Luke

The Destruction of Jerusalem

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The Destruction of Jerusalem

Luke 21:5-36

We come this morning to a controversial passage of Scripture. Dispensational Christians understand this passage to be about the Great Tribulation during the last seven years before the end of the world. Others understand it to be about the events leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.  Still others understand it to be about both of those events. Well, we will do our very best to look for the natural and plain meaning of this text this morning.

Last Sunday we studied Jesus’ warning against corrupt religious leaders, and then saw an example of a victim of the corrupt religious leaders in the poor widow who gave her last two copper coins.

Verse 5 says, “And while some were talking about the temple, that it was adorned with beautiful stones and votive gifts…”  Jesus and the disciples were in the temple when they noticed the widow who gave her last two coins. Afterwards some of the disciples began to speak of the glory of the temple, specifically of the beautiful stones and votive gifts.  It was true, that this temple was breathtakingly majestic, one of the wonders of the ancient world. It was the 2^nd Jewish temple, in the process of being constructed through the efforts of King Herod. It had already been in construction for 50 years, and would continue to be built for 30 more years. The rabbis said, “He who has not seen the Temple in its full construction has never seen a glorious building in his life.”  Josephus, a contemporary Jewish historian said that some of its stones were between 12 and 60 feet in length! Some of them weighed more than 100 tones! How in the world would you move a stone of that size? Portions of the temple were 90 feet high. That’s as tall as a 9 story building today! The brilliance of the white walls and the gold trim in the morning were absolutely dazzling. Josephus writes, “The whole of the outer works of the temple was in the highest degree worthy of admiration. It was completely covered with gold plates, which when the sun was shining on them glittered so dazzlingly that they blinded the eyes of the beholders not less than when one gazed at the sun itself. And on the other sides where there was no gold, the blocks of marble were of such pure white that the strangers who had never previously seen them from a distance they looked like a mountain of snow.”

Therefore the disciples must have been absolutely astonished when Jesus told them that in the not too distant future not one stone will be left standing upon another which will not be torn down. This would have been similar to someone predicting on September 10, 2001 that soon the two World Trade Centers would be torn down completely. That kind of a prediction would be incomprehensible to Jesus’ disciples. They couldn’t even imagine the magnificent temple being torn down. It must have seemed incredulous to them. Jesus’ statement elicited two questions from the disciples.  This morning, we are going to notice their two questions, with Jesus’ answers. Then we are going to work our way verse-by-verse through this chapter, and then conclude our time this morning with some practical applications.

1. The Two Questions of the Disciples

The Setting.  Mk. 13:3 tells us that Jesus did not hold this discussion with His disciples while they were in the temple. We might get that impression from Luke’s gospel, but Mark sets us straight. Mk. 13:1 says, “As He was going out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, behold what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!”  So, the disciples were leaving the temple. As they were leaving the disciples were exclaiming about how majestic and beautiful the temple was. Jesus responded by saying that it was all going to be torn down. Later, when they came to the Mount of Olives and were sitting down, four disciples came to Jesus (Peter, James, John and Andrew), and asked Him privately two questions.

The Questions.  1) When will these things happen?  2) What will be the sign when these things are about to take place?  They wanted to know when the temple would be torn down, and what the sign would be that its destruction was imminent.

Now, please notice that the disciples are not asking Jesus when the end of the world would come, and what would be the sign it was about to take place. If you read Matthew 24, it might seem like that is what Jesus had in mind. In Matthew 24:3 their question is, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” There, it sounds like Jesus is talking about the end of the world and His second coming. However, we need to realize that Matthew has included Jesus’ teaching from another discourse (Luke 17).  So, Matthew in chapter 24, has included Jesus’ teaching from Luke 17 and Luke 21. Luke 17 is about Jesus’ second coming, and Luke 21 is about the destruction of Jerusalem. The first half of Matthew 24 (verses 1-35) is material from Luke 21, and is about the destruction of Jerusalem. The last half of Matthew 24 is about the second coming of Christ, and is material we have here in Luke 21 (Matthew 24:36-51).  I believe that is why Matthew has modified the questions of the disciples to allow for both future events.  The other two gospel writers, Mark and Luke give the exact same two questions, and both of their questions have to do with the destruction of Jerusalem.  So, I have said all of that to say this – the two questions that the disciples ask Jesus in Luke 21 have to do with the destruction of the temple, not the end of the world. Just keep that in mind as we go through the passage.

2. The Answers of Jesus To Their Questions

When Will These Things Happen?  Luke 21:31-32, “So you also, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of god is near. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place.”  When will the temple be destroyed? In your own generation. All the people of your generation will not die off before this happens. It was as though Jesus said, “Some people who are alive right now will live to see My prediction come true.” In other words, the events I have described are not going to take place hundreds or thousands of years in the future. They are going to take place within a generation.

