The Coming War of Jesus – Part 1
Luke 21:5-36 (5-8)
September 13, 2020
This morning we enter a bit of a new segment in Luke’s gospel.
• It is a sermon Jesus gave based on a simple observation and question by His disciples.
• It is the longest recorded answer to any question Jesus was ever asked.
• In Matthew’s gospel it actually spans 2 full chapters.
• It is commonly called “The Olivet Discourse” – Jesus’ sermon on the end.
And Matthew’s gospel (which we have studied) is certainly very detailed
In laying out some of those apocalyptic events
And timelines that greatly interest people.
But Luke’s gospel is a little different.
Certainly some of the facts are the same,
But it is also our desire to gain an understanding as to why
Luke didn’t record the sermon verbatim like Matthew seemed to do.
All gospel writers give us different bits and pieces
Because they are seemingly focusing in on
Different aspects of what Jesus said.
Luke’s gospel focuses on the calling or responsibility of Christians
In the midst of a world that is going down in flames.
His version of the Olivet Discourse comes at us with more of a focus that despite what is occurring around us, we have a mandate to deliver the gospel to the world.
And this certainly FITS THE THEME we’ve studied the past few weeks.
As we’ve seen Jesus in the temple,
The entire focus has been on the fact that He is preaching the gospel.
And LAST WEEK we even saw Jesus go on a full-scale attack
Of the false gospel that was being preached in Israel.
Jesus has been preaching the true gospel and condemning the false one.
That was His focus on Wednesday in the temple.
Luke 21:37 “Now during the day He was teaching in the temple, but at evening He would go out and spend the night on the mount that is called Olivet.”
AND THIS IS WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE.
Jesus has concluded His Wednesday preaching
And He is headed out to Mt. Olivet which overlooks the city
Where He will spend the night.
Thursday He’ll return to the city and take the Passover with His disciples.
But for now He’s leaving the temple and it is the conversation that occurs while leaving that sets off this entire sermon.
Matthew 24:1 “Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him.”
In Luke’s gospel we read it like this:
(5) “And while some were talking about the temple, that it was adorned with beautiful stones and votive gifts…”
The conversation of the disciples was the stunning beauty of the temple.
• This was Herod’s temple.
• It was one of the wonders of the ancient world.
• It had been under construction for around 50 years and would still be under construction in about 35 years when it would be destroyed.
John MacArthur wrote about it:
“It was built with brilliant white stone, polished like marble, and contained numerous rooms, porticos, colonnades, plazas, and patios, as well as caves, cisterns, and pits for water storage. The highest of its many levels towered hundreds of feet above the Kidron Valley. The eastern wall of the temple’s main structure was covered in plates of gold, which shone brilliantly in the rays of the morning sun coming over Olivet.
The disciples noted in particular that the massive stone block walls were also adorned with beautiful stones, donated by the wealthy as their ancestors had done for Solomon’s temple (1 Chron. 29:8). Votive gifts were given as offerings symbolizing a vow made by the giver. Such consisted of plaques, sculptures, and other artistic treasures (including a nearly six-foot-high golden vine with golden grapes donated by Herod), found through the temple.”
(MacArthur, John [The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Luke 18-24; Moody Publishers; Chicago, IL 2014] pg. 176-177)
It was a stunning structure.
It was a beautiful work of art
And the disciples pointed it out to Jesus.
• Perhaps they were making small talk…
• Perhaps they were simple Galileans blown away by the big city…
Whatever their reason, they pointed out to Jesus
Not only the beauty of the temple, but also
The “beautiful stones and votive gifts” that had been given to adorn it.
And it is to that observation that Jesus cuts to the heart of the matter.
(6) “He said, “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.”
Now if you’ll remember, this is NOT THE FIRST TIME Jesus revealed this.
• This is Wednesday night.
• On Monday He said the same thing.
Luke 19:42-44 “saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. “For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”
During the Triumphal Entry, Jesus had turned and confronted the crowds
To tell them that they had totally missed the point.
