A Year in Luke/ActsНамуна

If Jesus is referring to events that have already happened does this mean that we do not need to worry about or take seriously what he is saying? Absolutely not. We can see from history that the awful events he is describing are similar to many of the horrors that have occurred around the world. When we heed the spirit of the warnings Jesus gives, we can live faithfully as his followers today in the cultural and political unrest in our times.

Jesus says at the end of his speech to be “alert at all times.” Some Christians want to interpret the events of this chapter as still yet to happen because they believe it causes us to take this chapter more seriously if the events are still ahead of us, rather than confining them to history. This is understandable, but if we are prepared to understand both the historical context and see the patterns repeated in history, we can learn from the past and attempt to live faithfully in the present, knowing that Jesus will return in the future to make all things right.