JESUS THE PROPHET

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LUKE 21
Lesson #55
JESUS THE PROPHET

• Memory verse: Luk 21:33
• In this chapter we find Jesus still answering questions in the temple during the last week before the crucifixion.
  • Remember that the Passover lamb was still tied to the altar so the priests could examine it for any imperfections before the beginning of the Passover celebration that coincided with the crucifixion.
  • Jesus Christ, as the Lamb of God, is being examined by the religious leaders as to the truth of God’s perspective.
• Read Luk 21:1-4 The widow and the religious Jew
  • Jesus observes a religious Jew and a widow that come into the temple. He uses His observations to contrast the actions of these two people.
  • The wealthy religious Jew
    • The normal person would be impressed that this man put a large amount of money in the temple treasury.
    • Jesus is not a “normal” person. As the Son of God, He has supernatural insight.
      • He would be able to know the heart of the person and his motives.
      • Supernaturally He would know the percentage that the man gave.
  • The poor widow
    • Compared to the wealth of the temple, this woman’s offering would never be missed if she chose not to give it.
    • As Jesus knew the heart of the wealthy Jew, He also knew the heart of the poor widow.
    • The percentage that she gave was 100%. In other words, how much did she keep for herself? 0%.
  • God’s perspective on giving: (Luk 6:38 Lesson #18)
    • Earlier in our study of Luke, he gave us the New Testament model for giving offerings to God.
      • Man decides the level of God’s blessings that he wants to receive by the amount that he gives to God.
      • God returns an overly abundant blessing based on what man gave.
    • Therefore, it is not important the actual amount that you give, but the heart’s attitude and motive in conjunction with one’s potential to give.
    • The important concept is the percentage that the believer gives based on his potential to give, and the reason he gives it.
• Prophetic Signs and Times:
  • We don’t often think about Jesus as a prophet because He did so many other things as well. However, He fulfills an important prophecy from the book of Deuteronomy.
    • Read Deu 18:15
    • Who is the Prophet more important than Moses that would come?
    • That Prophet is Jesus Christ.
  • Our study in the book of Luke comes to the place where Jesus discussed future prophecy. Details of his answers are found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
  • Read Mat 24:3 Jesus’ answers to three questions:
    • =1= When shall these things be?
    • =2= What shall be the sign of thy coming?
    • =3= (What shall be the sign) of the end of the world?
• Read Luk 21:5-7, 20-24) Prophetic details fulfilled and not fulfilled in question #1:
  • The answer to the first question:
  • When shall these things be? (5-7, 20-24) (Mat 24:15-28)
    • The first question refers to the future judgment on the religious leadership, on the Jewish priesthood, on the Jewish temple, and on Jerusalem. (Mat 23:1-38)
    • Judgment to come on the religious leadership, the priesthood, and the temple:
      • The parts of Jesus’ prophecy that was fulfilled in 70 AD:
        • One stone will not be left sitting on another stone: (5-6)

Tired of Jewish uprisings, the Romans burned the temple and destroyed the city of Jerusalem.

They did not leave one stone upon another. The fire was so hot it melted the gold that decorated the temple. The soldiers wanted the gold flakes in the mortar of the temple building and dismantled every stone.

• • • • • The Jewish people fled from the Romans in 70 AD. (20-24)

The Romans destroyed Jerusalem.

The Romans killed between 600,000 and 1,250,000 Jews. The siege on Jerusalem was so horrendous that mothers ate their own children so as not to starve. (Josephus account.)

A small group fled to Masada and held out against the Roman army for 3 years before committing suicide.

• • • • The parts of Jesus’ prophecy that was not fulfilled in 70 AD: (21-24)
        • The deception of the Jewish people in the tribulation period:

At the beginning of the tribulation period of seven years, the Jews will be deceived, believe, and accept the Antichrist as their Messiah.

In the middle of the tribulation period, the Antichrist will turn against the Jews and persecute them.

• • • • • The flight of the Jewish people in the tribulation period:

When they realize the deception, they will flee the Antichrist.

The Antichrist will kill many Jews and imprison many in a penal colony in Egypt.

• • • • • “Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles…until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” (24)

This is a prophetic phrase that refers to the possession of all or parts of Israel by Gentile world powers.

Today Israel is an independent nation, but Arabs still control the Temple mount, and have claimed Gaza and the West Bank.

This period called the times of the Gentiles began with the Babylonian captivity and will end at the event of the second coming of Christ.

• Read Luk 21:25-28 Prophetic details not fulfilled in question #2.
  • The answer to the second question:
  • What shall be the sign of thy coming? (25-28) (Mat 24:29-31)
    • The second coming of Jesus Christ comes immediately at the end of the seven year tribulation period.
    • What are the signs Jesus mentioned?
      • Sun darkened, moon dark, stars fall, powers of heaven shaken.
        • These signs were prophesied in the Old Testament. (Isa 13:10 Joe 2:31 Amo 5:18 Zep 1:15)

There are several possibilities as to how the sun and moon could become dark:

A cloud from a nuclear blast could blot out the sun and moon.

The sun could darken because of a super nova where it actually burns out. The sun is actually shrinking ½ inch an hour.

These events could occur if an asteroid hits the earth.

A supernatural unexplainable phenomenon.

The stars falling could result from a large asteroid hitting the earth.

A gigantic asteroid (6 miles in diameter) hit the earth thousands of years ago during the time of the dinosaurs. It hit on the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico. The impact affected 75% of the earth’s surface, blotting out the sun and moon and causing meteor showers. (a force of 5 billion Hiroshima size atomic bombs). Perhaps it caused the disappearance of the dinosaurs.

