WWUTT 2487 Jesus Tells of the Coming of the Son of Man (Luke 21:25-28)

WWUTT Podcast iconWWUTT Podcast

2 views

Reading Luke 21:25-28 where Jesus prophesies about the coming of the Son of Man surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem and of the temple, and what does this mean. Visit wwutt.com for all our videos!

0 comments

00:00
When Jesus talks about the destruction of the temple, he says, they will see the son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
00:10
Does that mean that Jesus has already returned? No, when we understand the text.
00:24
This is when we understand the text, a daily Bible study in the word of Christ, for he is before all things and in him, all things hold together.
00:33
Tell your friends about our ministry at www .wtt .com. Hey, once again, it's
00:38
Pastor Gabe. Thank you, Becky. In our study of the gospel of Luke, we are in chapter 21, still reading about what
00:46
Jesus tells the disciples about the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.
00:51
So let me come back to verse 25. We'll pick up where we left off yesterday. I'm reading 25 to 33.
00:58
Hear the word of the Lord. And there will be signs in sun, moon and stars and on the earth, distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
01:20
And then they will see the son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
01:26
Now, when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads because your redemption is drawing near.
01:35
And he told them a parable, look at the fig tree and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourself and know that the summer is already near.
01:46
So also when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
01:53
Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place.
01:59
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
02:06
Now, this is the section that really causes the most confusion when it comes to reading about the destruction of Jerusalem in the temple.
02:14
It's very clear up to this point that that's what Jesus has been talking about. He even says in verse 20, when you see
02:21
Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that it's desolation has come near. And that's exactly the question that the disciples have had for Jesus.
02:30
When will these things be? When will all of this take place? So he's only been talking about here, the destruction of Jerusalem in the temple.
02:39
This is not some event that happens far off into the future that this generation won't see because he goes on to say, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place.
02:52
But what about these comments about sun, moon and stars not giving their light, the powers in the heavens being shaken, the roaring of the sea and the waves.
03:02
This is looking like an earthly calamity is taking place. And so what else could this be?
03:08
But Jesus returning to bring judgment upon the earth. Well, to understand these words that Jesus uses, you have to understand the
03:18
Old Testament because these are all words that are used in the Old Testament for the day of the
03:23
Lord. And the day of the Lord is not always a global thing, though there will be a day when it will be.
03:33
But the day of the Lord is sometimes even a very specific judgment that comes upon a nation or people, just like we have in the major prophets concerning some of those nations like Babylon and Egypt that God judged.
03:47
And the same language is used there for the judgment that will come upon them.
03:52
So let's look at a few of these examples here. There will be signs in sun, moon and stars and on the earth, distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves.
04:05
Okay, that's verse 25. So just what we have there in Luke 21, 25, what do we make of these things that Jesus says the disciples will observe?
04:16
Now, signs in sun, moon and stars. Well, first of all, we see sun, moon and stars appear a lot in the
04:24
Old Testament. There's quite a few references where those three heavenly bodies are used oftentimes in the same verse.
04:31
In Psalm 148, we read starting in verse one, praise the Lord, praise the
04:36
Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights, praise him all his angels, praise him all his hosts, praise him sun, moon and stars, praise him all you shining stars, praise him you highest heavens and you waters above the heavens.
04:57
So sun, moon and stars are grouped in there with the angels and all his hosts.
05:04
And even when you get to verse four, it's still grouped with the highest heavens, which would be the place where the angels and the heavenly hosts dwell.
05:14
So there the sun, moon and stars are placed among those heavenly beings.
05:20
In Isaiah chapter 13, we have a prophecy concerning judgment that is going to come upon Babylon.
05:27
In verse six, it says, wail for the day of the Lord is near.
05:33
This is about a judgment coming on Babylon. And this is because Babylon came against Israel, though the
05:39
Lord had used Babylon as a tool in his hand to bring judgment upon Israel for they had rebelled against God and worship false gods.
05:49
Nonetheless, Babylon itself would fall for the sinful wicked thing that they had done against God's people.
05:56
He would bring judgment upon them. So this is that judgment, wail for the day of the
06:01
Lord is near as destruction from the almighty, it will come. Therefore all hands will be feeble and every human heart will melt.
06:11
They will be dismayed, pangs and agony will seize them. They will be in anguish like a woman in labor.
