Lucas 21

Lucas 21

Stedman says Jesus "Big Point" is "Don't Be Fooled! writing "In our understandable haste to come to the great events He predicts for the future, let us not miss the heavy emphasis He makes in this opening word. It is the dominant note of this whole discourse. The age will be a time of great uncertainty as to the meaning of events." Comment: Case in point - one of the finest expositors of our day Dr John MacArthur fell prey to this temptation to read the signs of the times -- He was preaching on Is the Doom of the World Near? in 1972 when the 7 member European Union was planning on adding 3 more members to give it a total of 10. This rightly reminded him of Daniel's prophecy of a coming 10 nation confederacy (cf Da 7:24+) and prompted this comment - From The Los Angeles Examiner, are you ready for this shock? Los Angeles Examiner, October 29th, the last - 1971, listen. "The British decision to join the common market has brought Western Europe to the threshold of its strongest union since the nations involved were tied together as part of the Roman Empire 15 centuries ago." God said the Roman Empire would be revived in the end days. You are seeing it happen. (Ref) Don't take this wrong - I greatly respect Dr MacArthur's verse by verse expository teaching. My point is that if someone as competent as Dr MacArthur is vulnerable to potentially misinterpret the signs of the times, then ALL of us are potentially in danger of misreading the signs of the times. I know because I have been guilty of doing so! As someone once wisely cautioned me, don't obtain your eschatology from the newspaper! That said to be completely honest, MacArthur may still be proved correct (I too believe the 10 nations will come out of Europe but as of 2022 we have 27 nations in the EU), but clearly those 10 nations were not the 10 nation conspiracy of Daniel 7. Stedman continues "It will be frightfully easy to misinterpret and therefore be misled. The phrase "lead astray" forms the structure around which the whole message is built. He used it again in Mt 24:5...again in Mt 24:11...Once again in Mt 24:24...Because of this continuing possibility, the Lord's exhortation throughout the message is, "Watch!", i.e., keep your eyes open. Evaluate! Test! Try the spirits! Bring everything to test that you might understand the true character of movements and pressures, for the predominant note of the age will be one of deceit and confusion. Then he proceeds to show to these men that they are already confused in their thinking that the end of the age lies immediately ahead. From Mt 24:5 through Mt 24:14 he clearly indicates that there would be a rather long, indeterminate period before the end of the age would begin (Ed: Some see the long age in Mt 24:5-8, but then see Mt 24:9-14 as occurring at the end of the age). These men knew from the prophet Daniel that the end of the age would not be a single spectacular event but a series of events, covering several years (Ed: I presume Pastor Stedman is referring here to Daniel's Seventieth Week). The Lord begins carefully to trace the age which they could not see, the parenthesis of time in which we now live. If we note carefully the time phrases He employs to lead up to the answer to the disciples' question we shall have no difficulty with this section. He is most emphatically not giving so-called "signs of the times" here. To the contrary, he repeatedly indicates that He is tracing the age. For instance, he says in Mt 24:6, "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet." (The Age of Confusion - Matthew 24:4-14) See to it that you are not misled - All 3 synoptic Gospels begin Jesus answer with a warning to the disciples to not be misled. This warning echoes down through the centuries even to our day and will apply to all disciples until the end of this age. See to it ( beware, take care, take heed) (991)(blepo) speaks of perception, and frequently implies special contemplation (e.g., often in the sense of “keep your eyes open,” or “beware”.) In this context see to it is a command (present imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) from Jesus calling for disciples (then and now to) to keep directing their attention to the emergence of deceivers and their subtle deceptions in the days preceding the destruction of the Temple and (in context) to the days preceding the end of this age. W E Vine helps give us a sense of the meaning of this verb writing that blepo expresses "a more intentional, earnest contemplation. In Lk 6:41+ = of beholding the mote in a brother’s eye; Lk 24:12+ = of beholding the linen clothes in the