Psalm 106; Luke 21:5-38

Psalm 106
OK, here we are in the month of November--the month of Thanksgiving, and this psalm begins with these words, "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!" We are to praise Him and remember that "His faithful love endures forever," and He has performed miracles too numerous to list.

The psalmist then goes on to remember Israel's history, how that God blessed them, they were unfaithful, God punished them, they returned to God, and then the cycle would begin again.  This seems hard to understand on the surface, but we must remember that many generations pass between these events, and people do tend to forget history. v. 6 tells us that we do the same thing Israel did, "Like our ancestors, we have sinned. We have done wrong! We have acted wickedly!"

The psalm ends with a plea for God's mercy and praise for Him. "Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives from everlasting to everlasting!"

Luke 21:5-38
This portion is sometimes called the Olivet Discourse because Jesus delivered it at the Mount of Olives (v. 37). He is telling the disciples what to expect in the future--actually about the events that will surround His second coming. vv. 20-24 is a parenthetical account that deals with the destruction of Jerusalem which came to pass in AD 70. The rest deals with events that have not yet happened, but Jesus is telling us what to expect surrounding His second coming. Here are a few of the things to watch for:
1.  Many will come claiming to be the Messiah.
2.  Wars and rumors of wars
3.  Earthquakes
4.  Famines and plagues in many nations
5.  Terrifying things and great miraculous signs from heaven.
6.  Great persecution
7.  Strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars

These are fearful words for people who don't know the Lord, but for those of us who are His children, we can rest assured that we are safe for all eternity--though we are not promised that we will escape suffering here on earth.

The following verses, contain a great promise for us as believers, "Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!" The heaven and earth as we know it will disappear, and a new heaven and new earth will come to pass. Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear." v. 33 Then He warns us to be watching and remain alert.

These words are not meant to terrify us, but rather to remind us that we should understand the truth and be serious about eternal matters.