Luke 21:6-10

Luke 21:6 (KJB)
As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

Then Jesus tells them in response to their exclamation that the temple will be thrown down and not one of those beautiful stones will be left upon another.

(Mat 24:2 KJV) And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

Matthew 24:2 along with Luke 21:6 both confirm that what is in view is the actual, physical temple. If you notice the words that Jesus used. He said, “there shall not be left here…” and in Luke 21:6, “As for these things which ye behold…” The key words being “here” and “which ye behold.” The disciples were looking at the physical temple and that is what Jesus has in view in responding to them. Jesus is prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D and that includes the temple itself. Now many will contradict this and say that the all of the temple was not thrown down and then tend to spiritualize these stones as believers being commanded to leave the local church. They will say this based upon the fact that the temple mount is still visible today in Israel. It is called the “Wailing Wall” and is not part of the temple itself but was just a support for the Antonia Fortress which housed the 10th Roman Legion. The actual temple was on top of the mount and if you go to Israel today, you will see there is nothing on top of the mount. So therefore, this prophecy came to pass in its totality in 70 A.D.

Luke 21:7 (KJB)
And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?

Matthew 24:3 places a further understanding of this question. (Mat 24:3 KJV) And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? It is very important to understand that the two questions are the dividing line in the chapter between the 70 A.D. events and the last days events. The first question they ask is concerning when shall these things be or when will the temple be thrown down? Then the second question they ask is in two parts yet they are one question because the Lord’s return is going to be on the last day of recorded history. (John 11:24 KJV) Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. They wanted to know what is the sign of His coming and the end of the world? The word “fulfilled” in the Greek carries with it the meaning of “to complete entirely.” So the disciples are wanting to know when all of this prophecy will be completed. They were probably under the impression that when the physical temple would be destroyed, then that would usher in the New Heavens and New Earth. They did not understand the implications of Matthew 23:37-39 concerning Israel being left desolate when the Roman army would lay a six year siege on Jerusalem.

Luke 21:8 (KJB)
And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.

Luke 21, like the Book of Revelation, is not a chronological chapter and instead of Jesus answering the questions in a chronological order, He answers them in a topical method. The word “take heed” in the Greek in both verses carries with it the meaning of “watch out.” The disciples are to be on the lookout and must be very discerning. They had wanted a time when Jesus was going to restore the Kingdom of Israel. (Acts 1:6-7 KJV) When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? {7} And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. For Jesus the important thing is for the disciples to remain faithful because of upcoming events. The dates when things will be restored are in God’s hands and we leave them there. Our responsibility is to remain faithful till the Lord returns.

Jesus knows that as the day approaches and Luke records that as “…and the time draweth near…” Any time there is an impending event with possible cataclysmic results, there are always going to be people with a messianic complex who believe they are Christ and that they have the power to lead the people out of harm’s way. As the time approaches 70 A.D for the destruction of Jerusalem, there will be those who will claim to be Christ returned and will deceive the very naïve as they do today. Some may even come proclaiming that Jesus is Christ and that they are His prophets sent to lead the people. This happened many times in the first century in Israel. The Bible lists Theudas and Judas of Galilee. According to Origen, Dositheus the Samaritan had pretended to be the Christ attaching Deuteronomy 18:15 to himself. (Deu 18:15 KJV) The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; These kind of people always crop up when there seems to be trouble on the horizon.

Luke 21:9 (KJB)
But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.

Not only will there be those pretending to be the Messiah, but there is going to be wars and commotions. The word in the Greek for “commotions” may also be understood as “rebellion, insurrection, disorder, or unrest.” One could even describe the time we live in with the word “commotions.” These are not signs of the end because wars have always been around. The disciples are not to be troubled when the war drums sound or if they hear a rumor that some type of war is coming. Luke adds to the scenario with the words “but the end is not by and by” which means the end is not immediate. I remember when the Gulf war of 1990 happened, everyone was looking for the return of Christ. Every time Israel gets into a war, the prophecy pundits sell more books. War is not a sign of the end today as it was not a sign of the end in the time of the disciples. In fact the text even states that it is necessary for these things to happen. The great signs of the second coming are yet to happen and we will see what they are in a few verses.

Luke 21:10 (KJB)
Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:

Nation against Nation - The word “nation” in the Greek is “ethnos” which may also be understood as “a race of people, ethnicity.” The Jewish revolt against Rome began in 66 A.D. leading to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Then there was the Jewish-Syrian war in 60 A.D. which was over who had rights to the city and about 20,000 Jews were slain.

Kingdom against Kingdom - In A.D. 69, after the death of Nero, there were four who claimed the title of Emperor and as a result, the kingdom of Rome was fighting against itself as each of these four men Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian had vied for the throne of Rome. Vespasian had won in July of 69 A.D.

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