Jesus' disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones
and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said,
As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another.
Every one of them will be thrown down.
Teacher, they asked, when will these things happen and what will be the sign that they are about to take place?
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. When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened.
These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.
Then he said to them, nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be great earthquakes, famines, pestilences in various places and fearful events and great signs from heaven.
But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you.
They will hand you over to the synagogue and put you in prison and you will be brought before the kings and governors
and all on account of my name.
And so you will bear testimony to me.
But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves.
For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
You'll be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends,
and they will put some of you to death.
Everyone will hate you because of me,
but not a hair of your head will perish.
Stand firm
and you will win life.
When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies,
you will know that its desolation is near.
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.
For this is the time of punishment and fulfillment of all that has been written.
How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers.
They will be in great distress in the land and wrath against his people.
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.
There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars.
On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity
at the roaring and tossing of the sea.
People will faint from terror,
apprehensive of what is coming on the world,
for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.
At that time, they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
When these things begin to take place,
stand up,
lift up your heads,
because your redemption is drawing near.
He told them this parable.
Look at the fig tree and all the trees.
When they sprout leaves,
you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near.
Even so, when you see these things happening,
you know that the kingdom of God is near.
Truly, I tell you,
this generation will certainly not pass away
until all these things have happened.
Heaven and earth will pass away,
but my words will never pass away.
Be careful,
or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing,
drunkenness,
and the anxieties of life.
That day will close on you suddenly like a trap,
for it will come on all those who live in the face of the whole earth.
Be always on the watch,
and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen,
and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.
Each day,
Jesus was teaching at the temple,
and each evening he went out to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives,
and all the people came early in the morning to hear him at the temple.
Well, let's pray together and ask for God's help as we look at this section together.
Let's pray.
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth.
Father, we pray that right now your word would be effective in our lives,
that it would go forth and bring about fruit in our lives.
We pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
So, Storm Ophelia,
Storm Emma,
the beast from the east.
What are we to make of all these extreme weather changes we've been having?
Well, some will say it's all part of global warming,
the effects of pollution.
Others will say they're signs that the Lord Jesus is going to return.
You see, there's always been a fascination, particularly among Christians,
about trying to predict the future,
when the end will come.
What do you think about all that?
Well, can we believe what people say when they talk about signs that are happening?
How do we know that it's all true?
Well, Jesus has made the extraordinary claim that he knows what is going to happen.
Look at verse 33.
Jesus says,
Heaven and earth will pass away,
but my words will never pass away.
He's saying that his words surpass everything that you can see.
My words rule over the past,
over the present,
and over the future.
So the one thing that we can trust
is what Jesus says.
But how do we know that what Jesus says is true?
Well, Jesus is now in Jerusalem.
It's about four days before his execution.
But before Jesus dies,
he wants us to be clear about the future.
Chapter 21 that we've just read
can be very confusing.
And it's very easy to get bogged down in all the detail.
But if we can keep the big picture in mind,
I think it's very clear
what Jesus is saying to us today.
There are two promised events.
There's the promise of the temple destruction.
Look at verse 20.
When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies,
you will know that its desolation is near.
Then there's the promise
of the coming of the Son of Man,
verse 27.
At that time,
they will see the Son of Man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
So these are the two main events,
the two headlines of chapter 21.
But there are also these two events
that are connected to make one main point.
The promised destruction of the temple
assures us of the promised coming of Jesus,
the Son of Man.
One writer put it like this
in connecting the two points,
the two main events together.
He talked of it like this.
A final but distant future event,
that's the coming of Jesus,
is prefigured in a near and realized event,
talking about the destruction of the temple.
So a final and distant future event
is prefigured in a near and realized event.
So as Jesus is teaching here in chapter 21,
as he's teaching,
at the time,
the temple is still standing.
It's not yet destroyed.
But now in 2018,
as we look back and listen
to what Jesus taught,
well, the temple has now been destroyed.
One event has already been taken place,
which points to another event,
which is yet to take place.
So that's kind of the big outline of chapter 21.
So let's look at it in more detail.
First, the promised destruction of the temple.
Let's read verse 5.
Some of the disciples,
so you've got to remember that
the disciples of Jesus
have made their way down from the north,
from Galilee,
down into Jerusalem.
They're not usually there,
so it's all kind of new,
a brand new experience for them.
