These things have begun to take place

Matthew recites the question "and of the end of the world." That is how the KJV translates. Other versions translate as eon, which offers greater range of meaning, but end of the world is correct and does not disagree with the meaning of eon.
Jesus said, " This generation will not pass away till all these things come to pass."
There he was saying, in effect, "The world will not end untill all these signs are fulfilled.

And not all signs have been fulfilled yet, except for the dry rivers (2020s - 2040) and strange cryptocurrency (late 2010s-now) stuff that some people use nowadays. I stay away from that.

Yes, agreed. There have always been times of drought and currency changes over time.

Yep, but the droughts are getting worse, and Bitcoin or similar digital currency could potentially be used in a new system for bad purposes.

I can't prove if droughts are getting worse. Here in Colorado there have been droughts, but now the mountains are filled with plenty of snow and all the rivers are normal. Also, we know to avoid the mark of the beast.

Colorado is just 0.2% of the world's land area, and 2022-2023 is just one year, so it is impossible to extrapolate to the whole planet. And I know how to avoid the mark as well.

Well said.

Yep. We would need many years of records, ice core samples and tree rings to determine if the modern era has more droughts compared to before Jesus' time. Thankfully, we have that information on hand.

The differences between Luke, Matthew and Mark are very interesting and suggest (strongly suggest) that Luke is referencing the Pre trib saints, Mark is talking about those taken during the tribulation and Matthew refers to Israel being saved as a nation at the end of the 70th week. This would also explain why they talk about three different colored robes

Matthew 27:28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe

Mark 15:17 And they clothe him with purple, and platting a crown of thorns, they put it on him;

Luke 23:11 And Herod with his soldiers set him at nought, and mocked him, and arraying him in gorgeous apparel sent him back to Pilate.

The word gorgeous means brilliant, shining, we would probably translate this "glistening" or "sparkling".
Interestingly in China a bride will change into three different dresses during a wedding feast.

Matthew 24:3 And as he sat on the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

Mark 13:4 4 Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when these things are all about to be accomplished?

Luke 21:7 And they asked him, saying, Teacher, when therefore shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when these things are about to come to pass?

It is clear that only Matthew asks about the end of the world.

The most important lesson

Luke 21:34 But take heed to yourselves, lest haply your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day come on you suddenly as a snare: 35 for so shall it come upon all them that dwell on the face of all the earth. 36 But watch ye at every season, making supplication, that ye may prevail to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

Isn't it something how many people will ignore the most important lesson in Luke 21. The entire chapter has bookends, a portion at the start of the chapter and this concluding remark (and there is also a post script to this chapter which we'll get to in a coming post). We skipped the opening verses of this chapter so let's look at them now.

Luke 21:1 And he looked up, and saw the rich men that were casting their gifts into the treasury. 2 And he saw a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. 3 And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, This poor widow cast in more than they all: 4 for all these did of their superfluity cast in unto the gifts; but she of her want did cast in all the living that she had.

This woman is held up as an example to us all. She "cast in all the living that she had". This is what the Lord is looking for. There are a whole lot of people who are giving of their superfluity, their excess, their abundance, their overflow, what they have "left over". It indicates that the primary concern is their needs and wants, and if they have anything extra, that they toss in.

That is how this chapter begins and it concludes with a warning about not letting your heart be "overcharged". It means to be weighed down. This word is unique to the gospel of Luke and is not used elsewhere in the New Testament. It means to be burdened. With what? With surfeiting. Once again, another word unique to Luke, used only here in the New Testament. This word refers to the sensation you get when you are drunk with wine, you get giddy, stumble around, foggy, slur speech and headache. The world, the internet, this high technology, AI, Satanic rituals, all of the various things we are seeing today can snare you, can befuddle you, can cause a person to be weighed down. Keep your life simple. Ask yourself, do you really need this thing or is it just going to be another headache? Will this help you to walk the narrow path and speak the word, or will it cause you to stumble and be unable to witness for the Lord?

If you are daily looking and praying that you may escape what is coming it indicates that you are not befuddled, you are not overcharged.