empty tomb. Acts 1:9+ = of the gaze of the disciples when the Lord ascended." Misled (4105)(planao from plane which describes "a wandering"; English = planet) literally means made to wander and thus in the active voice it means to lead astray, cause to wander (cf first use in NT of "straying" sheep = Mt 18:12-13), to mislead, to deceive. To cause one to wander from the Truth of God's Word Mt 24:4 and Mk 13:4 use planao in this active sense warning of those who would seek to mislead or deceive the disciples. In contrast, Luke has the passive voice which speaks more of the disciples as those who can BE deceived. Jesus is saying we have to be very careful lest we be deceived. For (gar) - Term of explanation - What is Jesus explaining? It is a good habit to ask yourself this question whenever you see a "for" (used to explain something), and many times the answer is straightforward (as here), but other times it will force you to ponder the passage! Jesus is explaining how one might be misled into believing claims such as we are at the end of this age (cf "the end" Lk 21:9). FALSE MESSIAHS Many will come - This is important - not just a few fakers but many! In both Matthew and Mark Jesus emphasizes their modus operandi that they "will mislead many." (Mt 24:5, cf Mk 13:6) So many will come and many will follow them and many will be misled. A very sad scenario! False Messiahs have been always been on the scene, but the sobering truth of this prophecy is that many would come and sadly many would be deceived. I think we could include the current proliferation of prosperity teachers, who are getting rich while leading others into poverty and potentially into eternal separation from God. Hiebert - The first person after the time of Jesus Christ definitely known to have claimed to be the Messiah was Bar Kokhba, the leader of the last great Jewish revolt in A.D. 132. (Ibid) Simon bar Kokhba (Hebrew: שמעון בר כוכבא‬; died 135 CE), born Simon ben Kosevah, was the leader of what is known as the Bar Kokhba revolt against the Roman Empire in 132 CE, establishing an independent Jewish state which he ruled for three years as Nasi ("Prince"). His state was conquered by the Romans in 135 following a two and half-year war.[a]The Jewish sage Rabbi Akiva indulged the possibility that Simon could be the Jewish messiah, and gave him the surname "Bar Kokhba" meaning "Son of the Star" in Aramaic, from the Star Prophecy verse from Numbers 24:17: "There shall come a star out of Jacob".The name Bar Kokhba does not appear in the Talmud but in ecclesiastical sources. Rabbinical writers subsequent to Rabbi Akiva did not share Rabbi Akiva's estimation of ben Kosiva. Akiva's disciple, Yose ben Halaphta, in the Seder 'Olam (chapter 30) called him "bar Koziba" (בר כוזיבא‬), meaning, "son of the lie". Some are names we recognize from the news include (1) Sun Myung Moon: considered within the Unification Church as the Messiah and the second coming of Christ. (2) Jim Jones: claimed to be the reincarnation of Jesus, Buddha, Vladimir Lenin, and Father Divine prior to leading a mass suicide of his followers. (3) Marshall Applewhite: claimed to be Jesus and the Son of God prior to leading his Heaven’s Gate cult mass suicide to rendezvous with a space ship hiding behind the comet Hale-Bopp. (4) David Koresh: leader of the Branch Davidian religious sect in Waco, Texas. Claimed to be “the Son of God, the Lamb.” Below are links to a list of people who have been said to be a messiah, either by themselves or by their followers. The list is divided into categories, which are sorted according to date of birth (where known). Jewish messiah claimants (See another more in depth article) EXAMPLE: Jesus of Nazareth (c. 4 BC – 30/33 AD), leader of a "marginal Jewish apocalyptic cult"[4][5][6][7] who was crucified by the Roman Empire for alleged sedition and is believed by Christians to have been resurrected.[8] Jews who believed him to be the Messiah were originally called Nazarenes and later they were known as Jewish Christians (the first Christians).