So some of his disciples were remarking about,
wow, look at the temple.
Look at it.
Isn't it big?
How it's adorned with beautiful stones
and with gifts dedicated to God.
It was the most magnificent building
in the world at that time.
One historian, Josephus,
who wrote at the time,
described it.
He said,
the gate opening into the temple
was completely overlaid with gold,
as was the whole wall around it.
Just picture it.
It had above it golden vines
which hung huge grape clusters
as tall as a man.
And it had golden doors,
50 cubits high,
so that's 20 metres high,
16 cubits broad,
that's 8 metres wide.
Before these hung a Babylonian tapestry
of equal length
with embroidery of blue
and fine linen
of scarlet also and purple,
wrought with marvellous skill.
It was a magnificent building.
Stones used to build it
were 12 metres long
and 4 metres high.
The columns to support part of it
would stretch 12 metres high
and would take three men
holding hands
to reach all the way around a pillar.
It was a symbol of power,
beauty and wealth.
This temple
could not be destroyed.
So as the disciples surveyed
this magnificent building,
Jesus predicts something terrible,
verse 6.
As for what you see here,
the time will come
while not one stone
will be left on the other,
every one of them
will be thrown down.
Teacher, they asked,
when will these things happen?
And what will be the sign
that they are about to take place?
Well, yes,
certain things will happen,
says Jesus,
and they will be a sign
that the temple will be destroyed.
He tells His disciples
what some of those signs are.
He talks about
Messiah pretenders
in verse 8.
He replied,
watch out
that you are not deceived,
for many will come in My name
claiming,
I am He,
I am the Messiah,
and the time is near.
Acts 5, verse 36,
actually records
one of these kind of
Messiah pretenders.
It says this,
in Acts 5, 36,
some time ago,
Thudus appeared,
claiming to be somebody,
and about 400 men
rallied to Him.
He was claiming
to be a special person,
sent from God.
These were one of the signs.
Jesus says,
don't follow them.
He also said,
there will be the sign
of cosmic disorder,
verse 10.
Then He said to them,
nation will rise
against nation,
and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be great earthquakes,
famines,
and pestilences
in various places,
and fearful events,
and great signs
from heaven.
Again,
another historian,
Tacitus,
records what this
particular time
was like.
He said,
it was a period
rich in disasters,
terrible in battles.
Four emperors
fell by the sword.
There were three civil wars,
more foreign wars,
and often at the same time.
It was a brutal time
of history.
Nations against nation,
kingdom against kingdom.
And Acts 11,
verse 28,
tells us there was
a great famine
that spread over
the whole Roman world.
These were the signs
that Jesus talked about
would happen
before the temple's destruction.
And He said,
there will be
intentional persecution,
verse 12.
But before all this,
they will seize you
and persecute you.
They will hand you over
to synagogues
and put you in prison,
and you will be brought,
you will be brought
before kings and governors,
and all account
of my name.
Verse 16,
you will be betrayed
even by parents,
brothers and sisters,
relatives and friends,
and they will put
some of you to death.
Everyone will hate you
because of me.
Now much of this persecution
that Jesus talked about
happened under
the fearsome Nero.
He wanted to rebuild Rome,
he burnt the city
and blamed the Christians.
Again,
Tacitus,
the historian,
tells us that
Christians
were a class of persons
who were loathed,
hated
by the human race.
Read through the book of Acts
and you will see
the persecution was true.
Stephen,
stoned to death.
Lots of persecution happening.
And Jesus is saying,
these are all signs,
these are things
that are going to happen
to tell you
that the temple
will be destroyed.
And it was.
Verse 20,
when you see Jerusalem
being surrounded
by armies,
you will know
that its desolation
is near.
In AD 70,
about 37 years
after Jesus
had spoken
these very words,
the temple
was destroyed.
You can go and see
the evidence
of it today.
The Roman authorities
had had enough
of Jewish rebellion
and revolution
and under the command
of Titus,
the Romans
marched
and surrounded
the city.
You couldn't get
into the city,
you couldn't get
out of the city.
It was classic
warfare tactic,
waiting until
all the resources
in the side
of the city
had been used up
when they had
no food,
no water,
then you attacked.
And it was brutal
and violent.
You can look it up
in history.
A terrible event.
Verse 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.
The temple
was destroyed.
just as Jesus
had said.
