When Will This Happen?

Before you start todays devotional, ask the Lord to use it to grow you up in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Near the end of His earthly ministry in an important afternoon with His disciples, Jesus sat on a hill overlooking Jerusalem and talked about things to come. At the time, much of what He said was prophecy; now it’s history.

From the Mount of Olives, Jesus and the disciples looked across the Kidron Valley at the magnificent Temple Mount. “Someday soon, its magnificence will be gone,” Jesus said.

“When will this happen?” The disciples asked. “What will be the signs?”

History tells us Titus the Roman besieged Jerusalem in 70 a.d. and destroyed the entire city—not leaving one stone on top of another. When Jesus described the scene 40 years in the future, He drew a miniature picture of what will happen in prophecy’s last days, leading up to the end.

There will be false Christs, He said. Wars will intensify. Earthquakes, famines, diseases, and signs from heaven will be common. Specifically, the nation Israel will suffer intense persecution, greater than any other time in history.

Are we in the last days now?

Yes, things are bad today. Political crises and social distress cause huge concern, but times will increasingly get worse. All we know for sure is that our salvation and redemption is nearer now than when we first believed. Jesus is coming back—you can know this for sure.

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (21:33). “Be aware,” He said, “don’t let down your guard today, and don’t give up.” These are great days to live for God! He has not called you to change the world—that’s His business. He has asked you to live for Him, and to get His Word out.

When Jesus taught this on the Mount of Olives, Scripture says people got up at dawn to go listen to Him. But not everyone received Jesus’ word. Some who sat and listened to Jesus plotted His death. Even among Jesus’ own disciples, Judas didn’t believe Jesus’ claim to be Messiah, and the enemy of our souls used that against him.

One day when the religious rulers wondered how to take Jesus, Judas comes along and offers to betray Him. Judas had a plan, but Jesus forced his hand. As they ate the Passover together, Jesus told Judas, “What you’re planning to do, do quickly.”

On the dying embers of the fading feast of Passover, the Lord Jesus Christ fanned into flame the new feast of the Lord’s Supper. For centuries, the Passover feast had looked forward to the Lord’s coming and His death. Now in the shadow of the Cross, this Passover feast has been fulfilled. When we gather about the Lord’s Table today, we look back to what He did for us on the cross, and we look forward to His coming again. (See 1 Corinthians 11:26.)

The disciples around the table didn’t fully grasp all that Jesus told them that night, but they would after His resurrection.

As the Last Supper ends, Jesus gives Peter a special message. He tells him that He has prayed for him, that Satan wanted to destroy him but Jesus prayed for his faith to be strong and then, with that stronger faith, that he would strengthen other followers.

Did you know the Lord prays for you today? He knows when you are moving toward the place of failure and stumbling. If you belong to Him, He prays that your faith won’t fail. You may fail Him, but if you belong to Him, your faith will not fail—because He has prayed for you. The Lord doesn’t pray for the world. He died for the world, but He prays for His own that they will be kept while they are in the world.

The Lord Jesus Christ prays for you today. You may not pray for yourself, but He has prayed for you. What a beautiful picture of His love!

1. Jesus’ teaching on the last days could stir up a lot of anxiety, but it could also generate a lot of hope. How can we increase our hope by looking at these passages rather than our anxiety?

2. Every detail of the Passover feast was designed by God to testify about Jesus. What can this attention to detail teach us about God?

3. Do we in the church today value serving others like Jesus did? Why or why not?

Additional Resources

Listen to Dr. J. Vernon McGee’s complete teachings on Luke 21, Luke 22:1-34 and Luke 22:35-62.