Romans 15:4–13 and Luke 21:25–36
Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
If there is one question that I have been asked repeatedly in past few years, it is, “Do you think we’re living in the end times?” The answer, of course, is yes. We are living in the end times. Look at the signs Jesus foretells in today’s gospel lesson. They show us clearly that we are most certainly in the last days of the world. Jesus says, “There will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars.” We experience these signs regularly. How often do we hear of comets, meteor showers, blood moons, and things like that? Kerrville was right in the path of the annular eclipse nearly two months ago. On April 8 of next year, Kerrville will be in the path of the solar eclipse. They’re forecasting that we’ll experience 4 minutes and 25 seconds of the moon’s disk completely covering the sun. Those eclipses—every eclipse and movement in the heavens—are signs that Christ will return.
Along with these signs there will be “On the earth distress of nations, with perplexity.” We see this regularly as well. There are wars and rumors of wars, economic uncertainty and social unrest in different places and different times. But this distress is anguish of the heart and agony conscience that comes from bearing one’s sin and guilt. To this Jesus adds another natural phenomena we experience regularly—the sea and the waves roaring—floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, and the like. Those who know that there will be an end for this world but love the things of this world and don’t want it end, their hearts will faint from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then, at the time appointed by God the Father, they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”
The world sees these signs and dismisses them as natural phenomena. How many people will descend upon Kerrville and other cities in the path of the 2024 eclipses’ totality, see it only as a natural phenomenon, then back to their lives? How many people hear of wars and rumors of wars, economic uncertainty and social unrest around the country and globe, and are unmoved in the slightest bit? How many experience the distress of conscience and try to remove their guilt by their works, by comparing themselves to others whom they think are worse, or using some substance or the things of this life to dull their distress and pacify their perplexity? How many will see the flooding of rivers, the devastation of hurricanes, and other things like this and dismiss them natural phenomena, which, with a bit of human ingenuity and engineering, we can eventually overcome? It isn’t that these aren’t natural phenomena. It is that Christ has taught us to view these natural phenomena as signs of His coming. What Christians are taught to see as signs of Christ’s return, unbelievers and hypocrites see as ‘business as usual,’ and go about their lives as if there is no end, no reward for the righteousness of faith, and no punishment for wickedness and unbelief.
Since all these things are signs that Christ is returning, the Christian should use them strengthen his faith. Jesus says, “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” Look up! Don’t allow yourself to filled with fear at as you recognize these signs. Be cheerful. Rejoice! Why? Because your redemption draws near. The very thing for which you pray every day when you pray, “Lead us not into temptation” and “Deliver us from evil,” that is what Christ brings with Him. On that Day we will experience our final redemption from the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh, so that these enemies no longer harass us. On that Day Christ will say to all who believe, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matt 25:34). On that Day, the door to the wedding feast will be opened to all who have persevered in faith unto the end. On the day of our Lord’s glorious appearing, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is (1 Jn 3:2), and we shall experience the blessedness of eternal life with the Triune God, the holy angels, and all the saints. This is why when these things begin to happen—when we see these signs in the sun, moon, stars, seas, nations, and people—we look up and recall that our redemption draws near, or as Paul said in last week’s epistle from Romans 13[:11], “Our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.” Just as the budding of the trees tells us summer approaches, every sign tells us that the kingdom of God, which we pray would come, is close at hand.
Then He says something curious. Truly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” What does He mean, “This generation will be no means pass away till all things take place?” It doesn’t mean that all these things—including His return in glory—will happen during the lifetime of the apostles. That would mean that Christ’s word wasn’t fulfilled, that it passed away. No, the generation which will by no means pass away till all things take place is more than likely the unbelieving Jews. Think about it. How many nations and peoples have survived from antiquity? Only one. And why? Not because they are God’s people regardless of faith of in Christ. St. Paul casts such thinking to the ground when he says, “They are not all Israel who are of Israel” (Rom 9:6), but only those who are children of the promise, that is, those who believe God’s promise. Since most of the Jews reject God’s promise to Abraham about his Seed—who is Christ—they are not the Populus Zion, the people of Zion, the Israel of God. Paul writes in Romans 11:28, “Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.” Because of God’s promise to the Patriarchs, the Jewish nation continues and will continue to the Last Day, so the elect among them will be converted, and so that those who refuse to believe in the promised Messiah may serve as testimony to the truth of the words Christ speaks here.
That is why Christ tells His disciples—then and now—“Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.” If even Israel according to the flesh can fall way by putting their trust in their genealogy instead of the promise, how much more can we fall away by letting our hearts be weighed down by sin? Carousing and drunkenness weigh the heart down with pleasure. They dull the senses and the mind so that the sinful flesh has free reign to sin and gratify its wicked desires. This is why the Scriptures repeatedly warn against drunkenness and the apostle says bluntly that drunkards will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor 6:10). But just as Carousing and drunkenness weigh down the heart, so can cares of this life. These way down the heart, not with pleasure, but with anxiety and perplexity so that the mind is no longer directed toward God’s promises and living in them by faith. All three—carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life—weigh down our hearts so that we do not lift them up unto the Lord. They drag our eyes to the earthly rather than the heavenly, so that we come to think of the earthly as more important than God’s promises, and do not see the signs of Christ’s imminent return and look for our redemption that draws near. “For [that day] will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. For the Christian it will be a day of joy and rejoicing. But for those who ensnare themselves with sin so that they are not watching and praying, it will be a day of wrath and eternal punishment.
“Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Watch the signs and see them for what they are. Interpret them correctly, not just as natural phenomena, but as signs and tokens that Christ gives us so that we may be ready for His return. Seeing these signs leads us to pray that Christ preserve us in the true faith until He returns, so that we may stand before Him and receive our redemption. Too many people get wrapped up in trying to decipher in the signs how close Christ may be to returning. The purpose of the signs Jesus gives isn’t so that we can estimate His time of arrival. Since they are always happening around the world, their purpose is to put us in constant prayer that we be faithful and live pious lives. Too many recognize the signs and fear. But this is only their purpose for the unbelieving, that they repent, believe the gospel, and bear fruit worthy of repentance. The purpose of the signs is the remind us that Christ is near. And if Christ is near, so is our final redemption from sin, death, and the power of the devil. Sin, because our sinful flesh will be destroyed and we will be entirely animated by the Holy Spirit; Death, for where there is no sin, there is no death; the power of the devil, for He will thrown into the lake of fire for eternity. So interpret the signs correctly. Look up and lift up your hearts. Live always as if your redemption is drawing near, because it is. Amen.
The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.