Now, of course, those that believe Luke 21 is about the end of the world have a problem here. Of course, Jesus did not return before His generation passed away. Therefore, they have to come up with a different interpretation for “this generation.”  The phrase “this generation” is used 8 times previously in the book of Luke. Guess how many times it is referring to the generation in Jesus’ day? 8 times! The most natural interpretation of Luke 21:32 is that Jesus is saying that the destruction of the temple will occur within His own generation. And it did! It occurred in 70 A.D., about 40 years from that time.

Now, those that believe Jesus is talking about the end of the world in Luke 21, have come up with two different possibilities for the meaning of “this generation.”  One meaning is “this race.” They say it is referring to the Jewish race. They believe Jesus is saying that the Jewish race will not die out before His second coming. While the Greek word genea can mean a race, it makes no sense in this context. What race? Jesus hasn’t mentioned the Jewish race at all in this chapter. When He said, “this generation”, He expected them to understand Him. Since He has not mentioned the Jewish race, or any other race up to this point, His statement “this generation” would make no sense to them.

The other possibility they propose is that Jesus is talking about the generation that sees the signs that Jesus has just mentioned in this chapter. They say that the generation that sees the fig tree put forth leaves will not pass away until they are all fulfilled. They believe the fig tree is a symbol for the nation of Israel, and that when Israel became a nation in 1948, that was the fig tree budding and putting forth leaves. Hal Lindsay and many others in the 1970’s taught that Jesus had to come back at the very latest by 1988, because that would be a generation from 1948. Since they believed that the rapture would happen seven years before the second coming, they believed the rapture had to take place by 1981. Well, of course 1981 has come and gone, and it has been 35 years since that time! That tells you that this was a false interpretation of Scripture. Now, we should have known it was a false interpretation because Luke says in verse 29, “Behold the fig tree and all the trees.” Jesus is not drawing attention to the fig tree as the symbol for Israel. What He is saying is true of all the trees. When they put forth leaves, you know that summer is near. All Jesus is saying is that when you see the signs He has mentioned in this chapter coming to pass, know that the destruction of Jerusalem is very near. That’s all!

Also, if Jesus was saying that the generation in the future 2,000 years from His time that saw the fig tree bud would not pass away until His return, He would have said “that generation” will not pass away. Instead, He said “this generation” will not pass away. Every other time in Luke when Jesus said “this generation” He was talking about the generation that was alive on earth during His lifetime.

Therefore, the best and most natural way to understand Jesus’ words in Luke 21:32 is that He was saying that the generation that was alive while He was on the earth, would not all die out before Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed. And they didn’t!

What will be the sign that these things are about to take place?  Jesus answers this question in verse 20, “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near.” What will be the sign that the temple is about to be destroyed? When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, know that its desolation is near.” There is Jesus’ answer to their simple question.

Now, if you read Mark 13 and Matthew 24, you will see the exact same order of events described. All of them describe the persecution the disciples will face, then the abomination of desolation, and then Jesus telling them when that happens they must flee. Mark and Matthew describe it as “the abomination of desolation.” Luke describes it as “when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near.”  Why doesn’t Luke use the phrase “the abomination of desolation” like Matthew and Mark do? Because it is a Hebrew idiom, that Luke’s writers would not understand. This phrase is found three times in the book of Daniel. However, Luke is writing to Gentiles who would not be familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures. Therefore, He paraphrases what the abomination of desolation is. It is when Jerusalem is surrounded by the Roman armies who will lay siege to the city to starve the inhabitants, and then destroy them all. An “abomination” usually refers to idolatry. When the Romans entered Jerusalem and the temple with their pagan banners, this would be considered an abomination to the Jews. The word “desolation means to be abandoned. When the Romans entered Jerusalem and the temple, God was going to abandon the temple. In fact, that is exactly what Jesus told the religious leaders at the end of Matthew chapter 23 when He said “Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!” By “house”, Jesus was talking about the temple. He was prophesying that God was going to abandon the temple. When would that happen? When the Romans committed the abomination of bringing their pagan images into it, and destroying it.

Now, many dispensational Bible teachers believe that the abomination of desolation is when the Anti-Christ is going to set up His image in a rebuilt temple in the middle of the Great Tribulation period at the end of world history. Now, Jesus said it was when Jerusalem was surrounded by armies in 70 A.D.  That was the sign that the destruction of Jerusalem was imminent.

3. Events Leading Up To the Destruction of Jerusalem

False Christs and False Prophets.  21:8. Mark 13:22 says that false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show signs and wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect.

