Faithful Followers in a Fearful Future (Part 2)

Let's take your Bibles this morning and open them to the Gospel of Luke.

! We want to finish something that I started last week. And we're kind of in a portion of Luke's narration, his Gospel, that speaks of the future, even, I believe, a portion of it, our future, still today.

And yet his primary focus is really the present. And so we need to keep that in mind as we look at this passage. So, starting with verse 5, I want to go ahead and read verses 5 through 28.

Luke chapter 21, starting with verse 5. Then as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and donations, he said, These things which you see, the days will come which no, not one stone, shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down.

So they asked him, saying, Teacher, but when? When will these things be? And what sign will there be? When these things are about to take place? I think, parenthetically, I would ask, because we don't want to be here when this happens.

And he said, Take heed that you do not be deceived. For many will come in my name, saying, I am he. And the time has drawn near.

Therefore, do not go after them. But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified. These things must come to pass. For the end will not come immediately.

Then he said to them, Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines, and pestilences. There will be fearful sights, and great signs from heaven.

But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.

But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. Therefore, settle it in your hearts, not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer. For I will give you a mouth of wisdom, which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.

And you will be betrayed, even by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends. And they will put some of you to death. And you will be hated by all for my name's sake.

But not a hair of your head shall be lost. By your patience possess your souls. But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near.

Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let those who are in the midst of her depart. Let not those who are in the country enter her.

For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant, and to those who are nursing babies in those days.

There will be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations.

And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. And there will be signs in the sun, and the moon, and in the stars, and on the earth.

Distress of nations with perplexity. The sea and the waves roaring. Men's hearts failing them from fear. And the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth.

For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up.

Lift up your heads. Because your redemption draws near. Now I'm really tempted. Actually, not right now. I'm not tempted.

But when I was first studying this passage, to really deal primarily with the prophetic nature of it. There's a lot here that is prophetic in nature.

And not just prophetic for the immediate future of the disciples in Jerusalem, and the people living during Jesus' day. But prophetic even for us.

Some things that Jesus mentions here, especially toward the end of the passage, that are yet to come, even for us today. But I'm not going to deal with that. At least not now.

Now when we go a little bit further next week, and see what Jesus follows this up with, then we'll kind of come back and look at more of the prophetic nature of this.

But Jesus is really wanting to focus primarily, I believe, on the present. On the here and now. The here and now for his disciples, as well as the here and now for us today.

It's not so much the future we should be concerned about in this passage, as much as we should be concerned about the present. About our lives right now. And I believe really everything in the passage, even before we get to this particular passage, is leading up to that.

And kind of setting the stage for that. Now it's Wednesday. We've been on Wednesday for a number of sermons now. Wednesday was a long day.

A long day of teaching for Jesus. Jesus. Midweek. Midway through his last week. Before he would go to the cross. Now Matthew's account records that Jesus had completed this day.

This day of teaching in the temple. And then Jesus went out. He went out from the temple. Departed from the temple. This is what Matthew tells us. And his disciples with him.

And of course, as they are walking. Out of the temple. And kind of down across the valley. The Kidron. That's the valley that kind of was there.

Separating the temple mount. Mount Moriah. Part of Mount Moriah. And the Mount of Olives. Or Olivet. And so they're in the Kidron Valley.

And they're looking up. The disciples are looking up. And looking at the temple complex. If you can just kind of imagine this whole scene. Because the temple complex. Would.

Did rise majestically. Some 200 feet above. Of the Kidron Valley. And so they're looking up. At this magnificent temple. And they're commenting. On the temple.

And not just on what they could see. From their vantage point. In the valley. But also recalling. What they saw. As they were in the temple. And just being reminded.

Of the beautiful things. And adornments. Inside the temple. So they're commenting on that. And so. There is an interesting comparison.

That. It's pretty easy to miss. And really. I guess. I wouldn't say. That this was the intent. Of Luke. To make this comparison.

But. He put two things. Side by side. That form for us. An interesting comparison. Now if you will remember. I'll have to. Call you back.

A few weeks. When we were studying. While Jesus. Was still teaching. In the temple. And. I want you to remember. Something that Jesus.

Was interested in. Just before he left. The temple. I have to go back. A couple of Sundays. To recall this. Really. You don't have to. Go back very far. In the passage.

Still in chapter 21. What was Jesus. Interested in? Well. His attention. Was captured. By something. It was captured.

By. Those. Giving their offerings. Into the treasury. But primarily. His attention. Was. Was. Really. Locked in. On. A certain.

