Luke 21:10-38

10Then he said to them: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven. 12"But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13This will result in your being witnesses to them. 14But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. 16You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17All men will hate you because of me. 18But not a hair of your head will perish. 19By standing firm you will gain life. 20"When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. 21Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. 22For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. 23How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. 24They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. 25"There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 27At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." 29He told them this parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees. 30When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. 31Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32"I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 33Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 34"Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. 35For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man." 37Each day Jesus was teaching at the temple, and each evening he went out to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives, 38and all the people came early in the morning to hear him at the temple.

Devotional (by Isaac Pellerin):
It can be tempting to read this passage and immediately assume that Jesus is talking about some dark time in the future that has not yet arrived and that it is our job to decipher current events to figure out if he is coming today or tomorrow. While there may, indeed, be some merit to these speculations; the people Jesus was talking to faced many of the things he talked about in their lifetime.
Luke was written around the year 60 A.D. and in 70 A.D. the Roman Empire destroyed the Temple and many Jews had to flee for the mountains for safety.
I believe that Luke is reminding the readers at that time, that in the face of adversity, the kingdom of God is present. It‘s a reassurance that when things in life get as dark as they can get, that‘s when we can clearly see where light truly comes from.
I love verse 34 where we are challenged to guard our hearts against becoming weighed down with anxiety. For the kingdom of God brings hope, and that is what we seek when all is well and when all seems lost.

Prayer:
God I pray that you would be present in my life. That your kingdom principles would overtake me and allow me to see Your hand within life‘s circumstances. In Jesus name. Amen.