10-11 Then Jesus said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. 12 But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before  kings and governors for my name's sake.13 This will be your opportunity to bear witness.” 

14-15 “Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. 16-18 You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death.  You will be hated by all for my name's sake - but not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your endurance you will gain your lives. Luke 21:10-19 (From the English Standard Version)

We're in the chapter where Jesus had said that the fabulous temple in Jerusalem was going to be destroyed. Some people asked: “Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” So the widespread events in vs 10-11 that Jesus said would occur could be things that would happen before the temple's end. But they may have had a wider implication also to things that will happen before the end of the world as we know it. But vs 12 would certainly apply to His disciples after He had ascended to heaven. What did He say would happen, and how did He say they were to respond? (vs 12-13)

Jesus warned them to expect fierce opposition and even life threatening danger. But, rather than being dismayed or thinking their cause was hopeless, they were to see such occasions as opportunities to testify to the precious truth He was entrusting to them. They were witnesses that the Kingdom of God had arrived. And though they didn’t know yet as He said these words, they would also be witnesses to His sacrifice for sins and His wonderful resurrection. Do we take that to heart in any trials we may face in the world today?

What was the encouragement Jesus gave them for the tough times that lay ahead? (vs 14-15)

They would not be alone when trials came and accusations were flung at them. Jesus Himself would be with them and would give them the ability to answer their persecutors. They wouldn’t need to lie awake at night trying to figure out what they would say when they were brought before even the most intellectual and powerful people in the country. But it wasn't only clever and powerful people who would confront them, who else would sometimes be their enemy, and what was the further encouragement Jesus gave them for such times? (vs 16-18)

They were not to be surprised if even their closest family rejected them and betrayed them to the authorities. While Jesus was referring to what His disciples would experience at the hands of their own Jewish countrymen in those days, Christians over the centuries in countries like China, and many other places, have had similar treatment. But Jesus promised them ultimate deliverance! The words 'not a hair of your head will perish' should be seen as their victory through death, not always from death, for He said that some of them would die. What would you say then that Jesus' words in vs 19 tell us about being a Christian, and about the end times.

To ‘endure’ implies something that's not easy. It could mean a long road, or to many obstacles on the way. The letter called Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians and the writer said: “Let us lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith who, for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-3) I'd also say that Jesus words teach that our focus mustn't be so much on ‘when’ the end will be, but on persevering each day, not fearing whatever shame or cross we may have to face, knowing that we will not perish but will be with Him in glory.