Poor. Widow. Woman. And her offering. In the temple. Remember. You never go. Back very far. But this is what Jesus. Was interested in. The very last thing.

Luke tells us. That Jesus. Was locked in on. Before he left. The temple. And so. Here's this woman. He's looking at her. And she's giving her. Offering. And really. You could say.

That her offering. Was. You know. From. From. Our vantage point. And certainly. The vantage point. Of the day. It was really. Of no significance. Whatsoever. That is.

In. In terms of making. Any kind of difference. In the temple. Offerings. For that day. I mean. She gave. Two mites. That would be. The equivalent. About a half a penny. Probably by our standards.

Even less than that. So. Insignificant. Right. Her. Her offering. In the temple. And Jesus. Was watching her. But also. Watching. The rich people. Giving their offerings. And their large amounts.

Of money. And here's this widow woman. And she gives her. Half a penny. But as Jesus said. Remember. She gave her entire. Livelihood. That's what he said.

And this is what he said. He said. Remember. He said. Truly. I say to you. That this poor widow. Has put in. More. Than all. Now that's what I want you. To recall.

Remember. She's giving. Her donation. And he said. That it was worth. More. She had put in more.

Than all. And all the. The lesson. That goes along with that. Now. This is what I want you to see. Jesus' attention. Was captured. By this. Sacrificial worshiper.

This. The sacrifice. Sacrificial worship. Of this. Poor. Widow. Woman. Now. By comparison. What had captured.

The attention. Of the disciples. As they were leaving. The temple. You see the comparison. I mean. Their attention. Was locked in.

On. The temple. The adorning. Of the temple. I believe. It started. Even before. They left the temple. You know. As I mentioned. Last week.

Probably most of these. Disciples. Had. Very rarely. In their lives. Maybe this was the first time. For some of them. To even be inside the temple. And so they had. Been. Been in the temple. For days now.

With Jesus. Walking in various parts of it. All those. Parts of it. That they were allowed. To walk into. You know. Other than the holy place. And the holy of holies. And. And they were looking at the temple. And they were just taking in.

Its beauty. And all of that. And extravagant beauty. Really. And then. Now they're in the valley. And they're looking up. At the outside. Of the temple. And it's just awesome. And so their attention.

Was captured. By the adorning of the temple. The beautiful stones. And Luke says. Remember he said. The donations. He said the donations.

Now what are those? Well. These were the works of art. That. Would have adorned. Did adorn. The temple precincts. The disciples.

Had been kind of. Looking at. And taking in. These beautiful works of art. Tapestries. Perhaps. Other. Various carvings. That would have been overlaid. With gold. Gold and silver engravings.

And other. Priceless. Pieces. Of art. And these. Expensive adornments. Came. From. Wealthy. Patrons. Of the temple. Over the years.

And. What did Luke call them? He called them. Donations. Donations. Now. Think about this. Think about this. What a. Ridiculous comparison.

Really. Ludicrous comparison. I mean. Just compare. The widow's. Two mites. Compare that. With. The priceless. Donations.

Of. The wealthy. And what did Jesus say about it? Again. He said. Verse three. Truly. I say to you. This poor widow. Has. Donated. More than all.

Donated more than all. That was a great lesson. There. And it's really not my intent. To teach that lesson. But. Kind of set the stage. For. What Jesus is really.

Really. Wanting us to get. As he. Begins to unfold. These future events. For his disciples. And even. For us. Today. Today. See the disciples.

Are interested. In the wonder. Of the temple. The tangibles. The building. The materials. The wealth.

But Jesus. Is more interested. In the worship. Of his people. He's more interested. In their conduct. The intangibles. Of the heart. The spiritual. Devotion.

And worship. Of his people. And that is what. I believe. Is for most. On his mind. When he begins. To tell his disciples. About future events. That are about to take place.

And that's what we need to get. He said in verse 6. Remember. He said. These things which you see. That is. These things that you're. Commenting on. And talking about. And in awe about. And these things you want me.

To kind of look at. And say. Hey look Jesus. Look. Isn't this wonderful? These things that you see. Speaking of the temple. The days will come. In which not one stone.

Shall be left upon another. That shall not be thrown down. See. As I pointed out last Sunday. When the Bible begins to talk about the future. It wants us to know about the future.

Yes. I mean. Those words are not wasted. About future events. Prophecies. And so forth. Eschatology. End times. End times. But when the Bible begins to talk about those things.

The Bible's chief concern is the present. Don't ever forget that. And don't ever forget that. When you're studying biblical prophecy. The Bible is more concerned about the present.

