DON T BE DISTRACTED LUKE 21:5-11

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1 DON T BE DISTRACTED LUKE 21:5-11 Main idea Prophecies in the bible are meant to remind us that god has a purpose for his people and for us as individuals. 1. FALSE ASSUMPTIONS (VS 5-6) AUTHENTIC CHRISTIANITY IS BUILT ON A LIVING AND GROWING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LIVING GOD. A. MAN MADE MAGNIFICENCE (5a) B. GOD S RESPONSE (5b-6) C. THE NATURE OF PROPHECY IN THE BIBLE 2. FALSE TEACHERS (VS 7-9a) WHEN WE FOCUS ON THINGS THAT ARE NOT CLEAR IN THE BIBLE; WE NEGLECT ALLOWING GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT TO CONVICT US AND CHANGE US WITH CLEAR TEACHINGS. A. FASCINATION WITH THE DRAMATIC (VS 7) B. DON T BE FOOLED (8) C. DON T BE AFRAID (9a) 3. FALSE APPROACH (9b-11) THESE SIGNS ARE MEANT TO ENCOURAGE US TO KEEP OUR ATTENTION FOCUSED ON JESUS DAY BY DAY. A. BUILDING TO THE END (9b) B. EARTHLY SIGNS (10-11a) C. HEAVENLY SIGNS (11b)

2 Don t Be Distracted Luke 21:5-11 The section we are starting this morning will take up the rest of Luke 21. Chapter 22 will pick up with the Last Supper. I have divided the section we are studying through into three sections. In this chapter, Jesus says a lot about the future of Jerusalem, His disciples, the church, and the end times. I ve broken it down so we can be careful as we study through it so we don t get distracted and miss Jesus main message. In the main idea of this morning s text I would like to remind us of the nature of prophecy in the Bible. PROPHECIES IN THE BIBLE ARE MEANT TO REMIND US THAT GOD HAS A PURPOSE FOR HIS PEOPLE AND FOR US AS INDIVIDUALS. I have often said this before but telling the future is only a part of Biblical prophecy. For the most part, the prophets call us to examine our lifestyles as we measure them according to the clear will of God. I m not really sure what it is about the end times that fascinate people so much. Even in simple social gatherings, when people find out I m a pastor, they often want to talk about some television preacher talking about the end times or ask me what I think about a particular author who has written about the end times. I ll save you the time if you were planning on asking me about the end times. First, I only watch garbage on television. I don t watch any religious programs. I don t know who these television preachers are and I don t know anything about them. Secondly, I have studied the end times but I couldn t sit down with you and tell you what, when, and how things are going to play out in the end. All I know is that Jesus will win in the end; those who have faithfully followed Him will spend eternity with Him and those who have rejected Him will be separated from Him for an eternity. As we study through this chapter, I will try to help us understand these events historically and give us some broad generalizations of the events that lead up to the end times. Look, when dealing with end time issues, things can get confusing. On a road through a desert in Arizona, a preacher named Nathaniel Evans walked every day, preaching to the many people who roared past in their cars, Repent, the End of the World is Near! he yelled. One day, as he was walking, he came to a big lever in the middle of nowhere, just by the side of the road. The sign next to the lever read, Pull this to end the world. Nathaniel saw this as the perfect spot for him to preach, and soon many automobiles were parked nearby. All was well, until there were so many people, and so many cars, that the road was nearly blocked. Suddenly, a big 18-wheel truck came down the highway, and couldn t stop in time. The driver had a choice; either run over Nathaniel, or run over this big lever. As the driver later explained to the Highway Patrol, he had no choice. Pointing to the red smear on the road that used to be Nathaniel Evans he said, Better Nate than Lever. In my opinion, it s difficult to make charts and tables concerning the end times because when the Biblical prophets speak, it s confusing to know what is meant to be interpreted as Page 2

