~ Populus Zion ~
Readings: Malachi 4:1-6 | Romans 15:4-13 | Luke 21:25-36
Text: Luke 21:25-36
Let’s be honest, the things described in the end times are scary! They make even the worst terrorist attack seem like a hiccup, because it’s not just going to be in one city or a few cities. It’s going to be worldwide, with even frightful signs in the heavens above.
Then, they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Game over. No more second chances, no more putting off turning to Jesus. For those who have despised the Lord Jesus as Savior, they will say to the mountains, “Cover us,” and to the hills, “Fall on us.”[1] Yet, for those who love the Lord, “Straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Fear about the Lord’s second coming is a real thing. It goes hand-in-hand with the end of our own life. Here are some things we’re afraid of:
We want there to be a easier way. When we go to Portland, and there’s a big line of cars backed up, we want to be in the car with that person who knows a back road. If we’re buying a car or a TV, we want to be that guy who snags a great deal on it. Perhaps the end times will really look like this. Maybe there’s a secret code to unlock that will help us sail through without batting an eye. What’s the significance of “the time of the Gentiles” in verse 24? Let us in on a secret, Pastors! Maybe there’s a special sign of the fig tree that other people will miss. When it comes to tribulation and distress, we want to have an exempt card. This is the method of the apocalyptic cults and Adventists groups who gather around their leader, hoping the Lord will notice how they “figured it out” while the rest of the world burns.
Well even if there isn’t a secret code of the end times to decrypt, we’re still afraid that faith won’t hold out. After all, life is long and the end of the world seems so far off. We’re also afraid for our children. We may not the first generation of Christian parents to cry bitter tears for our children and grandchildren, but it is a valid fear in this wicked world.
Everyone so far who has hoped for a short period until Jesus’ return has been disappointed. In addition to fearing for our descendants, we grieve and fear for those who we know used to go to church but seem to be deceived that there are “more important” things than their Lord and Savior. We fear for the countless numbers of souls who have never heard the Gospel—even in our own country.
It’s also possible you’re afraid you don’t “have what it takes” to make the grade in the end. Are you afraid that faith is not enough? It sounds too easy to say that a person is “saved by grace through faith and this is not our own doing; it is the gift of God.”[2] It sounds too simple, too easy. It must take something more! After all, your eternal destiny rests on whether you’ve got this right. Maybe we should take a popular vote, and see what the majority of people think (kind of like we depend on star ratings for buying products… although you should know that most of those are fake and boosted by AI bots). The trouble you’ll find is the majority of humanity agrees faith isn’t enough. The majority say you must add some effort of your own on the road to salvation. But what could be better than a fellow sinner’s opinion? God’s Word, and He would not and will not deceive us.
What would be most helpful is to read this Gospel as a believer and child of God. Listen to how your Lord speaks of nearness: “Your redemption is drawing near…you know that the kingdom of God is near.” The nearness of the Son of Man and His Kingdom is good news, right? He is near, not necessarily in the sense of time or distance we measure by. He is near by His divine presence. He is intimately joined to His people on earth: He shares your flesh and He knows your weakness. He has made the all-atoning sacrifice on the cross, so that He, though holy and exalted, can dwell with you and bear you up. The children of Israel in the wilderness had God’s presence in the glory cloud, but a believer has His very Spirit dwelling within their body! He is near to you with His creative, renewing, and sanctifying Word. He is near you with the assurance of grace and sonship that He made to you in Baptism, and He is near you when you eat and drink His Holy Body and Blood. Truly his last words in Matthew’s Gospel were not a lie: “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”[3]
Here’s an interesting observation: Those who are most afraid and fixate the most on the End Times are usually those who are ignorant or reject the Sacraments. Along with a futurist view of Revelation, they also don’t understand the efficacy of Baptism and the mystery of Christ’s presence. Usually in rejection to the abuses of Rome, they shun the authority for the Church to forgive sins on earth. There’s little understanding of the bodily presence of the risen and ascended Lord in the Sacrament—they call it metaphorical. For many, the Bible is more information about God than the realized story of God dwelling with sinners and making them His children. But where these sacred mysteries of Christ are taught and believed, there is the assurance of the divine presence of the Lord with His people. And where the Lord is, there is freedom, and there is His abiding peace—even in the midst of turmoil in the world.
Nevertheless, there is a warning for believers, lest they wrap themselves up in a warm blanket of delusion. 34 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.” There is a very real danger for Christians to grow indifferent while we wait for the Lord’s return.
Certainly, it could come in the form of drifting away from church and being deceived out of your faith. That’s the obvious one that we can see with our eyes. Plus, it makes us more comfortable to think that we can draw lines on where Jesus is going to find His sheep versus His goats.[4]
But even more dangerous is the unbeliever who sits in the pew every Sunday! This is the person who comes to church and goes to Bible study just out of habit. They listen for the pastor to say the right things—Ah! There he talked about sin! Wow! I’m glad he mentioned that one! Oh good he ended by talking about Jesus, so I can go home with a happy heart. This secure churchgoer is more interested in the social benefits that church membership gives—familiar faces, group activities, and a discounted rental hall.
When the Lord comes back in glory, these people will be caught off-guard because it will become shockingly apparent that their “life” of repentance and faith was only lip service. The Word of God did not touch their hearts so that they felt true terror over their sins and instead took the cross as God’s free pass.
If that scared you, Good! It should. Each of us, weak sinners we are, regularly need to look in the mirror of God’s Word and cry out to God because He is the only one who can preserve us in saving faith. Remaining a Christian in these Last Days is no human accomplishment. We cannot do it, but for God’s grace through the Holy Spirit.
“36 Stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
As we approach Christmas, we ought to all live in a healthy fear of God. The God who came in the flesh is not the mild illustration which adorns our Christmas cards. He is almighty! He Is holy! But it is His will for you to stand before Him redeemed on that Day. Pray that your almighty, holy Savior would give you strength, purge away your sloth, and keep His Word in your heart throughout this life. This is a prayer He delights to answer, because it is the very reason He came in the flesh.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
[1] Luke 23:30
[2] Ephesians 2:8-9
[3] Matthew 28:20
[4] Matthew 25:33