Consider something else, you see a guy who works out every day, he can handle a much greater weight in the weight room than the person who never works out. What will "overcharge" one will not overcharge someone who is working out constantly. What we see coming our way is certainly capable of pushing one person into depression and despair while another one is filled with praise and thanksgiving. If you are being pushed to depression and despair then you are overcharged. Dial down how much of the things of the earth you are seeing and turn up how much time you are spending in the word and prayer.

I don't trust modern scientist and their claims. They can not re-create models of how the weather was 2-3 thousand years ago. They can't even know if temperature measurements a hundred years ago were accurate. It is all very complicated and impossible to verify.

The Euphrates River is drying up as well as other rivers in the world. This is definitely an end time sign...

What is the significance of the Euphrates drying up? I know it's in Revelation; but with modern technology, why does the Euphrates have to dry up to clear the way for the kings of the east? Couldn't they just fly in, or use long-range missiles, or boats?

Who am I to question the oracles of the Living GOD?

Right.

Postscript

Luke 21:37 And every day he was teaching in the temple; and every night he went out, and lodged in the mount that is called Olivet. 38 And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, to hear him.

Luke 21 is the Olivet discourse according to Luke. It is strikingly different from Matthew and Mark.

Woman casts in her whole living --> Jesus warns of coming judgment--> Disciples ask for the signs of this coming event and Jesus describes what will happen to the apostles and then at the end of the age when the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled --> Jesus concludes with a warning about not being drunk on this world.

That is the chapter but then we get this postscript. It isn't in Mark, that gospel concludes with the warning to not be sleeping. It isn't in Matthew, chapter 24 leads right into 25, many stories saying what it would be like, but not this postscript.

This word is what we have seen for the last two thousand years, every day Jesus has been in the temple teaching and everyday people came early in the morning to hear him. By the time you get to the 70th week (the last seven years, commonly called the tribulation) it is no longer early in the morning, it is late, and summer is here. Also the temple is no longer referring to the first six churches in the book of revelation, but to Laodicea. Jesus is no longer in there, He is outside knocking on the door to see who will come out to Him.

So then, being in the word of God and being in the fellowship and meeting with one another is a critical component to this age. In addition to that you don't want to be befuddled by the world and you want to be one who gives all they have to the Lord.

So then in Luke 21 there is a critical turning point, we are in the word, in the temple right up until we see these things begin to take place. It is as though our heads are buried in the word but when we see these things begin to take place we are to look up.

What are these things? Wars, the rumors of war, the earthquakes, famines, pestilences -- those things happen throughout the two thousand years, we aren't to become unbalanced when we see those.

But when you see Israel and "all the trees" sprouting in the middle east you know that summer is near. That could be when we see these things begin to take place.

But for the apostles the "fire alarm" is seeing Jerusalem compassed about with an army. That was in 70 AD, but patter is prophecy. The Lord is clearly overlaying these two, they are like matching bookends to the age of grace. So then the mirror image of this is when we see the US surrounded by armies. The US is the "Christian" nation, we made a contract with the Lord 400 years ago just like the Jews who went to Egypt because of a famine. The pilgrims came to the US and became slaves of this Babylonian system.

Right now we have Russian submarines parked off the East and West Coast of the US. We have a Destroyer parked off of Bermuda with supersonic nuclear missiles. We have Iranian warships off the coast of Brazil. We have Chinese ships off the coast of Mexico. And we have missiles aimed at us from over the North Pole from Russia and also from North Korea. We are surrounded by armies. Meanwhile Russia claims to have the documents proving we were working on biological weapons to release on the world, and BRICS is making a full assault on the US dollar. Meanwhile we have had 12 million illegals enter our country the last two years and some are thought to be a militia designed to sabotage key infrastructure.

The sign of the Son of man begins...

Compare Luke 21 with Mark 13

Mark 13:1 And as he went forth out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Teacher, behold, what manner of stones and what manner of buildings! 2 And Jesus said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left here one stone upon another, which shall not be thrown down.

When the 70th week begins it is the end of the "times of the Gentiles". You will have the rapture of the saints who are ready and you will have the judgement on the apostate church. Hence, the believers will be "going out of the temple" at the start of the 70th week.

This is quite different from Luke. Jesus is in the temple beholding the poor widow and the rich men casting into the treasury and He hears others speaking of the temple and He gives them this prophecy that it will be judged and destroyed.

