Bible_Ref

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

The Signs of the Times and the End of the Age (Lk 21:7-19)





This lesson covers the impressive and sometimes disturbing teachings about the end of the age we live in.

Luke 21:7-19




  

The Signs of the Times and the End of the Age  


Luke 21:7-19



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?"  
8 And 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.  



 (Compare Matthew 24:3-14; Mark 13:3-13)

Introduction


Last week we looked at Luke 21:5-6:  

  

5 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."  



and talked about those verses strictly in light of the destruction of the Herod’s Temple in Jerusalem. Certainly from the parallel passage in the Gospel of Mark 13:1-2, such an interpretation seems possible.

1 Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, "Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!"  
2 And Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down."



It is, I believe possible and valid to read Mark 13:9-13 as Jesus speaking to His disciples about the events of their lives leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.. In the account of the early church in the Book of Acts, we can read of how Jesus’ words to the disciples rang true:



9 "But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.  10 And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.  11 But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.  12 Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.  13 And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”



Indeed many of them were delivered up to the Sanhedrin, beaten in synagogues, brought before rulers and kings, and they used the opportunity to testify of Jesus. Some of the speeches given by Peter do indeed read as if they are the words of the Holy Spirit, not the words of an illiterate fisherman. And the church as a whole did indeed suffer persecution at that time, first from the Jews, and later from the Romans. However, this is not the approach I will take in looking our passage in Luke 21:7-19.

We have talked before how prophesy may often have several fulfillments. For example, in our study in Luke 20, we saw how God’s promise to King David in 1 Chronicles 17:11-14 to set up his seed on the throne after him was fulfilled immediately by David’s son Solomon and much later by David’s descendant Jesus.  

In the same way, I believe that this prophesy by Jesus was fulfilled initially in the destruction of the Herod’s Temple in 70 A.D. and will be fulfilled later, during the end of this age. We can see this most clearly in the parallel account from Matthew 24:3:

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?"  



Scripture tells us that there will be a destruction and recreation of things during the last days. For example we find this idea in Isaiah 65:17 where the Lord promises "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind. “ And we see it also in Revelation 21:1, where the Apostle John records “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.”  

In the last days then, as Jesus tells those who are listening to His teaching in the temple “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.” The world which we see around us shall be thrown down. The Apostle Peter gives us a vivid description of the destruction that will accompany the Day of the Lord in 2 Peter 3:10-13 where he writes:
 

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.  11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.  



When Teacher?


Notice that members of the crowd immediately ask Jesus about the timing of these events: “Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?” They do not ask when Herod’s Temple will be thrown down but rather when these things will happen. The wording of their questions, as well as the answers Jesus gives them, suggest that they are asking about the last days. Matthew and Mark’s Gospels indicate that it was Jesus’ disciples who asked. Why exactly they desire to know the timing scripture does not say. But I know that many believers, myself included, as well as non-believers, are fascinated by the subject of the end times. The prevalence and popularity of end of the world movies like 2012, The Day After Tomorrow, The Knowing, Melancolia, Road Warrior, 12 Monkeys, The Stand, The Road, Armageddon, and The Book of Eli testify to that fascination.  

Observe that Jesus does not address their first question – “When will these things be?” - at all. The reason for this I believe can be found near the end of the parallel passages in Matthew and Mark. In Mark 13:32, Jesus says "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” The events of the last days will happen in the Father’s timing and no one but the Father, not even Jesus, knows the day or the hour. But while the day and the hour are unknown, there are signs that believers can look for to tell them that the last days are coming soon and Jesus does list several of those for His listeners.  


Deceivers will come


However, even before Jesus lists a single sign of the last days, in all three Gospel accounts He first warns His listeners not to be deceived. As the last days draw near, Jesus tells us there will be many deceivers who arise, claiming to be Christ, and saying the last days are at hand. In fact the appearance of these deceivers is the first signs of the last days that Jesus gives us. In both Matthew and Mark’s accounts (Mark 13:21-23), Jesus elaborates a bit on the account in Luke:

Notice that in the account in Mark, Jesus warns that If believers are not on our guard, it may be possible that even the elect, even those within the Body of Christ who are in relationship with Christ, could be fooled by the signs and wonders of these deceivers. Jesus tells us these things beforehand expressly to help prevent such deception from happening. It is important for us to realize how little we understand spiritual things and how easily we can be fooled. Whenever we believe that we stand, scripture warns us to be careful lest we fall (1 Corinthians 10:12-13).   

