The Coming War of Jesus – Part 2
Luke 21:5-36 (8-19)
September 20, 2020
Last Sunday morning we began looking at a new section in Luke’s gospel.
• As Jesus concluded His preaching in the temple on Wednesday, He and the disciples headed out to the Mount of Olives for the night.
• On the way out, the disciples made an observation that prompted a sharp response from Jesus.
• They pointed out that the temple was “adorned with beautiful stones and votive gifts”.
It must have been quite a sight.
But Jesus was less than impressed with outward beauty,
Especially if it was filled with inward hypocrisy.
He had just exposed the scribes for their outward displays of religion
And according to Jesus that’s all this temple was as well.
So for the second time in 3 days Jesus told the disciples (6) “As for these things which you are looking at, the days will come in which there will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down.”
In short, Jesus was going to declare war on false religion.
• He started in the temple on Tuesday by clearing it.
• Friday He’ll render it totally ineffective when He splits the veil.
• In AD 70 He’ll use Rome to destroy this temple.
• And by the end of all things Jesus will have destroyed every molecule of false
religion from the planet.
IT IS THE COMING WAR OF JESUS.
Well, the disciples heard that answer
And because they are like us, their CURIOSITY was aroused.
(7) “They questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, when therefore will these things happen? And what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?”
Matthew records their question as:
Matthew 24:3 “As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
• They wanted to know when it would happen and what it would be like.
• They wanted to know when He was coming to destroy all false religion and set up His kingdom.
Many have been curious about that even until our day.
And that question sparks the longest answer
Jesus ever gave to a question.
We can break it down into 6 points.
Very interesting was the first point Jesus made.
#1 DON’T BE DECEIVED BY OPPORTUNISTS
Luke 21:8
• They wanted to know “when”.
• They wanted to know “what”.
• Earlier in Luke 17:37 they had wanted to know “where”.
(remember Jesus said, “where the bodies are, there the vultures will gather.”)
BUT BEFORE JESUS GETS TO ANY OF THAT,
THERE WAS A MORE PERTINENT WARNING.
(8) “See to it that you are not misled…”
The first warning was in regard to deception.
There are going to be many people who both claim to be Me
And who also try to convince you that the time is near.
They will use your curiosity with the end to suck you in
And deceive you and ultimately to get you to follow them.
Jesus said, “See to it that you are not misled”
WE TALKED ABOUT THIS LAST WEEK.
• We’ve seen false Christs in our day.
• We’ve certainly seen people who claim “The time is near”
AND THE DANGER IS that you will be so consumed with the end
That you will be deceived by these false prophets.
WHAT’S SO BAD ABOUT THAT?
Consider again the Thessalonians.
• In 1 Thessalonians 5 Paul clearly outlined for them the facts about the Day of the Lord and the end.
• And the overwhelming truth was that when God’s wrath comes it will not be focused on you.
1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.”
Paul told them that Jesus would save them from the wrath to come.
But by the time we get to 2 Thessalonians,
The church in Thessalonica was GREATLY DISTURBED.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 “Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.”
• The Thessalonians were persecuted and were suffering.
• And some false prophet took the opportunity to tell them it was because they had missed the rapture and were encountering was God’s wrath on them.
• The result was they were “shaken from [their] composure” and “disturbed”
AND WHY WOULDN’T YOU BE?
You had been told that Jesus would save you from the wrath to come,
But now you believed He didn’t.
Their entire faith was about to be destroyed because of one false prophet.
That is why Jesus warned us about them.
“See to it that you are not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not go after them.”
You have an obligation to know the truth
And to not be deceived by these false prophets
Who are only looking for a following.
That is instruction number 1 from Jesus.
This morning we move on.
#2 DON’T BE DISMAYED BY ORDINARY THINGS
Luke 21:9-11
This point actually runs very closely with the previous
Because often times it is perilous circumstances
That are used by the false prophets to make their point.
FOR EXAMPLE, I told you about the pastor in Kentucky who had his dreams that have gone viral on the internet.
• He talks about his dreams where he saw mask wearing and money shortages and Chinese troops and the need for guns and food storage.
Now there is no way his dreams would have gone viral,
EXCEPT for the fact that we are living in difficult and unsettling times
And his predictions are at least plausible.
In perilous times we see where such disturbances are possible.
• We see what has happened in Portland or Minneapolis.
• We see wild fires burning in California.
• We see hurricanes hitting Texas and Florida.
• We see churches being censored by state governments.
• And when he sees November as being bad, with the coming election, we are pretty much all in agreement that November is going to be pretty.
And under those circumstances
• A pastor stands up and says that God showed him that it is the end,
• That anti-Christ is already on the earth,
• And that we have to brace ourselves,
• You can see why people believe him.
• It’s not far-fetched.
That is why Jesus gives this next piece of instruction.