3 literal or figurative, what s for the people of the prophet s day, what s for the near future, what applies to Jesus directly, and what applies strictly to the end times. 1. FALSE ASSUMPTIONS (VS 5-6) As verses 5-6 illustrate, we often start with some false assumptions. It seems to me that here is one assumption that is clear in Scripture. AUTHENTIC CHRISTIANITY IS BUILT ON A LIVING AND GROWING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LIVING GOD. One of the things that tend to capture our minds and confuse us is man-made magnificence as described in the first half of verse 5. As Jesus and the disciples were walking through the temple area, some of the disciples were admiring the beautiful temple, its magnificent buildings, and all the ornate designs made with gold, silver, and bronze. The building on this temple they were admiring was started in 19bc. The Jews resented having Herod as their ruler because he was not a full blooded Jew nor was he interested in following the religious laws of the Jews. However, in order to win their favor and existence, Herod decided to build a beautiful temple in Jerusalem for the Jews. This would prove to the Jews he cared for them and was indeed one of them. The main structures of the temple were finished about 10 years later. It was only half completed when the disciples made this comment. The temple was finally completed in 63 or 64ad. This temple was magnificent. It took up about acres of land. There were several courtyards; the court of the Gentiles, the court of women, courts for men, and courts for priests. There were buildings that housed priests when they were on duty and buildings that kept supplies for worship. Some of the stones that made the buildings were pure white marble stones sometimes as big as 67 feet long, 12 feet high, and 18 feet wide. Gates were plated with silver and gold and doors were gold plated. Josephus, the Jewish historian said that from a distance the temple area flashed in the sun like a snow covered mountain. The tapestries were made from fine linen from Babylon. They were dyed with blue, scarlet, and purple. If you have ever been to Rome and walked through Vatican City and seen all the opulence and beauty, it must have evoked a similar feeling. The problem with all this display of beauty and power was that it gave the Jews a false sense of security. They felt that way about Solomon s temple; which was the first temple built in 823bc. The Jews slipped into immoral behavior; they started to abuse one another, neglect social justice, and started to worship false Gods. When the prophets warned them that God would destroy them, they ignored the prophets messages because they thought God would never destroy His beautiful temple, His holy city, or His chosen people. They were wrong. God used the Babylonians to judge His people. In 587bc the Babylonians destroyed the city, the temple, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Those that survived were carried off into captivity. After 70 years in captivity, God allowed the Israelites to return to Jerusalem. They built another temple on the location of the temple that was destroyed and completed it in 517bc. This was a plain, simple temple. In no way did it match the beauty and opulence of Solomon s temple. This is the temple that King Herod remodeled. Page 3

4 Here is the point. The city and the temple were bigger than life. The priests were dressed in colorful robes. The temple worship included full-time professional musicians and singers. The worship was more beautiful that we could imagine. The disciples, like the rest of the people of their day, thought that surely God was here and He would not let anything happen to His temple, His people, or His city. I know that I am guilty of this as well. Sometimes I m so impressed by human talents and abilities, that I confuse that with true Godliness. I have been in services where the musicians and singers were so good that I was caught up emotionally and felt that God was surely in this. I have heard some people preach so well, I just assumed this message was from God. Maybe the worship and the preaching were from God; but not necessarily. We need to train ourselves to draw our attention to God; not people. People have often voiced frustration with me because I won t give them answers. Many times people want me to tell them what to do but I am more concerned each person learns to go before God and let Him direct each individual. Each person needs to learn to listen to God for themselves. It s a huge temptation for pastors and leaders to direct people to ourselves rather than God. My personal goal as a pastor is never to make you dependent on me; rather I want to encourage you to depend on God alone. In the second half of verse 5 through verse 6, we see God s response to human pride and false assumptions. I have no idea why this happens but we humans often get full of ourselves, become proud of our successes, and start to get an overinflated view of our own importance. God s not impressed by our accomplishments. While King Nebuchadnezzar was pondering his accomplishments and taking credit for them, God made him insane and Nebuchadnezzar ended up living like a wild animal, eating grass like cattle until he finally repented and submitted to God. In New Testament times, people were impressed by King Herod and started chanting that he had the voice of a God. God struck him dead because Herod didn t give glory to God. God is not really impressed by human accomplishments. Here Jesus predicted the destruction of this magnificent temple area. Jesus said that the city and the temple would be totally destroyed. Not one stone would be left standing on another and every stone would be torn down. In the year 70ad the Jews rebelled against Rome and the Roman army besieged Jerusalem. It was so horrible that people resorted to cannibalism to survive. About 1,100,000 people were killed and another 97,000 taken prisoner and carried off into captivity. The city of Jerusalem, along with the temple, was burned to the ground and totally destroyed. This prophecy of Jesus was fulfilled in less than 40 years after Jesus predicted it. No one could have even imagined such a tragedy. At this point we should stop and talk about the nature of prophecy in the Bible. In summing things up for the nation of Israel, before they built a temple, or even entered the land; Moses warned the people that if they did not stay faithful to God, He would destroy them in the most horrible way. The book of Lamentations describes the horrors of the destruction of Jerusalem and Solomon s temple. That same thing happened in 70ad to Herod s temple and Jerusalem. The Hebrew prophets also predicted the coming of Messiah. It was hard to understand that Messiah would come twice; once as the Suffering Servant and once as the Conquering King. Prophecies often give principles and visions, but the timing is almost always very vague. Page 4

