Lk 21:5-11
What not to look for: By the time of Luke, the belief in the imminence of Jesus’ Second Coming is waning. Luke separates the destruction of the Temple from the signs of the Second Coming of Jesus and creates a period which he calls “the times of the Gentiles” (21:24). During this time, the followers of Jesus are to be witnesses to all that Jesus said and did.
Because Luke is interested in maintaining his middle period of witnessing, he warns the members of his community not to be led astray by anyone who claims to be the awaited one. The imminent end of the age and the Second Coming of Jesus have been pushed back into the indefinite future; its proclamation has become a false teaching for the author of this Gospel.
The end of the age and the Second Coming of Jesus will not be preceded by rumors of wars and insurrections. Political upheavals will continue as part of the course of world events; these do not indicate that the world is coming to an end or that Jesus is returning in glory.
Not even cosmic disturbances can be considered as indicators of the end of the world. For Luke, these are natural occurrences with no other value. Luke has not indicated when the end will come because he does not know, and, while he wants to preserve the expectation of the Second Coming of Jesus, he significantly modifies the imminent hope for Jesus’ return in glory.