What on Earth is Going to Happen?
Luke 21:5-24
©Copyright
April 3, 2011 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche SERIES: WALKING WITH JESUS
Every
one of us would like to know what the future holds. If we had some “insider”
knowledge of what the stock or commodities market was going to do we could
become rich. In an effort to find the future people turn to horoscopes, fortune
tellers and psychics. We think we would like to know how long we are going to
live so that we could better plan for our retirement or forget about retirement
and spend all our money now. We’d especially like to know when the Lord was
going to return so we could get our priorities in order.
The
text before us in Luke 21 (and in the parallels in Matthew 24 and Mark 13) is a
passage that has spurred a host of books pointing to various world events as sure
“signs of the imminent return of Christ”. Most of those books quickly find
their way to bargain bins at bookstores because they often jump to conclusions
that are not warranted.
I
believe there is information in this text that can help us know what to expect
from the future. As we work our way through Luke 21 we will be talking a great
deal about what is to come. However, we must be careful interpreters of the
text and listen to what is said without trying to make the text say something
more spectacular and be more specific than it actually is.
The
dialogue came about because some of the disciples of Jesus were marveling at
the structure of the temple. The temple was a massive and incredible piece of
architecture. During the lifetime of Jesus the Temple was undergoing a
remodeling that had been going on for 46 years! The remodeling was not finished
until some 30 years later in AD 63 which was just seven years before it was
destroyed by the Roman army.
Herod
expanded the temple complex to 400 yards by 500 yards which was about twice its
original size. It was anywhere from six
to twelve stories tall. As a point of comparison, a domed Professional football
stadium would not overshadow the temple complex at all! According to the
Jewish historian Josephus, Herod used white marble stones up to sixty-seven
feet long, twelve feet high, and eighteen feet wide.[1]
These stones were about the size of boxcars on a train! The construction of the
temple was an engineering masterpiece! How they were even able to move the
stones was amazing.
The
temple was covered with gold and what wasn’t gold was white marble. From a
distance it looked like a snow-capped mountain. When the sun would hit it the
reflection could be quite blinding.
As a
result, when Jesus talked about the coming destruction of the Temple the
disciples assumed this would take place at the end of the world. Matthew tells
us that when they were outside the city at the Mount of Olives (giving them a perfect
view of the temple) they asked for more information. (This passage is often
called the Olivet Discourse because they were on the Mount of Olives). Note
carefully the questions the disciples asked Jesus. We need to know what
question He is answering before we can rightly understand His words.
7 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will
these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take
place?”
Matthew
has a more expanded question,
“Tell us,” they said,
“when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end
of the age?” (Mt. 24:3)
There
are two and possibly three questions asked.
1.
When
will the temple be destroyed?
2.
What
is the sign of your Second Coming?
3.
What
are the signs of the end of the Age?
As we
read the text Jesus answers the questions but as we read the verses we must
ask, “Which question is Jesus answering?” Is He answering the question about
the destruction of the temple or is He telling us about the Second Coming of
Christ and/or End of the world? I believe in the first part of the text Jesus
is answering the question about the destruction of the Temple (because His
words so clearly fit what we know happened historically). Next week we will
look at the part of the answer that seems to be answering the question about
the second coming of Christ.
Signs Before the End
(7-11)
Jesus
begins by warning the disciples of things that are NOT signs of the end.
8 He replied: “Watch
out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am
he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. 9 When you hear of
wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but
the end will not come right away.”
10 Then he said to them:
“Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There
will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and
fearful events and great signs from heaven. [2]
Jesus
warns us not to be alarmed by several things:
1.
Those
who claim to be the Messiah and claim to know the exact time the Lord will
return. We must not be deceived by such
people. They claim to have “inside information. Jesus warns us not to be taken
in by the alarmists.
2.
We
should not conclude that wars and rumors of wars mean the end is near. There
have always been wars and rumors of wars. Wars are the result of man’s sinful
condition, they are a sign of the decay of the human race but they are not necessarily
a sign of the second coming.
