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Pastor David Mitchell
Well, we'll we'll go ahead and start with verse 14. We'll read down through 25. At least today. So we'll be in Luke chapter 21 and you say you ended with verse 13. Okay, so we'll start with verse Verse 14, let's pray and we'll begin father.
We thank you for this day when we can come together study together. We thank you that you reveal yourself to us in your word That Your son said that his words are spirit and they are life. And so feed us again this afternoon feed our spirits.
Make make us strong in the spirit in Jesus name. Amen. Settle it therefore in your hearts not to meditate before what you shall answer. Now before I go on let me review Time before last I started with with Chapter 21 and verse 7 and we went through this passage and kind of gave an overview of it and It's very similar to prophecy in the Old Testament in the sense that oftentimes prophecy has a near view and a far view and sometimes it's interesting because the near view and the far view will even be in the same verse and It'll be talking about both sometimes in this passage.
I'm sure that it's that way through from verse starting with verse what I say 7 and Even on through verse 13 where you studied last Sunday and all the way through the end of verse 24 is clearly Certainly a near view would have to do with The year 70 AD when the Roman legions came through and destroyed Jerusalem that is the near view the far view very clearly begins in verse 25.
Because some of those events did not take place in those days. But it is interesting that some of the older books that That brother Otis has read Mentioned that because of the dust going up in the sky and different things.
I don't know what all that it did actually In some way make the changes in the Sun and the moon During some of the this battle, so it's interesting that the near view of the far view are found together.
But where you get to about verse 25 you start to sense That this is more than just talking about the invasion of Jerusalem in the year 70 AD. It begins to tell you this is talking about the end times the second coming and so forth.
Very clearly it it mur it molds itself And Changes itself into more of a far view when you get to verse 25. I'm not saying that the verses prior to it may not have a distant view as well. And a second fulfillment around the second coming but obviously this is history as well.
This is talking about what actually has already happened in the year 70 AD until you get to verse 25. All right. So verse 14 settle it therefore in your hearts not to meditate before what you shall answer for I will give you a mouth and wisdom Which all your adversaries will not be able to gain say nor resist.
We know that this happened with the Apostles and other disciples as they were. Hebrews chapter 11 tells us many were tortured the saw in asunder Slaughtered in many different ways and the Romans had good imagination for how to do that.
They were fed to wild animals all sorts of things and This is a part of history that has already occurred and we can even read I don't know if you've ever read Fox's Book of Martyrs, but it even goes on beyond You know the first century and talks about some of the amazing things That the martyrs would would have come out their lips When they were at the stake about to be burned some of the things the words that they would say were so Amazingly eloquent and it says right here You know, don't even give it thought.
Don't meditate about what you're gonna say for I will give you a mouth and wisdom Which all your adversaries shall not be able to gain say nor resist. And we can even read of different times when the martyrs would be Taken by the Roman guards and they're gonna be fed to animals.
There's a case where one of them led the guard to the Lord and he went out into the arena with the Christian and Allowed himself to be fed to the animals as well because he had been born again Counted it honor to die for the name of Jesus Christ a brand-new convert who had just been won by the Person he was keeping in jail.
Amazing stories that you'll read and this is a prophet at the time. This was said by Jesus. It was prophetic because those things were going to happen out in the future. But they happened within 40 years of when this was written and then as I said There's so much that can be a far view that goes it is true of what happened in in the year 70 AD.
But it goes on out to the end times and gives a foreshadowing as Well Verse 16 and ye shall be betrayed by both parents brethren kinsfolk friends. Some of you shall they cause to be put to death. This the primary interpretation of this has to do with the 70 AD event and it's because they were Jewish and They were becoming Christians and even today when that occurs they They count you as dead.
My mentor dr. Rocky Freeman was a Jewish believer when he got born again. His mother and father had a burial service for him and buried him and was were dead to him. Most of the days of his life when they when the mother was very elderly He was able to actually win her to Christ though.
So it ended with a good ending on that story. But this was the case back in those days if a Jewish person became a Christian. Then even the parents the brothers and sisters the kin folks and the friends totally denounced them and Cast them aside and would even turn them in to the authorities to be killed their very own children and kin folks.
So this is actually the things that happened very shortly after Jesus went to heaven. This prophecy came to be fulfilled. You shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. But there shall not a hair of your head perish in your patience possess you your souls.
I want to stop there and get some help with verse 18. I Want you to tell me in the light of what we know happened in? The first century in what sense did Jesus mean verse 18 because we know that some of them Were persecuted unto death.
Many of them many thousands of Christians Were. So what does he mean when he says but there shall not a hair of your head perish. Who'd like to comment on that? So you would interpret that to be in the sense that when you look at it from an eternal viewpoint They will never perish.
Any other comment? Exactly I love did you hear that in? God's eyes, there is no loss nothing. That he is none of his children are ever lost. That's a good. I like that comment both comments. So well, that's what that's how I have to interpret this.
Are there any other thoughts? It's an interesting verse because you would take that to mean that they would be protected During the persecution, but it doesn't mean that they died many of them. So it is not a promise of protection through the persecution.
