There are three roles that Jesus has. The role of Prophet; Priest and King. As prophet He received direct revelation from God and gave that to his followers. All along our reading, this is the role Jesus has been fulfilling. He did this with the Sermon on the Mount when He revealed the proper interpretation of the Mosaic Law. Now, it seems as if He kicks the prophecy into overdrive, as He reveals future events, both near and far.
The Prophecies of Jesus
This chapter opens up with Jesus in the midst of the temple giving some practical application after having just chided the scribes. After His lesson, Jesus pivots to prophecy for the majority of the chapter (Luke 21:5-36). The prophecies Jesus gives include:
- The characteristics of the Church Age
- The Fall of Jerusalem
- Events leading up to the Second Coming of the Messiah
While these prophecies are intermingled in this section, Luke does a descent job at distinguishing which one Jesus is speaking about.
The Fall of Jerusalem – Pt. 1
Jesus opens His prophecies by first looking around the Temple and commenting on its desturction.
As for these things that you see,, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down
Luke 21:6 ESV
This prophetic word incites some questions from the disciples. Essential they ask two questions in one sentence (talk about a run-on). Those questions are:
- When will these things be?
- What will be the sign when these things are about to take place?
Unfortunately, Jesus doesn’t answer these questions in the order they were given, so as we work through this chapter, it may feel like we’re jumping around a bit…
The Characteristics of the Church Age
Jesus starts his answers by giving some general characteristics of the Church Age. This is seen in Luke 21:8-19. During this period of time, there will be a rise in false teachers and messiah’s; there will be wars and rumors of wars; earthquakes, famines and pestilences will arise. Looking through history, this has been the case since the time of Christ, and has been in overdrive in recent years.
In Luke 21:12-19, Jesus gives nine experiences that the apostles will go through before the birth pangs of the end of the age. they will be persecuted, have opportunities to bear witness, wisdom given from the Holy Spirit. They will be delivered by relatives, hated for the sake of Jesus Christ.
If it wasn’t clear before, this section makes it clear. A life as a disciple of Jesus Christ is not going to be a life of comfort, health & wealth, etc. It will be a life of trials and persecution. Why? So that we have an opportunity to bear witness of the forgiveness we have through our Lord, Jesus Christ. Verse 19 tells us all we need to know about the trials of this world and what we will gain by going through them:
By your endurance you will gain your lives.
Luke21:19 ESV
The Fall of Jerusalem – Pt. 2
Specifically surrounding the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem, He answers this in Luke 21:20-24. Jesus says that “Jerusalem will be surrounded by armies.” When that occurs “its desolation has come near”. This was to serve as a warning for the believers to get out of town. Here Jesus is specifically speaking about the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome in 70 A.D. Where the city is destroyed as the judgment for rejecting Jesus as the Messiah. In the events leading up to Jerusalem’s destruction, the city was surrounded by the Roman armies in 66 A.D. That was the warning. When the Roman general was called back to Rome, there was a lull for 4 years which gave the believers time to escape. Then in 70 A.D. the city was destroyed and the temple burned to the ground. An estimated 1.1 million Jews perished during this time.
Events Leading up to the Second Coming
The next prophecy relates to the the end of this age and the Second Coming of the Messiah. This is in Luke 21:25-28. Jesus gives the general characteristic that will be seen during the end of this age; “signs in sun and moon and starts, and on earth distress of nations in perplexity”. Not only that but “people fainting with fear and with foreboding of hat is coming on the world”. I mean if you thing times lately have been rough, we’re just scratching the surface… We know that things will be difficult during the tribulation, and those that are here to experience it will see the wrath of God poured out on the earth. But, there is hope, if you happen to be one left here.
“Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near”
Luke 21:28 ESV
This is speaking of the Second Coming. This verse is to be a verse of encouragement if you are still here during the Tribulation, and if you happen to make it through that time to see the Second Coming of the Messiah.
For us, we can see that the tides are turning. The days are coming when Christian persecution will be open and prevalent in America and across the globe. The devil will have his day, but we have the hope of life.
Yeshua’s Admonition
This chapter wraps up with an admonition in Luke 21:34-36. That is, you are to “watch yourself”. And what are we watching for? That your heart wouldn’t be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the cares of this life. If the cares of this life continually pull on you, then the end of the age will “come upon you suddenly like a trap”. You don’t want to be ill prepared for the coming of the Son of Man.
If you are caught up in a worldly lifestyle or in the ”cares of this life” you will be caught off guard when Jesus Christ comes back. This means that you will be ashamed to stand before the Son of Man on his return (1 John 2:28). Trials, tribulations and judgment will fall on everyone who dwells on the earth. However, the only way to escape is by being watchful, and the only way to be watchful is by accepting the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.
As believers we are to watch and pray at all times. In doing so, we separate ourselves from the ungoldy world which is doomed to experience the wrath of God. We who do so are identifying ourselves with those who will stand in acceptance before the Son of Man.
