ESOCS Devotional 25 March 2022
TEXT: MARK 13: 14-27
MEMORY VERSE: “But when ye shall see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judea flee to the mountains.” Mark 13:14KJV
0 And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. 11 But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. 12 When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted lace ”
To desecrate or defile the Temple of God is a serious abomination with equivalent serious punishment from God (the owner of the Temple). The “abomination of desolation” Jesus mentioned is the desecration of the Temple by God’s enemies. This happened repeatedly in Israel’s history: in 597 B.C. when Nebuchadnezzar looted the Temple and took Judean captives to Babylon (2 Chronicles 36); in 168 B.C. when Antiochus Epiphanes sacrificed a pig to Zeus on the sacred Temple altar (Daniel 9:27; 11:30, 31); in A.D. 70 when Roman General Titus placed an idol on the site of the burned-out Temple after the destruction of Jerusalem. In A.D. 38, just a few years after Jesus gave this warning, Emperor Caligula made plans to put his statute in the Temple, but he died before he could execute his plan. Can you imagine these abominable acts!
We are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in us (1Corinthians 3:16); defiling it attracts punishment (verse 17). In the first paragraph, we see the different ways the temple was defiled. So, in what way(s) are you defiling the temple of God, which you are? What runs through our minds and mouths today, evil or good? What have we turned our bodies into today? On the physical side, we read of many churches where objects are buried in the altar? Today, the altar of God is no longer respected or feared.
God punishes those who defile His altar (1 Corinthians 3:17). Let us be careful.
- It is possible to overlook some actions thinking they are good before God.
- Ask for wisdom to know what is good and bad in the sight of God.
Read Other ESOCS Devotional here
FURTHER READING: 1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16
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ESOCS Devotional 25 March 2022