How we live right now. In light of the future. Considering the future. As is revealed for us in scripture.

And so when you study end times prophecy. Which is what we have here. Partly. In this passage. You will always discover an emphasis on the here and now.

And that is what we have in the passage. The Lord is focusing not primarily on the conclusion of history. So much as he is on the conduct.

Of his disciples. In the interim. Before the conclusion. And we're still in that interim. So it's not just for his disciples then. But for his disciples now. Those two always come together.

The prophetic and the practical. With primary emphasis I think. Focus on. Practical. Now by way of review. Because this is kind of a two part.

Sermon. Even though we will still be. Somewhat on the subject of eschatology. And I will focus a little bit more on that. Next Sunday. As we go a little further in this chapter.

But there are two things. That stand out in this passage. Two things that I want to bring to your attention. First one we looked at last week.

And I could word it this way. That is the perfection. And power of our God. Working his eternal purpose. Purposes in the history of mankind.

That's something that we see all throughout the passage. The perfection and power of God. Our God. Working his eternal purposes. In the history of mankind.

And again. That was our focus last week. As we considered it. Kind of under this heading. Christ for ordaining the future. Christ for ordaining the future.

He knows. He knows. In advance. All things that will take place. In the history of mankind. Jesus said in verse 6. The days will come. They will come. And he repeats.

That kind of that construction. All throughout the passage. Will come. The temple will be destroyed. Jerusalem will be destroyed. This will happen. And that will happen. And this will come to pass. These things will happen to you.

He knows in advance. All things. That are going to take place. In history. In the history of mankind. The days will come. But not only that.

But he also. As we. Looked at last week. And studied last week. He has. Ordained. In advance. All things. That will take place.

In the history. Of mankind. In the history of the world. Jesus said in verse 9. These things must come. They must come. Will come. Must come.

God has ordained them. And then. This marvelous passage. In Isaiah 46. Verse 9. I'd like to quote again. For I am God. God said. I am God. And there is no other.

There's only one. Only one of me. I am God. And there is no one like me. There's not anything close to me. I'm the only one. And there's not anything close to me.

Declaring. And this is what he says. Declaring the end. The end of all things. The end of all history. The end of all time. Declaring the end. From where?

The beginning. Declaring the end from the beginning. And from ancient times. Things which have not been done. Saying. My purpose will be established.

And I will accomplish. All my good pleasure. Truly I have spoken. Truly it will come to pass. I have planned it. Surely I will do it. So what God has planned to do.

And purpose to do. In all of the history of mankind. In all of time. He will do. Because he's God. And there's no one like him. He's God. There's no one even close to him. So.

God. Then. The perfection. Power of God. Our God. Working his eternal purposes. In the history of mankind. For knowing. And for ordaining.

All things. According to his sovereign purpose. That's what we studied last week. The second thing that. Stands out in this passage. And it's woven really throughout the passage.

Is the passion of our God. The passion of our God. That his children. Would stay faithful to the end. Stay faithful to the end.

Even though. There are fearful times ahead. So the passage. Certainly. Highlights and reveals. Some pretty fearful things. That are going to take place.

Take place during the lives. Of the disciples. Immediately. And in their near future. As well as. The implication of. Fearful things. Taking place.

In the lives. Of his disciples. All down through. The. The. The decades. And centuries. And millennia. Until. Jesus comes again. So.

Fearful things. Are going to happen. So it's. The passion of our God. We see this in the passage. The passion of our God. That his. Followers. His. Children. Would stay faithful. To the end.

Even. Though. There are fearful times ahead. Faithful followers. In a fearful future. All right. So. Here's the second point.

Of the message. Then. Those are the two highlights. Two. Main things. In the passage. And in terms of an outline. Here. Is point number two. And there are only two points. Okay. I'm going to give you a few sub points.

But here's the second point. For warning. For warning. The faithful. Jesus Christ. For warning. The faithful. So. For ordaining. The future.

That was last week. And. For warning. The faithful. Jesus said in verse eight. Take. Heed. Take heed.

It's a warning. It's a heads up. A big heads up. For God's people. In fact. The words. Take heed. Really translated. From one word.

In the Greek text. It's blepo. You probably not remember that. But it just. Literally means. To see. To look. But in the context. Of this passage. The meaning is. Beware. Keep your eyes open.

Be on the alert. Be warned. Of things. That are about to take place. This is the idea. So. This is a forewarning. Of fearful times.