5 Another theme we come across in studying the end times is an event known as the Abomination of Desolation. Daniel prophesied that the Jewish temple would be desecrated. Daniel also prophesied this in the context of the coming Hebrew Messiah. Daniel made these prophecies after the destruction of the first temple and before the construction of the second temple. A brutal Greek ruler, Antiochus Epiphanes ruled over the Jews from bc. He brutalized the Jews by forcing them to forsake Jewish religious law and adopt Greek customs. He had a statue of Zeus erected in the Jewish temple and offered up a pig as a religious sacrifice on the Jewish altar. These horrible atrocities are recorded in the books of I and II Maccabees. That was clearly the Abomination of Desolation. Jesus will talk about a further fulfillment of this. Certainly the Romans desecrated the temple when they burned it to the ground. But Jesus seems to say there will be another fulfillment of the Abomination of Desolation during the end times. The point we must keep in mind is this. There are going to be a several themes in Luke 21. Some will refer to the events in Jesus life, some will be fulfilled in the lives and times of the disciples and the early church, some will be fulfilled in the historical church down through the centuries, and some will be fulfilled in the last days. Some will be fulfilled cyclically throughout church history. What we need to do is continually check ourselves to see if our lives and the life of the church is daily living in ways that please God and demonstrate our desire to meet Him. The call of the prophets is usually a call to return to love for God and love for one another. Prophecy calls us to live every day and every minute as if it were our last before Jesus returns. It is a call to be ready to meet Jesus at any time. AUTHENTIC CHRISTIANITY IS BUILT ON A LIVING AND GROWING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LIVING GOD. 2. FALSE TEACHERS (VS 7-9a) In addition to having all sorts of false assumptions, people seem to be easy marks for false teachers as described in verse 7 through the first half of verse 9. WHEN WE FOCUS ON THINGS THAT ARE NOT CLEAR IN THE BIBLE; WE NEGLECT ALLOWING GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT TO CONVICT US AND CHANGE US WITH CLEAR TEACHINGS. In Bible prophecy, we know that the devil will make one more big power play and manifest himself in a man we call AntiChrist. There will be one bigger than life antichrist at the end of time but the Bible also makes it clear that there will be a series of little antichrists that appear throughout history along the way. Likewise, there will be false teachers and false messiahs that make an appearance throughout history. Why are so many people led astray? Verse 7 illustrates that we have a strange fascination with the dramatic. No sooner does Jesus make this prophecy, the disciples want to know the how, the when, and the where. People in the Christian community have often gotten caught up end of the world theology. Throughout history, communities almost died off because they were sure of the date of Christ s return. During this past year, many Christians sold all their property, cashed in their retirement funds, and spent everything they had in order to inform unbelievers that the end of the world was near. Harold Camping had been wrong at least two times in getting the end date correct for Jesus return. And yet, his followers sold everything Page 5

