Signs
of His Coming
Luke
21:25-38
©Copyright April 10, 2011 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche SERIES: WALKING WITH JESUS
Last
week we began our study of the prophecy from Jesus on the Mount of Olives. It
is a popular text to quote about the Second Coming of Christ but as we tried to
show last week we need to listen carefully to the questions Jesus was asked.
“Tell us,” they said, “when will
this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the
age?” [Matthew 24:3]
There are
at least two and possibly three different questions here:
The first question
seems to be answered in the first part of the Luke 21. It is fulfilled
perfectly by the conquering of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. it was a time preceded by
intense persecution and many false teachers. The temple was completely
destroyed and the Gentiles trampled on Jerusalem up and continue to do so even
today.
There are
some serious students of the Word that believe all of the
chapter has already been fulfilled. I believe in verse 25 and extending through
verse 27 Jesus gives a general answer to the later questions (regarding His
coming and the end of the world). Just listen to the words and see if it seems
that way to you.
25 “There will be signs in the sun,
moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the
roaring and tossing of the sea. 26 Men will faint from terror,
apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be
shaken. 27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a
cloud with power and great glory.
In the
first part of the chapter it was easy to see the fulfillment in history. These
verses sound like things that are still yet to come. They are “end of the
world” words. Many of the earlier signs have happened in every generation since
Christ spoke. Nothing like what is mentioned in these verses has happened. Consequently,
I believe these verses point to a climatic return of Christ.
The Second Coming (25-28)
There
are several things we are told about the Second Coming of Jesus.
First,
You are not going to miss it. The events that
Jesus describes will be unmistakable. These signs are going to be visible for
everyone. His coming is not going to happen on some secluded mountain someplace
where only the “privileged” get to meet Him. You don’t have to worry that you
are going to miss out unless you know the password or have the right End Times
chart in your Bible. His coming will be very public. There will be signs in the
sun, moon, and stars. Entire nations
will be in anguish and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. The Son of Man will appear in the sky.
Matthew
says,
27 For as lightning that
comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the
Son of Man.
You
don’t miss a significant lightning strike. It gets our attention and often will
wake us up in the night. The Second Coming will be like this: unmistakable.
In
verse 31 in Matthew Jesus said,
31 And he will send his
angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four
winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
Let’s
suppose your child played trumpet in the band. One night the child can’t sleep
so at 3:00 in the morning they decide they might as well practice for band. Will
you notice? You bet you will! You would shoot out of bed and would likely share
a piece of your mind that you really can’t afford to lose in a way that will not
be productive. To top it off, you would be so aggravated that you’d have a hard
time going back to sleep.
When
the trumpet of the Lord sounds you won’t sleep through it. The picture Jesus
paints is drawn from Daniel 7:13-14,
“In my vision at night I looked, and there
before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached
the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given
authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every
language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not
pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. (Dan. 7:13-14)
When
Jesus returns the whole world will see Him and bow before Him. You aren’t going
to miss it.
Second,
Most people will be unprepared. In Matthew’s account we read these clear
words,
36 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the
angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the
coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood,
people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day
Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would
happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at
the coming of the Son of Man.
Jesus says the Second Coming is going to catch
people by surprise like the flood caught the people of Noah’s day by surprise.
You can’t help but wonder how the flood caught people by surprise. The Ark Noah
built was 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet tall! It certainly took him a
long time to build this boat. Neighbors surely noticed. At the beginning I’m
sure people asked Noah, “Hey, what are you building?” and I am sure Noah told
them that he was building a boat to survive a coming flood.
If they had coffee shops in those days I’m sure
they talked and joked a great deal about “Noah” and the boat he was building to
survive a great flood. I don’t believe the people were surprised because they
had never heard about the coming flood. They were surprised because they didn’t
think it would happen. They made no preparations for the coming flood and
instead continued to live life as they always had . . . right up to the day
Noah entered the Ark.