Ahead. For Jesus' disciples. The disciples. You see. They wanted to talk about the temple. They wanted to talk about that. They wanted to talk about what they had seen there.

They wanted to talk about the wonders of the temple. The adornment of the temple. And the wealth of the temple. And the magnificence of the architecture. They wanted to talk about the temple. But Jesus wants to talk about how they should be living.

How they should stay faithful. In the face. Of a fearful future. That's what he's interested in. In fact. The disciples. Remember. They asked a couple of questions here. Very.

Very beginning. After. Jesus responded to. Their. Being out of the temple. And. And. They asked a couple of questions. But Jesus. Virtually. Leaves those questions unanswered.

He's not interested in that. Jesus. Jesus. Is more interested. In the disciples. Conduct. Than he is. In satisfying. Their curiosity.

About the future. The future. That he has just revealed. At least a portion of it. He's more interested. In their conduct. The disciples. Want to know. According to verse 7. They want to know. The exact timing.

Of the future events. And that's just what people. Want to know today. Still know. And there are a whole lot of people. Spending a lot of effort. And a lot of study. And a lot of conjecture. And a lot of. A lot of time.

Trying to figure out. Future events. Like when these things. Are going to happen. And. And there are quite a number of those. Who think they have discovered that. And so they want you to know. And so you. Pay money for their books. Or you. Listen to their radio programs.

Or whatever. And they create this following. And a whole lot of people. Who are just like the disciples. In this day. They want to know. When these things. Are going to take place. The exact timing. Of future events.

The sequence. Of the events. The signs. Which will. Unmistakably. Identify. These. Things. That are going to take place. In the future. That's what the disciples.

Wanted to know. What people today. Want to know. But Jesus. Wants them to know. About how they should live. As these. Future events. Begin to unfold.

And this whole. Idea. This whole. Intent of Jesus. Is woven. Throughout the entire passage. And. And each. Strand of that. Is.

Connected. In a sense. To specific. Some specific. Warnings. And. The warnings. These are. Warnings. Of things. To come. And so. There are five.

Warnings. Given in this passage. That Jesus. Connects. His instructions. On how we should react. How we should respond.

How we should live. And that's really. The thing that we need. To see. So five warnings. Number one. Jesus says. Take heed. Concerning.

The coming. Impersonations. The coming. Impersonations. Jesus is talking about. Christ. Impersonators. And there have been. A bunch of them.

He says. Verse 8. Take heed. That you. Not be deceived. For many. He said. Many. Will come. So.

Coming. Impersonation. Many will come. In my name. Saying. I am he. That is. I am the Messiah. I am the one. You have been looking for. I am the one. You have been waiting for.

I am the one. The Bible has been prophesied. I am he. And. Not only that. But the time. Has drawn near. That is. The kingdom has come. I am the one. And the kingdom is now here.

And Jesus. Says. Therefore. Do not go after them. They are fakes. They are frauds. Don't follow them. Don't be deceived by them.

In the parallel passage. In Matthew 24. 23. Verse 23. Jesus adds this. He says. Then. If anyone says to you. Look. Here is the Christ.

Say. Matthew is much more specific. Well. Jesus is very specific. Matthew is recording it. There. Look here. Here is the Christ. Or. There.

Look there. There is the Christ. And. Jesus said. Do not believe it. Do not believe it. For false Christ. And false prophets.

Will rise. And show great signs. And wonders. Wonders. To deceive. The purpose of deceiving. If possible. He goes and says. Even God's elect. So don't.

Believe it. Now. Since Jesus spoke these words. To his disciples. Now over 2,000 years ago. There have been literally. Thousands.

Of false messiahs. Thousands. Of. Christ impersonators. Words. But. These are.

By the way. Just the. Forerunners. Of the. Supreme. Christ. Impersonator. Who will one day come. The antichrist. The man of sin.

Paul says. In 2nd Thessalonians. Chapter 2. Verse 3. Who opposes. And exalts himself. Above all. That is called God. Or. That is worship. So that he sits as God.

In the temple of God. Showing himself. That he is God. So ultimately. The. The. Greatest. Supreme. Of all. Impersonators. Is going to come. The antichrist.

But there are many. Many. Who have come. Before him. In our day. And. Days. Before our day. Since Jesus. First spoke.

These words. And gave this first warning. To his disciples. Paul said. Remember. In 2nd Thessalonians. Chapter 2. Verse 7. For the mystery of lawlessness. Is already at work. It's already here.

It's already. In the world. When Jesus spoke. These words. It's already. At work. In the days. When Paul wrote his words. In Thessalonians. To the Thessalonians. And they have been at work.

