Mastodawn

Is the end near? 🌍❓ No dates, no doom—just Jesus' rock-solid hope in Luke 21! Pastor Justin unpacks why wars & chaos are just "birth pains," persecution is prime-time witnessing, and believers will LEAP for joy when Christ returns. Straighten up—redemption's coming! 🙌

Watch now: https://zurl.co/roL1z

#EndTimes #Luke21 #JesusIsComing #BibleHope #ChristianSermon #LCMS #MaranaChurch #MaranaAZ #SecondComing #FaithOverFear

Intentional Faith Nov 2

When the End Meets the Beginning

Thru the Bible in a Year

Scripture Reading: Luke 21–22

There is a striking transition between these two chapters of Luke’s Gospel. One closes the curtain on Jesus’ public ministry; the other opens the final act of His earthly life. Luke 21 gives us a panoramic view of the future—what Jesus calls “the days to come.” Luke 22 brings us into the intimacy of His last evening with His disciples, where eternity and history meet in the breaking of bread and the pouring out of His life. Together, they remind us that faith is not just about knowing the future—it’s about trusting the One who holds it.

When Jesus Spoke of the End

Luke 21 begins quietly, almost tenderly. Jesus notices a widow giving two small coins at the Temple—a gift so small in the eyes of men, yet priceless in the eyes of God. Her devotion becomes a backdrop for what follows: the end of an age and the dawn of the Kingdom.

The disciples, impressed by the grandeur of the Temple, ask Jesus about its future. His answer must have startled them. He speaks of destruction, deception, wars, and persecution. The Temple—the very heart of their faith—would fall. The world they knew would be shaken. But before He tells them about His return, Jesus offers a word of caution: “Watch out that you are not deceived.” (Luke 21:8).

The Lord’s first concern was not the timeline but the truth. He knew how easily fear can twist faith, how quickly people follow false hope when the world trembles. He warned of deceivers, calamities, and betrayals—not to frighten us, but to fortify us. In every age, believers must hold fast to the Word of God as their compass through uncertainty.

Jesus then described the unfolding of history in layers—the rise of persecution, the fall of Jerusalem, the turmoil of nations, and the cosmic signs that would herald His coming. Every generation has seen glimpses of these things, yet none have exhausted their meaning. Like the leafing of a fig tree, each sign whispers that redemption is near.

Luke records Jesus saying, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.” (Luke 21:33). That promise steadies us. The same voice that spoke creation into being speaks security into our souls. When nations rage and foundations shake, His Word stands unshaken.

The End-Time Caution

Twice in this chapter, Jesus ends with the same exhortation: “Be always on the watch, and pray.” (Luke 21:36). The beginning and end of His teaching are framed by the same command—watchfulness. Spiritual alertness is the mark of a true disciple.

The chaos of the end times—wars, disasters, persecution—is not meant to drive us to panic but to prayer. Jesus knew that a fearful heart grows weary, but a watchful heart grows wise. We cannot control the storms of the world, but we can choose to stay awake to His presence in the midst of them.

Faithful living, even in the face of uncertainty, is itself an act of hope. The believer’s endurance becomes a quiet testimony that the King is coming, that righteousness will prevail, and that love will not fail.

When Jesus Faced the Cross

If Luke 21 looked forward to the end of the world, Luke 22 looked forward to the end of sin. The same Jesus who spoke of judgment now kneels to serve, bless, and prepare His disciples for His departure.

The chapter begins with betrayal. Judas, driven by greed and hardened by deceit, agrees to hand Jesus over to the religious leaders. The shadow of the cross lengthens as Passover draws near. But even in the gathering darkness, light breaks through in the upper room.

There, Jesus shares the Passover meal with His disciples—one final meal before His suffering. He predicts His betrayal and Peter’s denial, yet He also gives a new commandment through a familiar ritual. Taking bread and wine, He redefines them forever: “This is My body given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” (Luke 22:19).

What was once a commemoration of deliverance from Egypt becomes a prophecy of deliverance from sin. The Lamb of God is about to shed His blood—not on the doorposts of homes, but on the beams of a cross.

Yet even here, amid the most sacred of moments, the disciples argue about who among them is greatest. Their pride shows how easily human hearts wander, even in holy places. Still, Jesus responds not with anger but with teaching: “The greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.” (Luke 22:26). His kingdom does not advance by pride, but by humility.

The Garden of Agony

From the upper room, Jesus leads them to the Mount of Olives, to a place called Gethsemane. There, under the weight of sorrow, He prays, “Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” (Luke 22:42).

It is here that the cost of redemption becomes visible. The agony of the cross begins in the garden, where obedience wrestles with anguish. The disciples, unable to stay awake, fall asleep in apathy. But Jesus prays through His pain, and heaven answers—not by removing the cup, but by strengthening Him to drink it.

Moments later, Judas arrives with soldiers. The kiss of betrayal meets the face of mercy. Peter strikes in anger, cutting off an ear; Jesus heals it in compassion. His arresters come with swords, but He surrenders with love. Every action of Jesus reveals His nature: steadfast, merciful, obedient.

