It Will Lead to Your giving testimony

1. It Will Lead to Your giving testimony Luke 21: 5-19

2. While some people were speaking abouthow the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,Jesus said, "All that you see here--the days will come when there will not be lefta stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down."Then they asked him,"Teacher, when will this happen?And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?" He answered,"See that you not be deceived,for many will come in my name, saying,'I am he,’ and 'The time has come.’Do not follow them! When you hear of wars and insurrections,do not be terrified; for such things must happen first,but it will not immediately be the end." Then he said to them,"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plaguesfrom place to place;and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky."Before all this happens, however,they will seize and persecute you,they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons,and they will have you led before kings and governorsbecause of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand,for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speakingthat all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends,and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name,but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.By your perseverance you will secure your lives."

3. Synoptic Comparison LUKE 21.5 And as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, "As for these things which you see, the days will come when there shall not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." And they asked him, "Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign when this is about to take place?“ And he said, "Take heed 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. And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified; for this must first take place, but the end will not be at once." 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. MARK 13.1 And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!" And Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another, that will not be thrown down." And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, "Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign when these things are all to be accomplished?" And Jesus began to say to them, "Take heed that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he!' and they will lead many astray. And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is not yet.

4. Order of Events "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.” "All that you see here--the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down." "Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governorsbecause of my name.” Destruction of Jerusalem Destruction of the World Persecution of Church

5. Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 AD Triumphal Arch of Titus in Rome to this day shows the spoils of war being carried off

7. Order of Events "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.” "All that you see here--the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down." "Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governorsbecause of my name.” Destruction of Jerusalem Destruction of the World Persecution of Church

8. The Emperor Nero, 67-70 A.D. But neither human help, nor imperial munificence, nor all the modes of placating Heaven, could stifle scandal or dispel the belief that the fire had taken place by order. Therefore, to scotch the rumor, Nero substituted as culprits, and punished with the utmost refinements of cruelty, a class of men, loathed for their vices, whom the crowd styled Christians. Christus, the founder of the name, had undergone the death penalty in the reign of Tiberius, by sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilatus, and the pernicious superstition was checked for a moment, only to break out once more, not merely in Judaea, the home of the disease, but in the capital itself, where all things horrible or shameful in the world collect and find a vogue. First, then, the confessed members of the sect were arrested; next, on their disclosures, vast numbers were convicted, not so much on the count of arson as for hatred of the human race. And derision accompanied their end: they were covered with wild beasts' skins and torn to death by dogs; or they were fastened on crosses, and, when daylight failed were burned to serve as lamps by night. Nero had offered his Gardens for the spectacle, and gave an exhibition in his Circus, mixing with the crowd in the habit of a charioteer, or mounted on his car. Hence, in spite of a guilt which had earned the most exemplary punishment, there arose a sentiment of pity, due to the impression that they were being sacrificed not for the welfare of the state but to the ferocity of a single man. - Tacitus (c. 55 -117 CE):

9. Persecutions of Early Christians • Persecution under Nero (c. 64-68). Traditional martyrdoms of Peter and Paul. • Persecution under Domitian (r. 81-96). • Persecution under Trajan (112-117). Christianity is outlawed but Christians are not sought out. • Persecution under Marcus Aurelius (r. 161-180). Martyrdom of Polycarp. • Persecution under Septimus Severus (202-210). Martyrdom of Perpetua. • Persecution under Decius (250-251). Christians are actively sought out by requiring public sacrifice. Could buy certificates (libelli) instead of sacrificing. Martyrdoms of bishops of Rome, Jerusalem and Antioch. • Persecution under Valerian (257-59). Martyrdoms of Cyprian of Carthage and Sixtus II of Rome. • Persecution under Maximinus the Thracian (235-38). • Persecution under Aurelian (r. 270–275). • Severe persecution under Diocletian and Galerius (303-324).

11. Persecution “It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.” “You will be handed over…not a hair on your head will be destroyed.” “By your perseverance you will secure your lives."

12. Order of Events "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.” "All that you see here--the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down." "Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governorsbecause of my name.” Destruction of Jerusalem Destruction of the World Persecution of Church

13. End of the World

14. ---Chris Yaw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1mgPLOEoKA