For any person going through a war it would
certainly feel like the end was upon them. If we were living in a city on which
bombs were being dropped or was occupied by warring factions it feel like the
end was near. In World War II if you knew the Jews were being executed by the millions
or if you lived in countries today where you witnessed ethnic cleansing it
would certainly feel like the end of the world. Jesus says, don’t jump to
conclusions. Wars and life go together.
3.
We
should not be undone by natural disasters,
11 There will be great
earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and
great signs from heaven.
It seems like such these
things are happening with greater and greater frequency (that may or may not be
true because records are limited). Perhaps these things combined with the
financial instability do point to the nearness of the end. However, they may
just be more labor pains leading to a correction to the greed of our society. Again,
Jesus warns us to be steady.
Persecution and the Fall
of Jerusalem (12-24)
Listen
to what Jesus says in verse 12,
But
before all this,
they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to
synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and
all on account of my name.
Jesus
is not talking about the end times Tribulation here. The book of Revelation
indicates that a great time of persecution will come at the end but this is not
what Jesus is talking about here. We know this because He said this persecution
will come before the destruction of
Jerusalem and the Temple.
Jesus
is warning his disciples of the imminent persecution of the church that was
soon to be upon them. His warnings to His disciples should encourage us to
prepare for the hard times of our lives.
Persecution. Jesus says the time
of persecution will be an opportunity for the disciples to testify to
Christ. That is always the case. Those
who stand for Christ in hard times are those who testify most powerfully. Jesus
is encouraging His followers to remain faithful even when things are tough. His
promise is simple, “But not a hair of your head will perish. By standing firm
you will gain life.” (18,19)
I
believe the message is this: the world can attack you and even kill you.
However, you need not worry because no one can ultimately destroy you for you
are a child of God. Christians were killed during the time of persecution but
they only lost their earthly lives.
We must
strengthen our faith so that we can stand firm in the time of testing as well.
The Fall of
Jerusalem. Back in Luke 19:42-44
Jesus approached Jerusalem on what we know as Palm Sunday. At that time he
mentioned His anguish about what was going to happen to Jerusalem. I believe Jesus
is still thinking about the destruction of Jerusalem (in 70 AD) in these next
verses in His discussion with the disciples.
20 “When you see
Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is
near.
21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those
in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. 22 For
this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. 23
How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing
mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this
people. 24 They will fall by the sword and will be taken as
prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles
until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
This
was the time when the Temple would be destroyed. Jerusalem was also flattened. Jesus
described that day in advance and reported that Jerusalem would be surrounded
and the carnage that would follow would be devastating. The most vulnerable
people would be in the greatest danger (pregnant women and nursing mothers).
Jerusalem would fall and be destroyed by the Gentiles (the Romans). It would
remain fallen until the “times of the Gentiles” was fulfilled.
The
prophecy was fulfilled with precision. Jerusalem was destroyed in AD 70 and the
temple has not been rebuilt since that time.
Concluding Principles
We can
draw several conclusions. First, The Gospels
are reliable. We know that the gospels must have been written before 70 AD
(when the temple was destroyed), because otherwise
they surely would have drawn attention to the fact that Jesus’ prophecy was
fulfilled perfectly. The fact that it isn’t mentioned means that the gospels
were written before the destruction of the temple, and thus in the lifetimes of
those who were eyewitnesses to Jesus’ life. This is significant because if the
words were not true, there would be people alive who could discredit them.
It is
popular among some scholars to say the gospels were written in the 2nd
century (well after the time of the disciples). They claim hundreds of gospels
were written and the church picked out only those that fit their political
agenda. There were hundreds of writings
from the 2nd century that purported to be written by disciples.
These were all rejected by the church because they were obvious forgeries (the
disciples who supposedly authored the works were all gone). All of the writings
were inconsistent with the words of the eyewitness testimony of the true record
of Jesus’ life.