It is a warning for you not to read too much
Into the effects of the sin curse on this world.
Every time you hear of a war or earthquake or famine or natural disaster
Anyone can stand up and say, “This is the end!”
And with the fresh devastation you might be TEMPTED TO BELIEVE them.
Jesus takes that temptation away.
(9) “When you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end does not follow immediately.”
• Will “wars and disturbances” happen? Yes
• Does that mean every time you have a war that it is the end? No
In fact Jesus tells us that the end DOESN’T even follow them immediately.
In Matthew’s gospel we read:
Matthew 24:6-8 “You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. “But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.”
What does Jesus mean by “birth pangs”?
He is just speaking of ordinary hardships
That are natural to this world
But which may still be a long way from the end.
In fact, He continues.
(10-11) “Then He continued by saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.”
Jesus there lists all sorts of destructive events that are going to occur
WHICH ARE NOT YET THE END.
What are they?
They are ordinary realities of a sin-cursed environment.
Remember the curse?
Adam sinned and one of the penalties was ENMITY.
Genesis 3:14-15 “The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life; And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.”
There would be constant friction between
The children of God and the children of the devil
Until ultimately Christ would crush the devil.
That goes a long way towards explaining all the wars we’ve seen.
• One commentary I read said that since 1800 there have been over 500 wars recorded on the earth.
• Over 75 million people died in WW1 and WW2 alone.
Let me ask you,
• If you heard of a psychopath who declared war on the Jews, killing 6 million
• And who controlled most of Europe and who had plans of ruling the world,
• Would you think perhaps you were looking at the anti-Christ?
• And when you saw the devastation of a Pearl Harbor or of Jewish
Concentration Camps or of the atomic bomb, might you suppose it was
events right out of Revelation?
Certainly…
That’s not to make light of the difficult events of today,
It’s just to point out that friction between men
And enmity between nations IS NOT NEW.
It’s part of the sin curse.
And so are disturbances in creation.
Remember God didn’t just put enmity between men, but God also cursed the ground.
Romans 8:19-22 “For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.”
Creation groans and suffers.
Jesus said “there will be earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.”
• I know when you read about COVID you’re tempted to think about a plague at the end.
• I know when you hear about earthquakes or hurricanes or forest fires you’re tempted to think, this could be the end.
That is especially true if you are caught in the destruction.
But again, just as there have been many wars…
• On average the world gets an 8.0 or greater earthquake once a year.
It’s not pleasant, but it’s not the end.
Isaiah told us what was happening.
Isaiah 24:19-20 “The earth is broken asunder, The earth is split through, The earth is shaken violently. The earth reels to and fro like a drunkard And it totters like a shack, For its transgression is heavy upon it, And it will fall, never to rise again.”
The earth is suffering under the curse of sin.
• Every war is not the tribulation…
• Every earthquake is not the Day of the Lord…
• Every blood moon is not a sign of the apocalypse…
Not even every anti-Christ is a sign that the rapture is near.
1 John 2:18 “Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour.”
We are certainly in the last age, but that doesn’t mean it’s the end.
These things are not indicators.
And so Jesus is very explicit right off the bat to WARN the disciples
When they want to know about the end.
• There will be many opportunists who will seek to take advantage of natural
disasters and human enmity
• They can easily hold a newspaper in one hand and Bible in the other and try to
convince you that they know.
• They will seek to gain a following…
BUT ULTIMATELY THEY PRODUCE NO BENEFIT.
• They will either discourage the church regarding their faith,
• Or they will distract the church from her primary calling and mission.
That pastor from Kentucky told people to stockpile food and weapons.
WHY?
Because the church is supposed to hoard food and kill people?
It’s a fear tactic, mixed with a mystical dream,
And all it does is distract the church
From her true purpose and calling.
I would remind you again of the day the Lord ascended.
Acts 1:6-8 “So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
Do you hear the rebuke again?
Quit trying to figure out the timing of the end, you’ve got a job to do.
Now that is not to say that we don’t study the end, we do.
Paul clearly taught the Thessalonians about it.
That is not to say we don’t preach the Second Coming, we do.
The entire book of Revelation is about that day.
That is not to say we don’t rejoice in the truths God has given us about the end, we do. We love what He has revealed to us.
What Jesus is saying is that while you maintain your hope,
Don’t let some false prophet come in
And Deceive you or Discourage you or Distract you.
YOU HAVE A JOB TO DO.
And that is what the Lord tells the disciples next.
Don’t be Deceived By Opportunists.
Don’t be Dismayed by Ordinary things.
#3 DON’T BE DISTRACTED BY OPPRESSION
Luke 21:12-19
Here Jesus calls the disciples back to their purpose and mission.
“But before all these things”
That is to say, before the things of the end which you want to know about.
“they will lay their hands on you and will persecuted you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons”
That is Jewish persecution.
