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AFTER THIS, THEN WHAT?
I Shall Return!

Luke 21:5-11
“Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, "As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down." "Teacher," they asked, "when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?" He replied: "Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, `I am he,' and, `The time is near.' Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away." Then he said to them: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven. (NIV”)
1) Even after walking so closely to Jesus, His disciples still had their eyes on the things of this world (vs. 5.) Jesus quickly prophesies the sure destruction of Herod’s temple. This came to pass in 70 AD. We touched on this in class last week—remember, don’t cling too tightly to “things,” because everything in this world is temporal (1 John 2:17!) All we see around us, yes, is very beautiful and wonderful to behold, and please know that our God intended it for our pleasure (Genesis 1:31), but it will one day be consumed by God’s holy fire!
a) In light of this truth, what two things does 2 Peter 3:10-13 say we should be doing to prepare for the Lord’s imminent return?
2) “I am the Christ! The time has come!” Jesus said many would be deceived by these words. He would not have us be ignorant or His return. Read Acts 1:11. How Jesus will return?
a) The whole earth is waiting, groaning for the return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (Romans 8:19-23.) Scriptures seems to indicate that His return will be two-fold. The next event on the kingdom calendar is what many refer to as the “rapture” of Christ’s church (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18!) No, rapture is not mentioned specifically in scripture, but the words “caught up” is where we get the word, “rapture”. You can see a picture of this in Revelation 4:1. Glory! After being caught up into the heavens, the apostle John is shown the merciful, but sure, progression of God’s wrath to follow (seven seals, seven trumpets and the seven golden bowls.) Many scholars believe that John’s being called up is a foreshadow of our being “caught up” prior to the outpouring of God’s wrath on sin. I believe this the only opinion that truly offers hope for each and every believer. In fact, over and over in God’s Word the promise of escaping God’s coming wrath resonates!
i) We first see evidence of this in Enoch—he never tasted death! (Genesis 5:21-24!)
ii) We also see a picture of the coming rapture of the church in the story of Noah, God calls him into the ark and closes the door of the ark Himself (Genesis 7:13-16!)
iii) Lot’s escape from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:17-33; 19:1-29!) Now, here’s a perfect example of a carnal Christian—one who becomes tainted by the pleasures this world holds! Lot and his family had to literally be dragged away from the world they had become apart of! Yet, Lot was counted as righteous by God (2 Peter 2:7!)
iv) We see it in Elijah the prophet of God—taken away to heaven in a fiery chariot (2 Kings 2:1-12!)
3) Why do you think Jesus returns this first time “as a thief in the night” (Matthew 24:36-51 and 1 Corinthians 1:22?)
4) Wars and rumors of wars! Sound familiar? Well, wars, earthquakes, famine and diseases have always been. So, maybe you can understand why every generation, even the apostles, have been watching and making themselves ready for the Lord’s sure return. This is been anticipated for over 2,000 years. What makes things unique in our day and time is that, as God promised, Israel has returned from every corner of the world to her homeland, Israel (Isaiah 43:3-8 and Isaiah 49:21-23!) For centuries, the Israelites have been without a homeland. A very unique time, indeed! While, no one knows the time or date of the Lord’s return, the things we are witnessing today are a prelude—birth pains! Scriptures tells us how to respond when we see these signs increase (Luke 21:20-32!) What should we all be doing?
5) The rapture, the gathering of Christ’s church is much different from the Lord’s second coming. This time Jesus comes to rule! Amen! (Revelation 19:11-16) Again, how does Jesus return?
Luke 21:12-19
“But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. This will result in your being witnesses to them. But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of me. But not a hair of your head will perish. By standing firm you will gain life.”
1) The early church suffered great persecution. Almost all the apostles were martyred for their testimony and their faith. Read Hebrews 11:35-40. Many have suffered and died for their faith. The so-called “church” itself has burned at the stake many innocent believers simply because they chose to believe that we are saved by faith, not by our works, not by penance and not by membership in organized religion! All these martyrs have stood firm. Jesus told them not a hair of their heads would perish. Yet, they died for their faith? Did Jesus lie? Explain.
2) Thus far, American has been richly blessed and reasonably free of spiritual persecution. Do you see any signs that this may not always be the case? in your neighborhood? at work? by people of differing faiths? in our schools and universities? in the medial? in our government?
3) Have you ever been personally persecuted, actually hated for your belief in Jesus Christ? Did it lead to an opportunity to be a witness for Christ? Explain how you responded. Jesus promised to give us wisdom. Do you feel your response came from yourself or truly from God?
4) Gaining life—through death? What was Jesus saying? It’s funny, whether we’re persecuted or not, this is the resurrected life we should all be living. Dying with Christ and being raised in glory with Him (Romans 6:1-8!) So, whether we live, or whether we die, we are the Lord’s (Romans 14:8-9!) This, dear sisters, is why we should view this world as alien and temporal!
Luke 21:20-24
“"When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”
1) Now, will we be part of this terrible desolation? Why or why not?
2) Why do you suppose pregnant women and nursing mothers will greatly grieve?
3) Can you just imagine the onset of great distress if the church is suddenly caught up? What types of things might result from this events? Cars? Airplanes? Train systems? Homes with pots left cooking on the stove? Any thoughts?
4) Right now, grace and salvation is to the Gentiles (Isaiah 11:10; 42:6; 49:6; Isaiah 65:1; Luke 2:25-32; Acts 9:1-16; and Acts 11:18!) That’s us, unless, of course, you’re Jewish! The gospel was preached to us because it was rejected by God’s chosen people! How blessed we are!
5) Soon, all that will come to Jesus (Jew and Gentile) will reach it’s completion. Then the rapture—then, salvation and glory return to the Jews! Glory Hallelujah! Yes, God will keep His promises to His people, Israel! Believe it or not, they are moved by jealousy for us because God’s blessing has been upon us (Romans 10:19!) It doesn’t seem that the terrible time of tribulation will be a blessing to God’s people, Israel, but, oh, it will, it will (Isaiah 49:14-26; 54; Zechariah 8:20-23; Revelation 7:1-8 21 and 22!)
Luke 21:25-28
“There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
1) We’ve recently heard the horror of the seas roaring and tossing—the tsunami! I believe I heard someone dying of heart failure during this time, if not this incidence, then some other awful disaster, maybe the Twin Towers? Anyway, Jesus admonishes us over and over again to “Fear not!” What enables us to be at peace during such times (Luke 1:68-79; Romans 8:15-19; Hebrews 2:11-15; 1 Peter 3:14; 1 John 4:18-19!)
Luke 21:29-38
“He told them this parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near. "I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 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." Each day Jesus was teaching at the temple, and each evening he went out to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives, and all the people came early in the morning to hear him at the temple.”
1) Signs point us to the seasons. A tree starts to put on its leaves before summer. Everything that Jesus told us about is taking place. Do you sense that the Kingdom of God is near? Can you almost touch it?
2) Jesus gives us a couple of warnings—what are they?
3) Okay, we have been warned. What shall we do with the knowledge God has revealed to us? Why (2 Peter 3:4-18?)