All throughout. The last 2,000 years. At work. Still today. And Jesus says. Do not be deceived. Do not go after them. You might remember.

That Jesus has already instructed. His disciples about this. Go back to chapter 17. Gospel of Luke. Verse 23. Where Jesus said to them.

He said. They will say to you. These false. False believers. These cults. And these others. They will say to you. Look here. Or look there. That is the idea being.

Here's the Messiah. Here he is. Follow. Follow him. And Jesus said. Do not go after them. Or follow them. Because they're frauds. They're fakes. Yes. The second coming.

There is no way to miss it. Because he goes on to say. For as the lightning. That flashes out of one part. Under heaven. Shines to the other part. Under heaven. So also the son of man.

Will be in his day. It is lightning that flashes. And the light goes everywhere. Can't be missed. So no one has any secret knowledge. Of the coming of Christ.

Here or there. The Jehovah's Witnesses. Been predicting it. For years. And they're wrong. And others who. Said that he came. Secretly. Or invisibly.

It's wrong. He says. As the lightning that flashes. From one end of heaven. To the other end of the heaven. So will the coming. Of the son of man. Be. Alright.

So first of all. Then the coming impersonation. It's a warning. And what. What is. Our response. Don't be deceived. Don't follow after them.

Stick with what God says. In his word. And don't get pulled aside. By. By some charismatic leader. Or teacher. Who claims to have some special knowledge.

And someone who. Who raises himself. Or herself up. To be. The Messiah. The Christ. Do not believe them. Do not be deceived. Second.

Jesus says. Take heed. Concerning. The coming tribulations. The coming tribulations. Verse 9. But when you hear of.

Wars. And commotions. Commotions. That's kind of a weird word. Wars. And commotions. Do not be terrified. For these things.

Must come. To pass. But the end. Will not come immediately. These are just precursors. Alright. So these are tribulations. These are coming tribulations. And he mentions two.

Kind of categories. Wars. And. Commotions. That's how it's translated. New King James. You have a new American standard. It's disturbances. That help you any?

ESV. Some of you have ESV out there. Tumults. All right. So wars and. Tumultuous. Events. We could use the word.

Calamities. All right. So what. What is this? Wars. And. Let's just call it. Calamities. Or. Or. Disturbances. Well.

Really. It's two. Categories. Of. Tribulations. That are going to come upon the earth. Have been coming upon the earth. Since Jesus spoke these things. We could say. One of them are man-made.

Tribulations. And the other. God. Made. Even though God is. Sovereign of course. Over both of these things. Man-made. And God-made. Man-made. Tribulations.

Would be in the form of wars. Form of wars. Verse 10. Nation will rise against nation. Kingdom against kingdom. All right. We've had wars all throughout.

The history of mankind. Ever since. The creation. And. Since the fall of Adam and Eve. In the garden. We've had wars.

In fact. Historians. Give us a pretty grim record of wars. Throughout. The history of mankind. Let me just kind of run. Down here. The significant wars. That have taken place.

According to history. Seventy. Significant wars. Took place. In various parts of the. Of the known world. Before the time of Christ. So. Seventy.

Significant wars. Even before Christ came. Fifty wars. I'm talking about significant. Measurable wars. In the first. One thousand years.

After Christ. So. Fifty. Major wars. In that first. One thousand years. Up to. One thousand. A.D. One hundred wars. Over the.

Following. Five hundred years. So. Up to. Fifteen hundred. A.D. Another. One hundred wars. Two hundred and fifty wars. Significant wars.

Over the next. Three hundred years. After that. So now we're up to. Eighteen hundred. A.D. A.D. And then. Five hundred. Wars. Since.

Eighteen hundred. A.D. Are you. Tallying these up. That's a total of. Nine hundred and seventy. Significant. Wars. That have. Taken place. Been fought. In history.

Since the beginning. Up through our day. So. That's. Almost a thousand. Is it. And that is. Not even. Counting. The many. Lesser. Conflicts.

That have. Taken place. Which. Would. Would. Number up. Into the thousands. Thousands. Of. Minor. Conflicts. And skirmishes. And little wars. And so forth. Localized wars.

And so. The tribulation. Of wars. Throughout the history. Of mankind. Millions. And millions. Have died. As a result. Of war. Devastation.

Of people's lives. And. And civilizations. And. Property. And. Fears. Of war. And. Blasted lives. As a result. Of war.

War is a terrible thing. Isn't it? Now. Understand. That these are just. Precursors. To a war. To come. Kind of the war. To end all wars.

