits of Our Understanding

Now, I read that, and what struck me when I read this is, I wonder how many things there are in biblical prophecy concerning eschatology, the doctrine of last things. That we're like the disciples. You know, God in his Word has said some things, and they're pretty straightforward.

But,.

We just don't understand it. We just don't get it. It's hidden from us. And I mentioned that because when it comes to the doctrine of eschatology, the matter of last things, there are interpretations and views that are all over the page on a lot of these things.

All right, for example, is there going to be a millennium, a 1 ,000 year reign of Christ, a literal 1 ,000 year reign of Christ? Is there or isn't there? Some say yes, some say no. Those who say yes, is it going to be, is Christ going to come before that 1 ,000 year reign or after that 1 ,000 year reign?

Some say before, some say after. Well, is there going, you know, there's the Bible talks about a tribulation period that's coming. Is that a literal seven-year tribulation period, or is that figurative of something else?

Some say figurative, some say literal. Is Christ, and is there going to be a rapture? Some say there is, some say there isn't. And those who say there is, they say it's going to happen before the tribulation period.

Some say it's going to happen in the middle of the tribulation. Some say it's going to happen at the end of the tribulation. And on and on we can go. And my purpose here is not to go into all of those things and even to express my opinion on them.

My purpose is this, simply this, I can't help but wonder, if, when, all that God in his word has prophesied that will come to pass at the coming of Jesus, if when that all comes to pass, we won't be just like the disciples here in Luke chapter 18, well actually after the resurrection.

Look back at this conversation, the disciples did, look back at this conversation and said, oh, so that's what he was talking about. I got a good feeling that when Jesus comes again and all these things that the Bible prophesies will come to pass, we're going to look back and say, oh, so that's what that meant.

It was so clear. Why didn't we see that? Why didn't we get, how could we have missed that? Isn't that an interesting thing to think about and to wonder about? Well, one thing we don't have to wonder about, and that is, Jesus is coming again.

He said so, and it doesn't matter the eschatological view about the Millennium or the Rapture, all those different positions. I'm not saying none of those things matter, but what is important is that everybody across the spectrum of those different views agrees with this one thing, Jesus said he's coming again, he's coming again, he's coming again, and it could be today.

The Certainty of Christ's Return

Are you ready? Are you waiting? Are you looking? Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for your word and even the prophetic passages of Scripture that in our finite minds aren't so clear to us right now, and we think we got so much of it figured out, but Father, surely it's going to be a thing when all is fulfilled.

We'll look back and say, wow, what a wise, what a wise God you were, and how much you told us that we just couldn't grasp. But now we see. Father, we will see when Jesus comes again. May he come quickly.

We pray in Jesus name. Amen. All right. Have a good rest of your Tuesday. I trust God will bless you, and keep looking. The Lord is coming again. Good day.