The Trials Before the Dawn

The night that follows is filled with humiliation and injustice. Peter, terrified, denies even knowing Him. In the courtyard, when their eyes meet, Peter breaks down in tears. Jesus, meanwhile, endures the mockery of men who claim authority over Him. They question His identity, not realizing that the One standing before them is their Creator.

The religious court deliberates, distorts, and condemns. Their conclusion—“He must be guilty”—is the height of blindness. Yet even as they mock Him, He remains silent, fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy of the Suffering Servant: “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7).

What human hands meant for evil, God was using for salvation.

Reflection: Living Between Two Ends

Luke 21–22 captures two “ends”: the end of Jesus’ ministry and the end of the age. Both teach us how to live now—in faith, humility, and readiness.

The widow’s two mites remind us that the smallest acts of devotion matter. The warnings of Christ remind us that faith must stay watchful. The breaking of bread reminds us that His sacrifice is the heart of our hope.

Every day brings us one step closer to His return. Until that day, may we live as people of the cross—obedient, prayerful, and awake.

A Blessing for the Faithful Reader

May the Lord bless you as you continue this journey Thru the Bible in a Year.
May His Spirit give you discernment to recognize truth, courage to endure trials, and love that overcomes fear.
Thank you for walking daily in His Word. Remember—every chapter you read, every verse you meditate on, is shaping eternity in your heart. God’s Word will not return void.

Read More:
For further study, visit “The Enduring Words of Jesus: Hope in Luke 21–22” at Bible.org .

FEEL FREE TO COMMENT SHARE SUBSCRIBE

#crucifixionPreparation #endTimes #faithAndEndurance #Gethsemane #JesusFinalTeachings #LastSupper #Luke21 #Luke22 #ThruTheBibleInAYear

Belgian Ecclesia Brussel - Leuven Jan 7, 2019

Sign of the Times and the Last Days #2 Wars, natural disasters, famine and false Messiahs

The first thing to understand about the Last Days is that Jesus Christ will return to Earth to establish his Father’s Kingdom. The Bible says so quite plainly.

“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)

“The Last Days” is the term used to describe the period of time immediately before the actual re-appearance of Jesus. This is why the subject is of such great interest to Christians today.

The “Signs of the Times” are those events, which suggest to us that the return of Christ is imminent. This is a great source of encouragement for Christians and a warning sign to those who have not committed themselves to Christ that their window of opportunity is closing.

The Signs of the Times are detailed particularly in Matthew chapter 24 and the parallel account in Luke. Jesus is talking to his disciples about the destruction of the Temple and they asked him when this would happen. Jesus replied:

“Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?” (Luke 21:7).

Jesus then proceeded to list a series of signs.

Before we look at the signs, it is necessary to understand that in prophecy, there are often minor as well as major fulfilments. The minor fulfilment, which normally happens soon after the prophecy is given, provides proof that the greater fulfilment will also come to pass. So we need to consider what the minor and major fulfilments are. But first, let’s detail what the signs are, as listed in Luke 21.

False Christs (Verse 8)

Wars and Revolutions (Verse 9 & 10)

Earthquakes (Verse 11)

Famines (Verse 11)

Plagues or Pestilences (Verse 11)

Fearful Events (Verse 11)

Signs from heaven (Verse 11)

Persecution of Believers by Authorities(Verse 12)

Betrayal of Believers by those close to them (Verse 16)

Believers hated because of Christ (Verse 17)

Jerusalem surrounded (Verse 20)

Jews will fall by the sword, be taken prisoner and be dispersed (Verse 24)

Jerusalem trampled by the Gentiles (non-Jews) until the end of the Gentile times (Verse 24)

Signs in the sun, moon and stars (Verse 25)

Nations will be in anguish and perplexity (Verse 25)

Men will faint from terror (Verse 26)

In verse 27, is describes the return of Jesus. Then in verse 29, Jesus tells the parable of the fig tree, saying that when the leaves come out summer is near. For reference, we will call that sign 17.

The minor fulfilment of Christ’s words concerned the destruction of Jerusalem in ‘AD 70’ by the Roman army. This followed a rebellion by the Jews, which is mentioned in our second sign. The relevance of the signs we have numbered 11, 12, and 13 is immediately obvious, but it also introduces something called the Gentile times, which we need to deal with.

The seventeenth sign, as we have numbered it, is the parable of the fig tree. This tree is a symbol of Israel and appeared on many coins etc. Therefore the renewal of the fig tree symbolises the renewal of Israel. This happened in 1948, when the Jews returned to the land to establish an independent state.
The Times of the Gentiles were ended when Jerusalem ceased to be trampled by non-Jews. This happened in the “Six Day” War of 1967, when Israel expelled Jordan and gained total control of the city.

These two events that have taken place in direct fulfilment of Bible prophecy, strongly suggest that we re in the Last Days, but what about the other signs?

