FUTURE THINGS

This chapter contains predictive prophecy. It tells us about things that God is going to do in the future. We are going to see prophecies of the destruction of the temple, of wars and rumors of wars, or tribulations and famines and false messiahs. Finally, we are going to see a promise of the second coming of the Son.

Some of the prophecies have already come to pass. Some of them are being fulfilled today. And some are yet to be fulfilled. This entire panorama begins with something that seems at first glance to be out of place. It begins with a woman’s gift.

The Temple was organized into a series of courts. As you initially entered the Temple area, you found find yourself in the Court of the Gentiles. This was a vast area the size of several football fields. This was the place where the buying and selling and the money changing took place that Jesus had disrupted on the previous day.

Surrounding the Court of the Gentiles were a series of "porches" or cloisters through which ran double rows of Corinthian pillars, each cut from marble and measuring 37 feet in height and covered by a flat roof. The entire court was paved with marble. The southern of these porches was known as "Solomon’s Porch" (Acts 3:11).

This court derived its name from the fact that Gentiles were permitted into this area provided they conducted themselves in a reverent manner.

A low wall ran completely around the Temple structure. It had periodic gates and an stone inscription located at each gate. Archaeologists have discovered two of these inscriptions and they read as follows:

Beyond the Dividing Wall was a flight of 14 steps that led up to a terrace on which stood the inner wall of the Temple. This inner wall had a number of gates, but the main gate was located on the eastern side. This was the "Beautiful Gate" (Acts 3:2). There were 12 steps leading up to this gate. The doors of the gate were made of Corinthian brass and mounted on massive hinges. Entering through this gate brought one into the Court of the Women.

The Court of the Women was not exclusive to women. It was called this because this was as far within the Temple as women were permitted to enter. The court was surrounded by colonnades. Along the walls there were thirteen jars which served as receptacles for various offerings. Worshipers would come in and drop their offering into one of the jars.

As our passage opens, Jesus is in this area of the Court of the Women known as the Treasury. He is near to these jars where worshipers would come to make their offerings. He was watching the offerings and, in particular, he was watching the rich bring their offerings.

Why is this significant? It is significant by what Luke wrote in the previous verses. They are the closing verses of Luke 20.

There were those who made a great show of their goodness and their spiritual authority. They sought honor and prestige. The scribes were in that category, but they were not the only ones. There was also a temptation for the rich to engage in this sort of activity. In contrast, there came a woman to present her offering.

1. The True.

2. The Temporary

The words of Jesus must have come as a complete shock. Do you remember the shock you felt on September 11, 2001 when you saw the twin towers of the World Trade Center fall to the ground? It was with no less shock that the disciples heard the words of Jesus. They ask two questions.

1. Question #1: "Teacher, when therefore will these things be?"

2. Question #2: "What will be the sign when these things are about to take place?"

The point here is that there are going to be a lot of things that are going to happen that might make it look as though the end is about to come, but in the words of verse 9, "The end does not follow immediately."

You have only to walk into any Christian bookstore in America and you will find hoards of books pointing out the signs of the soon coming of the end. But Jesus says, "When you see wars and disturbances and earthquakes and plagues and famines and terrors and even what look to be heavenly signs, don’t you be shaken because all of those things are going to come and go before the coming of the end."

When I was a youngster in Bible college, I saw the best-seller by Hal Lindsey, The Late Great Planet Earth in which he pointed out all of the wars and all of the earthquakes and plagues and famines and other perceived signs and he said that Christ must be coming back real soon.

More recently, we have seen terror and terrorists and skyscrapers falling to the ground and the threat of plagues and other horrors. In the face of all of these "signs" we need to take the words of Jesus to heart that "these things must take place first, but the end does not follow immediately."

Here is the point. Every one of those things described by Jesus was fulfilled in the first century. And every one of those things has been fulfilled within our last century. And they are being fulfilled today just as promised.

What is to be our reaction to these things? Jesus mentions two: "See to it that you be not misled." It is possible to look at earth-shattering events and to be misled by them, thinking that this is it, that the end has come. Are these events significant? Certainly. But they are only signposts along the way telling us that we are on the right track. As we see these come and go, Jesus exhorts us, "Do not be terrified." The reason you do not have to fear is because God is in control.

We saw in the preceding verses that God is in control in the face of national and natural calamities. Now we see also that God is in control even in the face of persecution of His people.

Notice that this persecution is described as taking place before all these things (21:12). Before the coming of false messiahs or wars and rumors of wars or plagues or famines, there would first come persecution of the people of God. Luke himself testifies to the realization of this prophecy when we read through the book of Acts. The story of the early church is a story of persecution.

