What to do before the Lord returns

Luke 21   What To Do While We Wait For The Return For The Lord Jesus

              Then, as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and donations, He said,⁶ "These things which you see --- the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down."

⁷ So they asked Him, saying, "Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?"

⁸And He said: "Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and, 'The time has drawn near.' Therefore do not go after them.⁹ But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately."

¹⁰          Then He said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.¹¹ And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.¹² But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake.¹³ But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony.¹⁴ Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer;¹⁵ for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.¹⁶ You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death.¹⁷ And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.¹⁸ But not a hair of your head shall be lost.¹⁹ By your patience possess your souls.

The Destruction of Jerusalem

²⁰          "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near.²¹ Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her.²² For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.²³ But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people.²⁴ And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁵          "And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring;²⁶ men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.²⁷ Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.²⁸ Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."

The Parable of the Fig Tree

²⁹          Then He spoke to them a parable: "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees.³⁰ When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near.³¹ So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.³² Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place.³³ Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

³⁴          "But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.³⁵ For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.³⁶ Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prophecy. People are fascinated by it, particularly as events around us change so reapidly. Who would have considered a global Pandemic 2 years ago? Nothing as fascinating as prophecy, nor as problematic! Most people would like to know the future. Some would like to know it out of fear. They would like to be able to avoid life's difficulties or tragedies. Some would like to know what is coming in order to plan for it successfully. If we could know what the property market will do in 6 months we could all become wealthy. In the so-called secular world, horoscopes, fortune-tellers, seances, tarot cards, seem to dominate the so-called secular mindset.

Jesus' disciples were curious about the future, and the Lord somewhat provoled their curiosity. Luke 21 is called the Olivet Discourse because it took place on the Mount of Olives It is an important part of the Gospel, but it is also a passage that, together with its parallels in Mark 13, Matthew 24 and 25 has puzzled and divided commentators throughout the long ages of the church.

Luke 21 differs in emphasis from Matthew 24 and Mark 13.  It seems to particularly relate to the events that were then future to the disciples that would continue through until the return of the Lord Jesus.

Then, as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and donations, He said,⁶ "These things which you see --- the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down." ⁷ So they asked Him, saying, "Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?"

 

Jesus' attention had been drawn to the large buildings of the temple complex. The disciples then had heard Jesus predict Jerusalem's destruction. 6 "These things which you see --- the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down."

 

It was natural for the disciples to put those two sayings together. The disciples probably associated Jesus' prediction of the city's destruction with his words about His return.

⁷ So they asked Him, saying, "Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?"

Two separate questions: When will Jerusalem be destroyed?

What sign that these things are about to take place.

In Matthew's gospel a little more is added: Matthew 3:3  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?"

What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? Jesus answers the questions separately. In fact, that seems to be the main point of the passage. The disciples may have associated the fall of Jerusalem with Christ's coming and the end of the world, but Jesus did not want them to assume that these two matters are necessarily linked. On the contrary, although Jerusalem would fall quickly, within forty or so years of his prediction, the disciples were not to regard either it nor other historical disasters, however terrible, as signs of his coming. His return would be without warning, and they needed to be concerned about being ready for it whenever it took place.

Signs That Are Not Signs

The first part of Jesus' answer has to do with bad things that will happen but which are not in themselves signs of the end.

He lists the signs that are not signs of His coming:

1. false messiahs, False Christs "Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and, 'The time has drawn near.' Therefore do not go after them.
2. wars and rumors of wars, ⁹ But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately." ¹⁰ Then He said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
3. earthquakes and famines  ¹¹ And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.

It was said that for a whole year a comet appeared over Jerusalem looking like a flaming sword.

4. persecutions,  ¹² But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake.¹³ But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony.¹⁴ Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer;¹⁵ for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.¹⁶ You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death.¹⁷ And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.

It is easy to give many examples of these from the early years of church history. But that is not the point. The point is that false teachers, natural disasters, persecutions, forsaking of the faith by many, and false teachers will characterize history. We will always have these things. They are painful but they are not signs that the end of the world is near. These things existed in the disciples' days, and they have existed in every age of church history up to and including our own.

 

In the next section (20-22)  the Lord talks about one large sign that was not a sign: the impending judgement upon Jerusalem.