It is worth noting that critics of Bible prophecy often argue that these “signs” have always happened; for instance, there have always been wars, there have always been famine, earthquakes, plagues etc. This is true, But Jesus himself says in verse 32

“I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.”

So the major fulfilment will occur when ALL these events happen within a certain timescale. The most likely timescale is 40 years, which is the Bible “definition” of a generation. So when all these things have come to pass, there is a definite time-limit. If, for instance the last sign to be fulfilled was the re-capture of Jerusalem from Gentile hands in 1967, then the latest time Jesus could return in order to fulfil prophecy would be 2007.
This also highlights the problem or trying to guess too accurately the return of Jesus. He himself said that he return will not come with “careful observation” but rather it will come suddenly and unexpectedly as a “thief in the night”.
Lastly, Jesus stated that no-one knew when he would return. Jesus did not know himself. Only God knows.
Again, the minor fulfilment gives us encouragement, because Jesus said the words in approximately CE 33 and the destruction of Jerusalem took place in CE 70, just within the 40 year “limit”.

David Koresh in a 1987 mug shotJim or James Warren Jones, American religious cult leader at an anti-eviction protest in front of the International Hotel in 1977

There have been numerous False Messiahs over the centuries. One very recent and prominent one was David Koresh, leader of the Branch Davidian sect who perished in the flames of the Waco siege in Texas, USA, 1993. It seems important to false messiahs that they die, rather than admit the failure of their prophecies. They also prefer to take as many as possible of their followers with them. In March 1997 in San Diego, 39 Heaven’s Gate followers [ led by Marshall Applewhite (1931–1997) and Bonnie Nettles (1927–1985)] poison themselves believing UFO would pick them up. In October 1994 in Switzerland, 48 Solar Temple members found burned in chalets. In November 1978 in Guyana, 914 drink cyanide, led by the Rev. Jim Jones.

We don’t need to think hard about the issue of wars. In the last 50 years, there has been the Korean Wars (1950–1953; 1974-1976; 2010-2013 ), the Falklands War (1982), the Vietnam war (1954–75) and the Gulf War (1990-1991), Second Persian Gulf War or Iraq War (2003–11), Afghanistan War (2001–2014) to name but a very few.

Damaged buildings in Port-au-Prince – 2010 Haiti earthquake

The study of earthquakes is an interesting one. Obviously, communications are much better than they were 500 years ago and the world is more densely populated, so we hear a lot more about earthquakes than we used to. However, if we just look at the last 30 years, in 1970, there were 4,139 recorded earthquakes, in 1980 there were 7,348 earthquakes, an increase of 77% on ten years before. In 1990 there were 16,612 recorded earthquakes, an increase of 126% over the 1980 figure. In 2000, there were 22,256, an increase of 34% over the 1990 figure. So obviously, something is going on!

Famine in Yemen could become one of worst in living memory, UN says

Again, there have always been famines. The Bible speaks of them often. But they were always either preceded or followed by prosperous years and in this way, the people could put by a little grain each good year to help them through the bad years. The Genesis story of Joseph and the seven fat and seven thin cows bears this out.

The difference now however is that countries are not recovering. Climate changes and Man’s inhumanity to Man are causing countries such as Ethiopia and Sudan to be permanently short of food, despite all the best efforts of the Western Aid agencies.

There have always been plagues and pestilences, but once more, we see a “cluster” of AIDS, BSE, CJD, Foot and Mouth and ME all been prominent in the last few years.

Signs in the heavens, or in the Sun, Moon and Stars can be taken two ways. The first way is the literal way and there have been numerous astronomical “signs” in recent years, such as comets, meteorites etc. The other possible meaning is the symbolic one, where the “heavens” (often translated the “high places”) represent government and the Sun Moon and Stars represent rulers. Taking this route, there are many situations that could have this prophecy applied to them.

We then have three prophecies concerning the persecution of Christ’s followers, namely Christians. This is one prophecy where the past really does seem to have more examples than the present, although persecution does exist, for instance in China and Islamic nations. Perhaps this is one prophecy where we will see greater fulfilment in the near future.

The persecution of the Jews has been a common pastime in western Europe for over 1,000 years. They were persecuted in England in the Middle Ages and In 1858 Lionel de Rothschild became the first Jewish MP who was permitted to take his seat without taking the oath that involved the words “by the true faith of a Christian” and in 1890 the last of the government posts became open to members of the Jewish faith. Russian pogroms, particularly between 1903 and 1906 saw many Jews killed. And of course, we can never forget the 6 million Jews killed in the Second World War.

We hope it is clear that these prophecies apply to the times we are living in now. This means that the return of Christ is imminent. As Jesus says in Luke 21:27

“At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

And again,

“36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

Preceding

God’s Self-Revelation

The Greatness of the eternal God

The New Testament and Judgement

To be prepared for the Day of Judgment

Living as a believer in Christ

A participation in the body of Christ