I mean. Literally. The ultimate war. Will take place. During the great tribulation. When a full. Quarter. Of the earth's population.

Will be wiped out. Now. That's major war. Revelation 6. 3. When he opened. The second seal. I heard. The second living creature. Saying. Come and see.

Another horse. Fiery red. Went out. And it was granted. To the one. Who sat on it. This horse. To take peace. From the earth. Take peace. From the earth. And that the people.

Should kill one another. And there was given to him. A great sword. So this horse and rider. Really personifies. A world war. On a scale. Never ever seen before.

In human history. And verse 7 says. When he opened. The fourth seal. I heard the voice. Of the fourth living creature. Saying. Come and see. So I looked. And behold. A pale horse.

And the name of him. Who sat on it. Was death. And Hades. Followed with him. And power. Was given to them. Over a fourth. Of the earth.

So the pale rider. Is kind of like a corpse. Riding on a horse. And it represents. He represents. The effects. Of this future world war. And that would be famines.

And pestilences. Or plagues. And that will. Ultimately kill. Billions. Did you know. That during. World war one. Or in the aftermath. Of world war one.

20 million. People died. Of influenza epidemics. Epidemics. And another. Six million people. Died of typhus. As a result.

Of world war one. But that's. Nothing. Compared to the death. And destruction. That will be dealt out. By the pale rider. In the war. During the great tribulation. One fourth.

Of this world's population. Will. Be. Destroyed. That's. Somewhere in the neighborhood. Two billion. Now that's a war.

But Jesus is warning his disciples. There will be wars. And rumors of wars. And wars. Upon wars. These will be tribulations. That are to come.

Be. Warned. And then there are God made tribulations. Tumults. Or. Commotions. Again as the new. New. King James puts it.

These. These would be what we would commonly call. Natural disasters. Others. Well they're. Not very natural are they. Verse 11 says. And there will be great earthquakes.

In various places. And famines. And pestilences. And there will be fearful sights. And great signs from heaven. Signs from heaven. What would that. He's talking about things.

That are going to be falling out of the sky. Like meteors. And asteroids. And comets. And all those kinds of things. And. And all this together. We've had these things. Haven't we. Taking place.

All throughout our history. Earthquakes. And famines. And pestilences. That is every kind of. Plague imaginable. And fearful sights. In the heavens. But again.

These are just. Pre-events. To come. Before the main event. In the tribulation. I could take you a number of places. Let me just read.

Isaiah chapter 13. Verse 9. Behold. The day of the Lord comes. Cruel. With both wrath. And fierce anger. To lay the land desolate. And he will destroy.

It centers from it. For the stars of heaven. And their constellations. Will not give their light. The sun will be darkened. In its going forth. And the moon. Will not cause. Its light.

To shine. And you can look at. Revelation chapter 16. Also. For description. Of these things. Earthquakes. And so forth. And what does Jesus tell us? This is the important thing.

Don't. Be terrified. Don't be terror stricken. It's a forewarning. Of future events. But how are we to respond to them?

A coming impersonations. And that is false Christ. And Jesus says. Don't be deceived. Don't follow after them. And second. Coming tribulations.

And he says. Don't be terror stricken. Don't be terrified. Because sometimes we are. Aren't we? When we hear of things. And reported of.

Of great. Quote. Natural disasters. And. And. And we become terrified. Of these things. And Jesus says. Don't be terrified. These things are going to come. They're going to happen.

Third. The coming persecutions. Well. It's just really good stuff. Isn't it? The coming persecutions. Verse 12. But before all these things.

They will lay their hands on you. And persecute you. Delivering you up to the synagogues. And prisons. You will be brought before kings. And rulers. For my name's sake.

Skip to verse 16. You will be betrayed. Even by parents. And brothers. Relatives. And friends. And they will put some of you to death. If we're thinking. Really? Let's just ask some of our brothers and sisters.

In Muslim countries about that. And he says. And you will be hated. Bid by all. For my name's sake. That's a little hard for us to.

Really imagine this. But did you ever think. That there would be a day. In America. That a Christian. Would be. Jailed. Because.

She wouldn't issue a marriage license. To a couple of gay. Gays. Do you ever think. That it would ever happen in America. That a high school athletic coach. Would be fired.

Because he has prayer. With his team. Before games. You ever think that would happen. In America. And on and on. We could go with the list. And these don't. Hardly even compare.

To things that have been happening. To Christians. In other places in this world. And yet. I think these things. Are just. A foretaste. Of things to come. I would say.

