Luke 21:5-23 Bible Teaching

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Luke 21:5-23
Aired Sunday May 24th 2020

So, we left off last week examining the story of the widow and her two mites. In fact the passages that are to follow today played into our study of it. Never the less lets read them again now:

5 ¶ And as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said,
6 “As for these things which you see, the days will come when there shall not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
7 And they asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign when this is about to take place?”
8 And he said, “Take heed that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them.
9 And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified; for this must first take place, but the end will not be at once.”
10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom;
11 there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.
12 But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake.
13 This will be a time for you to bear testimony.
14 Settle it therefore in your minds, not to meditate beforehand how to answer;
15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.
16 You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and kinsmen and friends, and some of you they will put to death;
17 you will be hated by all for my name’s sake.
18 But not a hair of your head will perish.
19 By your endurance you will gain your lives.
20 ¶ “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near.
21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it;
22 for these are days of vengeance, to fulfil all that is written.
23 Alas for those who are with child and for those who give suck in those days! For great distress shall be upon the earth and wrath upon this people;

Okay, back to verse 5-6

5 And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,
6 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.

Now, in order to sort of flesh this retelling out by Luke I have to incorporate the story borrowing from Matthews version.

And in that version Jesus had just railed on the scribes and pharisees and sadducees HARD – I mean, it is one full chapter of condemnation.

And in Matthews account they leave and upon leaving some of the disciples pointed out the beauty of the temple.

But here in Luke’s account the leaving and pointing out the temple came as a result of Jesus teaching about widows and their being abused by the religious leaders of their day.

And this gave us some context to the meaning of Jesus speaking of the widow putting in all of her living into the treasury.

In any case, Jesus and the disciples were leaving the scene (in both narratives) and in both of them we read some semblance of the following found in Luke 21:5-6

5 And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,
6 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.

When reading the Matthew account, Jesus leaves having ripped on the religious rulers and it says, out of the blue, and someone says, “Why look at the beautiful temple,” which admittedly seems sort of odd.

But in conjunction with what he just said (last week) about the Widows mite and the scribes devouring their houses, his attitude toward the ornate temple makes sense.

So some spake of the temple, and how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts.

The “beautiful stones and gems and gold and brass” that was used to decorate it.

To me, and this is just me, but to me this temple of Herod’s was insulting to Jesus at this point.

By now it had been defiled, and in someways it represented the beautiful leaves on a fig tree – outwardly promising but inwardly fruitless.

This view, if I am correct, was not well-received by God and His people. This outward whited sepulcher full of dead mens bones.

Now, for Yeshua to say this at this time it would seem like a virtual impossibility for his words to come true.

The temple was the pride of the nation, immense and believed to be unshakeable – plus the Nation was at peace.

Within forty years time Yeshua’s words would come to pass when Jerusalem was taken by the Roman armies, under the command of Titus in the year 70AD.

The account of the siege and destruction of the city is left us by Josephus, an true historian of unquestionable reputation. He was a Jewish priest who fell into the hands of the Romans and remained with them as a historian chronically the destruction of the city.

Being a faithful Jew, he had very little to say about the words of Christ, but his account serves to only given them complete veracity and authority.

Because of this prophesy and the fulfillment of it, there is doubt that the wailing wall (present today) was ever part of the temple at that time – if it was, then it too should have come down completely fulfilling Jesus words that not one stone will be left upon another.

So one or more of the disciples pointed out the temples external splendor and Jesus responds to the observation with:

“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.”

Now at this point we read here in Luke:

7 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?

However, we discover a different setting provided by Matthew in his description. There we read that Jesus then went to the Mount of Olives and while there some of the disciples (Mark tells us that it was Peter, James, John and Andrew) came to him and asked some more detailed questions, including:

When will these things be (the temple coming down) and what will be the sign of your coming (back to them) and the sign of the end of the age?

Here in Luke all he has them say is

Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?

These questions are HUGELY important in the New Testament narrative as they explain the timeline of New Testament eschatology.

There are a few views regarding what Jesus has to say in reply:

The first view is that what he says speaks to is the coming destruction of Jerusalem alone but not to his second coming.

The second view is that he is telling them what is going to happen to Jerusalem AND these signs will be the signs associated with his second coming to them/then too.

The third view is that he is telling them what is going to happen to both Jerusalem and to the world at his coming – so two different destructions holding to one set of signs.

The fourth view is all of these things specifically speak to his second coming and remain futuristic (meaning that they haven’t happened yet).

Let me say that this last view, Josephus plainly describes these things being fulfilled in that day. So to suggest that what Jesus says only has bearing on His coming in the future is really naïve.

