Living in the Last Days - Luke 21

Pastor Dan Walker, PhD, MDiv

Introduction: Understanding the Urgency of the Last Days

Today, we’re going to talk about Living in the Last Days. What are the last days? The last days are the final days of life on planet earth as we know it. Scientists estimate that our sun will last 5 billion more years, and then life on earth will end.

So many people think that all will go on as history past has for millions more years. They believe the future will simply mirror the past without interruption. Scripture, however, challenges that assumption and calls us to pay attention to what God has revealed.

2 Peter 3:3-4 (ESV) … scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”

These verses tell us that scoffers, unbelievers, will scoff at our world ending with Jesus’ return. They believe that the world is going to go on and on for millions if not billions of years. Yet, that’s not what the Bible teaches.

There is a day coming, the Day of the Lord, in which history as we know it will come to an end. Scripture consistently points us to this reality and urges us to live with awareness and readiness. The future is not uncertain to God, even if it is to us.

2 Peter 3:10 (ESV) But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

This verse, as well as many others, speaks of a coming day, the Day of the Lord, a Day of Judgment. This day will catch everyone unawares and will not follow human timelines or expectations. It will bring a day of destruction not only for the earth, but for the entire universe.

When the Last Days Began and What That Means

When will these last days begin? The Bible teaches us that we are living in the last days of planet earth. The last days began with the ascension of Jesus and will come to an end on the Day of the Lord, when Jesus returns.

Acts 2:17 (ESV) “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;”

These verses from the prophet Joel were quoted by the apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost. Peter was using this quotation to explain how God had begun pouring out the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. This outpouring of the Spirit was prophesied to begin in the last days.

The outpouring of the Spirit on everyone who seeks God will continue until Jesus returns in the Day of the Lord. I believe that we are close to the end of the last days. Without a doubt, we are a generation that is closer to the return of Christ than any generation that has ever lived.

Are we going to live on this planet for millions or billions of years before Jesus returns? I don’t think so. We need to get ready for Jesus to return. Today, we’re going to look at Jesus’ teaching on the last days so that we learn how to be prepared to live faithfully in them.

Giving in the Last Days

Luke 21:1-2 (ESV) Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins.

Believers in the Old and New Testament are instructed to tithe to their house of worship ten percent of their income. Jesus Himself affirmed that tithing was a way of blessing for the giver. In the temple where Jesus was, there were thirteen trumpet-shaped boxes for people to put their tithes and offerings in.

Jesus observed the rich putting in their money bags. Then He saw a poor widow who put in a very small amount, just two small copper coins. There was a vast difference between the amounts that the rich and the widow gave, raising an important spiritual question.

Who would receive the greater blessing, the rich or the widow? Jesus answered that question directly and overturned human assumptions about generosity and value.

Luke 21:3-4 (ESV) And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put

all she had to live on.”

Jesus said that in God’s eyes, the poor widow had put in more than not just one rich person, but all of them. The rich had a lot, so they gave a lot of their abundance. Jesus did not criticize the rich for tithing, but He was going to give us a lesson in the blessing that comes through sacrificial giving.

The poor widow who gave the two small copper coins had given out of her poverty. She gave all she had to live on, trusting God to take care of her future. This kind of giving reveals faith that rests not in money, but in God’s provision.

Do you think the widow starved after giving all she had? Surely not. God promises to bless those who faithfully give their tithes and offerings, even when it doesn’t seem as if the bills will get paid.

Trusting God With Our Resources

Giving in the Bible is spoken of as tithes and offerings. Tithes are giving ten percent of your income to the local church. Offerings are giving above your tithe to worthy causes that advance God’s work.

Today we’re going to be talking later about giving offerings to support missions around the world. Why do so many people struggle with giving their tithes and offerings? It has to do with looking at finances through natural eyes instead of eyes of faith that trust God’s Word.

Many people today live paycheck to paycheck. Their expenses equal their income, or in some cases their expenses are greater, leading to debt. They reason that if they give their tithes and offerings to God, it will only make things worse financially.

They often pray that God would bless them so that they could tithe sometime in the future. In our story, Jesus said that the poor widow who tithed even when the numbers didn’t line up was the one who was truly blessed. God’s Word teaches in Malachi that those who don’t tithe end up with less than those who do.