You know. Should that. Make us fearful. What. What does Jesus say. We should do. What does he say. About these times. When. Persecution.

Comes to us. He says in verse 13. But it will turn out. For you. As an occasion. For testimony. That's the right response. Is.

Not to get angry. Hateful. You know. Depressed. Discouraged. Want to crawl.

Into your hole. While all these things. Are happening around us. It's not that. It's to give us. An occasion. For a testimony. Persecution. Gives us. An opportunity.

To proclaim. The substance. Of our faith. And the reason. For our hope. See. That's what Jesus. Is concerned about here.

And. We should. He says. Not get all uptight. About it. Be filled with anxiety. About what we're going to say. You know.

There's. Fear. Fear. Suddenly. In our hearts. Well. What. If. I'm persecuted. What should I say. I don't know what to say. I better. Have something to say. Well. What does Jesus say. About that. Verse 15.

For I will give you a mouth. And wisdom. In which. All your adversaries. Will not be able. To contradict. Or resist. That is. They won't be able. To refute it. Won't be able.

To prove you wrong. That doesn't mean. They're going to believe you. But he'll give you the words. That cannot be denied. Cannot be refuted. Cannot be proven wrong. And listen.

You know. Think about it. What offers us. You really think about it. If you really think about the possibility. Of being persecuted. Or being brought before kings. Or rulers. Or authorities.

And be persecuted for your faith. Think about that. What would offer you the greatest encouragement. In your heart. And in your mind. When you stand before persecutors.

What would give you the greatest confidence. Well. This. Is. That though they may kill your body. They cannot take Christ from you.

They cannot take your life from you. Your life in Christ. That can never ever be taken away from the believer. And that's what Jesus is talking about. By the way. When he promises. That not a hair of your head will be lost.

He's not promising that they won't kill you. I mean. He's already. He's already just talked about. Those who are going to put you to death. Oh yeah. Many have died. A martyr's death.

For their faith. But one thing. Their persecutors could never do. And that is to destroy the life of Christ in them. Really. They could not take their true life from them. Not a hair of your head.

Will be lost. That is. Even down to the dead cells. Hanging on your head there. Some of us have more than others. Sorry.

I always have to say that. Even down to those. Hairs on the head. You belong to Christ. Every party.

And you. Are his. And will live. In him. Forever. No matter what. Others may do to your body. And I guess.

We would have to add this. Like Jesus does. This. This caveat to that. That is if your faith is real. If it's a genuine faith.

That's kind of what he's talking about in verse 19. But you're. By your patience. As your endurance. Possess your souls. Or. You will possess. Or gain your lives.

Is what he's talking about. The idea is. That the. Kind of faith. That. That. Truly saves. Is the kind of faith.

That endures to the end. Otherwise. It's not a real faith. Not true faith. So Jesus is. Forewarning the faithful. Of the coming impersonations.

Don't. Don't be deceived by them. Don't follow after them. The coming tribulations. Don't be terrified by them. The coming persecutions. Don't fail.

To give a testimony. And then the fourth. Forewarning. The coming destruction. The coming destruction. Verse 20.

But when you see Jerusalem. Surrounded by armies. Then know that its desolation is near. And why was Jerusalem destroyed? Well verse 22.

For these are the days of vengeance. Vengeance. That all things which are written. May be fulfilled. Whose vengeance? The Lord's. Why his vengeance?

Because Israel had rejected their Messiah. They had rejected the Messiah. They rejected the cross. They rejected the only salvation. They were still locked into a works.

Kind of oriented salvation. Even after that point. See. The Lord's forewarning. Is meant to protect his disciples. From the coming judgment. Upon Israel.

Centered on. Jerusalem itself. When you see Jerusalem. Surrounded by armies. He said. They're talking about something. That's going to happen. In their. In their future.

Something that did happen. While many of the disciples. Were still alive. He's talking about. When the Romans. Will come. And. And. And. And. Besiege the city of Jerusalem.

And he says. When you see that happen. Flee to the mountains. Go hide out in the mountains. This judgment's not for you. Flee to the mountains.

Those already outside. Don't enter the city. You're out in the country. Don't come into the city. And woe to those who are pregnant. Those giving.

Nurse. Or nursing their. Children. Because it can be awfully hard. For them to escape. You know. It may. Sound. Really terrible to us.

But you know. All down through history. When God has judged a people. Even some of his own people. Suffered. As we're suffering. There will be those who will suffer.

And did suffer. When Jerusalem was judged. By God. Through the Romans. Terrible destruction. Tacitus. The Roman historian.