Now, this did happen. We have records even in the New Testament of such things. In Acts 13:9 we read of  Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:12, “But evil men and imposters will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” Paul writes of Hymenaeus and Phletus who said that the resurrection had already taken place. I believe they would qualify as false prophets. John said in 1 John 2:18 that many antichrists had appeared in his day. We also know of the Judaizers who were trying to bring new Gentile believers back into bondage by saying they must be circumcised in order to be saved. The Jewish Historian, Josephus, records many other false Christs and Messiahs in the first century.

Wars and Disturbances. In Luke 21:9 Jesus mentions hearing of wars and disturbances. In verse 10, He says that nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. From 60 A.D. There was constant friction between the Jews and the Romans, with constant wars or rumors of wars.  The Roman Historian Tacitus wrote, “The history on which I am entering is that of a period rich in disasters, terrible with battles, torn by civil struggles, horrible even in peace. Four emperors fell by the sword; there were three civil wars, more foreign wars, and often both at the same time.” 

Natural Catastrophes. In Luke 21:10-11, Jesus mentions earthquakes, plagues and famines, terrors and signs from heaven.

Earthquakes. Jesus did not say there would be an increasing frequency of earthquakes. He just said there would be great earthquakes. We have one example of a great earthquake in Acts 16:26, “suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken.”  We also read of the earthquake that took place when Jesus was crucified, and then when Jesus rose from the dead. Tacitus records many great earthquakes during the forty years after Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Famines and Plagues.  The prophet Agabus predicted a great famine in Acts 11:28, and Luke says it took place in the reign of Claudius. Whenever there are famines, plagues are the natural result. Of course, there was a great massive famine within Jerusalem when the Romans laid siege to the city, blocking any trade in or out of the city.  Thousands died of starvation. There are reports of parents eating their children, and children eating their parents.

Great Signs from Heaven. Josephus documents several great signs from heaven preceding 70 A.D.  He wrote of a star in the shape of a sword that hung over the city of Jerusalem for a whole year. He wrote of a number of people who looked up and saw soldiers in armor running about in the clouds. Josephus was completely ignorant of what Jesus taught on the subject, but did write about signs in the heavens.

Persecution.  Jesus’ words here were literally fulfilled in the Book of Acts.  The Jews delivered the apostles up to the Sanhedrin. They were flogged and imprisoned. It did lead to an opportunity for testimony before kings and governors. Paul testified before Agrippa, and Felix and Festus. Verse 18 says, “yet not a hair of your head shall perish.” Earlier Jesus had said they will put some of you to death. How can it be that they would be put to death, but not a hair of their head shall perish. What Jesus is saying is that they can kill the body, they can’t kill the soul. His life is hid with Christ in God. Enemies can kill us, but they can’t separate us from Christ’s love. Verse 19, “By your endurance you will gain your lives” is parallel to the statement in Matthew and Luke, “He who endures to the end will be saved.”

4. The Destruction of Jerusalem

    Vs.21. Interestingly, the Christians did flee Jerusalem at the first approach of the Romans, and they were saved. They obeyed the Word of Jesus Christ and found safety some distance away.

Vs.22. The vengeance spoken of here is God’s vengeance. God is taking vengeance upon the nation of Israel for persecuting and killing His prophets, and murdering His Son. It is the parable of the Vine growers all over again. Notice that the Fall of Jerusalem was prophesied in many places in the Old Testament according to Jesus.

Vs.23. Why would there be woe to pregnant women and those who are nursing babies? Because it would make their flight out of Jerusalem much more difficult. They would have to care for babies in the midst of fleeing for their lives. Notice also Jesus’ words, “there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people.” Did you notice that this distress is localized to “the land” – obviously a reference to the land of Israel. It is also specific to “this people” – the Jewish people. This is not a worldwide tribulation. This is 70 A.D. when the Jews were slaughtered by the Romans.

Vs.24. “and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”  The Jews would be killed and led captive into all the nations, and that was literally fulfilled in 70 A.D. Notice the reference to “Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”  I understand “the time of the Gentiles” as being the time when God is dealing primarily with the Gentiles, rather than the Jews. After the Fall of Jerusalem, God’s primary focus has been on the evangelization of the Gentiles. I understand the times of the Gentiles as being the same as the church age.