So that wipes out that option.

The first view, that “what he says speaks to is the coming destruction of Jerusalem alone but not to his second coming,” works against the questions he was asked, which was “and what will be the signs of thy coming” and so this view is quite poor.

This leaves two remaining viable views of what Jesus says in response to these disciples three questions, again:

“That he is telling them what is going to happen to Jerusalem AND these signs are associated with his second coming to them at that time,” OR

“He is telling them what is going to happen to both Jerusalem and to the world at his coming – so two different destructions that both hold to the same set of signs.”

Admittedly, and just based on what we read here, both can be argued.

So, in Matthew’s account the disciples say:

“Tell us, when will these things be and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of this age?”

These are very specific questions for the Lord. Again, the first was,

“when will the things (that he had been warning about) take place? and the second was, “what would be the sign or signs of his coming (his second coming, btw), and third, “what would be the signs for the wrapping up or close of that age?” (or what would be the signs to accompany the end of that age).

Interestingly, the King James translates the Greek term aionos (age) to “world” in this question and so the KJV has the last question read, “and when will be the end of the world?”

Many Christians have erroneously taken what Yeshua says in the rest of the chapter and applied it to the future signs for the end of the whole entire world (kosmos).

Here we see Yeshua and the Apostles tying the fulfillment of the warnings Yeshua had given, His Second Coming and the end of that age, all together, which is the contextual way to understand their questions and the answers Yeshua gives (which compose the rest of this chapter).

In other words, this chapter is describing for them/then what the wrapping up of their age would look like as tied to the Second Coming of Christ and the dire signs accompanying it. (verse 8)

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.

The first thing Yeshua tells them in response to their three questions is to “take heed that they do not allow anyone to deceive them.”

This was the first warning and would lead the living apostles left after Jesus ascends to write letters and make warnings as those times grew more and more dire.

The historical record shows that in that day many did come in the name of (or claiming to be) the Messiah.

According to Josephus there were plenty of times in that day where this warning was fulfilled by many who pretended to have been sent by YHWH – and they deceived the people who followed them.

He wrote, “The land was overrun with magicians, seducers, and impostors, who drew the people after them in multitudes into solitudes and deserts, to see the signs and miracles which they promised to show by the power of God.”

Among those mentioned by name include a man named Dositheus, a Samaritan, who affirmed that he was Christ; Simon Magus, who said he appeared among the Jews as the Son of God; and Theudas, who persuaded many to go with him to the river Jordan to see the waters divided.

9 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.

Again, when Yeshua said this the Roman empire was in a state of peace but recorded history shows that abviolent agitations prevailed prior to the destruction of Jerusalem.

Four emperors, Nero, Galba, Otho, and Vitellius all suffered violent deaths in the short space of just . . . “eighteen months.”

As a result of this there were great national commotions with divergent parties formed and violent wars cracking open between the various groups.

Josephus says that one “Bardanes,” and later “Volageses,” declared war against the Jews, but it was not carried into execution, (Antiquities 20,34).

He also says that Vitellius, governor of Syria, declared war against Aretas, king of Arabia, and wished to lead his army through Palestine; but the death of Tiberius prevented an actual war, (Antiquities 18,5,3).

Wars and rumors of wars within a forty year span of time certainly came to pass as Jesus predicts. But Jesus adds: “But the end is not yet.”

This is a way of saying, “but do not let these signs cause you to believe that the end is upon you – the end is not yet.” (Verse 10)

10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:

The Jews at Caesarea fought with the Syrians over the land and twenty thousand of the Jews were killed. Sedition and civil war spread throughout Judea while Italy was thrown into civil war over who should wear the crown, Otho or Vitellius – again, all within forty years of Yeshua saying this.

11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

In prophetic language, earthquakes can sometimes mean “political or social commotions” because of the shaking they cause in the communities.

However literally speaking, many earthquakes are mentioned as preceding the destruction of Jerusalem.

Tacitus speak of one in the reign of Claudius (in Rome) adding that in the reign of Nero, the cities of Laodicea, Hierapolis, Colosse and Pompeii were almost destroyed by earthquakes (Annales, 15, 22).

Others are mentioned as occurring at Smyrna, Miletus, Chios, and Samos.)

Regarding famines, we read in the book of Acts 11:28 that there was a famine foretold by a prophet named Agabus which is mentioned as having occurred, by historians Tacitus, Suetonius, and Eusebius and which was so severe in Jerusalem, that Josephus says, many people perished for want of food, (Antiquities. 20, 2).

Also, four times in the reign of Claudius, (41-54 AD,) famine prevailed in Rome, Palestine, and Greece.

