Instead he tells them that troubles are ahead for them. And he tells them what to do.
He tells them:
- Watch out that they are not deceived by people who claim to be the Messiah (21.8).
- There will be wars between nations but the disciples are not to be frightened. And the wars are not signs of the end (21.9-10).
- There will be terrible disasters as well (21.11). But these are not the end either.
- And there will be trouble for the disciples. They will be arrested. They will be betrayed by close friends and relatives. Some will be put to death. Everyone will hate them because they belong to Jesus (21.12-19).
But three things will be important:
- these events will give the disciples the opportunity to be witnesses (21.13).
- they don’t need to worry about what to say because Jesus will give them the words and wisdom (21.15).
- Not a hair of their hair will perish (21.18-19). Even if they are put to death. That sounds like a contradiction. But he means they will not perish eternally. They will save their life for eternity by standing firm.
Jesus is not interested in answering their question about when the end will come. He is interested in preparing them for trouble so that they will be ready to stand firm.
Dale