They had failed to recognize “the time of [their] visitation.”
• That is to say, God had sent a Savior
• And they had not recognized either their need for salvation or the Savior Himself.
Remember His trip back to Nazareth?
Luke 4:16-21 “And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.” And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
But if you’ll remember the people of Nazareth didn’t appreciate
The insinuation that they were “poor” or “captives” or “blind” or “oppressed”.
• They didn’t appreciate His insinuation that they needed Saving.
• They only wanted miracles to be worked.
• When Jesus persisted preaching the gospel, they tried to throw Him off a cliff.
Such was a picture of the response of all Israel.
Isaiah prophesied about them years earlier:
Isaiah 65:1-5 “I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me; I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me. I said, ‘Here am I, here am I,’ To a nation which did not call on My name. “I have spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, Who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts, A people who continually provoke Me to My face, Offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on bricks; Who sit among graves and spend the night in secret places; Who eat swine’s flesh, And the broth of unclean meat is in their pots. “Who say, ‘Keep to yourself, do not come near me, For I am holier than you!’ These are smoke in My nostrils, A fire that burns all the day.”
• They reckoned themselves holy…
• They didn’t need a Savior…
• And so regardless of His offer, they wouldn’t receive it.
Paul referenced this verse later in:
Romans 10:21 “But as for Israel He says, “ALL THE DAY LONG I HAVE STRETCHED OUT MY HANDS TO A DISOBEDIENT AND OBSTINATE PEOPLE.”
• Jesus had come to save them.
• Jesus had offered them salvation.
• But they had rejected the time of their visitation.
And so Jesus had told them that Jerusalem would be destroyed.
THAT WAS MONDAY.
But here it is Wednesday evening
And it is clear that the disciples had failed to pay attention.
Because as they leave the temple they point out to Jesus how beautiful it is,
And Jesus repeats Himself.
(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.”
WHAT ARE WE TO MAKE OF THIS?
It is simple if you follow Luke’s train of thought.
Jesus just exposed the corrupt false gospel of the religious elite.
And do you remember how He exposed them?
• He spoke of their long beautiful robes…
• He spoke of their long eloquent prayers…
• He spoke of their respect and honor…
But He exposed them as those who would receive greater condemnation
Because despite their outward beauty all they do is destroy men,
Like this helpless widow who had been devoured by them.
And no sooner do we get that sermon,
Then do the disciples point out how beautiful the temple is.
But hear me here:
THE TEMPLE WAS NOT BEAUTIFUL TO JESUS.
All of its marble walls and gold plated court yards
And “beautiful stones and votive gifts”
Could not cover up the filth of the false religion that permeated from it.
If you were with us last Sunday night, we looked at Psalms 81.
• It was a song about the grief of God.
• The setting was the Feast of Trumpets which kicked off 21 days of worship.
• Feast of Trumpets
• Day of Atonement
• Feast of Booths
And as the people are singing and shouting, God is grieving.
Psalms 81:8-12 “Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you; O Israel, if you would listen to Me! “Let there be no strange god among you; Nor shall you worship any foreign god. “I, the LORD, am your God, Who brought you up from the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide and I will fill it. “But My people did not listen to My voice, And Israel did not obey Me. “So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart, To walk in their own devices.”
• They were going through the motions…
• They were attending the feasts…
• They were singing the songs…
But God was not pleased. It was not beautiful to Him
Because their hearts were far from Him and they worshiped other gods.
We even referenced how this was often true in the Old Testament.
Isaiah 1:12-14 “When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts? “Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies — I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. “I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them.”
Amos 5:21-23 “I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies. “Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings. “Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps.”
And that attitude is the very attitude we see here with Jesus.
He isn’t mesmerized by the outward beauty of this temple
He is sickened by the inward defilement of this temple
And He is SO SICKENED by it that
He has decreed that He is going to tear it to the ground.
• He already declared war on this temple back on Tuesday when He entered it and turned over the tables and drove out the money changers.