Second,
we see that God has a plan. These words remind us that God is sovereign
over creation. History is moving to an end which God has ordained. Westerners rebel
at the notion of a sovereign God because they believe it takes away our
freedom.
Two
things we can say in response. First, the notion that we have total autonomy is
a myth. We are influenced by genetic factors, cultural factors and the sinful
desires of our hearts. True independence is actually very limited.
Second,
the Bible affirms two things that seem contradictory to us. It affirms that God
is in control and that we are given the freedom to make real choices that
determine our path and eternity. Our choices bring real consequences. We are
free to choose. However, the Bible also tells us that our free choices are
accomplishing God’s set purpose and plan. I don’t know how all of that works
together but I do believe the God who created all things can also work through
the free choices of His creation.
Rather
than rebelling at the idea of God’s control. We should be comforted.
Our
third application is that we should not be afraid. Jesus was talking to
a generation of people who were going to face great trials as Rome destroyed
Israel. Throughout the course of Christian history Christians have been
persecuted. In 2 Timothy 3:12 we have the promise that no one wants to put on
their refrigerator, “everyone who wants to live a godly life with Christ Jesus
will be persecuted.”
The
Bible doesn’t tell us this to frighten us, it tells us this to prepare us. Hard
times will come in life and we need to be prepared for those times. How do we
do that?
First, we
must make sure we are right with God.
The Bible is clear, we have all sinned and because of that fact we have
a debt before God we cannot pay. The Bible tells we cannot earn salvation. We
cannot be good enough. Our only hope is for God to do something to rescue
us. He did just that in sending Christ
to earth. When Jesus died on the cross He died to pay our penalty. The Bible
tells us that if we will put our hope and trust in Christ, if we will allow Him
to live in us and change us, we will be forgiven and begin an eternal
relationship with Him.
So the
question that remains is this: have you taken hold of Christ and have you let
Him take hold of you? There may be
hundreds of years before the Lord comes again, or it may be today. You are free
to choose but with freedom come consequences.
Choose wisely.
Second,
we need to focus on the big picture. We know from experience how easy it
is to fixate on the problems of life. We must discipline ourselves to focus not
on the problems but on the Lord who is greater than the problems. It is true
that if we “turn our eyes upon Jesus and look full in His wonderful face, then
the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and
grace.”
Finally,
we must learn to pray.
I was reading a blog post from Pastor Matt Chandler. He had a tumor in the
front part of his brain and had to have surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.
One year later he reflected on what he had learned over the year. He learned,
·
God
really is enough
·
The
only thing that really matters is that I am His
·
If
it’s not by grace alone that we are saved, I am really in trouble
But
it was the last observation that really struck me. The heading is “I learned I
suck at praying”. He explained with
these words
I didn’t
think I did before this. I thought it was a strength,
but I was wrong. When you realize that all you are is His, you realize or at
least I did, that I don’t stay connected to Him as I have been commanded to. I
would spend some time praying in the morning, but my life wasn’t saturated in
it. I lived like I put my time in and now I can handle this. Although I knew I
wasn’t wise enough, experienced enough or seasoned enough, I went and tried to
be what others needed. I have grown exponentially in this area this year and
I’m hoping that when I’m done with my race, I would be known not just as a
faithful preacher of God’s Word but also as a man who communed with his Father
without ceasing.
The
message for all of us is that we need to keep working at prayer. We need to
learn to pray before the hard times come so we will have the tools we need to
face those hard times.
In this
first part of the Olivet Discourse we are warned about the coming destruction
of the Temple but the bigger message is that God is in control. It is a reminder that our job is not to point
to the newspapers as evidence that the end is neat; our job is to point to the
Savior who died to set us free and give us strength and peace; a peace that
will hold even if the world does crumble around us.
©Copyright
April 3, 2011 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche SERIES: WALKING WITH JESUS