[9] Baháʼís,[10][11] Muslims,[12][13] and Christians[14] (including Messianic Jews[15]) believe him to be the Messiah. Christian messiah claimants Muslim messiah claimants Other or combination messiah claimants Related Resources: What does it mean that there will be false christs in the end times? Who is Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda? Is Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda the antichrist? (See Video) The Christ of the New Age Movement by Ron Rhodes Jesus' warning brings to mind the false prophecies of Joseph Smith (reference) and the multitudes ensnared in Mormonism (~4.5 million) having been deceived by a false Gospel and another Jesus (Gal 1:7-8-note) with the result that many will be lost forever unless they hear and receive the true Gospel of Jesus Christ (Ro 1:16-17, Eph 2:8-9, Ro 10:9-10, Acts 16:31, et al). In My name - This is more literally upon or on My Name, "that is, on the strength of; resting their claims on the Name Messiah." (Vincent) This means upon the basis of My Name and My authority. To come in My Name means to claim to possess and to use Christ's authority, and in some cases to even claim to be the Christ! “In my name means they aim to usurp Jesus’ place." (Blomberg) Saying, 'I am' - NET says Jesus "I am the Messiah.' The pronoun "He" is not in the Greek text so literally they are saying "I AM" which is the "ego eimi" the same thing Yahweh said in Exodus 3:6 and Ex 3:14 (God said to Moses, “I AM (Lxx = "ego eimi") WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’) and what Jesus Himself said in John 8:58 (Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.”) which caused the Jews to seek to stone Him (Jn 8:59) because they thought He was blaspheming by declaring "I Am," a phrase they recognized as the equivalent of His saying "I am God!" That is what these many deceivers will also be saying, so remain on high alert! Jesus' warning in Matthew 24:5+ is even more explicit for there He says these deceivers will flat out lie and say "I am the Christ," where the definitive article "the" precedes Christ ("o Christos") in the Greek indicating that they are claiming to be the one and only Messiah! This helps understand how these spiritual shysters will be able to lead others astray. It is their claim that they are the Messiah and this claim gives authority and authenticity to what they say (cf "in My Name"). Am (1510)(eimi) is a verb which basically expresses being and so means "to be," "to exist," "to happen" or "to be present." and is one of the most common verbs in the NT (2462x in all its conjugations in 2098 verses; the exact form eimi is found 287 verses). Strictly speaking eimi is the first person singular present tense, indicative mood; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb. Because eimi is used so frequently in such a variety of contexts, the following discussion is at best a simple summary of the manifold uses of eimi. Click here and scroll down to readThayer's full discussion of eimi. Ego eimi - As alluded to above Jesus Himself used ego eimi to express His eternal self-existence (without beginning, without end) in Jn 8:58. He was saying He was Yahweh (I Am the One Who Is). Jesus is clearly claiming that He is God! The Jehovah's Witness New World Translation (a "mistranslation") (2013) translates Jn 8:58 incorrectly as "I have been" which Greek scholars say is absolutely incorrect! Compare other "I Am" statements by Jesus = Jn 4:26, 8:24, 28, 13:19, 18:5, 6 ["they drew back and fell to the ground!" = His Name "I Am" literally knocked an entire band of from 300-600 soldiers backward abruptly and hard onto the ground! His Name is indeed powerful!], Jn 18:8. see similar use in Ex 3:14 above). In Ge 17:1 God addresses Abram declaring "I am (ego eimi) God" (cf similar uses in Ge 26:24, 31:13, 46:3, Ex 3:6, 7:5, 8:18, 14:4, 18, 20:2, 29:46, etc). Note that there are about 174 uses of "ego eimi" in the Septuagint and 48 uses in the NT, but not all uses refer to God (e.g., Mt 14:27). There are 24 uses of ego eimi in John's Gospel and most do refer to the Messiah. E.g., in the first occurrence, Jesus tells the Samaritan woman "I Am" (ego eimi) (Jn 4:26) when she made a reference to the Messiah (Jn 4:25). In fact ego eimi introduces His great "I am" statements in John = "I am"..."the bread of life" (Jn 6:35, 41, 48, 51), "the Light of the world," (Jn 8:12), "the door" (Jn 10:7, 9), "the good shepherd" (Jn 10:11, 14), "the resurrection and the life," (Jn 11:25), "the Way and the Truth and the Life" (Jn 14:6); "the true Vine" (Jn 15:1, 5). At Paul's conversion on the Damascus Road Jesus told him "I am (ego eimi) Jesus Whom you are persecuting." (Acts 9:5). In the final use of ego eimi in Scripture Jesus affirms "I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star." (Rev 22:16-note) Warren Wiersbe on I am the Christ (Messiah) - The Jews have often been led astray by false prophets and false Christs. The rider on the white horse in Revelation 6:1–2+ is the Antichrist, that final world dictator who will lead the nations astray. He will begin his career as a peacemaker, signing a (7 year) covenant with Israel to protect her from her