Then, as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and donations, He said, "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."So they asked Him, saying, "Teacher, but when will these things be? and what sign will there be when these things are to about to take place?" 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. 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." Then He said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. 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. But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But not a hair of your head shall be lost. By your patience possess your souls."- Luke 21:5–19
Yesterday we read that Jesus said to scribes in the temple, "How can they say that the Christ is the Son of David? Now David himself said in the Book of Psalms: 'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool."'Therefore David calls Him 'Lord'; how is He then his Son?" Then,
in the hearing of all the people, He said to His disciples, "Beware of
the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in
the marketplaces, the best sets in the synagogues, and the best places
at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long
prayers. These will receive greater condemnation." And
He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury,
and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said,
"Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had."
Then, as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful
stones and donations, He said, "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." My study Bible notes that Christ's prophecy of the destruction of the temple was fulfilled in AD 70, when the temple was destroyed by the Romans in the Siege of Jerusalem. Literally not one stone was left upon another. Only a retaining wall remained, known today as the Western Wall (and for many centuries as the Wailing Wall, a place of prayer and pilgrimage for Jews).
So they asked Him, saying, "Teacher, but when will these things be? and
what sign will there be when these things are to about to take place?"
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. 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." Then He said to them,
"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And
there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and
pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from
heaven." My study Bible comments that, in the Scriptures as a whole, the end times are described in a variety of ways, so that no precise chronology can be determined (see Daniel 7-12; Mark 13; Matthew 24; 1 Corinthians 15:51-55; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-10; and the Book of Revelation). Here He warns of deceptions from false Christs (which indeed was so in the very early period of the Church). The immediate wars and commotions, my study Bible says, apply first to the period of the first century in Jerusalem ("these things must come to pass first"). The things that follow pertain to the whole of the Christian era, in which we await Christ's return. But as we read a little further along, Christ's emphasis is on watchfulness and the practice of virtue rather than on constructing timetables of things that have not yet happened.
"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. But it will
turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. Therefore settle it in
your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I
will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be
able to contradict or resist. You will be betrayed even by parents and
brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to
death. And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But not a hair
of your head shall be lost. By your patience possess your souls." Here Christ gives warnings of the tribulation to come. Note the emphasis on persecution as an occasion for testimony. Christ promises the Holy Spirit as Helper and Advocate ("I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist"). Persecution entails betrayals and death, and hatred for His name's sake. "But," He says, "not a hair of your head shall be lost. By your patience possess your souls." This is the promise of eternal life, of the life of the Kingdom for those who follow Him steadfastly.
Jesus begins His discourse here on end times, and it will continue through tomorrow's reading also. There, He will delve into more detailed predictions which clearly portray the Siege of Jerusalem that is to come even in the lifetimes of His hearers at that time. But today, Jesus begins with essentially a couple of points which He illumines with great color and urgency to impress upon His followers how they are to live through and bear the times He predicts. The first point that He makes, as my study Bible points out, is a warning about deception, about being deceived. He says, "For many will come
in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and, 'The time has drawn near.'
Therefore do not go after them." This was quite true. As we read in Acts 4:35-37, Gamaliel relates some of this history when he speaks to the Sanhedrin about how to proceed with Christ's followers and the nascent Church. He mentions a man named Theudas, and another named Judas of Galilee, both pretenders to a messianic role at that time. Then Jesus speaks of wars and commotions, which must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately. Following this, He embarks on what sounds like a summary of the entire age of the Church to this day: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven." This is a description of the age, but then Jesus begins to speak of the immediate persecutions to come to His Church and His followers. He begins with an admonition to take heed and watch that the believers not be deceived by false Christs, and ends with a powerful prompting not to fear the persecution to come, but to consider it an occasion for testimony. Moreover, there is a great gift in the midst of tribulation. He promises, "I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist." And herein is the secret of the great struggle for faith. That God lives -- or to use the language of the Scriptures, is enthroned -- in our hearts and minds, and that it is with our hearts and minds, and our mouths that speak wisdom that God lives and dwells with us in the world. God is truly everywhere present, but Christ has made God known to us (John 14:9). And we are those who will profess and proclaim God, keeping ourselves as temples in which God dwells (1 Corinthians 3:16). While the reality of God and God's presence is not in doubt, it is up to us to receive God, and to live our faith through all things. Jesus speaks clearly of dire persecutions and tribulation, but we are encouraged to testify, to proclaim wisdom. The time of tribulation, my study Bible explains, includes the whole of the Christian era, and not just the immediate times faced by Christ's followers at that time, nor a period of time just before His return, as some suggest. Let us keep our own wits about us, understanding our role as those who follow and are faithful. By our patience let us possess our souls.