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Do you still recall all the anxiety people felt when the calendar was about to turn over to the year 2000? You may remember that some people were afraid that all of the computers in the world would not be able to handle it and would crash, causing universal catastrophe. Many Christians were convinced that the new year would mark the Second Coming of the Lord and the end of this present world age. Of course, this was not the first time many Christians were thinking that the Second Coming of the Savior was imminent. In fact, there have been quite a few such periods of intense speculation. History tells us that the arrival of the year 1000 was a time of particular anxiety on this score. Even Martin Luther felt that the end of this world age was probably imminent.
Of course, we cannot know when Jesus will return in His power and glory and bring this world age to a close. But we know that it will one day happen, suddenly and unexpectedly. Today we hear Jesus assuring us that His return to this earth in glory will happen, and He urges us to be always ready for that event. To remind and assure us of this coming event Jesus speaks of signs of His coming. Today let’s listen and think again about what Jesus has to tell us about "What to Watch For."
To understand Jesus correctly we must know that the signs Jesus speaks about are not all of the same kind, nor does Jesus speaks of these signs in a now-to-then sequence. Instead, Jesus speaks of some signs that will occur continually throughout the period from His ascension to His return, then some signs that would occur soon after His ascension, then some signs that will occur right before and as He is coming again. Let’s look at these three groups of signs.
First Jesus speaks of signs that will occur continually throughout the time between His return to heaven with His ascension and His return to earth again with His Second Coming. These signs are to be a continual reminder that Jesus will return in power and glory one day, though they do not, of course, tell us how soon this will be. Jesus speaks of these signs when He tells His disciples, and us: "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" (verses 10-11). Of course, we observe these signs occurring over and over again. Most people get used to them (unless they are directly affected) and pay little attention to them. People may refer to some of them–even legally–as "acts of God" but still think little of them.
Jesus also tells us that throughout history God’s people will be persecuted. "But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for My name’s sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness...You will be hated for all for My name’s sake. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives" (verses 12-19).
We know that in every period Christians have been persecuted. In our day and place, I think we are getting off easy, suffering very little if at all because of our faith and faithfulness. But we should never forget that, even now, men and women and children are still being persecuted and sometimes even lose their lives just because they are and insist on remaining Christians. Occasionally we hear about such instances in the news, but mostly this persecution goes on unnoticed. Jesus assures Christians who are persecuted that God has not forsaken them and will watch over and preserve them in faith and will bring them to safety in heaven even if they should forfeit their lives in this world. In fact, Christians have welcomed persecution, remembering Jesus’ word that then Christians may provide a faithful witness to their Savior who gave His own life for them.
Those are the signs that will be going on continually from Jesus’ ascension into heaven until His glorious return from heaven. Jesus also spoke of a set of signs that would occur even in the lifetimes of His apostles–and this did happen. In and around the year 70–only about forty years after Jesus’ ascension, the city of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman army, and millions of Jews were killed or forced into life-long slavery. God warned Christians to leave Jerusalem before this happened; they did, for the most part, and found refuge in other places in the Holy Land.
And then Jesus speaks about signs that will occur at the very end of this world age–just as Jesus is returning in His glory. "And there will signs in sun and moon and stars, and on earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding with what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing nigh" (verses 25-28). These signs, the most dramatic of all, will be nearly instantaneous. They will bring terror to earth’s inhabitants. This is coming; it is certain to come. Even those who have no faith in God or His Word at all must know that this world is temporary and will one day be destroyed in a flash. For one day, even unbelievers know, the sun will suddenly explode and expand outward so greatly as to envelope its planets before it contracts and dies. We know that, however the Lord chooses to do it, our world will be enveloped in fire, and this world age will cease.
St. Peter warns: "Scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, ‘Where is this promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.’...But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed" (2 Peter 3:3b-4, 8-10).
Does thinking about the end of all things scare you? Jesus assures us we have no reason to fear because our lives in this world and even this world itself will one day end. That day will bring salvation to us. Then all that makes life unpleasant and difficult will pass away, and we will enjoy forever the life God intended in the very first place when He created this world. In the very last chapters of the Bible the Lord holds a wonderful description of what is to come before us: “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’ And He who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new’” (Rev, 21:2-5).
When will this be? We don’t know. But it will come one day, any day. Now we are to watch for that day, remaining faithful to the Lord, so when that day comes, we may be ready to receive it and all of the glory that will come with it. Our watch will not always be easy. We will have to deal with "fighting without and fear within" as St. Paul once put it (2 Cor. 7:5). We will stay awake and pray for strength, as Jesus bids us do in our gospel reading today. We will believe confidently the Lord’s declaration: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away" (verse 33).
The very last words of the Bible will remain in our ears and hearts: "He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen."