Jesus Reveals The Future- Part V
Pastor Marty Saturday, November 7, 2015 at 2:29PM Luke 21:25-28. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on November 01, 2015.
Today we continue working through the prophetic teaching that Jesus gives in Luke 21. In these verses Jesus points to a time when he will come back to earth again, often called the Second Coming. After having walked through the signs of the age of sorrows, and the destructions of Jerusalem that would occur, Jesus then turns to his Second Coming.
Then Jesus Will Come Back
We finished last week talking about the Times of the Gentiles. This undisclosed amount of time would continue to manifest Gentile domination until the time allotted by God was completed. This long period of time would eventually come to a close leading up to the Second Coming of Jesus. It can be tempting to make the Second Coming of Jesus be a spiritual coming in 70 AD. However, I will point out later why this stretches all credulity.
The first thing Jesus points out in verse 25 is that there will be signs in the heavens, specifically the sun, moon and stars. It is somewhat vague here. However, in Matthew 24 it states that the sun and the moon will be darkened and the stars will fall. Such phrases would have been recognized by the hearers of his day. They are used in the Old Testament as part of the Day of the Lord, when God judges the whole earth. We have the same language used in Revelation 6:12-14 regarding the opening of the 6th Seal. “I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.” Darkness of the sun and a blood-like moon is usually a sign of massive dust or ash particles in the air. However, there is more going on here. The picture of a scroll rolling up is used to describe the sky. Some have said this could be pointing to some kind of nuclear warfare event. However, it could also be the effects of an asteroid or comet striking the Earth. Now it is common in the Bible for natural events to point towards spiritual events. So when the Bible talks about stars falling, it can be a simple description of celestial objects entering the Earth’s atmosphere and shining like a star as it burns up in the atmosphere or strikes the earth. It is nonsensical to hold the Bible accountable to a modern, technical definition of a star. We even still refer to meteorites as “falling stars,” even though we know they are not technically suns. Yet, we must also realize that the idea of falling stars has been used as a metaphor for falling angels. We will come back to this later. The main point is that there will be disturbances in the heavens, most likely both natural and spiritual things.
Then Jesus says that there will be distress and perplexity on the Earth. Just as the heavens are disturbed, so the Earth will be too. The term for distress means to be in dire straits. It was a metaphor similar to being between a rock and a hard place. This leads to the second term, “perplexity.” Perplexity points out the inability to move forward or escape. This can be due to a distressed mental state, “I can’t see my way out.” Or, it can be due to a strategic error, “Checkmate.” Either way, people on earth will be in a state of being boxed in and not sure what to do next.
This leads to a description of the seas and waves roaring. I think that this also hold a natural and metaphorical meaning. Powerful blasts of “space rocks” would cause massive tsunamis and tidal waves. Yet, the Bible also uses the tumultuous sea as a metaphor for the peoples of the Earth. They are pushed by tidal forces beyond their control. They are tossed to and fro by the winds of the air. This was a picture of the frenzied and driven nature of mankind.
The next description is that men’s hearts will fail them in fear of what is coming. Earlier Jesus had told his disciples not to fear the things of the time of sorrow. However, these things will be tied to the wrath of God being poured out on the Earth. The phrase literally means that men would faint or drop dead out of fear of those things coming upon the earth. Now as I have said earlier there is both a natural and supernatural aspect to these things. Jesus says that the powers of the heavens will be shaken. This reference is to more than just the natural powers of the sun and planetary motions. Here are some Scriptures that reveal that the powers of the heavens are not just about celestial objects. 1 Peter 3:22, “Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities, and powers having been made subject to Him.” Jude 1:13, “raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.” Revelation 12:3-4,9, “And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth… He was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Thus we see that the powers of the heavens and the stars are often a reference to spiritual entities. In Revelation 12 we see that a time will come when Satan and the angels that follow him will be forced out of the heavens and down to the earth. Thus the last days will be scary from a natural standpoint and a supernatural standpoint.
It is at this point that Jesus says that the Son of Man will visibly return in great power and glory. In Revelation 19 we see that this is during the great battle of Armageddon. The armies of the world will be drawn to the Middle East by demonic messengers, where they will destroy Israel and then turn their power against the Lord Jesus as He returns. In fact, notice that Jesus says, “they will see…in a cloud.” The Second Coming of Christ is not an invisible, spiritual event. It will be very visible. Every eye will see Jesus coming on the clouds. This fulfills what the angel told the disciples in Acts 1. They were watching Jesus ascend into heaven until he disappeared in a cloud. The angel said, “In like manner he will return from heaven.” The rolling clouds and visible, glorious power of Christ is described as very bright and he will be followed by the hosts of heaven.
Thus Jesus says that when we see these things happening we should look up for our redemption is near. As Christians we are already redeemed in that the blood of Christ has purchased us back from sin and death. However, our redemption is not complete. We are still stuck in sinful flesh, and in a sinful world full of wickedness. Christ will come to redeem natural Israel, and to complete the redemption of His Church.
It is important for us to understand that, though it has been a long time, God has a plan that is slowly working itself out. This plan does have a point at which the present order comes to an end. Think about this. If you have not put your faith in Jesus and become his disciples, then you need to give this serious thought. If you are not ready for His Second Coming, then you will be caught up in the judgments on the wicked. But if you repent then you will be cared for by God Himself. He will bring you through the fire of those times and you set your feet on a rock so that you can stand. He will remove the wicked from the Earth and establish a kingdom of righteousness. We have seen each of these things happen one by one. A time of sorrows began back in the first century AD. Jerusalem was destroyed in the first century and is now under threat of destruction again. Mankind as a whole is rejecting the gospel of Jesus and is primed to receive the man of sin as its leader in these last days. We are on the precipice of the wrath of God being poured out and the Second Coming of Jesus. Prepare yourself today!
