Signs of the Times
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Sermon from Luke 21 - Jesus's teaching about the future. The main point is "do not be afraid".
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Signs of the Times
- 1. Signs of the Times Luke 21:5-38
- 2. Luke 21:29-38 29 Then he gave them this illustration: “Notice the fig tree, or any other tree. 30 When the leaves come out, you know without being told that summer is near. 31 In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that the Kingdom of God is near.
- 3. Luke 21:29-38 32 I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things have taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.
- 4. Luke 21:29-38 34 “Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, 35 like a trap.
- 5. Luke 21:29-38 For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. 36 Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.”
- 6. Luke 21:29-38 37 Every day Jesus went to the Temple to teach, and each evening he returned to spend the night on the Mount of Olives. 38 The crowds gathered at the Temple early each morning to hear him.
- 7. Signs of the Times Luke 21:5-38
- 8. Signs of the Times Five Major Topics • Warnings Against Deception (vv. 5–11) • Encouragement During Persecution (vv. 12–19) • The Destruction Of Jerusalem (vv. 20–24) • Future Events (vv. 25–28) • Assurances Concerning These Events (vv. 29–36)
- 9. Nine Exhortations 1. Do not follow false leaders (8) 2. Do not be frightened by the awesome events associated with the end times in apocalyptic literature (9-11) Major Topics Warnings Against Deception Signs of the Times
- 10. Nine Exhortations 3. Do not worry about your legal defense when you are persecuted and face legal charges because of your Christian witness (12–16) 4. When all turn against you, persevere and take a firm stand (17–19) Major Topics Encouragement During Persecution Signs of the Times
- 11. Nine Exhortations 5. Flee Jerusalem when it is besieged (20-24) Major Topics Destruction of Jerusalem Signs of the Times
- 12. Nine Exhortations 6. When the final apocalyptic events do take place, take heart at your coming redemption when the Son of Man returns (25–28) Major Topics Future Events Signs of the Times
- 13. Nine Exhortations 7. Recognize also that these things point to the approach of the kingdom of God (29–31) 8. Be assured that throughout the apocalyptic period the Lord’s words endure (32–33) Major Topics Assurances Concerning These Events Signs of the Times
- 14. Nine Exhortations 9. Be watchful and pray so that you will come through all these things in a way the Son of Man will approve of (34–36) Major Topics Assurances Concerning These Events Signs of the Times
Editor's Notes
- False Leaders The word “deceived” (planēthēte, v. 8) was frequently used in the early Christian centuries to describe the activities of heretics and false prophets (e.g., 2 John 7; cf. Rev 2:20). Even as late as the time of Origen (died c. 254), pretenders were making such claims as v. 8 describes (Origen, Contra Celsum 7.9). Do Not Be Frightened Certain frightening events (vv. 9–11) are typically linked in apocalyptic literature with the end times (e.g., Isa 13:10, 13; 34:4; Ezek 14:21; 32:7–8; Amos 8:9; Hag 2:6; 4Ezra 13:30ff.; 1QH 3:29–39). Jesus is teaching that, while such things are indeed to take place as history moves toward its climax, Christians should not be terrified by them (Luke alone has mē ptoēthēte, “do not be frightened,” v. 9). The reason is that wars, revolutions, natural calamities are not a signal that the end of history is to come immediately (eutheōs), as is commonly supposed even today. The sample summary of apocalyptic events in v. 11 includes the familiar “famines and pestilences” (limoi kai loimoi, a literary device called paronomasia, words with similar sound).
- You Will Win Life (niv) Whereas Matthew 10:22 (cf. 24:13) and Mark 13:13 have “He who stands firm to the end will be saved” (which encourages those who are standing firm, because God will bring rescue, cf. Luke 18:7–8), the Lukan expression is stronger: literally, “you will gain your lives” (ktēsasthe tas psychas hymōn). Luke uses a different Greek word—sōthēsetai; (“shall be saved”). The meaning is close to that of Matthew 16:25; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24; Matthew 10:39; Luke 17:33, which state, with some verbal differences, that whoever loses his life for the sake of Christ will preserve it, the implication being spiritual survival.