The key word in the book of Acts is the word "witness." It is seen in Acts 1:8 when Jesus says to His disciples, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My WITNESSES both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." When you think of a witness, your mind takes you to a courtroom. It is not mere happenstance that a great deal of the book of Acts deals with judicial proceedings. This book is nothing less than an official record of the witnesses for the defense in the case of the world versus Jesus.

The same word that is translated WITNESSES in Acts 1:8 is found here in Luke. Jesus says that it will lead to an opportunity for your TESTIMONY.

The warnings of Jesus now move from the general to the specific. This specific warning deals with the city of Jerusalem. There would come a time when Jerusalem would be surrounded by armies. That would serve as the signal that the destruction of the city was at hand. This would take place in order that all things which are written may be fulfilled (21:22).

This brings us to a question. Are we to view ALL of the prophecies of the Bible as having been fulfilled in the events of A.D. 70 and the destruction of Jerusalem? There are those who believe this is the case. Their doctrinal system is known as PRETERISM. Let me go on record by stating that I am not a Preterist. I do not feel that all of the prophecies of the Bible or even all of the prophecies of this particular chapter were completely fulfilled and finished in the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

How do I know that this is the case? I know it because of the words of verse 24. That verse gives me a prophecy that extends beyond the events of A.D. 70. It tells of how Jerusalem will fall and its inhabitants shall be led away into captivity and then it goes on to tell us that Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

What is this "times of the Gentiles?" It is seen in contrast to the earlier age when the focus of heaven was upon the Jews. It is that time when the gospel is not limited to Jerusalem and Israel, but when it is going out to all the world. It is the days in which we are living today.

Notice that Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. Jerusalem is still under the foot of the Gentiles today. But there is coming a day when that will no longer be the case. There is coming a day when the King is going to return and when every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that a Jewish carpenter is Lord.

The Preterist looks at these verses and postulates a reference to something that God did in A.D. 70. Can this refer only to the 70 A.D. event? Is this vision of the Son of Man coming in a cloud only symbolic of His act of judgment against Jerusalem? I do not believe so.

When Paul describes the "coming of the Lord" in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17, he uses several of the same terms as are found here and in the parallel passages of Matthew 24 and Mark 13.

Do you see it? Paul uses the very language which Jesus used as he sets forth the truth of the Second Coming. This is an indication that Paul is there speaking of the same event of which Jesus is speaking here in Luke 21.

To be sure, there is a sense in which the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 prefigures the final judgment that is to come at the end of the age. In this sense, the destruction of Jerusalem can be regarded as a type and a shadow that pictures the end of the world.

It is often held that the fig tree is a symbol for Israel. From this it is often maintained that the parable of the fig tree is pointing to a future regathering of Israel. The problem with such a view is that, while such a symbol could have been used in ancient times, the Scriptures are noteably lacking in making such a connection. Furthermore, Jesus does not limit Himself to the fig tree in this parable. He points to the fig tree and ALL the trees. The point is not to necessarily single out the fig tree or one particular sign. It is all the signs that are in view.

Here is the principle. When you see the signs, you know that the fulfillment is close by. By the same token, Jesus says that when you see the signs of which He has been speaking, you know that something significant is about to take place regarding the kingdom.

The words of Jesus in verse 32 have been the subject of some controversy: This generation will not pass away until all things take place. Of what is this speaking? Several interpretations have been suggested.

• This is pointing to the fulfillments that would take place within the next 40 years and which would culminate in the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. The problem is that it is difficult to reconcile all things of verse 32 with the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory in verse 27.

• This generation is a reference to the people of Israel. Jesus can be seen to use the term in this manner in Matthew 23:34-36.

• It refers to the generation that is living in the days when Christ returns. Instead of holding to a view where the culmination of history takes an extended period of time (like a thousand+seven years), this would be telling us that it will all be completed within a relatively short period of time.

Which of these is the correct view? I do not know. They each have strengths and weaknesses. I am personally inclined to hold to the first view with the understanding that the A.D. 70 event was merely an initial fulfillment of the prophecy which would be ultimately concluded in a future day.

Why did Jesus give all of this information about the fall of Jerusalem and about the end of the world? It wasn’t so that we could argue eschatology or draw up our timelines and charts to beat each other over the head with them. Rather it was so that we could be ready.

I know all about readiness. I’ve made a career out of readiness. In the fire department, we have a book of preplans. These are written plans containing information on how we have planned to fight a fire in a particular area. Prophecy is like that. It tells you things about the future to prepare you.

The point is that, if you are ready for the "tribulation" that Christ says we have in this world, then it will not take you be surprise.

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During the week that Jesus is in Jerusalem, the point is made that he was not actually residing within the city, but instead that he was spending each night on the Mount of Olives. Why is this significant? Perhaps it is because He is the king who never actually came to reside within His city. He was even crucified outside the city. He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him.