LUKE
Luke is the Gentile doctor and companion of Paul. He was the last friend to stay with Paul in the second imprisonment in Rome (2 Timothy 2:11). Luke was an eye witness of the events which he recorded in the book of Acts. He would have relied heavily on the accounts of Matthew and Mark for his gospel. It is quite possible that Mark's gospel record was part of Paul's request to Timothy for the books and parchments. II Timothy 4:11-13 Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry. And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus. The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring [with thee], and the books, [but] especially the parchments.
This second letter to Timothy could possibly have been written only 3 - 5 years before Rome destroyed Jerusalem. Luke was still with Paul in Rome at this time. By way of the Praetorian guards Paul and Luke may have even had some knowledge of the planning of the destruction of Jerusalem. It should be given some consideration that Luke's record of the Olivet Discourse may have focused almost entirely on the destruction of Jerusalem and very little on the Lord's end time prophecy. He and Paul were in Rome at the time under Roman Praetorian guard. Matthew heard directly from the Lord the Olivet Discourse. Mark heard the Olivet Discourse from Peter. Luke was informed about the Olivet Discourse from Mark's report. It would seem that if one wanted information on the destruction of Jerusalem one would go first to Luke, then Mark, and then Matthew. If on the other hand, if one wanted information on end time prophecy one would go first to Matthew, then Mark, and then Luke. Luke's gospel account to his faithful friend Theophilus may have saved the lives of many of the saints in the Jerusalem Church who were warned to flee the city before it was destroyed by Rome.
Luke 21:5 -36 And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,
[As for] these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign [will there be] when these things shall come to pass?
And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am [Christ]; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end [is] not by and by.
Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute [you], delivering [you] up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.
And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
Settle [it] therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:
For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and [some] of you shall they cause to be put to death.
And ye shall be hated of all [men] for my name's sake.
But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
In your patience possess ye your souls.
And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.
For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;
When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.
So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.
Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.
Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and [so] that day come upon you unawares.
For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
It is good to reread Luke's account in full context. While his gospel was reaching to the Gentiles it is quite possible that this particular part was to warn of Rome's destruction of Jerusalem more so than Matthew or Mark's account.
Luke 21:5 And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,
Luke 21:6 [As for] these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
Luke 21:7 And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign [will there be] when these things shall come to pass?
The setting and the question is the same. When shall these things be and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?
Luke 21:8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am [Christ]; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
TAKE HEED. All accounts have the TAKE HEED, pay attention, this is important warning from the Lord. We are warned not to be deceived. Carefully test by the Spirit and the Word of God what any man tells you especially regarding end time prophecy. We are open to deception even from Christian teachers, coming and saying their words are from the Lord regarding end times prophecy. The Holy Spirit and the Word of God must be our teacher in regard to end time prophecy.
Luke 21:9 But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end [is] not by and by.
Luke 21:10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
Luke 21:11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
Our generation has seen these signs more clearly than any previous generation. The Lord's return is nearer than when we first believed. What about the fearful sights and great signs from heaven? Satan is referred to as the prince of the power of the air in Ephesians 2:2. This may refer to mass extra terrestrial sightings. Be informed that the extra terrestrials are demons. We may know this because of the consistency of the Luciferian gospel that they all preach. The lie is consistent and always essentially the same - "ye shall be as god." Know that extra terrestrials will be subject to you in the name of Jesus if you are covered by the blood of the Lamb.
Luke 21:12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute [you], delivering [you] up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.
Luke 21:13 And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
Luke 21:14 Settle [it] therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:
Luke 21:15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
The concept of persecution and suffering is a foreign concept to the Church in America. The highest calling of God in Christ Jesus is to be counted worthy to suffer for Him. It is almost impossible for Americans to hear or understand this. Nobody wants to suffer. Are we not in the age of grace? The government annihilation of the people at Waco may have marked the beginning of the persecution of the church in America. Let's hope that at least the Christian and Jewish people do not rationalize or forget the massacre of 79 American men, women, and children at Waco, Texas. These people were Americans who had no trial to prove them guilty of anything. The message of Waco is that no person or group, especially religious fanatics, will stand against the almighty power of the almighty government. It is not a question of if bible believing people can expect such treatment, so much as when. God's grace is infinite, His mercy endures forever. Freedom from persecution is the exception rather than the rule for the true Church of Jesus Christ. America has been so blessed by God for their support of missions and especially for the national support of Israel.
