Today's Reading
Jesus saw a terrible scene coming to Jerusalem in the not-too-distant future. He saw the Roman legions invading Jerusalem and completely destroying it in A.D. 70. Josephus, the Jewish historian, reported that more than one million Jews died during this invasion, thousands of them by crucifixion outside of Jerusalem. The city was so leveled that a plow was pulled across it from side to side. David also foretold this horrible event: “You have renounced your covenant with him, for you have thrown his crown in the dust. You have broken down the walls protecting him and laid in ruins every fort defending him” (Psalm 89:39-40).
The price for rejecting truth is high, and history, unfortunately, is strewn with the wreckage of civilizations that did just that. Joshua told the Israelites that if they forsook the Lord, He would turn against them, bring disaster on them, and make an end of them (Joshua 24:20). God gives a season of opportunity to repent, but then, like a potter fashioning his pot, He destroys the vessel and makes another.
Determine to be like Joshua, who said, “But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). History will prove you right!