Explaining Luke 21:36

Q. Can you explain Luke 21:36 to me?  Maybe it is for Israel in the Tribulation, but I always wonder when I read it if we are supposed to pray about this.  It makes it sound as if we may not go in the rapture before the Tribulation if we don’t pray about it. I’ve never heard anyone explain this verse that I can remember.

A. In Luke’s version of the Olivet Discourse, he covered both the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and the time before the 2nd Coming.  Luke 21:36 was a summary statement that warned believers about the destruction of 70 AD.  We know this because he  said  “pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen“  indicating that His earlier prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem would take place soon.

According to the Jewish historian Josephus, believers who heeded this warning and escaped when they saw the Roman armies surrounding the city as foretold in Luke 21:20-24 were spared the wholesale slaughter and devastation that followed.