Luke 21:16 And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and [some] of you shall they cause to be put to death.
Luke 21:17 And ye shall be hated of all [men] for my name's sake.
Luke 21:18 But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
Luke 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.
To whom does this apply? In the end times Christians will be blamed for every problem and catastrophe. The New Age Movement and New World Order of Antichrist will have everyone going along with the program except the true Church. It is natural to be hated for Jesus name's sake. Expect it. Glory in your persecution that you were counted worthy to suffer for His name's sake.
Luke 21:20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
Luke 21:21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.
Luke 21:22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
Luke 21:23 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
Luke 21:24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
Was Luke warning the Church in Jerusalem of the soon coming destruction ofthe nation of Israel by Rome? There is no abomination of desolation. He warns of armies surrounding Jerusalem. "Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." Luke helps define the "Times of the Gentiles." The times of the Gentiles extended from 70 to 1967 AD. Doctor Luke's warning saved many lives in the Jerusalem church.
Luke 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
Luke 21:26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
Luke 21:27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
Luke 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
Now we are back to end time prophecy. It is so important to recognize what we are being told in verse 28. When we see these things begin to come to pass we should be joyful because our Blessed Hope of the Lord's return is near. Is this rapture time? The following is a recap of the order of end time events that Luke has recorded for us:
1. Worldwide persecution of the Church (Luke 21:12)
2. Many false teachers and false christs.
3. Terrifying wars and commotions.
4. Nation rising against nation and kingdom against kingdom.
5. Earthquakes.
6. Famines.
7. Pestilences (plagues, AIDS)
8. Fearful and great signs from heaven.
9. Worldwide hatred of Christians (Luke 21:17 all men).
10. Israel possessing Jerusalem.
11. Signs in the sun, moon, and stars.
12. Distress of nations (world economic depression and political chaos)
13. Mens hearts failing for fear.
14. Powers of heaven shaken.
15. Then Jesus comes in great power and glory and its RAPTURE TIME.
Luke 21:29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;
Luke 21:30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.
Luke 21:31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.
Luke 21:32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.
Luke 21:33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
Often, head knowledge of the word of God is derided. No one knows the condition of anyone's heart. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. We should do everything to encourage each other to get more knowledge of the word of God. Hosea 4:6 says "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:". Were the times of the Gentiles fulfilled in 1967 when Israel again possesses Jerusalem? If this be true, without fixing any specific day or hour, and assuming a bible generation to be 40 years, it will all be done including the tribulation, rapture and the Lord's return by 2007. Israel is the key to understanding end time prophecy. Heaven and earth will soon pass away but the Word of God endures forever. Let us all give higher priority to the study of the Word of God. Let us hide it in our hearts and let it show in our life. D. L. Moody wrote in the front of his bible "This Book will keep you from sin. Sin will keep you from this book."
Luke 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and [so] that day come upon you unawares.
Luke 21:35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Luke 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
TAKE HEED! Do not let your heart be concerned with the things of this world. Surfeiting is the pursuit of excess, being consumed with acquiring more than you need. This can allow you to be caught in the web of the New Age Movement and New World Order of Antichrist. Watch. Pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things and be able to stand before the Lord. Does this mean to pray to be raptured? The Greek word translated escape is ekpheugo, meaning to flee out of so as not to be caught in the web. It is the love, faith, courage, and endurance of the saints in tribulation which will have them standing confidently at the Lord's return. The desire to escape tribulation and suffering is not what will give confidence to stand before the Lord. Noah faithfully endured 100 years of ridicule, persecution, and tribulation while he constructed the ark which allowed him to ekpheugo the flood. The 3 friends of Daniel were able to ekpheugo the fiery furnace with Jesus. God could have raptured them; but, He received more glory by having them remain faithful witnesses in the trial. How can we best give glory to God?