Vs.25-28.  When we come to verses 25-28, there are two possible interpretations.  One is that Jesus is continuing to describe the destruction of Jerusalem. You might ask, “How in the world could Jesus be describing the destruction of Jerusalem here? He speaks of signs in the heavenly bodies, the roaring of the waves, and then seeing the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”  In Matthew it says, “The sun will be darkened, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”  Interestingly, that same language is used of God’s judgment upon Babylon in Isaiah 13:9-10, “Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, cruel, with fury and burning anger, to make the land a desolation; and He will exterminate its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light; the sun will be dark when it rises and the moon will not shed its light.”  This is apocalyptic language. It is not intended to be taken literally. It is using graphic imagery to describe the devastation that is to come upon that nation.  When God describes the judgment He will bring upon Edom, He says in Isaiah 34:4-5, “And all the host of heaven will wear away, and the sky will be rolled up like a scroll; all their hosts will wither away as a leaf withers from the vine, or as one withers from the fig tree. For My sword is satiated in heaven, behold it shall descend for judgment upon Edom and upon the people whom I have devoted to destruction.”  Now, the sky didn’t was not literally rolled up like a scroll. This is figurative language to describe God’s horrific judgment upon the nation of Edom. And, that’s not all. When God describes His judgment upon Egypt, He puts it this way in Ezekiel 32:7-8, “And when I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars; I will cover the sun with a cloud  and the moon will not give its light.  All the shining lights in the heavens I will darken over you And will set darkness on your land,” Declares the Lord GOD.”  Over and over in the Old Testament, when God judges a nation, its destruction is described in the very same kind of language that Jesus used in the Olivet discourse. Therefore, one way to interpret verses 25-28 would be that Jesus is still discussing the destruction of Jerusalem, but doing so by using the very same kind of language that His disciples were familiar with – apocalyptic imagery.  When it says that they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory, the meaning might be that they will see the Romans coming to destroy the Jews, and in that see Christ ruling and reigning from heaven bringing to pass God’s purposes.

There is another possible interpretation to verses 25-28, and that is to see them as describing the second coming of Christ. You see, in verse 24, Jesus said that the Jews would be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. Most scholars see “the times of the Gentiles” as that period of time in which God is dealing primarily with the Gentiles. God dealt primarily with Israel from Abraham to 70 A.D. From that point on, God has been dealing primarily with the Gentiles. So, “the times of the Gentiles” would be a rough equivalent to the church age. When will the times of the Gentiles come to an end? When Jesus Christ returns. So, having described the period of time leading to the end of the world, Jesus may now be describing His second coming. In that case, the imagery in verses 25-28, should be taken literally.  Now, you need to study this passage and make up your own mind as to what you believe is the correct meaning.

Vs.29-32. In these words, Jesus has now gone back to the subject at hand. He is saying when you see the signs that I have give you, especially Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, then recognize that the kingdom of God is near. By the “kingdom of God” we are to understand God’s rule and reign. When you see these signs take place, realize that God’s sovereign rule and reign is bringing all of this to pass.

Vs.34-36.  Jesus here is giving a final exhortation to His disciples. They must not allow their hearts to be weighted down with drunkenness and worries, because if they do, 70 A.D. Will come on them suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth. Now, that statement sounds very much like the end of the world. However, you need to realize that the word “earth” here, is the Greek word “ge”, which can mean earth or land. I believe it must mean “land” here (the land of Israel) because that is the meaning in verse 23. Instead, they must keep on the alert at all times, praying that they might have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man. In other words, rather than fall in the judgment, they are to pray that they will stand before Jesus as you do now and escape this holocaust. Be careful that you don’t fall back into sinful patterns, or carousing with the unbelieving Jews, because if you do, you will not escape this horrific judgment that is about to come upon Jerusalem.

Application

1. God Is In Control In Spite of the Chaos in the World. Jesus gave a minute exact description of the events between His death and 70 A.D. He was absolutely accurate in this description. God knows all things that will ever take place on the earth. There are some theologians who have come up with a new theological system. It is called Open Theism. It teaches that God does not know what will happen in the future, until we make that choice.

Now, how does God know everything that will come to pass? It is because He has ordained everything that comes to pass. In His inscrutable wisdom, He has decreed the events and details of human history. Ephesians 1:11 says, “we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will.”  Or, listen to the words of Isaiah 46:9-10, “Remember the former things long past, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, “My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.”  Now, here God says that the things which will take place in the future are His purpose and His good pleasure. That’s just another way of saying that He has ordained all of them. They are part of His sovereign plan for this world.  Therefore my friends, when it looks like the world is running out of control, don’t be terrified. God is still in control. He is still ruling this universe, and He will bring to pass His purposes in it. You can trust Him.

2. God Will Bring Judgment Upon Those Who Reject His Son. Why did this horrific judgment come upon the nation of Israel? We are told why in Luke 19:41-44, “When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”  They did not recognize the time of their visitation. God Himself visited this planet in the person of Jesus Christ, but they did not recognize it. Instead of receiving Him with open arms, and bowing down to worship Him, they hated Him and crucified Him. Therefore God’s vengeance came upon them.

My friends, if this is what happens when God judges one city, how fearful will it be when God judges the whole world? Israel was judged for rejecting God’s Son. Well, one day this entire world will stand before God on Judgment Day, and will receive a severe and awful sentence for rejecting His Son!   Let’s serve the Lord with zeal knowing that day will come upon all the world, and let’s seek to snatch as many out of the fires as we possibly can.

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