06:17
They will look aghast at one another. Their faces will be a flame. Behold, the day of the
06:23
Lord comes. Cruel with wrath and fierce anger to make the land a desolation and the land here in this case being
06:32
Babylon and to destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light.
06:42
The sun will be dark at its rising and the moon will not shed its light.
06:49
Verse 11, I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity.
06:55
I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.
07:02
I will make people more rare than fine gold and mankind than the gold of Ophir. Therefore I will make the heavens tremble and the earth will be shaken out of its place at the wrath of the
07:14
Lord of hosts in the day of his fierce anger. Now again, this is talking about judgment that is coming upon Babylon.
07:23
That's the context of Isaiah 13. But the judgment that will come upon a land such as this will feel to its people like the very earth itself is giving way.
07:34
I remember reading historical accounts of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.
07:41
This was the famous eruption that wiped out Pompeii and froze people kind of in time in that volcanic ash cloud that swept over the city.
07:51
You've probably seen the pictures of that. So it had also destroyed or at least affected
07:57
Herculaneum but most famously Pompeii. And when you read the accounts of this eruption, like people who were there, eyewitness accounts, which we even have historical record of, it was said from these people that they thought the world was coming to an end.
08:13
They thought the destruction of planet earth was happening right there above their heads with the eruption of this volcano, fire pouring out of this mountain, volcanic flow or a lava flow coming right down the mountain's edge.
08:29
You've got a cloud of ash overhead that is darkening the sun so that you can't even see it.
08:36
It's black as night in the middle of the day. And people were afraid everything's just coming to an end. The sun isn't even shining anymore.
08:43
So with a natural disaster such as this, it seemed to the local people like the end of the world.
08:50
And so it would be the case even when judgment comes upon Babylon. To that people, when judgment comes, it's gonna be as if the world is ending.
09:00
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.
09:08
This is also depicting how wisdom will be gone in those days. How will we know what is happening?
09:15
How will we know what to do from here? Everything that we had relied upon in order to make a life for ourselves, it's all gone.
09:25
Babylon is gone. The kings and the rulers are gone. Our entire system of government, gone. And so when all of that is displaced, it's just chaos.
09:35
What do we do now? And so to many nations, not even just to the Hebrews, but to many nations, the darkening of sun, moon and stars was likened to just an incredible national upheaval.
09:50
And with the destruction of Babylon, that would certainly be the case. Now, remember in the book of Revelation, one of the things that's called out when
09:59
God brings judgment upon all the nations is fallen, fallen is Babylon the great.
10:04
The people will cry out and wail because Babylon has been destroyed. That would be even metaphorical or it's symbolically
10:14
Babylon that falls so that the whole world weeps over the destruction of Babylon.
10:19
Why? Because Babylon was where they got everything. It's where our goods came from. It's where our livelihood came from.
10:26
And now Babylon is gone. And so to them, it's the end of the world, which it will be according to the book of Revelation.
10:34
But here is we're reading this in Luke 21. The reason why I point this out is because so many interpretations of this jump right to the end of the world.
10:44
But obviously Jesus is not talking about the end of the world. He has been talking about the judgment that comes upon Jerusalem.
10:50
But that judgment is gonna be so fierce when Rome brings its armies against Jerusalem and even destroys the temple, disassembling the temple, taking all the stones, throwing them off of the
11:03
Temple Mount, the very place where the Jews would go to worship
11:09
God. And now the place they believed God dwelled with them in the temple.
11:14
He didn't, but that's what they believed. Now our place of worship is gone. Now what?
11:20
It's gonna be to them like the end of the world. There will be signs in sun, moon and stars and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and of the waves.
11:33
Now this wasn't literally referring to the roaring of the sea and of the waves. Jerusalem was not right on the
11:41
Mediterranean Sea, but that's symbolic of chaos. The sea was a very chaotic place.
11:48
It was not a fun place to dwell. It took a special kind of madman in order to get on a ship and want to navigate the seas.
11:59
It was kind of like sailors were not necessarily perceived of as guys who had it all together.
12:05
They had to be crazy to live out on ships on the sea for a long period of time. Because once you're out there on the sea where you can't even see land anymore, it can be kind of maddening.
12:15
I've been in that position before. It's a little intimidating. It's scary. The ocean is a really, really big thing.
12:21
And so when you have the upheaval of the seas, the roaring of the sea and the waves, this is symbolic of chaos.