• John MacArthur appeared on Laura Ingraham last week in reference to his church defying the Governor of California’s order for him to stop having church.
• She asked him if he had been personally threatened by Governor Newsome.
• He said, no not personally but the church had received a letter threatening fines and that Pastor MacArthur could go to jail for 6 months.
MacArthur responded:
“Of course my biblical hero apart from the Lord Jesus Christ is the apostle Paul. And when he went into a town he didn’t ask what the hotel was like, he asked what the jail was like because he knew that’s where he was going to spend his time.”
https://video.foxnews.com/v/6191194096001?fbclid=IwAR27s9CWrSdMN9JgEl-oFmaNblQYw9khzDAXW3DAzsO5jPBBJPDgyiDfPFY#sp=show-clips at 3:44
That was true of Paul wasn’t it?
• He frequented many jails throughout Asia.
• He would preach in synagogue after synagogue and ultimately it was the Jews who attacked him and arrested him and incarcerated him.
• It was even the Jews who had a hand in having him arrested in Jerusalem and ultimately sent to Rome for his first imprisonment there.
Jesus spoke of a coming Jewish persecution.
But it wasn’t just a Jewish persecution.
He also said, their persecution will include “bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake.”
This is Gentile persecution.
This is Gentile opposition.
And you’ll remember that Paul faced that as well.
• It was in Philippi that a man who owned a demon-possessed girl had Paul
thrown in jail.
• Ultimately Paul stood before Felix, Festus, and Agrippa.
And what Jesus spoke of here was that His followers
Could expect widespread opposition and persecution.
In fact:
Philippians 1:27-30 “Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents — which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.”
• We often speak of salvation as that which has been granted to us.
• We didn’t earn it, we didn’t achieve it, we actually didn’t even pursue it initially.
• But God, by His sovereign grace, granted salvation to us.
And Paul says just like it was granted for you to believe in Him,
It has also been granted for you “to suffer for His sake”.
Certainly you understand the ROOT of all persecution.
If you don’t, I’ll make it easy.
Satan is the god of this world and Satan hates Christ.
• Those who are lost are called children of the devil.
• Those who are “born again” are reborn as children of God.
In their lost state, all men are sons of Satan and like their father, they hate Christ.
• Now certainly we see that hatred in varying degrees and varying expressions,
• But it doesn’t change the fact that through their refusal to repent and their
refusal to submit to Him as Lord, they show their hatred for Christ.
But the problem is, Christ is now out of reach.
• They can no longer attack Christ.
• They can no longer spit on Christ.
• They can no longer arrest Christ or kill Christ.
So what do they do?
They attack His bride.
Listen to Paul:
Colossians 1:24-25 “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions. Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God,”
Paul mentions there that he fills us “what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.”
• Does that mean that Christ didn’t finish His suffering?
• Does that mean that when Christ said, “It is finished” on the cross that He was mistaken?
No, of course not.
What Paul means is that
Though Christ suffered all God’s wrath and has justified sinners,
The world is not yet finished attacking Christ.
They still have more wrath to give,
And as Christ’s minister, Paul is a recipient of that hatred.
And that is true of all persecution.
Tonight, for example, Asaph is going to pray about the ongoing persecution they are facing, but notice how he says it:
Psalms 83:1-3 “O God, do not remain quiet; Do not be silent and, O God, do not be still. For behold, Your enemies make an uproar, And those who hate You have exalted themselves. They make shrewd plans against Your people, And conspire together against Your treasured ones.”
The whole reason for the attack is because they hate God.
All persecution occurs because Satan and men hate God,
And since they can’t reach God, they settle for God’s children.
Matthew 10:22 “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”
John 15:18-19 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.”
It is simply our association with Christ that causes the persecution.
2 Timothy 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
Well that is what Jesus is promising here to the disciples.
“for My name’s sake” you are going to be arrested and persecuted and imprisoned.
And the implication is that this is NOT THE END EITHER.
Every time Christian persecution breaks out
It does not necessarily indicate the end.
Jesus promised that from the beginning.
SO
• Just because some false prophet declares it the end…
• And just because there are wars and natural disasters…
• And just because you are persecuted…
Doesn’t mean it’s the end.
Persecution is NOT an indication of the end.
WHAT IS PERSECUTION?
And Jesus says, it is an OPPORTUNITY.
(13-15) “It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony. “So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves; for I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute.”
And now we come to the thrust of the sermon.
• Jesus doesn’t want them deceived by opportunists…
• Jesus doesn’t want them dismayed by ordinary events…
• Because Jesus doesn’t want them distracted from their main purpose…
WHY ARE YOU HERE CHURCH?
• What is your calling?
• Why has He left you here?
• Why has He subjected You to a cursed world and hateful men?
WORSHIP? – you could do that better in heaven.
