The Wednesday after the Last Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Posted on November 27, 2024 by under
Scripture: St. Matthew 24:1-14 (NKJV)
24:1 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”
3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
Devotion
Our Lord Jesus did not give specific, precise details on the day and time of the end of the age. However, He did answer the disciples’ question. He told them precisely what they needed to know. When our Lord speaks to us this way He is not playing petty games like we do with one another. He knows all and He has power over all. In His profound love for us, He tells us what we need to know, because He also knows that our sinful hearts and minds are always ready to abuse wisdom and power. He teaches us, protects us, and guides us in the best way, according to His holy will.
Furthermore, He has given us the clear and precise message of the Gospel for our salvation. We do not know exactly when the Last Day will come, but we do know how to be ready! Repent, be baptized in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, observe all that He has commanded His Church, and watch! The trials and tribulations that our Lord told to His disciples have been fulfilled in various ways, so the end can come any time now. However, such things also happen again in subsequent times and places, so we also see that we may have to wait longer. We can’t see or know it all, but our holy, benevolent Lord does, and He has made us ready!
Collect: Absolve, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy people from their offences, that from the bonds of our sins which, by reason of our frailty, we have brought upon us, we may be delivered by Thy bountiful goodness; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
