Luke 21
Read: Luke 21
Many individuals over the years have scared people into a frenzy over the end of the world. Some of them even set dates predicting the end or Christ’s return, but all have been wrong so far. Many movies have been made on this topic also, some from religious backgrounds and others not. The end of the world is a scary thing, yet an intriguing thing. Christ’s return is a glorious thing, but also a scary thing. Here in Luke 21, Jesus gave his followers some signs of the end of the age, and helped prepare us for what is to come.
One of the things Jesus said to expect is persecution. He said people will “lay their hands on you and persecute you…” but “this will give you an opportunity to bear witness.” The persecution of the church has been one of the most fruitful paradoxes in church history. When the Romans and Jews persecuted the Christians, they spread the gospel to other places and Christianity eventually overtook Rome as the state religion. When the Catholic Church persecuted those who stood up for what the Bible said over what the papacy was proclaiming, the Protestant Reformation brought great revival to Europe. Then when Europeans struggled for religious freedom, they came to the Americas to seek it out.
Today, persecution is happening in China, Iran, and many other places. As haters seek to squash Christianity, it keeps growing. The reality is that many will hate us because of Christ (v. 17). But we can trust God, knowing that he is still working even when the world is against us for following him. Jesus told his followers that persecutions would come, but also many terrible disasters like wars, earthquakes, famines, and plagues. When these things happen, we become fearful of the end that Jesus warned about. He said, people will be so scared they will faint! But the truth is, we have nothing to fear. Soon afterwards, “they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”
We should not fear persecution, famine, disaster, and those sorts of calamities. God is in control! Do you not believe he can protect you if that is his will? But even if he doesn’t, not even the loss of your life can take away your salvation if Jesus is your Lord. Instead, we should fear God and be on guard. We should not get distracted with the foolish worries of life and let the day of his return catch us by surprise. We need to be alert and trust God daily as we wait expectantly for our redemption to come. Things will get worse before they get better. But whatever we have to face will be worth it once we make it to the other side.
