{"id":341,"date":"2024-05-22T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-22T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/?p=341&2024"},"modified":"2024-05-20T18:00:29","modified_gmt":"2024-05-21T00:00:29","slug":"past-present-and-future-persecution-luke-21-5-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/past-present-and-future-persecution-luke-21-5-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Past, Present, and Future Persecution: Luke 21:5-19"},"content":{"rendered":"
Focus Passage: Luke 21:5-19 (NASB)<\/div>

5<\/sup>\u00a0And while some were talking about the temple, that it was adorned with beautiful stones and votive gifts, He said, 6<\/sup>\u00a0“As for<\/em> these things which you are looking at, the days will come in which there will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down.”<\/span> <\/p>

7<\/sup>\u00a0They questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, when therefore will these things happen? And what will be<\/em> the sign when these things are about to take place?” 8<\/sup>\u00a0And He said, “See to it that you are not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,<\/em>’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not go after them.<\/span> 9<\/sup>\u00a0When you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end does<\/em> not follow<\/em> immediately.”<\/span><\/p>

10<\/sup>\u00a0Then He continued by saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom,<\/span> 11<\/sup>\u00a0and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.<\/span> <\/p>

12<\/sup>\u00a0“But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake.<\/span> 13<\/sup>\u00a0It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony.<\/span> 14<\/sup>\u00a0So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves;<\/span> 15<\/sup>\u00a0for I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute.<\/span> 16<\/sup>\u00a0But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some<\/em> of you to death,<\/span> 17<\/sup>\u00a0and you will be hated by all because of My name.<\/span> 18<\/sup>\u00a0Yet not a hair of your head will perish.<\/span> 19<\/sup>\u00a0By your endurance you will gain your lives.<\/span> <\/p>

Read Luke 21:5-19<\/a> in context and\/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!<\/p><\/div><\/div>\r\n

This entry\u2019s passage is just the first piece of a much longer passage where Jesus unpacks some of what will be coming down history\u2019s timeline: Persecution, wars, rumors, famines, earthquakes, and more.<\/p>\r\n

The specific detail that we will focus on in this entry has to do with a short phrase related to the timing. In verse 9, we read \u201cWhen you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end\u00a0does<\/em>\u00a0not\u00a0follow<\/em>\u00a0immediately.\u201d<\/strong> [Italicized words not in original Greek]<\/p>\r\n

In this verse, Jesus is describing something that will happen before<\/em> the end. But it gets even a little more interesting when we compare how Luke starts verse 12 when comparing it to the other gospels with this teaching: \u201cBut before all these things<\/span>, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name\u2019s sake . . .\u201d<\/strong> (v.12)<\/p>\r\n

Luke\u2019s passage places the persecution Jesus\u2019 followers face before the wars that happen before the end, while Matthew indicates that it happens afterward (Matthew 24:9)<\/em> and Mark phrases it in a way that could mean at any or every point in time in history (Mark 13:9)<\/em>.<\/p>\r\n

What this tells me is not that the gospel writers are confused by Jesus\u2019 words, but there could easily be more present in Jesus\u2019 predictions. For example:<\/p>\r\n