enemies (Daniel 9:27-note) (but he breaks the covenant at 3.5 years unleashing his fury against the Jews and Christians during the 3.5 year Great Tribulation in Mt 24:21+ = the Time of Jacob's Distress in Jer 30:7+ = a Time of Distress in Da 12:1+). Israel will welcome this man as their great benefactor (John 5:43). (Borrow Be courageous) Saying, 'I am He,' and, 'The time is near' - Neither Matthew 24:5 nor Mark 13:6 record they will say we are near the end of this age, only Luke. So they not only (1) claim they are Messiah but (2) claim they know the time is at hand. We all have an inherent desire to know about the future, especially end times prophecy. Jesus is warning that there would be individuals who would seek to take advantage of this propensity for prophecy and would deceive them and in so doing would turn them aside from the simple teaching of the Gospel. As an aside, there is a tendency in the younger evangelical church to shy away from serious study, preaching and teaching on Bible prophecy ("too divisive," "too confusing," "no one can know who has the correct interpretation," and the list goes on). Beloved, this is (potentially) a deadly deficiency in the modern church. Why would I say that? Think about it. If conservative, orthodox leaders fail to teach on this subject, the "sheep" are wide open to the plethora of prophetic speculations promulgated on the internet, airways and books. Is it any surprise that most of the cults prey on prophecy? God gave us the Bible to reveal, not to conceal and confuse. God gave us prophecy to energize our hope (absolute certainty of future good), to stabilize our faith and not to satisfy our curiosity. Bible prophecy is not easy to put together the pieces, but it is not impossible. That said, see discussion of Bible Prophecy which includes a section on why it should be studied. Excerpt from Gotquestions - Biblical prophecy plays two roles. It foretells the future, and it explains what the positive or negative results of future events will be. Prophecy may announce events that bring joy and pleasure or fear and foreboding. When prophecy is ignored, it is usually because the hearers don’t like what they hear for one reason or another. Biblical prophecy is not usually general in nature. It normally is very specific as to how it will affect someone or something. But it is always dependable and worthy of our complete trust (ED: cf Joshua 21:45+, Joshua 23:14+). We can allow prophecy to help shape our lives, giving us direction and guidance in serving our Lord. It should be a source of strength and instruction for us. Unlike what we hear called “prophecy” today, both in the church and outside the church, true biblical prophecy is always accurate and precise. What God prophesies always occurs. (How Can We Trust That Bible Prophecy Can Indeed Predict the Future?) The time is near - To what "time" is Jesus referring? Note the context - in Lk 21:9 we see another important expression of time "the end." While one might postulate that this refers to the end of the Temple in 70 A D, this word "end" (telos) almost certainly refers to the end of this age and the time preceding the Second Coming. The parallel account in Matthew 24 uses telos three times, all in the context of the end of this age (Mt 24:6+, Mt 24:13, Mt 24:14+). So these deceivers who claim the authority of God and/or Messiah ("in My Name"), will make claims that the time of Jesus' return is near. In short they are setting dates regarding an event that Jesus clearly said no one knows but the Father (Mt 24:36, 42) Guzik recounts "One notable example of this was the prophetic expectation in 1843 with William Miller in the United States. Because of his prophetic interpretations, calculations, and publications (ED: see picture newspaper page with his bizarre "calculations!" Note depiction of the angel [right bottom corner] blowing horn next to the final [false] calculation of "1843"), there were hundreds of thousands in the United States who were convinced that Jesus would return in 1843. When He did not, there was great disappointment, with some falling away, and some cultic groups spawned from the prophetic fervor." (Enduring Word) Here is what the Bible says about those like William Miller who try to set the date of Christ's return... Luke 12:40+ “You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.” Matthew 24:36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. Acts 1:7+ He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; Do not go after them - While this is strictly speaking not a command in the Greek, it is far more than a suggestion from Jesus!