Advent Luke 21:25-33
[25] And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
[26] Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. [27] And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. [28] And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. [29] And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; [30] When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. [31] So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. [32] Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. [33] Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
Advent: To See the Past and Look Forward with Hope
What makes Advent such a wonderful season is what happened at Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago. For the people of the Old Testament it was truly an Advent. They had waited 1,000’s of years for that time when the promised Savior would come to earth to assure them that they had not hoped in vain. For you and me, Advent also means “coming,” but it means first of all looking back. Just like the believers in the Old Testament looked forward to our Savior’s birth, so we look back to it and we both find the same thing, even though neither of us has seen Him with our physical eyes. With the eye of faith, we see a Savior who came to earth to save us from our sins and who gives us the courage to look ahead to the other Advent, to the coming of our Savior at the end of the world. The picture is not pleasant. This text describes a scene that would discourage the strongest soul, were it not our Savior’s comforting words.
At the end of the world, all creation is going to collapse. Our omnipotent Lord who placed the sun, moon, and stars in their orbits on the 4th day of creation is going to change things. Their ability to control darkness and light and to serve for signs and seasons and days and years, something on which life on earth depends, will end. St. Matthew tells us that the sun’s light will be extinguished, the moon will no longer radiate light, and the stars will fall from their places. The heavens will literally disintegrate in the sight of all mankind. It is a terrifying prospect but even more terrifying is what will happen on earth. The seas which account for more than a quarter of the world’s surface will go out of control. Huge waves and a roaring turbulence will threaten every inch of land and make the worst tsunami look like child’s play.
The result in the unbelieving world will be total fear and disbelief. They simply take it for granted that the sun, moon, and stars will go on forever. For all their knowledge of the planets and stars and outer space, they, in their unbelief, never give a thought to the divine Lord who created and continually sustains them. They refuse to accept the word of our Savior that it is all going to end. With godless evolutionistic thinking, they assume that the oceans will stay the way they are and that earth will only get better. Wars will cease and mankind will reach new heights of achievement and morality. Can you imagine the utter panic when they see the world on which they pinned their hopes and dreams disintegrating before their very eyes with no where to escape and no one to help? Jesus tells us in this text that people will be so terrified that some will actually die out of pure fear!
The height of their terror is described in verse 27. “And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” Jesus will come to judge the world with a host of angels and saints and with all the power of God. When He came the first time at Bethlehem, few people paid any attention. In our world today people want nothing to do with Him and reject His word as human wisdom. At the end, however, as it says in the Revelation, “every eye shall see Him.” Revelation 1:7 They shall see the man, Jesus Christ, face to face, in bodily form as He walked upon this earth and they shall be without excuse. They will have to bow the knee and acknowledge to their own destruction that Jesus Christ is Lord of Lords and the Savior of mankind. “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:10.
What for the unbelieving world is going to be a moment of terror and death, for the believer is going to be a moment of joy and life. Forewarned is forearmed! The Book of Revelation repeatedly describes the unimaginable viciousness and hellishness with which the devil will unleash his power in a final effort to destroy the few Christians that are left on earth. St. Paul wrote to the young pastor, Timothy, not to frighten him, but to prepare him. “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5. The devil will attack believers and churches with false teachings. “False Christs and false prophets shall arise” prophesied the Lord, “who shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if [it were] possible, even the elect.” Mark 13:22. If Jesus spoke these words to warn the Jews of His generation, how much more do they apply to us today? When we look about us, what do we see? What is the world coming to? These signs are taking place right now as we witness unprecedented hate and violence, fire and floods, greed and oppression, signs that are so terrifying that they could easily frighten you and me were it not for the words of our Savior who assures us that we have nothing to be afraid of.
Listen to his comforting words, “When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” Horrible and devastating as the end times may be, you and I and all believers in Christ can carry our heads high because our eyes are focused on our Savior. The advent at Bethlehem was only a beginning. In fact, the Advent at Bethlehem prepares us for the final Advent, for the time of our full and final deliverance, the time when we will come face to face with the Jesus we have come to know and love by faith through the Holy Scriptures. The judgment is past; that happened when we came to faith. All that awaits us is the welcoming arms of our Savior.
Will Jesus actually have the same body that He did while here on earth? Listen to the words of the angel at His ascension: “this same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven,” Acts 1:11. Yet, unlike the Jesus whose glory was shrouded in lowliness and humility during His time on this earth, He will appear in all His might and glory. The dissolving world will give way to a new heaven and a new earth in which holiness and righteousness will reign forever.
Because of our weak and sinful flesh, physical death is always a fearful moment. Yet it is far overshadowed by the prospect of the advent of our Savior to receive us into everlasting life. Think of it! When He comes again He will release us from all the sorrow and grief that earthly life brings. He will free us from the sin against which we must fight day after day. He will deliver us from the temptations of the devil and the allurements of the world once and for all. And finally he will rob death of the outward grip it still has on us and will fashion our vile bodies that they may be like unto His glorious body. The future with our advent King exceeds anything we in this mortal life can possibly imagine. The first Advent meant joy to the shepherds, the second Advent means inexpressible joy to you and me, and to every child of God, as we hear the Savior welcome us, “Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared just for you.” Matthew 25:34