A sermon preached at Covenant Presbyterian Church of Fort Smith, Arkansas on October 18, 2026.
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.” 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. 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” (Luke 21:5–9).[1]
It was in the outer courts of the temple that Jesus watched the rich putting their gifts in the offering box, and it was into that same box that Jesus saw a poor widow drop her two small copper coins. Drawing this contrast to his disciples’ attention, Jesus said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them” (21:3). But mathematically, she hadn’t. Her two lepta were not magically changed into a denarius. But Jesus wasn’t calculating the sum of her gift but looking at what her sacrificial gift said of her heart. By divine summation, she had given more.
The Lord does not see as we see; while we may look at outward appearances, the Lord looks on the heart (1 Sam. 16:7). God values things differently that we often do, from the inside out. And this should give us pause, to question ourselves: Are we valuing things according to the world’s standard or God’s?
For example, consider the admirers of the temple in our passage today: “some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings” (21:5). And it was indeed admirable, considered by some scholars to exceed most of the seven wonders of the world in beauty and size.[2] Drastically renovated and enlarged by Herod the Great, both the temple and the temple mount were a spectacular display of architecture grandeur. Those “noble stones” were enormous blocks of hand-cut marble, and those “offerings” were exquisite accoutrements, such as elegant tapestries and golden ornaments. All of which established the temple not only as a place of worship but of beauty.
One might assume that such a magisterial structure would last forever. But Jesus says it won’t: “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” (21:6). Consider the weight of this prophecy in the ears of those who first heard it. It would have been unimaginable, even offensive. In fact, this prophecy would later be reinterpreted as a terroristic threat by Jesus’ enemies. But he who is the first and the last knows everything in between, even the destruction of such a sacred structure. Every stone would tumble to the ground, just as Jesus said it would, serving as a reminder then and now that earthly glory does not last.
Earthly Glory Does Not Last (21:5-7)
In response to a Jewish tumult against the Roman government in AD 66, General Titus, who would later become emperor, attacked Jerusalem in April of AD 70. His intent was to squelch the Jewish rebellion by decimating Israel’s capital city. And he did, in a siege lasting four months, during which Jerusalem was devastated and most of its population massacred. And the temple, upon its picturesque pinnacle was toppled to the ground, just as Jesus said it would be.
Considering the temple’s destruction in retrospect, we may see more clearly the theological implications. After Christ’s death and resurrection, there remained no need for a place of sacrificial worship, because Christ offered up himself as the final and complete sacrifice (Heb. 10:10,12). And there remained no need for a central place of worship for God’s covenant people, because he is now worshiped in spirit and truth (John 4:24). We may also see the destruction of the temple as God’s judgment upon Israel’s rejection of their Messiah. And we could go on, but Jesus emphasizes none of this. He simply responds to the admiration of such a majestic building with the prophecy of its destruction.
But the context is helpful here. Jesus has just drawn attention to a poor widow’s sacrificial giving; he has just explained that her meagre gift was of great value. Now, in response to those admiring the grandeur of the temple, he tells of its destruction. Considering the two accounts side by side, we see that God puts far more value on the motive of the heart than on what we construct for his kingdom. Even our greatest accomplishments will not last forever.
And this calls for self-examination. What do you value most in this life? Perhaps it is your career or your wealth. Perhaps it is your legacy. Perhaps it is your church. As Mattie Ross, the heroine of True Grit, said, “They say I love nothing but money and the Presbyterian Church and that is why I never married. They think everybody is dying to get married. It is true that I love my church and my bank. What is wrong with that?”[3]
Now, there is nothing wrong with the desire to do something great, to build and maintain beautiful things, to produce something that will endure, or simply to admire the beautiful. The problem is when we transfer the glory due God to something other than God. To build a beautiful house of worship, for example, is not only noble but speaks of what we believe about God. But when the church building becomes the point of worship rather than the place of worship, we transfer what God deserves to an underserving thing, worthy of destruction.
Just as our Lord looked to the widow’s heart and saw the wealth of her giving, so he looks to our heart to see what we value most. Let us then set our hearts on the things of God, things of permanent value, things that will outlast the fading glory of today. Let what we value be not superficial but focused on the glory of God and the good of our neighbor. And let us be investors in the gospel, which yields the treasure of heaven and rejoices in the glory of Christ.
Not Every Claim Made in Christ’s Name Is True (21:7-8)
In response to his prophecy, Jesus is asked, “Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” (21:7). I find it interesting that they ask not why but when. Regardless, Jesus doesn’t answer their question but instead issues a warning: “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” (21:8). Jesus does not acquiesce to their desire to know the future. But he is concerned with their discernment, that they not be deceived. And the implication of his warning is quite sobering: Temptations will come through “many” that may lead some astray. It’s a warning to them all before the temple’s destruction, but it’s a warning to you and me too. In these last days, then and now, there will be messianic imposters trying to lead the faithful astray.