12:27
And so that would be what people would witness at the time that Rome comes against Jerusalem.
12:35
People fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
12:45
The people, pagan people, they perceived their governors and rulers as having
12:51
God -like authority. And so when those governors and rulers are not there anymore, who's helping us out?
12:59
Who's telling us what to do? It's as if the very powers of the heavens have been shaken.
13:06
Now it's not just Psalm 148, it's not just Isaiah 13, but there are other places where we see this as well.
13:12
Jesus talks about, or I'm sorry, the prophet Jeremiah talks about the coming of the new covenant.
13:18
It is Jesus. It's the son of God that has given these words to Jeremiah, but specifically
13:24
Jeremiah is what I meant. The coming of the new covenant. "'Behold, the days are coming,' declares the Lord, "'when
13:30
I will make a new covenant "'with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, "'not like the covenant that I made with their fathers "'on the day when
13:37
I took them by the hand "'to bring them out of the land of Egypt, "'my covenant that they broke, "'though
13:42
I was their husband,' declares the Lord. "'For this is the covenant that I will make "'with the house of Israel after those days,' "'declares the
13:50
Lord. "'I will put my law within them, "'and I will write it on their hearts, "'and
13:55
I will be their God, and they shall be my people. "'And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor "'and each his brother saying, no, the
14:04
Lord, "'for they shall all know me, "'from the least of them to the greatest,' "'declares the
14:09
Lord, for I will forgive their iniquity "'and I will remember their sin no more.'"
14:16
We read in the book of Hebrews, that's about the church. All of us now who are in Christ Jesus are in that new covenant.
14:27
And get what said next in verse 35. "'Thus says the Lord who gives the sun for light by day "'and the fixed order of the moon and the stars "'for light by night, who stirs up the sea "'so that its waves roar, the
14:44
Lord of hosts is his name. "'If this fixed order departs from before me,' "'declares the
14:51
Lord, then shall the offspring of Israel "'cease from being a nation before me forever.
14:59
"'Thus says the Lord, if the heavens above can be measured "'and the foundations of the earth below can be explored, "'then
15:06
I will cast off the offspring of Israel "'for all that they have done, declares the
15:12
Lord.'" So again, the coming of the gospel in the new covenant with the arrival of Jesus Christ and his death and his resurrection from the dead.
15:22
It is all who believe in him who have eternal life and this fixed order that God has established will not pass away.
15:33
Here's another one from Ezekiel 32. Now this one is talking about, now this is the one that I had alluded to yesterday.
15:40
This is about the judgment that comes upon Egypt. In Isaiah 19, it says, "'An oracle concerning Egypt, behold, "'the
15:48
Lord is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt "'and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence "'and the heart of the
15:56
Egyptians will melt within them.'" And then we also have this in Ezekiel 32.
16:02
"'I will drench the land even to the mountains "'with your flowing blood and the ravines will be full of you.'"
16:08
This is about the judgment coming upon Egypt. "'When I blot you out, I will cover the heavens "'and make their stars dark.
16:16
"'I will cover the sun with a cloud "'and the moon shall not give its light. "'All the bright lights of heaven will
16:23
I make dark over you "'and put darkness on your land.'" And again, this is metaphorical and it's a picture of judgment.
16:31
This was the judgment that God was bringing upon Pharaoh in Egypt because of their rebellion against God and against the people of God.
16:41
Of course, you know this reference from Joel 2 because it's repeated in the book of Acts. "'The earthquakes before them, the heavens tremble, "'the sun and the moon are darkened "'and the stars withdraw their shining.
16:53
"'The Lord utters his voice before his army "'for his camp is exceedingly great. "'He who executes his word is powerful "'for the day of the
17:02
Lord is great and very awesome. "'Who can endure it?''
17:09
So here you have pictures of sun, moon, and stars equated with the day of the
17:14
Lord and judgment that comes upon a rebellious people. So when we read of that here in Luke 21, again, the reason why
17:22
I point this out is so you would see this does not have to mean the end of the world as in a global judgment.
17:31
Though it can be a picture of the judgment that God would eventually bring upon the world.
17:37
But this specifically, the context here in Luke 21 is concerning the destruction of Jerusalem by the
17:44
Roman armies, the Gentiles, as Jesus has called them, when they bring their forces against Jerusalem and against the temple.
17:53
Verse 27, "'And then they will see the Son of Man "'coming in a cloud with power and great glory.'"
