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- Luke Chapter 21 (part 3)
Good morning! ☀️
"When disciples followed a rabbi, they followed him closely so they would never be out of his sight, never be someplace where they couldn’t hear him speak. They followed him so closely that his sandals often kicked up dust."
May you be covered in His dust.
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Read Chapter 21 before reading my notes. They’ll make more sense.
Access previous notes on Luke by signing into your account. Click 'Read Online' at the top right of this post and scroll down to find them waiting for you.
It’s Jesus’ last days on earth. He’s gathering His sheep, and He’s preparing His disciples.
Why did Jesus talk about the end times?
He wants it to motivate us. He wants us to see the urgency of living a Godly life.
There have been predictions of the Antichrist for generations.
Napoleon Bonaparte, Benito Mussolini, and Joseph Stalin were each seen as potential Antichrist figures in their respective times due to their ambitions, authoritarian rule, and significant impacts on world affairs.
Predicting the end times has been going on for centuries.
The Crusades (1096–1291): Christians and Muslims fought over the Holy Land. Some thought it signaled the end of the world.
The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648): European powers fought over religion and land. Many thought it meant God's judgment or the start of the end times.
World War I (1914–1918): Some believed this war fulfilled prophecies about the end times.
World War II (1939–1945): This war, with genocide and atomic bombs, made many think it was fulfilling end-times prophecies.
The Cold War (1947–1991): Tensions between the U.S. and Soviet Union made people fear nuclear war and the end of the world.
Some believe that the ongoing conflicts in Israel today could signal the end times. Some people, many people, are passionate about it. It even has a name, ‘pop eschatology.’
In Luke 12, Jesus tells us not to worry about future events. What God wants is for us to be ready because one of these days…
Will
Be
the
Day
“You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
Jesus tells us that we’ll know. When He returns, it won’t be a secret.
'For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. '
We live high in the mountains of Guatemala. During the rainy season, we often get massive thunderstorms that light up the sky and pierce the darkness making it almost as light as day. The thunder shakes our home in a way we can feel it in our bones.
I imagine it will be more brilliant than that.
The First and the Second Coming will be different.
When Jesus came the first time, His glory was concealed; it wasn't readily apparent. He was born to humble parents, not of royal lineage, in a stable rather than a palace, and he grew up relatively unknown, His divine power and majesty hidden from plain view.
When He returns, you’re not going to miss it.
'And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. '
And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
He won’t be riding in on a donkey, He’ll be riding on a war horse.
'Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. '
He solidifies His second coming by adding,
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
What He’s saying is, more than you can trust the ground you walk on, more than you can trust the sun and the stars hanging in the sky,
You
Can
Trust
My
Word
“I am coming again.”
If you can trust Him for that, you can trust Him for anything.
Signs that He is coming.
“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves,
This could include natural disasters, world instability, conflict, and tension on an international or global scale.
Matthew’s account gives more detail.
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
As prophesied in Isaiah 13:10, 700-800 years before Christ was born.
For the stars of the heavens and their constellations
will not give their light;
the sun will be dark at its rising,
and the moon will not shed its light.
Jesus describes the signs as so powerful that people will be overwhelmed with fear, even fainting from the intensity of what they witness.
people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
Do not fear.
Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Because we believe,
Because we trust in our Redeemer,
We don’t have to be gripped by fear and anxiety when the rest of the world is.
When there are wars or rumors of wars, or earthquakes, or natural disasters, or plagues,
We
Don’t
Have
to
Fear
We, as God’s people, should lift our heads.
As God’s people, we are to be people of hope and joy, even as the world around us is falling apart.
Jesus Christ is coming again.
And then, after telling about all the signs, Jesus says this…
Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place.
Whenever I’ve read this in the past, in the back of my mind, I’ve wondered, “Wait a minute. This doesn’t make sense. That generation has clearly passed, and Jesus did not return.”
I passed it over.
I was in a hurry.
I was lazy.
I justified it by saying, “I trust the scripture.” Yes! Trust scripture, but trust it enough to challenge your own interpretations.
It wasn’t until I studied it this week that I realized what Jesus was saying.
“This generation” is the generation that’s alive when the signs take place. He was saying it won’t drag on for hundreds of years. Those who see the signs will see the end.
Prepare yourself.
“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.
Dissipation means living wastefully and spending time and resources on things that don't really matter in the long run.
Jesus warns His followers not to become too focused on worldly pleasures, which can distract them from what's really important.
Don’t fall prey to drunkenness.
Drunk on wine,
Drunk on fame,
Drunk on money,
Drunk on power,
Drunk on success,
Drunk on personal pleasures,
Drunk on material possessions,
What can we do?
But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Live a life of daily prayer, Godly obedience, and preparing for His coming; then, when these things take place, you won’t be caught off guard.
Jesus' prophecies about His return should change the way we live today. We should live in a way that He is not only Lord of our lives but Lord of all.
I’ll end with a story I uncovered that challenged me to reevaluate my readiness for His return.
In July of 1959, Queen Elizabeth II visited Chicago as part of her official tour of the United States.
Elaborate preparations were made for her visit. The waterfront was readied for docking her ship. Litter baskets were painted, and a red carpet was ready to be rolled out for her to walk on.
The Queen’s staff contacted the Drake Hotel, and the hotel manager was asked to be prepared and ensure that everything was in order for Her Majesty's arrival.
The manager replied, "We will do nothing different. We are always ready for royalty."
Do I live in a way that is always ready for royalty?
I do not.
But I can.
And I’ll try.
I love you,
George
Uncovering Scripture
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George Sisneros serves as a full-time missionary in Guatemala. He is the founder of Ordinary Missionaries and the El Rosario Christian Academy for Boys.
He’s been married to his wife, Vonda, for 25 years. He’s a father to nine children, five adopted.
George and his family will be expanding to Cuba in 2024.