- Prophecy? The reference to Jerusalem (v. 20) need not be construed as a vaticinium ex eventu (a prophecy after the event). It is often pointed out that, were this so, Luke could have included more precise details. Furthermore, the vocabulary was already at hand and well known (cf. 2 Chronicles 15:6; Isa 3:25–26; 8:21–22; 13:13; 29:3; Jer 20:4–5; 34:17; 52:4; Ezek 4:1–4; Dan 9:26–27; Hos 9:7; 14:1; Zeph 1:14–15). The description of the siege of Jerusalem, a protracted event, contrasts with the sudden events in Luke’s earlier apocalyptic passage (17:22–37). There the one on the roof will not even have time to reenter his house. But here those out in the country are warned not to try to get back into the city during the siege (v. 21). The vivid description is painful to read. It is certainly possible to assume that Jesus’ predictions incorporated two phases: the events of A.D. 70 involving the temple and those in the distant future, described in more apocalyptic terms. Verse 24 implies that an extended period of time is needed for this fulfillment—an idea consistent with Luke’s twofold emphasis on a period of waiting along with an expectation of Christ’s imminent return. It also implies an end to the period when Gentiles are prominent in God’s plan (cf. Rom 11:11–27, esp. v. 25, “until the full number of the Gentiles has come in”).
- The “roaring … of the sea” is reminiscent of Isaiah 17:12; in biblical prophecy the sea often symbolizes chaos or stands for a source of fear. Daniel 7:13 is the main OT source for v. 27 and the NT concept of the glorified “Son of Man.” “Power,” “coming,” and “glory” are terms appropriate to Christ as Son of Man and King
- Fig Tree Luke, perhaps to avoid any thought of exclusiveness based on the fig tree’s symbolizing Israel, adds the words “and all the trees” (v. 29). “Generation” (genea, v. 32) could refer here to a span of time or to a class or race of people. “span of time” could mean the decades following Jesus’ lifetime. (Ellis, Gospel of Luke, p. 246, notes that in 1QpHab 2:7; 7:2, it includes several lifetimes.) If this whole passage thus referred to the destruction of Jerusalem, the heavenly portents would have to be understood figuratively If genea, still in the sense of a span of time, referred to the period of time following the initial events of the end time, it could indicate that once the sequence began, it would be brought through to conclusion without delay. This does not necessarily demand a predictable time framework beginning with some identifiable event such as would permit setting dates for the Lord’s return. The references cited above in the Habakkuk commentary preclude this. The span of time would be too great to calculate precisely. The other major alternative, “generation” as a class or race of people, would make most sense if understood as meaning the Jewish people. The point then would be that the Jewish people would be preserved throughout the ages till the consummation of history by Christ’s return. The usage of genea in the Gospels is inconclusive: It frequently refers to Jesus’ contemporaries, classing them as evil and unbelieving (e.g., 9:41); but that is hardly the meaning in this discourse. Genea here probably means the people living in the end time, who “will be sure that the last events have begun and will be brought to a consummation”
- The conclusion of the discourse again emphasizes faithfulness, with warnings not only against carousing but against the “anxieties of life” (v. 34; cf. 8:14; 12:22–26). Only Luke discloses that Jesus taught in the temple by day but spent each night outside Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives (v. 37). It is difficult to know whether Luke mentions this to show the danger awaiting Jesus in the city or to show that Jesus dissociated himself from it, or whether it is simply a matter-of-fact statement. Luke is careful to tell us, just as he did in his earlier narratives of Jesus’ ministry, how popular Jesus was. Here it is the “people” (laos), the responsive group as distinguished from the mere “crowds” (ochloi) and from the leaders, who come to hear his teaching “early in the morning” (v. 38).