Rev. Don Campbell

Deuteronomy 28-29

THOUGHT FOR TODAY, March 20, 2019

“QUE SERA SERA”

The year was 1956, I had just completed elementary school, and Doris Day sang Que Sera Sera (whatever will be will be). If only we could learn that no fortune teller, no astrologer, no self-appointed prophet can foretell the future. In today’s reading Moses sets before the people two visions of life. The first is a picture of the blessings that God would shower upon them if they served him with joy and gladness. These blessings may be summed up with one word: prosperity (Deuteronomy 28:11). The second picture is about the curses that would come to them because of disobedience. Two verses give the picture: “And you shall become a horror, a proverb, and a byword among all the peoples where the Lord will lead you away (Deuteronomy 28:37). “In the morning you shall say, ‘If only it were evening’ and at evening you shall say, ‘If only it were morning!’ because of the dread that your heart shall feel, and the sights your eyes shall see” (Deuteronomy 28:67). Questions might arise, such as “When?” “Who?” “How?” Moses’ response to them and to all who seek answers or make predictions about the future is emphatic: “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29). God told them—and he tells us—what we need to know to properly serve him and be blessed.

Jesus and his disciples were leaving the temple and they pointed out to him its grandeur. He responded, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down” (Matthew 24:2). They asked, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age? (v.3). First, as to when the temple would be destroyed, he gives them enough information to be prepared. “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. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath” (Matthew 24:15-20). This refers to the siege of Jerusalem and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. At the second coming of Christ, fleeing to the mountains will be futile: “Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?’” (Revelation 6:15-17).

The “When?” of the second coming of the Lord is something that belongs to God. Not even Jesus, when he was on earth, knew that day: “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” (Matthew 24:36). There is a statement of fact and two imperatives found in Jesus’ explanation that are applicable to both the destruction of Jerusalem and the second coming of Christ. The fact: Only those who endure to the end will be saved: “And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Mattew 24:11-13). The first imperative: Do not believe self-appointed end-time prophets: “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:23-24). The second imperative: “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24:42).

Our duty is to serve God with joy and gladness and leave the secret things to God. Doris was right: Whatever will be will be.

CONNECTIONS 2 Peter 2:1-3

1. Many, claiming to have found the key to the secret things of God, make end-time prophecies, all of which fail. What is Jesus’ imperative regarding them?

2. Some see Jesus words that his second coming would be like it was in the days of Noah to mean that eating, drinking, marrying and giving in marriage as signs of the end. Quite to the contrary, they are signs that life will be going on as normal and the unbelieving world will be caught by surprise. What does Peter have to say on this subject? (2 Peter 2:1-3)