When Jesus returns the same thing will be true.
People have heard about a coming Armageddon and a Day of Judgment and even the
declaration that Jesus is coming again. They are terms everyone has heard. However,
people shrug it off. The surprise will not be from ignorance but from
indifference.
It is like the child who says they are going to
accomplish some great feat (maybe they are going to be a pro athlete, become an
astronaut, or invent some great new product.) We hear what the child says, we
smile, pat them on the head and maybe even say, “That’s wonderful honey!” but
we don’t really take it to heart. Years later when that child actually does
what they said, we are startled and surprised and we wish we had been more of
an encouragement and more of a friend. Likewise there will be many people who
heard about the second coming of Christ who will wish they had paid more
attention to what they had heard.
Third, it will not be a day of rejoicing for all.
In verse 26 we read,
26 Men will faint from terror,
apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be
shaken.
People who
have been through a tornado, hurricane, flash flood, fire, a battlefield or
even a severe illness will tell you that these were moments when they were weak
from fear. They understood that they were helpless before their circumstances
and that vulnerability filled them with apprehension.
I cannot
begin to fathom what it would have been like to be in Japan as the giant waves
of the tsunami came toward you after an already devastating earthquake. People
would have felt a terrifying vulnerability and helplessness.
I think
true followers of Christ will also be anxious at first until we recognize what
is happening. Then the anxiety will give way to joy as we look for Christ. We
will know that our redemption will almost be complete.
However,
those who have simply dabbled in faith will see that their faith is not real.
Those who felt there would “always be time to get right with God” will see the
devastating choice they have made. Those who have declared “God is dead” will find
themselves facing the wrath of the God they had buried in their minds. This
will be the day when we face the consequences of our choices. The invitation to
receive God’s grace and mercy will be withdrawn and justice….terrifying and
deserved justice will come.
Jesus gave
a sober warning
29 He told them this parable: “Look at
the fig tree and all the trees. 30 When they sprout leaves, you can
see for yourselves and know that summer is near. 31 Even so, when
you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
The point
of the illustration is clear: we need to stay awake! We need to be alert. Every
time we hear of a war, a natural disaster, or of upheaval in the world we should
see this as a reminder that the Lord will return and we must remain ready and
vigilant.
One more
thing. Verses 32 and 33 are problem
verses (and the primary reasons many see this whole chapter as referring to
what happened in 70 AD).
32 “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all
these things have happened. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away,
but my words will never pass away.
The famed
philosopher and social critic Bertrand Russell looked at these verses and
concluded he could not become a Christian because it was obvious Jesus had been
wrong.
“He certainly thought that his
second coming would occur in clouds of glory before the death of all the people
who were living at that time,” He added, “In that respect, clearly he was not
so wise as some other people have been, and he was certainly not superlatively
wise.”1
I
understand what Russell is saying, “Jesus said these things would take place
before “this generation” had passed away. Here we are many hundreds of years
later and He still has not returned.
Some answer
the criticism by pointing out that “generation” can also be translated “race”. Using
that translation Jesus was saying, these things will
take place before the Jewish race is gone. But since God made an everlasting
covenant with Israel I don’t see that as a strong option.
I would
like to hear the way Jesus said these words. I would like to know what He was
doing with His hands. It is quite possible Jesus said,
this generation will not pass away until all these things (as He gestures
toward the temple) have happened. In that case Jesus was referring back to the
original question regarding the temple.
The
difficulty with all end times prophecy is that people tend to fixate on the
details so they can try to predict the Second Coming. They chart the events of
that Coming and have a checklist of signs that must be fulfilled even though
such a practice has been proved futile for centuries. The real problem is that
these discussions focus on mastering information. Jesus, however takes a
different (and I think better) approach. He puts the focus on being ready when
that day comes.
Jesus’ Advice
(34-36)
Be Encouraged. The first piece of
advice was actually earlier in the text. In verse 28 we read,
When these things
begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption
is drawing near.