It's an undisputed
historical event.
And those
who had listened
to Jesus
would not have
been surprised
when it happened.
But this just
wasn't about
the might
of the Romans.
This was
God's judgment
on the people.
Verse 22.
For Jesus
says,
this is the time
of punishment
in fulfillment
of all
that has
been written.
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.
Now,
we mustn't think
that God
is some
vindictive tyrant
who takes delight
in such terrible
violence
for the Romans
coming in
on Jerusalem.
Remember
earlier
what Jesus
said
as he
approached
Jerusalem,
as he
was on the
outskirts
of the city
and looked
over the city
and saw
the temple
in all its
grandeur.
Have a look
back at
chapter 19
verse 41.
Acts 9,
Luke 19
verse 41.
As Jesus
approached
Jerusalem
and saw
the city,
he wept
over it.
Here is a
man full
of compassion,
desperate
for the
people to
turn to
him,
to run
to him.
And Jesus
said,
if you,
even you,
had only
known on
this day
what would
bring you
peace,
but now
is hidden
from your
eyes.
The days
will come
upon you
when your
enemies
will build
an embankment
against you
and encircle
you and
hem you
in on
every side.
They will
dash you
to the
ground
and the
children
within
your
walls.
They will
not leave
one stone
on another
because you
did not
recognize the
time of
God's
coming
to you.
Hard
words,
but true
words from
Jesus,
longing that
the people
would turn
to him
and accept
him as
the Messiah,
as God's
saving
king.
But because
they had
refused to
listen to
him and
accept him
as their
savior,
a terrible
judgment
fell.
but those
who had
listened to
Jesus'
words
would not
have been
surprised.
So first
we have
the promised
destruction
of the
temple.
Second,
the promised
coming of
the Son of
Man.
Remember,
there's two
big events
in chapter
21.
The first
event we've
just looked
up,
the temple
destruction,
but it's
a sign
of the
second
event
to come,
the coming
of Jesus.
You see,
Jesus is
making it
very clear
to those
he's speaking
to.
Look back
at verse
9.
He says
to them,
when you
hear of
wars and
uprisings,
don't be
frightened.
These
things
must
happen
first.
But what
are these
things?
What are
these things
Jesus is
talking about?
Well,
he's just
been talking
about the
temple being
destroyed in
verse 6.
So,
end of
verse 9,
these things,
the temple
being destroyed,
must happen
first,
but the
end will
not come
right away.
So,
when you
see the
temple being
destroyed,
it's not
the end
of the
world.
It's
just a
sign
that the
Son of
Man is
coming.
Verse 29,
he told
them this
parable.
Look,
the fig
tree and
all the
trees,
when they
sprout leaves,
you can
see for
yourselves and
know that
the summer
is near.
The leaves
in spring,
well,
they're a sign
that summer
is just
round the
corner.
Verse 31,
even so,
when you see
these things
happening,
you know
that the
kingdom of
God is
near.
Again,
these things,
when you
see the
temple being
destroyed,
you'll
know that
the end
is near.
As we've
said in
AD 70,
the temple
was destroyed,
just as
Jesus said.
And as we
now look
back in
time to
that true
and
undisputed
historical
event,
so we are
now to
look forward
with absolute
certainty
that Jesus,
the Son of
Man,
is coming.
there is
a sign
and that
sign has
taken place.
The Son of
Man is
coming.
Now,
the Son of
Man is
a title
which comes
from Daniel
chapter 7,
which Jesus,
his favourite
title for
himself as
he speaks
about himself
being the
Son of
Man.
Here's a
quote from
Daniel 7
where it
comes from.
Daniel has
a vision
and he
says,
there before
me was
one like
the Son
of Man
coming on
the clouds
of heaven.
He approached
the Ancient
of Days,
that's God
the Almighty.
He was led
into his
presence and
was given
authority and
glory and
sovereign power
and all the
nations and
the peoples of
every language
worshipped him.
His dominion
is an everlasting
dominion that
will not pass
away and his
kingdom is one
that will
never be
destroyed.
Now the
coming of
the Son
of Man
is going
to be an
awesome event
as Daniel
had that in
his vision
of one
coming with
great power
and great
authority
coming to
this earth.
So look at
verse 25
of Luke
21.
There will
be signs
in the
sun,
moon and
stars.
