5 As some were talking about the temple and how it was decorated with beautiful stones and gifts, Jesus said, 6 “As for these things which you see, the days will come, in which there will not be left here one stone on another that will not be thrown down.”

7 They asked him, “Teacher, so when will these things be? What is the sign that these things are about to happen?”

8 He said, “Watch out that you don’t get led astray, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is at hand.’ Therefore don’t follow them. 9 When you hear of wars and disturbances, don’t be terrified, for these things must happen first, but the end won’t come immediately.”

10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, famines, and plagues in various places. There will be terrors and great signs from heaven.”

Luke 21:5-11 - World English Bible

In Luke 21, Jesus began his discourse on the end times. His disciples awed at the Temple's size (stones) and decorations (votive gifts from the rich). While the building itself only required 18 months to renovate under Herod's patronage, his urban renewal of the Mount lasted 41 years, well beyond the life of the king and of Jesus. The effort, as well as the holy site itself, impressed his followers.

Jesus prophesied most of the edifice would be destroyed and his disciples took this as a sign of the end. He immediately shifted the discussion away from a particular event to the rise of false Messiahs, international conflicts and upheavals of nature on a cosmic scale. Notice how the tension built as peace broke down and transcended the terrestrial realm.

Throughout the week, we will continue with Luke 21 as we investigate Jesus' comments on Tribulation and the Second Coming.

How do you anticipate the end times?