6 because they thought his latest prediction was correct. He was wrong and many are now left penniless without jobs. I m amazed to see how many Christians are fascinated with the end times and how much time and money they invest in studying them. And there are no shortage of teachers out there drawing all sorts of charts and graphs. In the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew records the disciples questions like this. When will these things happen? What will be the sign of Your coming? What will be the sign of the end of the age? Jesus will go on to give some general principles but we have to put this in the context of some of His last words on earth. Let s listen in on this last interaction between Jesus and His disciples right before He returned to heaven: 6 So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom? 7 He replied, The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. 9 After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. 10 As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. 11 Men of Galilee, they said, why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go! (Acts 1:6-11 / NLT). By the way we live our lives, we ought to be living witnesses of Who God is; His love, His concern, His grace, and His will for us to live out social justice. I don t know about you, but I d be much better off focusing on what I am thinking, doing, and saying right now as if this very moment was the moment of Jesus return; rather than trying to figure out dates, charts, and schemes. In verse 8 Jesus told the disciples not to be fooled. One of the interesting phenomena during the time of Jesus was the rise of false messiahs. Several movements and messiahs made an appearance in Israel before Jesus came. They attracted followers but they also attracted the attention of the Roman government. These movements usually turned nationalistic, violent, and rebellious towards Rome. They ended up being squashed by Rome quickly and brutally. With the death of the messiahs came the end of that particular movement. Jesus, too, was killed but since He rose from the dead and lives forever, so does His movement live on even though people have tried to wipe out Christianity throughout history. Jesus said many false messiahs would appear on the scene throughout history and we know that to be true. In our lifetime, we have seen the rise of false messiahs and the horrible consequences suffered by their followers; Jim Jones killing all his followers with poisoned kool-aid, people burning to death at the Branch Davidian Compound with their leader David Koresh, Charles Manson, Sun Myung Moon, and many other examples. There are many new religions popping up every day with newly proclaimed messiahs as their leaders. Please listen to Jesus say to us, Don t be fooled. I think there may be a principle here. The more we allow ourselves to be fascinated with all these predictions and people who claim to know their meaning, the easier it will be to fool us. We should be suspicious of people who claim to understand the end. Page 6

7 There is no doubt that most of the signs that Jesus points to are cyclical and make an appearance throughout history. There will be one final manifestation but Jesus says that when it is time, we will all know it. One sign we associate with the end times is wars and rumors of wars. Jesus said in the first half of verse 9 that we should not be afraid. World War I was supposed to be the war that would end all wars. Then came World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, The Gulf War 1, 2, and it seems as if there are wars and uprisings all over the world. We can see that human life becomes cheaper every day. There seems to be no end to the escalation of human evil. Our world is definitely out of control but Jesus encourages us, Don t be afraid. If we stop our fascination and obsessions about the end times and stay focused on the clear commands of Scripture, we won t be fooled nor will we be afraid. Here is something we can focus on. The Bible is clear that we should be concerned about the poor and disenfranchised. We are called to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick and imprisoned, and tenderly care for those less fortunate. We are called to multiply love to all the commandments. If we are maturing as believers; our thoughts, words, and actions should be fueled and filled by more and more grace. Jesus inaugurated the Kingdom of God on earth. Since Jesus is our Lord, we ought to be living by His standards now. God s Holy Spirit has a lot of work to do on me as He prepares me to live in heaven. WHEN WE FOCUS ON THINGS THAT ARE NOT CLEAR IN THE BIBLE; WE NEGLECT ALLOWING GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT TO CONVICT US AND CHANGE US WITH CLEAR TEACHINGS. As I look at how Christians have drawn up lines that divide over one s particular view of the end times, I m saddened. One of the reasons I chose to be ordained in the Evangelical Covenant Church is because of their attitude towards one another. I would say the motto, In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, love, summarizes how we approach one another. Far too many Christians turn non-essentials into essentials. Jesus said that only the Father knows for sure the timing and the events surrounding the end of time. It is scandalous that we would judge the faith and salvation of others based on their view of the end times. We need a lot of humility as we look at the end times. What we know is this. The end will catch us by surprise. We ought to be ready at any moment for Christ to come and the end to come. We will suffer but Jesus wants us to stay focused on Him. He will come for us and take us to heaven. Evil will be judged and punished once and for all. If we focus on living every moment as if it were our last, then we will be able to stay away from a false approach as Jesus instructs in the second half of verse 9 through verse 11. THESE SIGNS ARE MEANT TO ENCOURAGE US TO KEEP OUR ATTENTION FOCUSED ON JESUS DAY BY DAY. 3. FALSE APPROACH (9b-11) It seems by the wording in the second half of verse 9 that history and events will be building to the end. We know that Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed in the year 70ad. We know that the ancient world was filled with wars, Rome was ultimately defeated and Europe was devastated by wars all throughout history all the way to modern times. The disciples were all martyred, suffered, and died for their faith in Christ. Christians Page 7