And then to the term pestilence, the Greek term is loimos (translated, plague or pestilence) and it is missing from the oldest manuscripts and is not found in the majority of texts either.

However, a horrible pestilence is recorded in Babylonia in 40 AD (Antiquities 18, 9, 8), in Italy in 66 AD, (Tacitus, 16,13.) and both of them took place before the destruction of Jerusalem.

Since we’re on the topic there are direct and undeniable correlations between the descriptions found here in Matthew chapters 24-25, Luke 21, Mark 13, 2nd Thessalonians, the entire book of Revelation, and the prophesies of Daniel, Ezekiel, Jeremiah and Isaiah – none of which have any prophetic relevance to any age past 70AD and the end of that age.

We also note that Yeshua says here that the earthquakes (and all the rest) are only “the beginning of sorrows.”

If we are experiencing a historical revisit of these things upon us today, and I admit that it is entirely possible for the signs and themes mentioned here reoccurring at different times on earth, then we are presently in only the beginning of sorrows days -and there is much more to come.

I only maintain that Jesus is NOT returning to save anyone if a historical revisit is in motion.

I am going to read from verses 12-17 and add some emphasis to what is written to prove a point – remember who Jesus was speaking to here – Peter, James, John and Andrew, and remember who asked Him the three questions:

That’s right, Peter, James, John and Andrew

12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake.
13 And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
14 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what you shall answer:
15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
16 And you shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
17 And you shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.

Context is everything and these were the words of Jesus to them/then.

Mark (13:9) says “They shall deliver you up to councils,” meaning the sanhedrim. This was fulfilled when Peter and John were brought before it as reported in Acts 4:5-7. Marks account further adds that they should be delivered to synagogues and to prisons to be beaten, and that they would be brought before rulers and kings for his name’s sake. All of this was fulfilled.

Peter and John were imprisoned (Acts 4:3) Paul and Silas too (Acts 16:24). They were also beaten (Acts 16:23.) and Paul was brought before Gallio (Acts 18:12); before Felix (Acts 24:24); and before Agrippa, (Acts 25:23). He was also beaten. Stephen was stoned, (Acts 7:59); James was killed by Herod (Acts 12:2).

In addition to all this another persecution took place before the destruction of Jerusalem under Nero where thousands of believers were put to death (including Peter and Paul).

It is believed that most of the apostles died by persecution – which was the call on their lives as they were to actually die for sharing truth.

And while it may continue to be true in parts of the world today, followers of Christ presently ought to be some of the most beloved people in the world by virtue of living selfless lives of agape love toward all others.

So in verses 12 -17 Jesus clearly describes that things were going to get really tough on these men, so much so that family and friends were going to turn on them and some of them would be put to death.

And then we come to a most curious line in verse 18 where Jesus says to them then:

18 But there shall not an hair of your head perish.

So, we have some choices on how to understand this contradiction.

First, we could say that Jesus was simply contradicting himself. So, there’s that.

Or we could say that he meant that not a hair of their head would perish UNTIL these things started happening.

Or we could suggest that he was only speaking to John the beloved here who was not martyred like the rest of them, OR we could suggest that this statement was not to be read literally but was instead proverbial and spoke to their eternal state, and that not one hair would perish then.

I’m going with the idea that Jesus looked at John at this point and said these words to him and him alone:

18 But there shall not an hair of your head perish. (And then he adds to this thought verse 19)

19 In your patience possess ye your souls.

Which means in your patience among all of this you will preserve your lives.

Some say that Jesus was speaking of them keeping their wits which they did before escaping to a place called Pella.

Matthew’s account adds more to this narrative, and has Jesus say there:

And many false prophets will rise and will deceive many. And because wickedness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached through all the land for a witness to all ethnicities and then the end will come.

In verse six Jesus spoke of false Messiah’s but here he is speaking of men who claimed to be prophets during the actual siege of Jerusalem.

Flavius Josephus says of them, “The tyrannical zealots who ruled the city suborned many false prophets to declare that aid would be given to the people from heaven. This was done to prevent them from attempting to desert, and to inspire confidence in God.” (See Jewish Wars, book vi., Chap. 5, & 2, 3.)

And then he adds that because of the wickedness of the people the natural love and affection for neighbor and even family would grow cold.

This environment would ultimately allow the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit unspeakable crimes against each other.

Jesus also adds in Matthew the line of people enduring to the end being saved and many believers today misapply this line and use it to mean being saved from hell to heaven, but the context best means saved from the coming physical destruction.

Matthew also adds:

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached through all the land for a witness to all ethnicities and then the end will come.

