Luke 21 opens with Jesus and his
disciples in the temple when Jesus remarks that the temple would one
day be destroyed and not one stone would be left upon another. In
amazement the disciples ask, “When will this happen?” Jesus
answers their question in the context of revealing to them the series
of events which would occur prior to his return in Glory after his
death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven.
Jesus first states that there will be
false prophets, wars, and insurrections. This was clearly fulfilled
by the Jewish revolt and the subsequent destruction of the temple by
the Romans in 70 A.D. Jesus then adds a note of caution when he
points out that the end would not follow immediately. Rather there
would be many wars, famines, plagues, and great signs from heaven.
And even before those events occurred there would be persecution.
In Luke 21:20-24, Jesus speaks again of
the destruction of Jerusalem and points out that the Jews would loose
control of Jerusalem until the time of the Gentiles was fulfilled.
With the establishment of the nation of Israel in 1948 and the taking
of Jerusalem in the war of 1968, Jerusalem is now once again under
Jewish control, so that prophesy has also been fulfilled.
In the final prophetic sequence, Luke
21:25-28, Jesus states that immediately before his return there will
be signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And that the nations would be
distressed and bewildered by the roaring of the sea and waves. If
Jesus' reference to the distress caused by the sea is the result of
rising sea levels due to global warming, then it will be clear that
if sea level continues to rise and this becomes an unrelenting source of world wide destruction that we are near the end of the present age. Finally,
exactly what the signs in the heavens are, no one knows but we can be
certain that they will be obvious and terrifying to anyone who does
not have an unwavering trust in Jesus as his Lord and Savior.
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