Mankind as a whole, and especially believers, has an enemy in Satan, who is known as a deceiver for good reason. Satan is both a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). His desire is to deceive everyone whom he can and he will be a deceiver until the bitter end, when his final rebellion is crushed and he is cast into the lake of fire (Rev 20:7-10). We should not be unaware of his devices, of how he operates. I believe that this is one reason why it is so important to be reading, memorizing, and meditating on God’s word – because if we are not in God’s word, it might be more difficult for us to remember the warnings that Jesus has given us, to recall God’s truths, and to recognize the deceiver’s schemes.


Other signs of the last days


In our passage in Luke Jesus now goes on to list several other signs by which we may know that the last days are near. Jesus mentions specifically three kinds of signs:

  1. wars and commotions, wherein nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom 
  2. natural disasters, such as earthquakes, famines, and pestilences
  3. sights and signs from heaven, which are not elaborated here



The parallel account in Matthew 24 lists three additional signs: “lawlessness will abound” [Matt 24:12], “the love of many will grow cold” [Matt 24:12], and “the gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations” [Matt 24:14]. Then, Jesus tells us, “the end will come.”

Bad as these signs sound, they are hardly the sum total of the troubles that the last days will bring. In Matthew 24:8, having mentioned the deceivers, the wars, and the natural disasters that will proceed the last days, Jesus tells us “All these are the beginnings of sorrows.” Meditate on these words. These are just the beginnings of sorrows…  It might be the case that Jesus’ words are a word to the wise, telling us that the last days themselves will be worse even than the signs that precede them. And we have only to read the Book of Revelation to see how much worse things will get….


But first, persecution


However before these signs occur, those who follow Jesus will experience persecution. And I believe that we can see this persecution as another sign of the last days. That believers will be persecuted should not come as a surprise. In fact believers have been persecuted from the beginnings of the church in Acts. There is severe persecution of believers today in some Asian and Moslem countries. However, in the US and Western Europe, we are fortunate to be able to undergo mild persecution for our belief in Christ.  

From the beginning Jesus has urged would-be believers to count the cost, because following Him will lead to persecution. Listen to Jesus’ sobering words from Luke 9:57-62 to those who approached Him along the road, pledging to follow Him:  

57 Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go."  
58 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  
59 Then He said to another, "Follow Me."
But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  
60 Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God."  
61 And another also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house."  
62 But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."  


In fact many of the warnings about persecution that we read in our passage in Luke can also be found in in Matthew 10:16-23. Here Jesus addresses His twelve disciples as He prepares to send them out to preach the kingdom of God to the people of Israel:


16 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.  17 But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.  18 You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.  19 But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak;  20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.  
21 "Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.  22 And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.  23 When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.



In our passage tonight Jesus warns that as the last days approach, the persecution of believers will increase. Believers will be betrayed by parents, brothers, relatives, friends, and even by fellow-believers Jesus warns. I believe that the warning delivered by prophet Micah to a disobedient Judah and Israel will be applicable to the last days as well. In Micah 7:5-7 we read:


5 Do not trust in a friend; Do not put your confidence in a companion; Guard the doors of your mouth From her who lies in your bosom.  6 For son dishonors father, Daughter rises against her mother, Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; A man's enemies are the men of his own household.  7 Therefore I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me.  



As the last days approach, enemies of true believers will be found even within the church. Take a closer look at Matthew 24:9-10, where Jesus says:


9 "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake.  10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.    



The NASB makes this clearer still in its rendering of Matthew 24:10 - "At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another.” Betrayed by those who are closest to them, by those they love, by those they would expect to have their best interests at heart, believers will be delivered up to be delivered to councils, beaten in synagogues, thrown into prisons, brought before kings and rulers, even put to death, all for sake of the name of Jesus.      