This event could be predicting another great collision of an asteroid with the earth.

• • • • • All believers who are currently in heaven at the time of the event of the second coming of Christ are gathered together to come with Christ to earth.
      • Distress of nations because of war and natural disasters.
        • Jesus Christ will come in the middle of the Battle of Armageddon to save the Jews from total destruction and to prevent man from totally destroying himself.
        • When all nations are gathered around Jerusalem to destroy it, Christ will come in the clouds.

He will come in the same way He left this earth when He ascended to heaven in the book of Acts. (Act 1:9-12)

He will return to the exact same place where he left, the Mount of Olives.

• Read Luk 21:8-19,24 The prophetic details of question #3:
  • The answer to question #3:
  • (What shall be the sign) of the end of the world? (8-19, 24) (Mat 24:4-14)
  • The phrase, “end of the world” means = end of the age in which we now live.
    • Spiritual deception:
      • There have been many false Mesiahs and false prophets down through history since the crucifixion.
        • Simon Bar Kochba 132 AD
        • Shabbetai Zvi 1666 AD
        • Jacob Frank 18^th century
      • For Christian churches, there will be a great apostasy in the last days. We can already see this apostasy today for 1 in 3 Americans are involved in some kind of spiritual deception.
        • Read 1Tim 4:1-6 and 2Tim 3:1-17
        • Scoffers will increase (2Pet 3:1-4)
    • Wars and rumors of wars (Mat 24:6)
      • In recorded history, for every year of peace there have been 13 years of war. However, since World War II there has been over 400 wars without one day of peace.
      • More than 180 million people died in wars in the 20^th century.
      • Nation shall rise against nation (Mat 24:7)
        • The word, “nation”, specifically means = ethnic groups.
        • We have an explosion in the last 25 years of the rights of different ethnic groups. Since Hitler, the phrase, “ethnic cleansing” has become frequently used.
      • Kingdom shall rise against kingdom (Mat 24:7)
        • The word, “kingdom” means = political groups.
        • In the 20^th and 21^st centuries there has been a clash of various ideologies such as communism, socialism, Naziism, democracy, etc.
      • Famines and water shortage (Mat 24:7 Joe 1:20)
        • Famine usually results from war and political oppression.
        • This planet grows a sufficient amount of food.
        • The major problem is one of distribution of food and not over-population. God told man to be fruitful and multiply. He is able to provide all we need if we trust Him.
    • Persecution: (16-19)
      • In the tribulation period the 144,000 Jewish believers in Christ will be persecuted and hated for their testimony.
      • But God will miraculously protect them.
        • Usually we look back in history at the persecution that the Romans did to the Christians.
        • However, more people die today for their testimony of Christ than during the Roman persecution.
        • The persecution will be even greater the tribulation period.
• Read Luk 21:29-33 Israel, the key to prophecy:
  • The parable of the sign of the fig tree:
    • We have discussed the fig tree previously in our study of Luke. (Luk 13 Lesson #38)
    • We determined that the fig tree represents the nation of Israel.
      • We discussed how Jesus’ curse on the fig tree during this final week of His earthly ministry represented God’s judgment on the Jews for having the form of religion but not the Spirit that would produce fruit for the kingdom of God.
      •  ^“So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.” (31)
        • The blossoming of the fig tree means that when you see Israel back in the land as a viable nation, the time of the end is near.
        • Israel became a nation again in 1948.

Israel is the key to the fulfillment of prophecy.

After God’s judgment on Israel in 70 AD, and when Israel is close to becoming a light to the gentiles as God first intended, then we will know we are close to the end of the age, close to the event of the second coming of Christ, and close to the establishment of Jesus’ kingdom on earth for 1000 years.

• • ^“ Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.” (32)
    • What did Jesus mean by this verse?
    • This verse has caused many people numerous problems and has caused many people to set dates for Jesus’ second coming.
      • One problem lies with the interpretation of the word, “generation”.
        • The length of a generation has decreased through the Bible with the decrease in man’s longevity from Genesis to Revelation.
        • A generation change is considered to occur when a man father’s his first child.
      • Another problem lies in the fact that we do not know exactly when to start the clock running so as to determine the end of a generation.
        • Some in the early church thought the beginning point of “this generation” was when Jesus spoke the prophecy.
        • Some say the establishment of Israel as a nation was the beginning point of “this generation”.
      • Probably the best way to interpret verse 32 is that when we see the major prophetic events fall into place, they will all occur rapidly within a generation of time. (33)
  • Warning!
    • Read Luk 21:34-38
    • As a true prophet, Jesus gives us warnings for being on the wrong side of prophecy.
      • Don’t spend your life away indulging in the temporary pleasures of this world like the religious Jew at the beginning of the chapter that gave a big offering in the temple. (34)
      • Spend your life on spiritual things: Watch and pray that you avoid the judgments that are coming upon this world. (36)
    • To be on the right side of prophecy you need a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as your Lord. (36) Then you will stand with Him in eternity.

Homework
Luke 22:1-6

• Application of Luk 21
  • As you watch the news, do you ever think about whether or not the events that are happening fulfill prophecy or not?
  • Jesus said we are to “watch”. If you do not read and study the Word of God, you will not know what to watch for in regards to the signs.
  • Do you need to read and study the Word of God more to know the signs?
• Preparation for Luk 22:1-6
  • Read Luk 22:1-6
    • If the actions of Judas fulfilled prophecy that was put into place hundreds of years previously, did Judas actually have a choice in what he did? How do you know?
• Memory verse: Joh 10:17