How is that possible? God works financial miracles for those who tithe. He reduces expenses, increases income, and meets all your needs with some left over.

If your faith isn’t strong enough for ten percent, start with five percent and watch God bring blessing. By following God’s plan for giving in the last days, you will bless others and be blessed yourself.

Judgment in the Last Days

Luke 21:5-6 (ESV) And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

The temple that Jesus was in had been built by Herod and was magnificent. The Jewish people were very proud of it and assumed it would remain for centuries. Jesus shocked them by prophesying that it would one day be completely demolished.

Luke 21:7-8 (ESV) And they asked him, “Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” And he said, “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them.

Jesus began explaining what would happen before the destruction of the temple. He warned that false prophets would come claiming to be the Messiah. His instruction was clear that believers must not follow those voices.

Luke 21:9 (ESV) And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.”

Wars and disturbances would occur across the world. Believers are not to be afraid or terrified by these events. They are part of living in a fallen world and do not mean the end has immediately arrived.

The destruction of the temple would be an act of judgment on Israel for rejecting Jesus as Messiah. This judgment occurred in AD 70 when the Roman army destroyed Jerusalem. Yet this event also points forward to greater judgment still to come.

Standing Firm Amid God’s Plan

Jesus’ prophetic teaching contains two overlapping themes. One is the judgment on Israel that occurred forty years later. The other is the last days in which we are now living, leading up to the final judgment when Jesus returns.

How does this apply to us today? We are not to listen to false prophets whose messages are not biblical. We are also not to be afraid or terrified by the violence and sin increasing in our world.

Two things are happening at the same time in the last days. The church is becoming more glorious and powerful, doing the works of Jesus by healing the sick, casting out demons, and preaching the Gospel worldwide. At the same time, unbelievers are becoming more wicked and evil.

In the last days there is a maturing of the righteous and an increase in wickedness. Our focus is to follow Jesus with confidence and faith, regardless of what is happening around us.

Witnessing in the Last Days

Luke 21:10-11 (ESV) Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.”

These events take place in the last days. Wars, earthquakes, famines, and disease will increase as Jesus’ return draws closer. Jesus compared these signs to birth pains that intensify before new life comes.

Luke 21:12-13 (ESV) But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness.

Believers will face persecution in the last days, just as the early church did in the book of Acts. Most of the apostles were martyred for their faith. Jesus tells us that persecution becomes an opportunity to witness for Him.

Luke 21:14-15 (ESV) Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.

Jesus promises supernatural wisdom and words for those who are called to testify under pressure. We are not left alone to defend ourselves. God Himself empowers our witness.

Luke 21:16-17 (ESV) You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name’s sake.

In the last days, families will be divided because some believe and others do not. Hatred toward believers may even lead to death. This hatred is ultimately rooted in Satan’s opposition to Christ.

Luke 21:18-19 (ESV) But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives.

Though some believers will be martyred, their eternal lives are secure. Endurance means remaining faithful in the face of opposition. Those who keep believing will gain eternal life.

Joining God’s Mission Until the End

Jesus taught that the Gospel must be preached to the entire world before the end comes. Today there are 8.1 billion people on earth, and 3.4 billion have never heard the Gospel. These people represent 7,400 unreached people groups.

Our mission includes reaching the three million people in the St. Louis metro area. We must grow in serving and witnessing locally. At the same time, we support missionaries who reach the rest of the unreached world.

Many missionaries serve undercover in restricted nations. The goal of the Assemblies of God and other missions organizations is to reach every unreached people group by 2030. This marks the two-thousand-year anniversary of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

As the world’s population grows, supporting and sending missionaries becomes increasingly urgent. May God help each of us grow as witnesses in the last days.

Conclusion: Living Faithfully Until Jesus Returns

We are privileged to be living in what I believe is the last part of the last days. God calls us to give generously to reach the lost locally and globally. He also calls us to live without fear as judgments increase around us.

Jesus has chosen each one of us to live in this moment of history. We are called to be His witnesses until He returns. Let us make the most of these days for the kingdom of God.

📘 Continue the Journey

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