I just finished my journal on Luke recently, so I
thought it would be appropriate to share from his record as we continue to seek
understanding about future events. Every
time I go back to these familiar sections of scripture, I am asking the Lord to
open my spiritual eyes and help me gain better understanding.
Luke
21:5-7 “And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones
and gifts, he said, As for these
things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left
one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And they asked him, saying, Master, but when
shall these things be? and what sign will
there be when these things shall come to pass?”
As a student of prophecy, I always look forward to
coming to those portions of scripture. I
am going to stick primarily to Luke’s account. For a detailed comparison of the accounts of
this teaching in Matthew, Mark and Luke, see the topical study called “The
Olivet Discourse” on my website.
I always remind myself that the prophets often do
not follow a chronological flow of events.
In this section of scripture Jesus is speaking as a prophet of God.
We begin with some of Jesus’ disciples observing
how beautiful the temple was. Jesus
responded by declaring that the time will come when the temple will be
destroyed to the point that not one stone is left upon another. Research indicates that the smallest of the
stones used in building the wall surrounding the temple mount weighed 2-5 tons,
so I would assume the stones used on the actual temple were similar. Regarding its beauty, The International
Standard Bible Encyclopedia states:
“Built of white marble, covered with
heavy plates of gold in front and rising high above its marble-cloistered
courts-themselves a succession of terraces-the temple, compared by Josephus to
a snow-covered mountain (BJ, V, v, 6), was a conspicuous and dazzling object
from every side.”
Looking at those massive stones, they could hardly
believe their ears. They asked when this
would happen and what sign there would be that it was about to happen. As Paul so aptly noted, the Jews are always
seeking a sign.
1 Corinthians 1:22 “For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks
seek after wisdom….”
This prophecy concerning the temple was fulfilled
in 70 AD; David Guzik gives a good summary of events.
“It is said that at the fall of
Jerusalem, the last surviving Jews of the city fled to the temple, because it
was the strongest, most secure building in the city. Roman soldiers surrounded
it, and one drunken soldier started a fire that soon engulfed the whole
building. Ornate gold detail work in the roof melted down in the cracks between
the stone walls of the temple, and to retrieve the gold, the Roman commander
ordered that the temple be dismantled stone by stone. The destruction was so
complete that today, they have true difficulty learning exactly where the
temple was.”
Luke
21:8 “And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my
name, saying, I am Christ; and the
time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.”
Jesus begins to respond with a broader perspective
than indicated by the previous verse. In
the other two gospel accounts, we are told that Jesus was also questioned about
when He would return at the end of the world as we now know it. Verse 9 hints at and verse 27 affirms that
connection to the other gospel accounts.
Jesus warns His disciples not to be deceived when
many others come on the scene claiming to be the Messiah and that the end is
near. It is to be expected and they are
not to follow after these liars. Matthew
specifically states that these false Christs will be very convincing because
they will do signs and wonders (much like Pharaoh’s magicians did).
Matthew 24:24 “For there shall arise false Christs, and false
prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were
possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”
Luke
21:9-10 “But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for
these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by. Then said
he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
Jesus goes on to say that wars and commotions
between/among peoples and nations will become prevalent and the peoples of the
nations will be in constant fear.
Although the times will seem quite dangerous, Jesus declares that these
wars and commotions are to be expected.
In fact, the original language indicates that many of these wars and
commotions will be rooted in racial conflicts as well as conflicts between nations.
Arnold Fruchtenbaum, a Jewish Christian
scholar, declares the statement “nation
shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” to be in reference to world
war. He states:
“This
expression, found in Jewish sources such as the Bereshit Rabbah (written
shortly after Yeshua’s time) and, later, the Zohar Chadash—is a Hebrew idiom
for a world war. What Jesus was saying,
then, is that it would be a world war rather than merely a local war that would
mark the beginning of the end of the age.”
Regarding World Wars I and II he
said: “Both wars had a decisive impact
on Jewish history. The first gave
impetus to the growth of the Zionist movement, and the Second World War led to
the re-establishment of the Jewish State.”
Jesus is saying that though these are signs of
what is to come, the end is yet to come.
Luke
21:11 “And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and
pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.”
Jesus goes on to prophesy that great earthquakes,
famines and pestilences will occur in many places. Matthew’s account tells us that Jesus
compared these events to labor pains that precede the birth of the child. In other words, they will happen more frequently
and with more intensity as the time draws near.
It’s interesting to note how these
verses compare to seals 1-4 in chapter six of Revelation; I think this
emphasizes that these signs will find culmination in the judgment to come.
Revelation 6:1–8 “And I saw when the
Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one
of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse:
and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went
forth conquering, and to conquer. (Satan, or the Antichrist,
the ultimate False Christ) And when he had opened the second seal, I
heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that
was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the
earth, and that they should kill one
another: and there was given unto him a great sword. And when he had opened
the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo
a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I
heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a
penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil
and the wine. (represents famine) And when he
had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and
see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was
Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the
fourth part of the earth, to kill with
sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.”
Jesus also tells His disciples to expect fearful
sights and great signs from heaven.
Obviously, one can’t help but think of the UFO phenomena and how Satan
might be at work in those situations, but who knows what else might be on the
horizon. I am also reminded of the
apparitions of Mary that so many embrace as coming from God, but I believe they
are another trick in Satan’s arsenal. There is absolutely no scriptural support for
Mary regarding intercession of any type on behalf of man. Remember, scripture affirms that Satan can
transform himself to appear as an angel of light, and his ministers sometimes
appear as the same.
2 Corinthians 11:14–15 “And no marvel; for Satan himself is
transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his
ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end
shall be according to their works.”
(to be continued...)
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