Luke 21:20

The Bible says in Luke 21:20-28, “And when you shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 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. 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. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”

In Luke chapter 21 Jesus told the disciples that the temple would be destroyed. The disciples wanted to know when this would happen, and they began to think that Jesus was talking about the end times. This started a conversation in which Jesus spoke about the current age, and He gave some of the major characteristics of the current age. We must not confuse the characteristics of the current age with signs of the coming of the next age. In Luke 21:20 Jesus warned the inhabitants of Jerusalem about a future time when the city would be destroyed. It appears that the events that Jesus was speaking about actually had a two-fold application. What Jesus said was fulfilled the first time in 70 AD when the Roman legions destroyed the city of Jerusalem.

This situation of an invading army attacking Jerusalem to the peril of all of its inhabitants is also one of the major events that will take place just before the return of Christ. One of the reasons that Jesus will return is to save Israel from its impending doom. Jesus was not the first to speak about this great prophetic event. Daniel spoke of a political leader who will defile the altar in Jerusalem in an event called the abomination of desolation. This individual is the antichrist, who will undoubtedly also be at the head of the army about which Jesus was speaking here in Luke chapter 21. Speaking of the antichrist, the Bible says in Daniel 11:36, “And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.”

In Luke chapter 21 Jesus talked about armies surrounding and invading Jerusalem. There are two important things to say about this situation concerning armies that surround and invade Jerusalem. The first is the fact that this circumstance is one of the general characteristics of the age in which we live. Jesus called this age in Luke 21:24 “the times of the Gentiles.” It is called the times of the Gentiles because the Gentiles, compared to the Jews, have greater power and authority and control over Jerusalem and what ultimately happens to Jerusalem. The Gentiles in the age in which we live have the power to time and again invade and destroy Jerusalem. History bears this out. Since the time of Christ, the city of Jerusalem has seen more war and bloodshed than any other city on earth. The Jews will not be safe in Jerusalem until Christ returns because this is the time of the Gentiles. That's why Jesus told the inhabitants of Jerusalem that if they see an army compassing about the city of Jerusalem they had better flee from it. Because it is now the time of the Gentiles, armies have the power to attack and to conquer.

Eventually the final conquest of Jerusalem will be made by the antichrist. One of the mistakes that some teachers on Bible prophesy make in regards to current events and the end-times is to see a war-like situation in Jerusalem and then assume that this particular situation will be the final battle that is being set up before the return of Christ. The problem is that up to this point there is not enough information to know if the current problems in Jerusalem are the precursor to the return of Christ, or if the problems are simply more of the ongoing circumstance that are a part of the times of the Gentiles. Remember that Jesus said 2,000 years ago that “Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”

In Luke 21:25-28 Jesus had more to say about the signs that will take place closer to His return. Jesus said, “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”

We are not exactly certain what specifically will be the signs that are in the sun, and the moon, and the stars that Jesus spoke about: only that there will be signs. Part of it has to do with the fact that there will be so many disasters on the earth during the Great Tribulation that the smoke and ash and dust shall fill the atmosphere, and the sun and the moon shall be darkened. Nor do we know exactly how long after the signs take place that Christ will return, whether it will be a matter of days or months. Perhaps the signs will have to do with certain spectacular events regarding comets or meteorites. God is probably going to use these kinds of signs because they will be observable from the entire earth, and of course God wants to give everyone on the earth a chance to be saved and a chance to be ready for the Second Coming of Christ. We have not yet seen these signs yet because Jesus said in Luke 21:26, “For the powers of heaven shall be shaken.” This seems to indicate some event that has never before been witnessed or even conceived of by man. Perhaps it will be something like one of the planets in our solar system exploding and sending great chunks of matter crashing into other planets. I do not know, but I do know that it will be something fantastic and awesome, and the result will be that the people of the earth will be frightened out of their wits. Look at the publicity that has been received in recent years because scientists are beginning to talk about the possibility of a large meteorite some day heading for the direction of the earth.