8 throughout the centuries have been tortured and martyred for the faith in Christ. It still goes on today. We are moving in that direction even here in the United States. Every day we pick up the newspaper and read about another war or hate crime. Jesus said in regards to these things that they must all happen first but the end will not come right away. The word end in Greek is telos. It does mean end, but it also means purpose, conclusion, and fulfillment. History is moving towards God s conclusion. There will come an end to time and space as we know it. Our job in the meantime is to fulfill God s purpose for us; to love Him and to love one another better each day. We are building towards a conclusion and my prayer for each one of us is to finish strong. In verse 10 through the first half of verse 11, Jesus points to some earthly signs. Again, Jesus describes the escalation of hate and violence as nations and kingdoms war against one another. Our world, our newspapers, and our society have descended into a violent chaos. We have seen devastating earthquakes, famines, and pestilences. Over a year ago, there was an earthquake followed by a tsunami, followed by a nuclear meltdown; that caused all sorts of problems. We have seen the devastation caused by tornados and earthquakes in our own country. We have seen all sorts of human suffering due to Hurricane Katrina and the opportunity for human evil to manifest itself. Haiti is a country beaten down by all of these signs. We can see the poverty and suffering in poor countries caused by natural disasters combined with human evil all over the world. Perhaps we simply have better worldwide communications today but it seems like man s inhumanity towards man and its manifestation of evil is multiplying exponentially. Africa and the Middle East are filled with wars causing famines, disease, and all sorts of human suffering. We seem to be descending into chaos and anarchy. In the second half of verse 11 Jesus talks about heavenly signs. To all this God will send some really fearful events and great signs. I m not sure what those signs will be but I m sure we will recognize them. Instead of mapping out an exact timetable, I think we ought to use the signs as an encouragement to us that in times of suffering we are to remind ourselves that Jesus is near and that He is coming. As the world and humanity get worse and worse, we should remind ourselves and one another that Jesus is near. The disciples were tortured and killed. The early church was persecuted and many were martyred. But their hope in Jesus return encouraged them to be strong; and it should encourage us to be strong. THESE SINGS ARE MEANT TO ENCOURAGE US TO KEEP OUR ATTENTION FOCUSED ON JESUS DAY BY DAY. Perhaps it s too painful for us to look at our own sin. Perhaps it seems too much work to allow God the Holy Spirit convict us of our sin and wrong thinking. Perhaps we are too proud to examine ourselves. Perhaps we are too lazy to work at getting our lives right with God. Spending a lot of time focused on the end times distracts us from allowing God to work on us. PROPHECIES IN THE BIBLE ARE MEANT TO REMIND US THAT GOD HAS A PURPOSE FOR HIS PEOPLE AND FOR US AS INDIVIDUALS. I don t know where each of you are in your walk with God but here is where I am. I want to be better today than I was yesterday and I want to be better tomorrow than I am today. I Page 8

9 want God the Holy Spirit to work on my heart, soul, mind, and body so that I will become more like my Lord Jesus every day. I m tired of wrong thinking, wrong speaking, and wrong behavior. It seems to me that work is plenty to keep me busy for a long time. David Brainerd said this: Christ, once known and understood and loved, brings with Him into a person s (man s) life a different atmosphere, an atmosphere in which, spontaneously, the evil things begin to droop and the fine things burst to bloom. That pursuit captures fully my heart, mind, soul, and body. How about you? I pray that the fact Jesus will return at any moment inspires us to live every moment for Him, in Him, and with Him. Page 9