Occasion for testimony


Yet, Jesus tells us, these persecutions will be opportunities for us to testify about the Gospel.  Furthermore, we are not to worry beforehand or premeditate about what we should say when we are being persecuted. The Holy Spirit will give us the words (Mark 13:11); “for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.”  

And just as Jesus promises to give us the words to speak, He also reassures them that even though some of them will be put to death, “But not a hair on your head shall be lost.” God is sovereign, even when we are being persecuted. If we love Him and are walking in His will, we can take comfort in the promise of Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Turn with me to Romans 8 and let’s read Paul’s words of encouragement in verses 31-39:


31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written:
"For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."  
7 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  



Listen to what Jesus tells His disciples about these persecutions at the conclusion of our passage tonight: “By your patience [or endurance] possess your souls.” Or, as Jesus puts it in Mark 13:13 and Matthew 24:13, “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” We are not called to seek persecution but nor are we called for the most part to fear or flee it either. Rather we are called to endure it, with joy, remembering that “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)


What can we say: are we in the last days?


As we look at the signs that Jesus tells us indicate that the end is near, what can we conclude? Are the last days at hand or not? Last week we listed the following signs of the last days found in Luke 21 and the parallel accounts of Matthew 24, and Mark 13:

  1. Deceivers will arise, claiming to be Christ and predicting that the end is at hand
  2. Wars and rumors of wars will increase
  3. Natural disasters, such as earthquakes, famines, and pestilences will increase
  4. Sights and signs from heaven will increase
  5. Lawlessness will abound
  6. The love of many will grow cold
  7. The gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations
  8. Persecution of believers will increase within families and churches



As we look at this list, it seems clear - to me at least - that people have experienced many of these signs have been seen for many hundreds, if not thousands, of years. We will look at several of these signs in more detail. At the outset we need to be clear that for many of these signs it is difficult to know whether or not we are seeing an increase. It is not clear that accurate record keeping of wars, disasters, and false messiahs was a priority in the past. And even if it was, records often do not survive from one generation to another. For example, the detailed genealogical records kept by the Jews were apparently destroyed along with the different temples in Jerusalem. And even when ancient records do survive, they are often hard to access and difficult to interpret. Granted that the collection and access to information have improved greatly in the last centuries, I believe we can get at least a sense of the general trends.


Deceivers will arise


There have been many individuals claiming to be either Jesus or the Messiah. If the lists on Wikipedia are trustworthy, there are 24 people who claimed to be the Jewish Messiah and 34 who claimed to be the Christian Messiah. There are also 34 names of people from the 19th-21st centuries who claimed to be Jesus. Wikipedia also lists 16 unfulfilled prophesies of when the Second Coming of Christ would occur, as well as 5 additional prophesies predicting a date later than 2012.  


Wars and rumors of wars


Looking at the compilations of recorded wars available online, we can see a similar trend there. Even allowing for problems with record keeping, the number of wars has spiked in the last two centuries and the 21st century is on track to have even more wars still!

                                                 Compiled from Wikipedia


Natural disasters


The World Health Organization’s EM-DAT online site tracks world-wide disasters, where a disaster meets at least one of the following conditions:

  • Ten (10) or more people reported killed.
  • Hundred (100) or more people reported affected.
  • Declaration of a state of emergency.
  • Call for international assistance.
  •  


If we look at reported natural disasters by decade from 1900 to 2011 (and by natural disasters we mean here droughts, earthquakes, epidemics, floods, storms, volcanic eruptions, and wildfires), we can see that the number of reported disasters per decade has steadily increasing since about 1940 although it has dropped off a bit since 2006.  







Here is the same information, summed by decade:




Lawlessness will increase


The Greek word translated “lawlessness” is “anomia,” which means either “the condition of one without law, either from ignorance or violation thereof,” or “contempt and violation of law, iniquity, wickedness.” My opinion here is that the second sense is what is intended - that intentional wickedness will increase as the last days approach. Listen to what I believe Paul has to say about this lawlessness of the last days in 2 Timothy 3:1-5:


3 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!  



As I look at the world around me, I believe I see many of these things happening right before my eyes…. More than before I can see people concerned only for themselves, loving money for the comforts it can purchase for them. I believe that many businesses ultimately care less about their customers than their customers’ money. We see a great many items made to be disposable yet priced as if they would last forever.   