At this
time when anxiety will be severe and people are filled with dread Jesus urges
His followers to take a different course. When a runner wins a race they don’t
put their head down or hide. They look up, raise their arms, and even sometimes
take a victory lap. This is the picture we have here. Instead of hiding, those
who have served and followed Christ will realize that the day they have been
longing for has come. The battle is won, the joy will begin.
The
Second Coming of Jesus is not something we should dread, it is something we
should long for. It is not something to avoid but something to look forward to
with the eagerness of a child waiting for friends to arrive for a birthday
party.
Get Ready. In verses 34-36 Jesus gives a
paragraph of application,
“Be careful, or your
hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of
life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. 35 For
it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be
always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about
to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
The
Lord gives us some practical instruction for being ready for that day
regardless of when or how. First, He says, Don’t be distracted by the
anxieties, pleasures and indulgences of life. Very simply His advice: be focused and serious in your faith.
Jesus
warns us about the way of life that is promoted everywhere we turn. How many
people do you know who work during the week with the express goal of getting to
the weekend so they can “party” (translated: “get drunk and act recklessly”).
People are not ashamed of such behavior; they brag about it. They tell you they
are having the “time of their lives”.
Others run
around frantically. They chase anything that occupies their fancy. This lifestyle
has a price tag (as every lifestyle does). The costs may be: your marriage,
your job, your financial security, your health, your friends, your reputation
and your testimony.
But
most of all, it may cost you your eternity. We cannot truly follow Christ while
at the same time embracing the world. Jesus has said, “No man can serve two
masters.” Every path leads somewhere. The question to ask is: where is the path
of my life taking me?
Second,
we are to stay alert. Many of you will remember that at the dawn of
the new millennium we were warned about Y2K. We were told that bank records
would be lost, essential computers would fail leaving us without gas, water,
and electricity. We were urged to stock up on batteries, generators, water, food. We needed to print all essential documents in case of
major computer failures. Some of you may still have supplies in your basement
from that time (it may be time to refresh your supply). I don’t know if it was
overblown hysteria or whether a great tragedy was averted because precautions
were taken.
Jesus
warns that his coming will come on you “unexpectedly, like a trap.” The best
way to be ready for the unexpected is to be prepared. We hear this in every
area of our lives.
· Be prepared for
computer crashes by backing up your information
· Be prepared for
health problems by getting regular checkups
· Be prepared for
financial “surprises” by saving money
· Be prepared for
changing job demands by taking continuing education classes
· Be prepared for
disaster by buying insurance and taking precautions
Some of
you may remember your days in school. At the beginning of the semester you were
given a syllabus. You were told when assignments and papers would be due.
Inevitably people would wait until the very last minute to get started on their
assignments. They needed a deadline to activate them. They partied and goofed
off all year and then worked like a crazy person to meet the deadline.
Unfortunately,
many people live their whole lives this way. Their interest in prophecy is
anchored to a desire to know the deadline. Why? So they know how much time they
have before they “need to cram” to make it into Heaven. It is a foolish way to
live.
Our
goal should be that to live lives of such faithfulness, that even if we were to
miss the signs of His coming . . . it wouldn’t matter, because our assignments
would all be turned in and we would be ready.
You can
often mesmerize a crowd by sharing details of the End Times. It’s fun to try to
put all the pieces together. We would love to be seen as someone “in the know”
who has it all figured out. However, from what Jesus
says it would seem to be a whole lot more profitable to spend less time arguing
about details and spend more time actually getting ready. There are people who
need to hear the good news about God’s love and His grace. There is work that
must be done.
Jesus
urges us to stop playing and get to work because the final exam may just be
closer than we think.
©Copyright April 10, 2011 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche SERIES: WALKING WITH JESUS
1 Bertrand Russell, Why I Am Not a Christian: And Other Essays on Religion and Related Subjects, ed. Paul Edwards (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1957), 16–17.