A Preview of Church History: Luke 21:10-12
“10) Then He continued by saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, 11) and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. “12) 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.” Luke 21:10-12
As Jesus continues His discourse, He added three more important signs that would proceed His coming. (Caution; your understanding is about to get stretched!)
First, He talked about nation against nation and kingdom against kingdom. He was describing something much bigger than a war.
He was talking about the rise and fall of nations and kingdoms. This included things like the fall of Rome. He was saying that major changes in the geopolitical make up of the world would come and go.
He was saying that many world powers would come and go before His return. It would happen numerous times before His return. This would span centuries as prophesied by Daniel.
And so it has happened! Many kingdoms have come and gone. The modern geopolitical map of the world is radically different from the days of the early church.
Then in verse 11, He talked about major natural disasters, plagues and famines and great signs in the heavens. These could include things like the black plague, the bubonic plague, and the Spanish flue. We are taking about world wide plagues and famines. Numerous major plagues have occurred over the centuries killing millions of people.
Then He talked about “great signs in the heavens.” These include things like comets, eclipses and changes in the astronomical clock. These are the things astronomers have watched for centuries. He was talking about a very long span of time.
Many who study prophecy try to force these events into the few years just before the Messiah returns. To the contrary, Jesus was telling His disciples that a few millenniums would come and go prior to His return. He was giving them a preview of church history.
The changes He talked about in these two verses unfold over long periods of time. He was talking about an almanac and not a stop watch. We are now looking back over a very long astronomical span of time.
I take a macro view of these verses. All of these things have happened over the past 2,000 years. These verses could be looked at as a long relay race. The early church started the race, but now the prophecy baton has been handed to us for the final leg of the race.
The third thing Jesus talked about in verse 12 was persecution. This could be looked as cycles of persecution against the true church. Over the past 2,000 years there have been many waves of intense persecution against born-again believers.
This almost corresponds with the history of Israel as recorded in the book of Judges and 1 and 2 Kings. There were waves of revival followed by decline and national apostasy. This led to numerous times of judgement from God.
When church history is studied through the lens of apostasy, revival and persecution, some make the case that the letters to the seven churches in the book of Revelations sets forth seven periods of time for the church over the past 2,000 years.
Persecution was common to every church in these seven letters. According to this theory, we are now living in the age of the church of the Laodiceans. This view says we are in the age of the last church.
I know this is a very different view of these three verses than some present, but it underlines the fact that we are right on schedule. History has unfolded over the past 2,000 years just as Jesus foretold in these three verses.
But here is the important observation, this view not only explains 2,000 years of church history looking back; it also places us right at the end of the church age. It stresses that we are the final leg of the prophetic relay race! Be ready, His return is at hand.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
“10) Then He continued by saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, 11) and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. “12) 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.” Luke 21:10-12
As Jesus continues His discourse, He added three more important signs that would proceed His coming. (Caution; your understanding is about to get stretched!)
First, He talked about nation against nation and kingdom against kingdom. He was describing something much bigger than a war.
He was talking about the rise and fall of nations and kingdoms. This included things like the fall of Rome. He was saying that major changes in the geopolitical make up of the world would come and go.
He was saying that many world powers would come and go before His return. It would happen numerous times before His return. This would span centuries as prophesied by Daniel.
And so it has happened! Many kingdoms have come and gone. The modern geopolitical map of the world is radically different from the days of the early church.
Then in verse 11, He talked about major natural disasters, plagues and famines and great signs in the heavens. These could include things like the black plague, the bubonic plague, and the Spanish flue. We are taking about world wide plagues and famines. Numerous major plagues have occurred over the centuries killing millions of people.
Then He talked about “great signs in the heavens.” These include things like comets, eclipses and changes in the astronomical clock. These are the things astronomers have watched for centuries. He was talking about a very long span of time.
Many who study prophecy try to force these events into the few years just before the Messiah returns. To the contrary, Jesus was telling His disciples that a few millenniums would come and go prior to His return. He was giving them a preview of church history.
The changes He talked about in these two verses unfold over long periods of time. He was talking about an almanac and not a stop watch. We are now looking back over a very long astronomical span of time.
I take a macro view of these verses. All of these things have happened over the past 2,000 years. These verses could be looked at as a long relay race. The early church started the race, but now the prophecy baton has been handed to us for the final leg of the race.
The third thing Jesus talked about in verse 12 was persecution. This could be looked as cycles of persecution against the true church. Over the past 2,000 years there have been many waves of intense persecution against born-again believers.
This almost corresponds with the history of Israel as recorded in the book of Judges and 1 and 2 Kings. There were waves of revival followed by decline and national apostasy. This led to numerous times of judgement from God.
When church history is studied through the lens of apostasy, revival and persecution, some make the case that the letters to the seven churches in the book of Revelations sets forth seven periods of time for the church over the past 2,000 years.
Persecution was common to every church in these seven letters. According to this theory, we are now living in the age of the church of the Laodiceans. This view says we are in the age of the last church.
I know this is a very different view of these three verses than some present, but it underlines the fact that we are right on schedule. History has unfolded over the past 2,000 years just as Jesus foretold in these three verses.
But here is the important observation, this view not only explains 2,000 years of church history looking back; it also places us right at the end of the church age. It stresses that we are the final leg of the prophetic relay race! Be ready, His return is at hand.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
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