On the
earth nations
will be in
anguish and
perplexity at
the rousing
and tossing of
the sea.
Now this is
apocalyptic
language.
I don't think
we're to get
concerned about
blood moons
and the
alignment of
stars or the
beast from
the east.
Rather Luke
is saying to
us,
look when the
Son of Man
comes, it
is going to
be unmistakable.
Verse 26.
People will
faint from
terror, apprehensive
of what is
coming on the
world, for the
heavenly bodies
will be shaken.
At that time
they will see
the Son of
Man coming
in a cloud
with power
and great
glory.
When the
Lord Jesus
comes again,
the world
and all its
people will
fall silent.
People will
bow in
fear,
acknowledging
that yes,
Jesus Christ
is God's
King.
Justice
will be
done.
Evil will
be judged.
There will
be no
hiding.
There will
be no
escape.
And each
one of us
will have
to stand
and give
an account
before the
one with
absolute
power and
supreme
authority.
God's
will
be no
will
be no
will
be no
will.
But we
don't need
to fear.
For the
Christian,
this is
something to
welcome and
be joyful about
as we think
of the Lord's
return.
Verse 28,
will
stand up,
lift up
your heads
because your
redemption
is drawing
near.
Every day
that passes
is a day
closer to the
Lord's return.
Every war
that rages,
every natural
disaster that
falls,
every opposition
and persecution
that is
endured,
is a sign
that our
redemption
is getting
close.
That one
day our
great and
glorious King
is going to
fill the
earth with
his glory,
his might
and his
power will
end all
suffering and
all things
will be made
new.
And God
is going to
dwell with
his people and
we will reign
with him.
You see,
for the
Christian,
this is not
something to
fear,
the great
and awesome
Son of
Man coming
with all
power and
all authority.
This is
something to
welcome and
to rejoice
about.
Lift up
your heads
because your
redemption is
drawing near.
Yes,
one day
the Lord
Jesus will
return.
the sign,
well,
the temple
has been
destroyed,
just as
Jesus said.
And the
Son of Man
is coming,
just as
Jesus said.
So third,
we must be
prepared to
stand before
the Son of
Man.
Just as sure
as the temple
was destroyed,
so the
Son of Man
will come.
And the
question is,
are we
prepared to
meet him?
Look at
the end
of verse
36.
Jesus is
saying all
of this,
end of
verse 36,
that you
may be
able to
stand before
the Son
of Man.
We will
face him.
Are we
ready to?
Well,
two things
by way
of preparation.
First,
be
careful.
Look at
verse 34.
Be
careful,
or your
hearts will
be weighed
down with
carousing,
that's
fueling your
life with
drink,
drunkenness
and the
anxieties
of life.
It's funny,
why is Luke
talking about
people
drinking and
getting drunk?
drunk?
Why do
people drink
and get
drunk so
much in
this country
anyway?
Why is it
that people
live for
the weekend
so that
they can
go out
with their
mates and
get drunk
or sit at
home alone
with a
bottle of
wine?
Why is it
that there
are so many
teenagers?
Near where
we live,
there's a
little wood,
nearly every
weekend you
could have
up to
40 teenagers
drinking away,
getting
absolutely
wiped out.
Why?
Why is it
in our
culture?
Why do
we do
that?
Well,
because we
have nothing
to live
for.
Getting
drunk is
simply a
way of
trying to
numb the
worries of
this life
because there
is nothing
beyond this
life.
For some
it's to
dull the
pain of
today in
all the
struggles
that people
may face
and at
the same
time to
somehow
create a
happiness
for the
moment.
Isn't
that why
people drink?
Dull the
pain of
today?
To get
rid of
the worries
and to
create a
false kind
of happiness
for the
moment?
So Jesus
says,
be careful.
Be careful,
verse 34.
because that
day will
close on
you suddenly
like a
trap,
for it
will come
on all
those who
live in
the face
of the
whole
earth.
Be careful
that we
don't get
caught up
with the
world who
only live
for the
now,
who are
only living
for today,
because the
future,
well,
they've got
nothing to
look forward
to.
When you
die,
you die,
and that's
it.
There's
nothing to
come.
Be careful,
we don't
get caught
up into
that kind
of thinking.
Mike
McKinley
has a
little book
on Luke's
Gospel,
recommend you
to read
it.