The King James reads that the Gospel of the Kingdom will be “preached through all the world” but this is a bad translation as the Greek work here is not kosmos (world) but oikomene (area, land, region, and vicinity – like the Roman Empire).

Even in Paul’s day he declares that the gospel was preached to every creature under heaven (Colossians 1:6,23) and hyperbolically said that the faith of the Romans was spoken of throughout the whole world, (Romans 1:8).

We know that Paul preached at Jerusalem, and around Illyricum (Romans 15:19), in Arabia, (Galatians 1:17) and we know that he also traveled sharing the Gospel through Asia Minor, Greece, Italy, Spain Gaul and Crete (Romans 15:24-28).

Of course, we also know that after the day of Pentecost that the Gospel was taken to many other parts of the Roman Empire and that all of the other apostles were also busy sharing the Good News with the surrounding regions as well.

There is little doubt that within a forty year period of time that it reached all of the region but it is extremely doubtful that it reached the whole world.

Therefore, we know that the words of Paul are symbolic and not literal.

The KJV also translates this passage to saying that he Gospel would go to all Nations but the Greek term is ethnos, and better means tribes or ethnicities, which make understanding the passage much easier relative to a reasonable eschatology and an application to them/then and not the nations of the world.

At this point in Luke’s account we read:

20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.

The use of the word desolation here is important because it speaks to a prophesy given in the Book of Daniel. Matthew puts this line this way, saying:

15And when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place, (let he who reads understand:)

The term, “abomination of desolation,” is a Hebrew expression that means an abominable or hateful destroyer.

The Gentiles were all seen as an abomination by the Jews, (Acts 10:28) and the abomination of desolation here refers to the Roman army standing in the temple (the holy place) defiling it.

Mark describes the abomination as “standing where it ought not.”

An Josephus writes that when the city of Jerusalem was taken, the Romans brought their idols into the temple, and placed them over the eastern gate, and sacrificed to them there. This was sheer abomination to the Jews and their religious sensibilities. (see, Jewish Wars, book vi., chap. 6, 1.)

And this was prophesied and referred to in Daniel 11:31 and 12:11, where we read:

Daniel 11:31 And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.

Daniel 12:11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.

I am not going to do the math here to prove the days work out from the time of these prophesies to the age of Jesus, but know this simply:

Daniel writes of 1290, 1335, 1260 days, which are relative to approx. 3.5 years, 3.65 years, and 3.45 years.

The First Jewish-Roman War, caused by the Judean rebellion led by Simon Bar Giora, started in 66AD – “three-something years” from the ultimate siege of Jerusalem which was finished in 70 AD.
No messing around with dates, just clear pure biblical facts, and it was in these periods that believers would have seen the abomination of Destruction standing in the holy place that Jesus said, “the time is really close.”

In fact, this is what he says next:

21 Then . . . let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.
22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
23 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.

All things which are written may be fulfilled. Judgment had been threatened by almost all the prophets against that wicked city.

They had spoken of its crimes and threatened its ruin. In their past, God had destroyed Jerusalem and carried the people to Babylon; but their crimes had been repeated when they returned, and God had again threatened their complete ruin. Which is what Daniel said in Daniel 9:26-27.

“And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself; and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.”

It is noteworthy that Jesus tells them that are in Judea to flee to the mountains, which were a historically safe place for them to hide (1st Samuel 13:6; 22:1; 2nd Samuel 23:13; Josiah 10:16) proving all of these things pertained to them/then and not the end of the world.

Additionally, to be on a housetop was perfectly normal as they were flat and used for resting, eating and even travel through the city (since the roofs were often connected). This is another indication that this message and all the signs were to them/then and not to the rest of the world in the future.

The meaning seems to be if a person was on the housetop, they were to exit the city immediately (via roof travel) and to not even going down into their home to get their property or supplies as the fallout calamities would hit quickly.

Again, speaking to the urgency of the event, field workers were to immediately flee and not even stop to fetch their outer garments laid aside in order to work.

Jesus then speaks to praying that all of this does not happen in winter or a Sabbath day as winter travel can be made more treacherous by the weather and travel on the Sabbath day was prohibited (Exodus 16:29). The law of Moses didn’t mention the distance that a person could go on the sabbath but most of the Jews in that day maintained that it should not be more than two thousand cubits which was allowed in order that they might go to their places of worship.

By Yeshua saying to pray that “it might not be on the sabbath,” was because if they went further than a sabbath-day’s journey they would not be beyond the reach of danger; and if they did, they could be charged with violating the law.
This is yet another proof that the warning were to them/then as Sabbath day travel has little bearing on travel today.

Let’s stop here and pick it up next week.
PRAYER