One of the signs of the return of Christ is that people will be frightened as they have never been frightened before. Jesus said, “Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth.” This sign has evidently not yet come to pass because even though there is a lot of fear in the world, there is not this much fear. You can still turn on the evening news and hear proud and vain people telling you that they have got all the answers to the problems of the world. According to Jesus, the day will come when their hearts will fail them for fear of the things that are coming on the earth. It is much better to trust in God while you have a chance. No matter how smart you are there is always something that will come along that you cannot handle. Eventually a series of terrible events will come on the earth that no one can handle. Elsewhere in the Bible the short period of time in which these terrible events take place leading up to the return of Christ is called “the Great Tribulation.” Speaking on the same subject in Matthew 24:21 Jesus said, “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”

Something is going to happen that is going to shake up the world. Two thousand years ago Jesus could see that event hurdling towards the earth whatever it is. Perhaps it’s a giant asteroid, as yet unknown to the scientists, but on a course with destiny to be used by God, as all things are, for His purposes. Whatever it is, from an earthly standpoint the power of the heavens shall be shaken. Notice that the word “power” is used in Luke 21:26 and then used again in Luke 21:27. In verse 26 it is speaking of the physical power of the universe that is inherently unstable and temporary. In contrast to that in verse 27 the Bible is speaking of the almighty power of the Son of God. Whoever places their hope in the physical powers around them will find that such powers have their limitations will be eventually undone. The power of God will one day be manifest as never before. When will this happen?

In Luke 21:29-33 the Bible says, “And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, you see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise you, when you see these things come to pass, know you that the kingdom of God is near at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.” Everything that exists was created by God. The spiritual came first. That which is physical followed after that which is spiritual. That which is physical is based upon that which is spiritual. You do not truly understand that which is physical unless you understand the spiritual reality that it symbolizes. When Jesus looked at something that was material, He understood its spiritual significance. There is a spiritual lesson that can be learned from every physical thing. God created the trees and the seasons that govern the growing of leaves on the trees. Everyone understands that when the leaves begin to appear on deciduous trees that the long winter is over and summer is very near.

The Lord Jesus Christ will return to the earth one day, and He said that there will be certain signs to let us know that His return is not far off. In looking at the previous verses in this passage of Luke chapter 21 there are four major signs: four things that are going to happen in an astounding way that has never been seen before. They are:

1. Luke 21:20. Jerusalem compassed about with armies.

2. Luke 21:25. Signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars.

3. Luke 21:25. The sea and the waves roaring, probably because of climatic changes and the great cataclysmic events that will take place.

4. Luke 21:26. Men’s hearts failing them for fear.

Jesus said, “When you see these things come to pass, know you that the kingdom of God is near at hand.” In the age in which we live the kingdom of God is revealed in the hearts of men and women when we come to know Christ as our Saviour for the forgiveness of sins by the grace and mercy of God towards us. If you are not a member of God’s kingdom, you can become one by repenting of your sins and praying to Jesus for mercy. Once you experience this and become born again through faith in Christ, you are made a part of the spiritual kingdom of God. That’s just the beginning. The day is coming when the kingdom of God will be manifested as never before. Jesus will return to the earth and establish this kingdom with Jerusalem as its center. Jesus Christ will sit upon the throne of David in the city of Jerusalem. The promise that was pronounced at His birth in Bethlehem will be finally fulfilled. He will bring “peace on earth.” He will transform the earth. The child shall play on the serpent’s den. The lion shall lie down with the lamb. The knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. What a wonderful day that will be! All of the events of human history are heading towards that day.

The signs that Jesus said will appear will appear. Once the signs are manifested, we will know that the manifestation of the kingdom of God is not far away. How much time will pass from the appearing of the signs to the appearing of the Christ? Jesus answered that question in Luke 21:32 when He said, “This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.” In other words the people who see the signs will still be alive when Christ returns. It will happen in their lifetime. Once the signs appear, then it will only be a matter of a few months or a few years before Christ Himself shall appear. For the last generation of people on the earth He will give one last warning and one last chance to repent before it’s too late. The King is coming. The Judge is coming. Here comes the Judge. Are you ready?

The current age in which we live is unstable and temporary by its very nature and is passing away before our eyes. How unfortunate is the destiny that awaits those who place their hope in what this world has to offer. Terrible calamities will happen to the earth one day and maybe very soon. Some of these calamities will be signs that the return of Christ is imminent. If you have not yet done so, make sure that you turn to Jesus for the forgiveness of sins while you still have time.

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