It is a promise of protection for eternity. Jesus said whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never what? Die and there you have the promise in your patience possess ye your souls. I think that first 19 gives a clue on how to interpret verse 18.
Don't you? They had to be patient through suffering and you know The worst suffering that they can put God's children through even this shall come to pass, right? We don't you know, they can torture us they can.
They can kill us slowly. But eventually that too will pass and for all eternity. We will be with the Lord and it's a matter of patience. Patiently enduring whatever suffering the Lord brings into our path and and whatever suffering Brings glory to him and to his name.
We must be patient. We learn patience through suffering. Any comments on those three verses? Those are amazing verses, I think. And when you shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies. Now Let me ask you does this in your heart does this seem to begin even though we know this is talking about 70 AD for sure.
Because we can look at history and we know this happened. You can read Josephus about the besiege besieging of Jerusalem and how horrible it was. But doesn't your heart begin to tell you in verse 20 that this also has a far view.
It's also there will be another time when Jerusalem is surrounded by the armies of the Gentiles and When you shall see Jerusalem compassed about with armies then know that the desolation thereof is near.
Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let Them which are in the midst of it depart out. And let not them that are in the countries enter in they're talking about into the city walls inside the walls of Jerusalem.
Don't be in the city when this happens. He's saying when this happens when you see the armies Begin to come around and surround Jerusalem. Jesus was prophesying 40 years out in the future when you see this it's going to happen do not go into that city and if you're in it get Out of it and go to the mountains and I'll tell you this God's people that obeyed that and got out and went into the mountains lived through that time and Those who forgot about it or weren't listening or didn't pay attention to it and they stayed in the city.
Perished maybe they even stayed there thinking they're safe in that city behind those walls. But they didn't listen to the voice of God when he said leave the city don't stay in this city. So we should always obey the Word of God not our feelings not the thoughts and certainly not the strong arm of man.
Or a man's horses or man's high fences or Gates to save us. We need to rely on God's Word. He told them very clearly flee to the mountains those that did survive it. You can read Josephus. It's amazing.
It says a certain number of Jews, you know fled in the mountains and they were saved but the ones that stayed in the city They were annihilated. For these be the days of vengeance that all things which are written may be fulfilled now, isn't it hard to believe that that applies only to The battle that happened in 70 AD and yet the liberal theologians say all of this whole passage only relates to that.
They say none of this is prophetic now only in the sense that Jesus prophesied and in 40 years later All of this came to pass. None of it has any bearing on our future. I think they're wrong. Don't you?
Because How could verse 22 imply that all things were fulfilled in the year 70 AD? For these be the days of vengeance that all things which are written that means all the entire Old Testament prophecies May be fulfilled.
I don't think all the Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled in the year 70 AD. 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 now that is a reference to the Jews in the year 70 AD.
But we have to sense that it also has a far view into the future in the last days. There shall be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. This people was God's people by the way this people was the nation of Israel and There is a certain book that's been written.
It's not as popular now as it was but back in the 80s It was tremendously popular. It was called the the mid-trib theory and the book was called the pre-wrath rapture and The whole premise was that God never Places his wrath on his people therefore the church would be raptured in the middle of the seven-year period was the theory.
It was totally false. The whole book is It's false but We see right here an example where God's wrath can come on his own people. So that's nonsense to base the whole thesis on that it all the whole book falls when you see verse 23 and They shall fall by the edge of the sword and shall be led away Captive into all nations and we know that the Jewish people now to this very day are scattered into every nation of the world.
You'll find Jewish groups everywhere. What's so amazing about it is they will come together as a group within that nation and there'll be a little Jewish area and their Social life and and they they hold together and they've done so for 2 ,000 years.
The Bible says in the end times they're going to come back to Jerusalem, isn't that amazing? That they'll bring that God will bring them back to their land 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 now. That's where I was going to begin with verse 25, but I think that's enough for today's lesson. We'll start there next week brother Otis with verse 25 Begins to obviously have a far view.
When we get into verse 25 verse 24 They will be trodden down until the times the Gentiles be fulfilled. That's now we're in the times of the Gentiles right now and And The Jewish nation and the Jewish people will be trodden down until this era is over in this era will end with the second coming.
And then we'll go into the Millennial Kingdom and it will be a Jewish Predominantly a Jewish kingdom with Jesus Christ sitting on the throne of David. Hallelujah, that'll be amazing. So let's pray and we'll be dismissed father.
Thank you for Your word we thank you for the glimpse that you give us of the future. We know that it's just as sure as your prophecy was of the 70 AD occurrence. Which every jot and every tittle was fulfilled of that prophecy and we know that these prophecies are right in the midst of those prophecies.
Spoken by your son and they will be fulfilled. Exactly point by point in good time. So give us wisdom to know how we ought to live in these last days and to live for you and not to cave in to the Laodicean lukewarm spirit and even worse Lord keep us away from doctrinal heresies and Fleshly teachings that are around us all over and keep our children away from those and may we stand with you Until the end until we see you face to face and we ask it in Jesus name.
Amen.