The destruction of Jerusalem is an example of the partucularly terrible times Jesus is predicting.

Josephus describes the destruction of Jerusalem, saying that it was a time of distress unequaled in any previous destruction (The Jewish War, V, VI). Eusebius, the Christian historian, and a few other ancient writers say that the Christians fled Jerusalem prior to its fall and found refuge in the town of Pella in Perea (Ecclesiastical History, III, v, 3).

"But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near.²¹ Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her.²² For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

 

What are we to do while we are in this world?

1. We are to watch out that no one deceives us.

⁸And He said: "Take heed that you not be deceived."

After having warned against false Christs at the very beginning of the chapter, he returns to this same point after speaking of the fall of Jerusalem, saying, "If anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible" (Matthew 24: 23-24).  Boice "It would be possible to write a history of the church in terms of the errors that have been foisted upon it, sometimes from without but more often from within, and of how believers have either resisted such errors or have been taken in by them. We have deceivers today, but we are warned here not to be fooled by them."

2. We are to be settled even in times of war or threats of war

This warning includes all political and historical events and is a reminder that the city of God is distinct from man's city and will survive regardless of what happens in the world. We are not to be unduly encouraged by political events, nor unduly frightened by them. Charles Colson once wisely said,  "We must remember that the kingdom of God does not arrive on  Air Force One." Nor should we think that governments can contain or limit the Word of God. The gospel will progress whatever the government says (as in Victoria they are banning and probably will seek to defund Christian schools if they do not employ homosexual teachers, or as in Queensland the government moves towards approving euthanasia).

3. We are to preach the gospel throughout the world.

"You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake.¹³ But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony.¹⁴ Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer;¹⁵ for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist."

This is the chief task of the church in the present age. The followers of Christ will be persecuted, and the love of many will grow cold. But throughout the ages of church history, however long they may be, Christians must be strong, faithful, and determined in the task of carrying the gospel to the lost. In fact, this is the note on which the Gospel ends. Jesus' last words to his disciples were, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matt. 28:19-20).

4.We are to stand firm to the end. 

You are to be persevering, not giving up, not falling backwards into sin!   ¹⁹ By your patience possess your souls."

He is encouraging us to keep on keeping on, since there is no promise of salvation for those who abandon the faith or deny Christ.

The apostle Paul certainly believed in and taught the security of every genuine believer, but he also wrote, "If we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us" (2 Tim. 2:12).

 

34 "But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.³⁵ For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.³⁶ Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."

 

Paul wrote, "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow

deceiving spirits and things taught by demons" (1 Tim. 4:1). Or again, "There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power" (2 Tim. 3:1-5).

 

Carelessness about the things of God and carefulness about the things of this world.

Carousing. The Lord denounces carousing, noting that some will live "to eat and drink with drunkards". Bishop J.C. Ryle had it right when he wrote, "The world will not be converted when Christ returns," adding that "millions of professing Christians will be found thoughtless, unbelieving, Godless, Christless, worldly, and unfit to meet their Judge." Will you be one of those who perishes in the judgment? Or will you be ready and watching when the Lord returns?

 

The Lord says the way out of this is to be watchful, not only over ourselves, but also in the security of knowing that the Lord reigns over all and One day the Lord Jesus Christ shall return to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Are You Ready?

I think it was CS Lewis who retold an old fable in which three apprentice devils were talking to Satan. The first one said, "I will tell people there is no God." Satan replied, "That will not fool many, because they know there is a God." The second devil said, "I will tell them there is no hell." Satan said, "You will never fool many that way, because they know there is a hell." The third said, "I will tell people there is no hurry." Satan said, "Go, and you will ruin millions."

Lord Shaftesbury, the great English social reformer of the nineteenth century (1801-1885), is reported to have said on one occasion, "I do not think that in the last forty years I have ever lived one conscious hour that was not influenced by the thought of our Lord's return." The anticipation of Jesus' return must have been one of the strongest influences behind Shaftesbury's efforts to assist the poor and advance the cause of foreign missions. Shaftesbury expected to meet Jesus face to face, and he watched for him. He was ready for his master to come.  So I ask again, Are you ready for his return? Are you watching? To be ready when Jesus returns means salvation; not to be ready is to perish.