The Nugget:
Luk 21:31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.
My Comment:
To understand this Bible prophecy, it is necessary to compare Scripture with Scripture. Some interpreters have failed to carefully follow this procedure and so have failed to understand the prophecy Jesus gave. Below, I will share the appropriate cross references for your study. At this point in His ministry, Jesus taught that the Kingdom of God is now postponed. But Jesus did reveal the signs that would come right before He comes to establish the long promised and predicted Kingdom of God.
The Lesson:
SERIES TITLE: Getting Hooked on the Book
SUBJECT: New Treasury Introduction
SESSION THIRTEEN: Christ’s Earthly Ministry. The Kingdom Postponed.
LESSON OBJECTIVE: To see Christ’s clear declaration that the kingdom of God is postponed until the Second Advent.
MATERIALS NEEDED: Furnish each student with a Bible and the cross references for Luke 21:31 shared below.
SCRIPTURE TEXT: Luke 21:31.
Luke 21:31
when ye see. Luk 12:51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57; Luk 17:22, Mat 16:1, 2, 3, 4; Mat 23:39, Eze 32:7; Eze 34:27; +*Eze 39:28 note.
these things. Luk 21:7; Luk 21:17; Luk 21:20; Luk 21:22; **Luk 21:24; **Luk 21:25, 26, 27, **Mat 24:33.
know ye. Gal 3:7, +*Col 1:10, 2Pe 3:18.
the kingdom of God. +Luk 4:43; Luk 17:20, 21; *Luk 19:11; Luk 22:18, +Mar 1:15, +*2Ti 4:1.
nigh at hand. +*Luk 21:28, %+*Mat 10:7; +*Mat 21:43; **Mat 24:33, Heb 10:37, Jas 5:8, 9, 1Pe 4:7.
PROCEDURE:
A. Read the Scripture text aloud to the class.
B. Let each of several members of the class turn to, then read in turn to the class, the references in full to each clause of this verse furnished in the New Treasury.
C. Raise the questions:
- What is the time frame for when “these things” are to take place?
- What are the “these things” referred to in context?
- What, specifically, is the “kingdom of God”?
- When does this verse declare that the kingdom will be “nigh at hand”? Does this place the kingdom in the past, present, or future?
- How does this passage prove that the kingdom, once preached as “nigh at hand” (Matthew 4:17), then declared to be taken away from Israel (Matthew 21:43), is now postponed until the return of Christ?
CONCLUSION:
- After consulting the references supplied to each clause of this lesson’s Scripture text, answer the question: “What common thread of truth ties this set of references together?”
- What conclusions do you draw about the Bible’s own teaching regarding the subjects dealt with in this lesson’s Scripture text?
- What instruction or encouragement do you derive from the insights received from this comparison of related Bible texts?