But Jesus does not leave us without certain identifying characteristics of these charlatans. Jesus says, first, they will come in his name. They will be self-proclaimers claiming messianic authority. Beware of the one who speaks as if he were Christ, or as if he has the same authority of Christ, because there is only one Christ, and when he returns there will be no question about it. All of creation will be at attention in that moment.
To this first characteristic, Jesus adds a second: They will fixate on the timing of Christ’s return, as it is “at hand.” They set dates, typically in their lifetime, and revise dates, and add more dates, to string their followers along, as if they have the code to know. But really they’re just fools wallowing in their folly, sadly leading to a fixation on seeing the events of our day not through the lens of Christ’s kingdom and the advancement of the gospel but on the presumption that we have reached the end of world.
Let us then be on guard, knowing that he who speaks of Christ must direct all glory to Christ. Let the apostle Paul’s preaching serve as a guide of what we should hear from those who proclaim Christ. Paul confessed,
And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God (2 Cor. 2:1-5).
Let our discerning ears listen for “Jesus Christ and him crucified.”
Likewise, let us be on guard against prognostications. Just as the destruction of the temple could not have been predicted, such is the case with the rest of the great events of history, including our Lord’s imminent return. Jesus was quite clear: Neither you nor I or anyone else knows the day or the hour or the month or the year or the century or the millennium of our Lord’s return (Matt. 25:13). And thank God we don’t, because “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever” (Deut. 29:29). Let us not be gullible but get on with faithfully living the ordinary Christian life.
Because, at the heart of Jesus’ warning and call for discernment is the necessity of keeping the gospel central. Anyone who does not direct all glory to Christ, anyone who distracts from the mission of Christ, anyone who does not keep the gospel of Christ central is not a servant of Christ. We fight gullibility with the gospel: The truth that we are sinners in need of a Savior; the truth that we are saved from our sin and condemnation only through faith in Christ; the truth that we are reconciled to God in Christ alone and grow in godliness through his indwelling presence. The truth that glory awaits us for Christ’s sake, and all in God’s good timing. Christian, keep the gospel at the forefront of what you think, say, and do, and you will not be led astray.
Trouble Does Not Mean the End Has Come (21:9)
To his warning, Jesus then adds this encouragement: “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” (21:9). “Do not be terrified,” he says to those who have just learned of the temple’s imminent destruction. “Do not be terrified,” he says to you and me, who live at a time when peace seems like a pipe dream. Such words of comfort come not merely from a well-wisher but the One, who “from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass.”[4] Our Lord not only knows the future, he ordained it: “for these things must take place.” “That is a divine ‘must’,” Ralph Davis explains, “it refers to what God has sovereignly ordained. . . . That ‘must’ tells us that what may look like cosmic pandemonium is yet in the grip of an ordering will.”[5] Don’t be troubled by all the commotion; it’s not the end of the world. And if God wanted us to know the time of the end of the world, he would have told us. Instead, he tells us not to fear.
Do you worry about the future? Do you hear of “wars and tumults” and wonder if this is the end of the world? Do you worry about a financial collapse, a terroristic event, or a natural disaster? Now, let’s be honest: Can tragedy strike without a moment’s notice? Yes, it can. But the One who said, “do not be terrified,” is the same One who conquered both sin and death in his death and resurrection. He is the same One who ascended to the right hand of the Father and who rules and reigns sovereignly over the universe. And he is the One who has everything under control, including your eternal destiny. And he is the One who tells us not to be afraid.
The Christian combats fear with trust in God and sees the gospel as the world’s greatest need. When we see ourselves as the unworthy recipients of God’s grace and our neighbors as those in need of a Savior, we will not fear what is happening in the world around us. What we once perceived as problems become opportunities to love, to serve, and to share the gospel. We need not fear rejection or even retaliation, because the One who is sovereign over wars and tumults is also sovereign over the souls of men.
Though the destruction of the temple in AD 70 must have felt like the end of the world, it wasn’t. Will you be found building castles for your glory, or glorifying God with all he has given you? But the last day will come, and when it does, will you be found quaking in fear or trusting in the Lord? Will you be found duped by deceivers, or trusting firmly in the gospel of Jesus Christ? May we be found faithful in the end by the One who is faithful to the end. Amen.
[1] Unless referenced otherwise, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version
(Wheaton: Crossway Bibles, 2001).
[2] The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton: Crossway, 2008), 2002.
[3] Charles Portis, True Grit (New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1968).
[4] The Westminster Confession of Faith, 3.1, https://opc.org/wcf.html#Chapter_03.
[5] Dale Ralph Davis, Luke 14-24: On the Rod to Jerusalem (Fearn: Christian Focus Publications Ltd., 2021), 148.