He says
this,
no one
ever looked
at pornography,
flirted
with someone
who was
not their
spouse,
or ran
up credit
card debts
on things
they can't
afford,
with their
heart set
expectantly,
on the
reality that
Jesus would
return.
You see,
if we're not
focused on
the Lord
Jesus'
return,
we're focused
on the
here and
now,
trying to
fill our
life with
all kinds
of things
to dull
the pain
and create
a happiness
because we've
got nothing
to look
forward to.
Be careful
that we
don't get
sucked into
thinking this
life is all
that we
have.
Set your
hearts on
Jesus,
who gives
us life
in all
its fullness.
Look back
at verse
19.
Stand
firm and
you will
win life.
True
life is
found in
him.
The
Son of
Man is
coming.
Be
prepared,
be careful.
careful.
The second
thing by
way of
preparation
is watch
out.
Verse 36.
Be always
on the
watch and
pray that
you may be
able to
escape all
that is
about to
happen and
that you
may be able
to stand
before the
Son of
Man.
We're to be
on the
lookout.
Watch
out.
Wait
patiently for
the Lord's
return.
And the
way to
keep watch,
do you see
it there
beginning of
verse 36?
Watch out
and pray.
Pray.
You see,
the signs that
Jesus spoke
of earlier
are signs
or things
that still
happen today.
There are
false
messiahs,
those who
try to lead
us away
from Christ,
come up with
notions telling
us that,
oh, the
time is
near,
oh, the
beast from
the east,
Jesus is
coming next
week.
Wars and
threats of
wars,
famines and
earthquakes and
natural disasters,
opposition and
persecution.
We can see and
experience all
these things in
the world today
and the danger
is they can
cause us to
think,
well, where
is God?
All this is
happening.
Where is he?
Doesn't God
care with all
the trouble
that's going
on in the
world?
All these
wars in
Syria?
All the
persecutions
that are
happening in
Asia?
What's God
doing?
And the
temptation for
you and
me is to
give up
this promise
of Jesus
coming.
I mean,
2,000 years
have passed.
Don't believe
it anymore.
We might as
well go and
get drunk
with everybody
else.
No, says
Jesus, watch
out.
Be patient.
Keep
looking.
And pray,
verse 36,
so that you
may be able
to escape
all that is
about to
happen.
That doesn't
mean we'll
escape the
terrible things
in this life
and that we'll
have a
suffering-free
life.
It means we
will escape
the coming
judgment
of God.
We continue
to look to
the Lord
Jesus,
trusting in
him.
That's why
Jesus came
to give
us life,
to bring
salvation.
And so
the encouragement
for us is
to pray.
Be a
people of
prayer.
Ask God
in the midst
of this
chaotic
world and
life to
keep us
focused on
the promise
coming of
the Lord
Jesus.
Ask God
that you
will not
fall into
temptation,
but that
we will
be faithful
and obedient
until he
comes.
Ask God
that we
would be
faithful in
our witness.
Do you
see what it
says in
verse 15?
He says,
I will
give you
words and
wisdom that
none of your
adversaries will
be able to
resist or
contradict.
Pray that
as we wait
for the Lord
Jesus, we
will be
faithful.
And that
we will
maintain our
witness, that
we will
not fall.
Be careful.
Watch out
so that you
may be able
to stand
before the
Son of
Man.
I'm going
to pray a
prayer.
It's a
prayer that
Saint
Patrick, or
maybe we
just call him
Patrick, he
was a saint
in the right
sense.
But here's a
prayer that
Patrick prayed.
let's read,
let me pray
this as we
close together.
I now
entrust my
soul to
God, who
is most
faithful, and
for whom I
am an
ambassador in
my humble
station, for
God has no
favourites.
I ask God
therefore for
perseverance, to
grant that I
remain a
faithful witness
to him, for
his own sake
until my
passing from
this life.
For on
that day we
will undoubtedly
rise in the
brightness of
the sun, that
is in the
glory of
Christ Jesus
our Redeemer, as
sons of the
living God,
joint heirs with
Christ and made
in his image.
From him and
through him and
for him we
will reign.
we will
remain forever
as Christ
remains forever,
who reigns
with God the
Father Almighty
and the Holy
Spirit, before
time began, and
now for all
eternity.
Amen.
Well, we're
going to sing
together.
It's a great
hymn, an old
hymn.
Amen.