18:01
Now, what could this mean? If we're talking about the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, then this can't be the second coming of Christ.
18:10
He's not visibly coming in the clouds for everybody to see. So what could this be referring to?
18:16
Well, this is Jesus showing that he is the fulfillment of what is said in Daniel 7 about him.
18:22
So Daniel 7, verse 13, "'I saw in the night visions "'and behold, with the clouds of heaven, "'there came one like a son of man, "'and he came to the ancient of days "'and was presented before him.
18:34
"'And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, "'and all people's nations and languages should serve him.
18:42
"'His dominion is an everlasting dominion, "'which shall not pass away, "'and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.'"
18:50
So after the Jewish religion comes to an end, which is essentially what happens with the destruction of the temple, to whom do people turn?
19:01
They turn to Jesus Christ. The Jewish religion is over. Everything that Jesus had prophesied comes true.
19:09
They see even more clearly that he is indeed the son of man that was prophesied by Daniel, to whom is given a kingdom that will not pass away, and that kingdom is spreading throughout the world through the sharing of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
19:23
So after the destruction of the temple, they will see the son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
19:32
Now, verse 28, "'When these things begin to take place, "'straighten up and raise your heads, "'because your redemption is drawing near, "'receiving that kingdom, "'coming into that place that has been promised to you "'who have followed
19:47
Christ and believed his gospel.'" Now, skipping ahead, we'll get to this more tomorrow, but verse 29, "'He told them a parable, "'Look at the fig tree and all the trees.
19:57
"'As soon as they come out in leaf, "'you see for yourselves and know "'that the summer is already near.
20:04
"'So also when you see these things taking place, "'you know that the kingdom of God is near.'"
20:11
So you're gonna see the destruction of the temple. You're going to see Jerusalem be invaded by Gentiles, and the place of the temple trampled underfoot by the
20:24
Gentiles. You're gonna be thinking, well, now what? Why didn't our
20:29
Messiah take the throne like we thought? Why is he not restoring the temple and the worship of God in the temple for the whole world?
20:39
Well, Jesus says to them, the kingdom of God is near. This is not the end of the world.
20:44
This is the beginning of something new. Remember what Jesus said to the
20:51
Pharisees and therefore also to the disciples in Luke 17 .21, that the kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed,
21:01
Luke 17 .20. So you're going to observe the destruction of Jerusalem in the temple, but the coming of the kingdom of God will not be observed, nor will they say, look, here it is, or therefore behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.
21:18
With all those who come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, another citizen is added to the kingdom of God, and it continues to grow and grow.
21:28
And through this kingdom, people will see the son of man with power and great glory.
21:35
So when these things begin to take place, do not be discouraged. Straighten up and raise your heads because your redemption is drawing near.
21:45
There's what Jesus is talking about concerning these things that will happen that the disciples have asked about, that Jesus prophesies concerning the destruction of Jerusalem in the temple.
21:57
Now, again, are these types and shadows of things that will come later on, on a much grander scale?
22:04
Certainly, there will come a day when we will literally see Jesus returning with power and great glory.
22:12
The whole world will see him. Even the dead will know because the dead in Christ will rise first.
22:18
And then those who are left will be caught up together with the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the
22:23
Lord as we read briefly from 1 Thessalonians 4 yesterday. We'll come back to this lesson again tomorrow and finish up Luke 21.
22:33
Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we're thankful for what we have read and these words that Jesus has given to his disciples and therefore to us, that we would look forward to the day of Christ's return.
22:45
And we know that he reigns and has been fulfilling even to this day, the things that we are reading about here in this particular section.
22:54
The kingdom of God is growing through the sharing of the gospel. So may we be bold to share the gospel of Jesus Christ that others may turn from their sin to Jesus and another citizen of the kingdom comes in.
23:07
Until that day when Christ returns and his kingdom is consummated and we are with him forever in glory, where all the things that we go through in life right now will be no more.
23:19
No more sickness, no more dying, no more sin. We will be with God forever in his perfect glorious kingdom.
23:29
Come quickly, Lord Jesus. In his name we pray, amen. Pastor Gabe keeps a regular blog, sharing personal thoughts, alerting readers to false teachers and offering commentary on the church and social issues.
23:42
You can find a link to the blog through our website, wwwtt .com. Thank you for listening and join us again tomorrow as we continue our study in God's word when we understand the text.