• And here He announces for a second time that He is doing to totally annihilate it.
• On Friday He will actually render it useless as the veil is torn.
Incidentally, this is NOT THE FIRST TIME God has done such a thing.
In Jeremiah 7, Jeremiah is found preaching at the gate of the temple. As people entered, he said:
Jeremiah 7:9-12 “Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery and swear falsely, and offer sacrifices to Baal and walk after other gods that you have not known, then come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’ — that you may do all these abominations? “Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your sight? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” declares the LORD. “But go now to My place which was in Shiloh, where I made My name dwell at the first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel.”
During the time of the Judges, the Ark of God was left at Shiloh.
• But you remember the story of how the Philistines attacked.
• So the children of Israel took the Ark from Shiloh into battle.
• The Philistines won, stole the Ark, and killed Eli’s sons.
• Eli fell over and died.
• Eli’s daughter-in-law immediately went into labor and had a son and named him Ichabod (no-glory)
They were sinful and God allowed the place of worship to be decimated
And for His glory to depart.
You fast forward to the days of Jeremiah
• Jeremiah said it’s about to happen again.
• God is going to destroy this temple and His glory will depart.
• In Ezekiel He did.
Ezekiel 11:22-25 “Then the cherubim lifted up their wings with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel hovered over them. The glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood over the mountain which is east of the city. And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God to the exiles in Chaldea. So the vision that I had seen left me. Then I told the exiles all the things that the LORD had shown me.”
Following that departure, Nebuchadnezzar came in
And burned Solomon’s temple to the ground.
Well we fast-forward again
Jesus is exiting the Temple and the disciples brag about its beauty, Jesus says, “Not so fast.”
They have rejected the glory of this temple (Jesus)
• And so I’m about to level this place just as I did at Shiloh
• And just as I did to Solomon’s temple.
There is no beauty here for Jesus because it is all corrupt religion.
It doesn’t matter how well adorned it is, it is false.
It dishonors God and it condemns men to hell.
Proverbs 11:22 “As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.”
That is how one might describe this temple.
• All of those “beautiful stones and votive gifts” were out of place.
• There no different than someone putting “a ring of gold in a swine’s snout”
It was corruption and it had to go.
WHAT WE SEE HERE IS JESUS SPEAKING OF THE COMING WAR.
And you need to know this.
It is certainly true
• That Jesus is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.
• That Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost.
• That Jesus is the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world.
• That Jesus did not come to condemn men but to save them.
HE IS THE SAVIOR.
But you also must understand that part of His salvation
Is to declare war and totally annihilate false religion.
In fact, if we might fast-forward to the end for a moment.
Revelation 17 reveals the final destruction of false religion.
Revelation 17:1-7 “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality.” And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality, and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery, “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered greatly. And the angel said to me, “Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.”
There false religion is compared to a harlot.
• She is “clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls”
• But she only offers “abominations and…the unclean things of her immorality”
She looks beautiful but she is full of death and defilement.
That is false religion.
And regarding her we read:
Revelation 17:14-18 “These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.” And he said to me, “The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. “And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire. “For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled. “The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.”
Jesus will destroy all false religion.
He started in the temple on Tuesday.
And it’s only going to get worse.
• In A.D. 70 Rome will actually build scaffolds around this temple and fill the space between them and the wall with all manner of combustible material.
• They will then light the fire.
• The fires would weaken the stone and melt all the gold.
• And Rome would level this place.
Ultimately it was the war of Jesus.
• Jesus is destroying this temple because this temple is just like those scribes and Pharisees
• Who look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.
He does not think this temple is beautiful, to Him it is detestable.
And we point out again, as we did Sunday night,
That outward religion has no appeal to Christ.
The command is that we love Him
With all our heart and soul and mind and strength.
• Christ is not nearly as concerned with the building we build as He is with the people inside them.
• Christ is not nearly as concerned with the clothing we wear as He is with the heart inside them.
• Christ is not nearly as concerned with the songs we sing as He is with the motive for our singing.