3 And as he sat on the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately,

In Luke "they" ask Him, in Mark we are told the names of the four and that "they ask Him privately". This morning I learn that they want to censor any discussion online of the current bank failure (SVB, Signature Bank, and Silvergate have all gone bankrupt in the last seven days). Two weeks ago there was plenty of discussion of an imminent collapse of the dollar and bank runs, but now it is not allowed. Luke is like the discussion two weeks ago while Mark is the discussion today.

Now look at who asks, these are the four leading apostles. (cf Mark 3:16-18). Suppose you were a leader in the Christian church, a genuine believer, someone who knows the word of God, and yet the rapture takes place and you are left behind. The boldness will be gone, now you will also be going to the Lord privately. This also reminds me of the verse, the first shall be last and the last first. In Luke they don't have a name, in Mark they do.

4 Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when these things are all about to be accomplished?

This word accomplished is often translated "end" or "end together" or "be fulfilled" or "completed". This is different from Luke which is asking "to become" or "to come into existence". In Luke they are asking when these things will happen and in Mark they are asking when will these things be over.

Compare Luke 21 with Mark 13 (v.5-13)

Mark 13:5 And Jesus began to say unto them, Take heed that no man lead you astray. 6 Many shall come in my name, saying, I am he; and shall lead many astray.

Luke 21:8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not led astray: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am he; and, The time is at hand: go ye not after them.

Look at the difference, before the rapture they are saying "the time is at hand", after the rapture they are saying "I am he", ie the AntiChrist.

Mark 13:7 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars, be not troubled: these things must needs come to pass; but the end is not yet. 8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there shall be earthquakes in divers places; there shall be famines: these things are the beginning of travail.

Luke 21:9 And when ye shall hear of wars and tumults, be not terrified: for these things must needs come to pass first; but the end is not immediately. 10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; 11 and there shall be great earthquakes, and in divers places famines and pestilences; and there shall be terrors and great signs from heaven.

Compare these two sections, only Mark says these things are the beginning of travail. Comparing the 70th week to the woman going into labor while prior to the 70th week the woman had birth pains but hadn't gone into labor yet. The rapture is likened to the woman's water breaking. Pre labor rupture = rapture.


Mark 13:9 But take ye heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in synagogues shall ye be beaten; and before governors and kings shall ye stand for my sake, for a testimony unto them.

Luke 21:12 But before all these things, they shall lay their hands on you, and shall persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, [b]bringing you before kings and governors for my name’s sake. 13 It shall turn out unto you for a testimony.

Look at the difference here. The apostles gave their lives as a testimony for the entire age of grace. It wasn't specifically for the Roman rulers, it was for all believers as a testimony of the truth of their ministry. However, in Mark the martyrdom during the tribulation is specifically for a testimony to those who are doing that. It is a testimony that they will soon be judged by God.


Mark 13:10 And the gospel must first be preached unto all the nations. 11 And when they lead you to judgment, and deliver you up, be not anxious beforehand what ye shall speak: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye; for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Spirit.

Luke 21:14 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate beforehand how to answer: 15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to withstand or to gainsay.

Wow! Look what is missing! Mark says the gospel must be first preached unto all the nations, Luke doesn't! Prior to the rapture it is not essential that the gospel be preached to all the nations. Yes, we have gone out into the world to preach, and yes we have gone to the uttermost part of the world. But during the tribulation every single person will have to choose between the mark of the beast or standing for Jesus. This is when it is essential that the gospel must be preached unto all the nations. Every nation will be enforcing this decree and so every nation must see those who take a stand for the Lord, preaching the gospel.

Mark 13:12 And brother shall deliver up brother to death, and the father his child; and children shall rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death. 13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.

Luke 21:16 But ye shall be delivered up even by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolk, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. 17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake. 18 And not a hair of your head shall perish. 19 In your patience ye shall win your souls.

Again some interesting differences. Mark makes it very clear your own children will be brainwashed into turning against their parents, that is not stated directly in Luke. In Luke only "some of you" will be put to death, but in Mark you need to endure to the end to be saved, do not recant.