Luke 21:8

Luke 21:8 says, And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.  Jesus warned the people even while He was still here on earth that there would be those who falsely claimed to be Christ who would come, and that they would claim that judgment day was near.  Jesus warned the disciples to not follow these people.  We occasionally have heard of someone who claimed the be Jesus Christ who had returned, and even more often have heard of those who claim that His return is imminent, but we are still to not believe them.  Verse nine adds, But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.  This sounds like the world today, and Jesus said these things must come to pass, but this does not mean that the end is coming soon.  Verse ten states, Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:  We are definitely hearing about this today, and it is only going to get worse.  Verse eleven adds, And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.  We know about the earthquakes, famines and pestulances, and I am not sure what the great signs from heaven are.  Verse twelve declares, But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake.  There has definitely been a lot of this going on during the years since Jesus died and rose again and it is definitely going on in parts of the world today.  Verse thirteen adds, And it shall turn to you for a testimony.  The world is looking to us as followers of Christ to share our testimony of Him today, and this is what He expects to do.  Verse fourteen continues, Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:  Jesus tells us to not have decided beforehand what we are going to say if we are persecuted.  This might seem like it would be something good to do, but Jesus tells us not to.  Verse fifteen declares, For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.  Jesus tells us to rely on Him for what to say and that if we do, the world cannot deny or resist what we say.  We are never to rely own our own knowledge and strength, but on God's knowledge and strength to empower us in these situations.  Verse sixteen adds, And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.  Families are often divided when it comes to Jesus Christ, especially in parts of the world, and family members are not only turned over to authorities for their faith in Jesus Christ, but in some instances, the family members even participate in putting them to death.  Verse seventeen continues, And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.  This is very far removed from the concept that God wants me to be happy so He will give me what I desire.  We are told that we will have just the opposite occur.  Verse eighteen says, But there shall not an hair of your head perish.  I don't believe that we are going to be physically unharmed when we stand for Jesus in the face of adversity, but that from a spiritual standpoint we will always be safely in the arms of God.  Verse nineteen adds, In your patience possess ye your souls.  When we patiently stand faithful in our relationship to Jesus Christ, we will keep our soul safe forever.