Tells us that. Hundreds of thousands. Of Jews. Died in the city. At the hands of the Romans. Josephus. Who was a Jew. Jewish historian. Skewed the number.

A lot higher. He said about a million people. And maybe he's right. Maybe he's right. See. Not a single. One. In the city.

Escaped. When it was besieged. By Titus. And the Roman armies. But here's the point. God used the Romans.

To put an end. To something. Something that. Really came to an end. When Jesus died upon the cross. God used the Romans.

God used the Romans. To put an end. To something. The Jews were unwilling. To put an end to. Because of their. Disbelief in Jesus. That was the priesthood.

The whole sacrificial system. The temple itself. Remember. Not one stone. Was left. Standing upon another. God. Through. The Romans. And God often.

Throughout history. Used pagans. To. To. Conduct his judgment. Upon his people. Sinning people. God put an end. To the priesthood.

The sacrificial system. To the temple. All those things. You see. Had already been rendered. Useless. Worthless. After the cross. So why continue there?

They were just shadows. Of the real. The sacrificial system. The priesthood. And all of that. Just. Just shadows. Of the real.

But the real. Had now come. It's time to stop the shadow. And trust in the real. And so Israel. Had rejected the real. And they were continuing. To hold on to the shadow.

And so God. Had to destroy it. With a great vengeance. And he did that. Through. The Romans. And he told his followers. His true.

Followers of Christ. To flee. To flee. What God was judging. Here's the lesson. Though for us. The disciples of Christ.

True disciples of Christ. Should not. Seek salvation. In that. Which God has. Condemned. A.

Works. Oriented. Salvation. God has destroyed. Don't seek your salvation. In that. One more.

The coming redemption. The coming redemption. God. Gave his disciples. A forewarning. A really.

A very glad. Forewarning. Of. A future event. The coming. Redemption. The second coming. Of Jesus Christ. The second coming.

Here. I really believe. That Jesus. Is looking. Way beyond. His immediate disciples. And I believe. He is looking. Even beyond. His disciples.

Today. Not everyone. Would agree with that. Depends on a person's. Eschatology. I believe. He's talking about. The second coming. It's yet to happen. Even for us today. And in his view.

His disciples. He's talking about. And referring. To his disciples. Who will be. On this earth. At his second coming. Future event.

I believe. Those saved. During the tribulation. And he says. In verse 28. Now. When these things. Begin to happen. What things? Signs in the sun.

And the moon. Stars. The things that. Isaiah. Prophesied. About. The celestial lights. Giving up their light. Distress.

Of nations. I mean. Naturally. There would be distress. Of nations. When suddenly. The sun goes dark. And the stars. Stop giving their light. Upheaval.

In the oceans. And all. That is described. Here. In verses. 26 and 27. And Jesus says. Now. When these things.

Begin to happen. What? He says. Look up. Lift up. Your heads. Because your redemption. Draws near.

Now. He's talking about. A future event. And yet. The principle. Still applies. Even for us today. We see things happening. That are happening. In our world today.

Natural. Things. Horrendous. Things. Even when we see. Some of the things. Happening in our own culture.

In our world. In the world of man. These. These are just. Precursors. Kind of. Birth pang. Birth pang. As the Bible says.

Of. That event that's coming. The coming of our Lord. Though. The idea is not. To just. Drop everything. You know.

Sell everything you have. Go out on your porch. Just sit there. And. Look up in the sky. And wait for Jesus to come. But in.

Our hearts. And in our expectation. And in our joy. Lift up our heads. Our redemption. Draws near. Nearer today.

Than. Ever before. That mean it's going to be today. Or tomorrow. I don't have any idea. Maybe another thousand years. Or more. Who knows. A lot of things are pointing to it.

But. Jesus said. To this generation. I give no signs. Wicked. Indulterous people. Look for signs. Remember that. We're.

Listening. I've heard Adrian Rogers. Say many times. We're not looking for signs. We're listening for a shout. Shout. Shout of his coming. The forewarning. Of the future.

The coming impersonations. What are we to do? Don't go after them. Don't be deceived. Coming tribulations. What are we to do?

Don't be terrified. Don't be terror stricken. No matter what happens. He's not giving us. A spirit of fear. The coming persecutions.

What about that? Don't fail to give a testimony. Testimony of your faith. The hope that you have. Coming destruction.

Don't seek salvation in that which God has condemned. Coming redemption. Look up. Lift up your heads.

Your redemption draws near. Amen. Amen. Thank you.