FELLOWSHIP? – that will be better in heaven as well.
HOLINESS? – again much better in heaven.
There is only one thing you are called to do here
That you cannot do in heaven and that is EVANGELISM.
And this has been the tunnel vision of Luke hasn’t it?
• When Jesus entered Jerusalem to secure His crucifixion, what has He done since He got here?
• He has preached the gospel.
And Jesus passes that same focus on to the disciples.
Don’t let anything distract you from the gospel.
• Not false Christ’s
• Not natural disasters
• Not even persecution
Let every event and every occurrence
Be seen as an opportunity for you to share.
For even when you are dragged before a king and the king asks you what you have to say, even then you have an opportunity to testify of Christ.
I told you earlier about that interview of John MacArthur with Laura Ingraham
MacArthur went on to say, “I don’t mind being a little apostolic if they want to tuck me in a jail. I’m open for a jail ministry. I’ve done a lot of other ministries, but I haven’t had an opportunity for a jail ministry so bring it on.”
That’s the perspective Jesus speaks of here.
(14) “So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves;”
That’s a pretty direct command isn’t it?
• What’s more important; your safety or your testimony?
• What’s more important; being comfortable or being faithful?
And Jesus promises that when those events occur,
He will use you and use them.
(15) “for I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute.”
Jesus promises that when your time comes,
If you are willing to be faithful to testify of Him,
Then He will be faithful to make sure you know what to say.
Now, He is serious about the persecution.
(16) “But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, and you will be hated by all because of My name.”
Let’s not sugar coat it.
Let’s understand what a Christian is in this world.
• A Christian in this world is a representative of Christ.
• A Christian in this world is a testimony to Christ.
And if they do it correctly then they can expect persecution.
• Jesus said you’ll all be hated.
• Jesus said many will be betrayed.
• Jesus said some will even be put to death.
But at the same time there are some great promises.
(18-19) “Yet not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives.”
Matthew 10:28-30 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Matthew 10:22 “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”
The enemy may oppose you and even kill you,
But he cannot condemn you.
In short, this all ends in victory.
But let’s zoom out a second and listen to what Jesus is saying.
1. He has declared war on false religion.
2. He has promised a day when He will even destroy this temple.
3. The disciples are overcome with curiosity as to when this will be and what it
will be like.
But Jesus sees danger in this.
• A danger that they will be so enamored with the events of tomorrow that they
will be easily deceived by false prophets.
• A danger that they will be so enamored with the events of tomorrow that they
will be dismayed when the world seems to be falling apart.
• A danger that they will be so enamored with the events of tomorrow that they
will be distracted by hardship and fail to be faithful to their calling today.
His point is simple.
Before we get to the end, let’s talk about today.
I am leaving you – in a world full of deceivers.
I am leaving you – in a world cursed by sin.
I am leaving you – in a world that hates Me and will persecute you.
Your main job is to testify of Me and be faithful doing it.
DON’T MISS THAT.
(You can read the book of Acts and see that they didn’t)
AND CHURCH WE REALLY CAN’T STRESS THIS ENOUGH.
• What are you doing?
• How are you serving the kingdom?
I know many times in church we convince ourselves that
If we are kind and if we are benevolent and if are compassionate
That we are serving Jesus.
Well, you should be all those things,
But all of those things are a means, not an end.
• If your kindness is not to gain an opportunity to share your testimony and preach the gospel then your kindness is wasted.
• If your benevolence is not to gain an opportunity to share your testimony and preach the gospel then your benevolence is wasted.
• If your compassion is not to gain an opportunity to share your testimony and preach the gospel then your compassion is wasted.
Do you understand why you are here?
• We are NOT HERE to speculate the timing of the end.
• We are NOT HERE to avoid hardship and persecution.
• We ARE HERE to seize every moment as an opportunity to proclaim the good news of Jesus.
This was where Jesus took the disciples.
And it’s what I want to LEAVE ON YOUR MIND this morning.
I know that everything around us is upside down and backward.
It’s not the first time this has happened in the world,
And it may not be the last.
• But in these perilous times the world does not need a church that is losing
her head regarding the end.
• In these perilous times the world does not need a church only concerned
about her own comfort and safety.
• In these perilous times the world needs a church that is more focused on
the gospel than ever.
SO
• Instead of wondering if this is the end,
• Or following some “would-be prophet” and his foolish predictions,
• Or falling into some self-preservation mode where your sole purpose is to defend your rights and maintain your comfort.
Why not see all that is going on around us as an opportunity for your testimony and the gospel?
Next time, when we get to vs 20 Jesus is going to answer their question.
He’s going to tell them when, He’s going to tell them what.
But before He does He is so adamant
That they maintain their focus for why they are here.
You do that too church.
• Solidify your testimony
• Solidify how to share the gospel
• And go share both of them.
Acts 1:6-8 “So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