• Christ is not nearly as concerned with the offerings we give as He is with the reason we give them.
YOU UNDERSTAND THIS.
And so you understand why He is less than impressed
With this temple and why He will destroy it.
This temple is a landmark of false religion and deception and it must go.
Now, that is the response of Jesus to His disciples
As they talk about the beauty of the temple.
Jesus says, “I’m going to tear it all down.”
And that response of Jesus sparks a question from the disciples.
(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?”
They aren’t so different from us are they?
Jesus announces a coming judgment and the two main questions are “When?” and “What will it be like?”
Now first I REMIND you that the Lord has answered this question frequently.
In fact, we’ve already studied it a couple of times in Luke’s gospel.
TURN TO: LUKE 12:35-48
Jesus spoke of the end and the coming judgment.
• And what was the message of the Lord?
• What was it that He most wanted us to know?
“Be ready”
Don’t worry yourselves with the actual date…
You just be ready.
And incidentally, “be ready” meant –
Be doing what the Master commanded you to do.
Don’t be lazy…
Don’t be smug…
Be obedient, be ready…
TURN TO: LUKE 17:22-37
There again as Jesus spoke the inevitable coming judgment.
• He spoke of men distracted with the things of the world.
• And told us to “Remember Lot’s wife.”
• It was a warning not to get distracted or mesmerized by the things of this world.
• Be ready for the coming judgment.
So our Lord has already addressed this now twice.
The point He has repeatedly made is that
IT IS NOT so much about you knowing the date of His coming.
Matthew 24:36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.”
It’s not about knowing the date.
It’s about faithfulness to your job every day
Knowing that He will come like a thief in the night.
Jesus has already addressed it.
But the disciples, again like us, ask again.
“Teacher, when therefore will these things happen? And what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?”
This time Jesus gives some details.
His answer begins in verse 8 and goes through verse 36
And it is important to understand the main thrust of His answer.
Take a moment and look at the specific commands that will come out.
• (8) “See to it that you are not misled”
• (9) “do not be terrified”
• (14) “make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves”
• (28) “when these things take place straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near”
• (31) “when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near”
• (34) “Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down”
• (36) “keep on the alert at all times”
When you read the commands in this section you understand that
In many ways the answer hasn’t changed much.
• Don’t be deceived
• Don’t be afraid
• Don’t forget your duty
• Be alert, Be ready
It’s the same message in many ways.
It is what the Lord wants His church to know in regard to the end.
We’re going to work our way through it over the next couple of weeks.
And while there are certainly some “end times” facts that will emerge,
And while you will certainly learn some details about the end,
I mostly want you to understand Jesus’ point in the sermon.
He remains consistent in message.
• Don’t let the events of the end cause you to fail to be faithful today.
• Be ready for the return by being faithful today.
That message hasn’t changed.
So we want to listen as Jesus speaks about His coming war
And what He wants us to know about being ready for it.
There are 6 points to be made here by Jesus to His disciples
As they are curious about Jesus coming war.
#1 DON’T BE DECEIVED BY OPPORTUNISTS
Luke 21:8
It is very interesting to me that Jesus begins here.
And you already saw this warning as well.
Luke 17:22-23 “And He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. “They will say to you, ‘Look there! Look here!’ Do not go away, and do not run after them.”
It seems to have been of primary concern to the Lord
That His followers understand that concerning the events of the end
There would be a host of deceivers
Who would seek to take advantage of the fact.
Matthew 24:5 “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.”
Matthew 24:11 “Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.”
Matthew 24:23-26 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘ There He is,’ do not believe him. “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. “Behold, I have told you in advance. “So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them.”
The fact is that Satan is a liar and the father of lies and he doesn’t miss any opportunity to distort the truth and to deceive the unsuspecting.
And the events regarding the coming judgment are no different.
We have noted in the past the number of false Christ’s who have appeared on the horizon.
• We are all aware of the Jim Jones’ and David Caresh’s of our day.