The gospel will be preached to all nations


There is some disagreement over how Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:14 should be understood: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”  The controversy surrounds the Greek word “oikoumene,” translated as “world” or “earth,” but with the sense of “the known world” (i.e., the Roman Empire). Clearly this is how the word is used in Luke 2:1: “And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.” Since Rome never conquered anywhere near all of the countries and nations on earth, the census referred to here was only empire-wide, not world-wide.  

The question then becomes: should Jesus’ words be understood as calling for the Gospel to be preached though out the known world of His day? There is some evidence for such an interpretation in scripture. For example, in Romans 10:16-18, Paul writes:

16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our report?"  17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.  
18 But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed:
"Their sound has gone out to all the earth [same Greek word], And their words to the ends of the world."  



And Paul again, this time in Colossians 1:3-8, writes:


3 We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; 5 because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as it has also in all the world [kosmos, different word], and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth; 7 as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8 who also declared to us your love in the Spirit.



But regardless of how we are to interpret Jesus’ words, it would seem that by now, the Gospel has been preached to all the world, or at least in every country. According to The Almanac of the Christian World, by the year 1990, there were Christians and Christian churches in every country of the world. In these countries and areas the Gospel has been preached to over 4 billion people.  

The Bible has also been translated either partially or entirely into over 2,000 different languages and dialects. This means that at least some part of the Bible is now available to about 98 percent of the world's population.

In addition, there are in excess of 50 million Bibles are distributed every year, as well as nearly 80 million New Testaments. Other Christian books are also proliferating, with some 3 billion being printed every year by 1,500 presses and publishers, along with nearly four billion Gospel tracts. The Gospel is also preached from 2,160 Christian radio and television stations, and religious shows are carried on many more thousands of secular stations.


Other signs mentioned in scripture


If we broaden our scope a bit, and include other NT references to the last days besides the Gospels, we can add the following signs of the last days:

  1. Some will fall away from the faith (1 Timothy 4:1-3)
  2. Perilous times will come (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
  3. God will speak to mankind through His Son (Hebrews 1:1-2)
  4. Scoffers will come (2 Peter 3:3-4)
  5. Mockers will walk according to their own ungodly lusts (Jude 17)



Some of these signs in my opinion, are closely related to signs we have already discussed. We have already mentioned 2 Timothy 3:1-5 in conjunction with the rise of lawlessness. The appearance of scoffers and mockers could be seen as yet more instances of deceivers, trying to turn believers from the truth.  

While the evidence of the various signs is compelling, the strongest reason to believe that we are in fact in the last days is the fact that the Bible tells us so twice, in Acts and Hebrews. After the indwelling of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the disciples began to speak in tongues. The crowds there began to cry out that the disciples were drunk. However Peter stepped forward to set them straight (Acts 2:14-17).



14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:  

17 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.  



Peter tells them that what they are hearing is a fulfillment of a prophesy from Joel 2:28-32 that God will in the last days pour out His Spirit on all flesh, rather than on just prophets and kings. The fulfillment of this prophesy indicates that we are in the last days.   

The other passage is the opening of the Book of Hebrews 1:1-2, which reads:

1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;  



Here we learn that in these last days God has chosen to speak to His people through His Son Jesus Christ. Although the various signs point to the fact that we are in the last days, the Bible directly tells us so. We can take the Lord at His word; He is not a liar and in Him there is no shadow of changing; rather He is the truth. This is also consistent with the belief within the early church that the second coming was imminent.  


Since we are – I believe – in the last days, what ought we to do? Jesus gives us several parables to this effect: the parable of the wise and foolish virgins - Matt 25:1-13, the parable of the faithful and the evil servant - Matthew 24:45-51, and the parable of the fig tree - Luke 21:29-33, to name just a few. We need to watch and be ready, with our lamps trimmed and filled with oil, and with a reservoir of additional oil to boot, in case Our Lord tarries. In closing this evening I want to read to you from Thessalonians 5:1-11, where Paul talks to those believers about the last days:


1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.  
11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.  



My prayer for us all is that we live with expectancy of His return. We are in the last days; we need to watch and be sober!






No comments:

Post a Comment