• Men who deceived others by claiming to be Jesus and misrepresenting the facts about the end.
Jesus knew that curiosity about the end would be a major tool
Used by false prophets to gather for themselves a following.
So the first warning was that we not be deceived by opportunists.
That is people who use worldly events
To take an opportunity to gain your following.
AND TRUST ME, PEOPLE DO THIS ALL THE TIME.
• Not just those who claim “I am He” – certainly there have been those, but those aren’t the only deceivers.
• There are also those who say “The time is near”.
People who hold up the newspaper in one hand and the Bible in the other
And seek convince men that they’ve figured it out and this is the end.
Many over the years have made bold predictions
About the return of Christ as to when it will come.
One of my favorites was Edgar Whisenhunt who took the world by storm in 1988 with his booklet, “88 Reasons Why The Rapture Will Be In 1988”
Of course when it didn’t happen, Whisenhunt responded:
“I made a mistake last year — my calculations were off by one year. But I believe my mistake was God’s will — a shout, a preparation period for the church. And there has been a revival. I believe this year it’s the rapture. The evidence is there.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1989/06/03/sept-1-forecast-as-day-of-christian-rapture/9bcd4d30-0a40-495d-97d5-a270f3eed1e8/
And so naturally he predicted that it would occur in 1989.
Again he was wrong.
Even as we sit here today we missed another prediction.
• There was actually an internet countdown clock which said the rapture was supposed to have occurred yesterday (9/12/20) at noon.
For years we’ve heard the ministries of John Hagee or Jack Van Impe or Pat Robertson as they go on their spills about political events and the nearing end.
The internet has recently been taken by storm with the “prophetic dreams” of a Kentucky pastor named Dana Coverstone who has claimed to have predicted the virus and has now predicted other things including an overthrow of America so that the Anti-Christ can assume power.
Now obviously, at some point, someone may be accidentally correct,
Since the Lord is going to return.
BUT THE POINT OF OUR LORD HERE IS THAT
There will be a host of people who will take advantage of many simply because they understand this information
Is highly sought after by people.
Acts 20:29-30 “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.”
False prophets have often infiltrated the church
In order steal followers for themselves.
And the results are catastrophic.
2 Timothy 2:16-18 “But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some.”
• Those men claimed that the resurrection had already occurred and had the drastic effect of “they upset the faith of some”.
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.”
• There was such severe persecution in Thessalonica that a false prophet told them that
• It was because they had missed the rapture and were now in the “day of the Lord” judgment;
• And their faith was failing.
The effects of this were
• Things like LAZINESS – men who quit work just to wait for the Lord. (Remember it was to them that Paul had to write the warning that if a man doesn’t work he doesn’t eat)
• DISCOURAGEMENT – they thought their faith was in vain because they were now under God’s judgment.
• HOPELESSNESS – they thought they had missed the resurrection.
Paul had already instructed the Thessalonians
About the day of the Lord and the end times,
But a false prophet had taken them captive and upset their faith.
This is a threat involving facts about the end times.
We’ve heard stories of widows giving their entire estate to some false prophet because they wouldn’t need it since they would soon be raptured.
And loss of money is the least of concerns.
• What about people who are convinced that their faith is of no use since Jesus didn’t return like the preacher said?
• What about people who spend all their days calculating the time of Christ’s return and no time preaching the gospel which is our command?
Interestingly enough, this pastor Dana Coverstone warns of the coming end and his advice is “brace yourself, buy guns, stockpile food”.
Well even if his prediction is correct, his application is terrible.
He moves people to fear and self-preservation
Instead of faithfulness and the preaching of the gospel.
The simple point is that when we start talking about the end,
There is a host of deceivers and bad information out there;
DO NOT BUY IT.
It was the first warning Jesus gave.
“See to it that you are not misled”
We’ll talk more about next time.
This morning, I simply leave you with the reminder that
• Jesus has promised to destroy false religion,
• His overwhelming advice is for us to be ready through faithfulness to His commands.
