This brief father/son conversation demonstrates a number of the fears and foibles that populate apocalyptic thought. For some, apocalyptic scenarios form the warp and woof of daily life. There are those who, as we approach the year 2000 and begin the third millennium of Christian history, read every event with end-times glasses. Hillel Schwartz's Century's End: A Cultural History of the Fin de Siecle from the 990s through the 1990s (New York: Doubleday, 1990) documents the astonishing ways in which people react (often either with dour and dire pessimism or with dopey optimism) as centuries come to a close and new ones begin. Many find in the Biblical predictions of dramatic, disastrous times ahead a means of refusing to take responsibility, take control or take charge. Instead they use the idea of a sudden, perhaps violent, end of life as we have known it as a kind of eschatological excuse for doing nothing. (Homiletics, 11/17/91) For others in our culture the whole literature and tradition of "end times" is part of such an ancient and obscure mythology that it has virtually no relevance for our lives and lifestyles. They may find themselves so far beyond the pale of Biblical thought and tradition that upon hearing about apocalyptic predictions and images they can only roll their eyes and respond "You're weird, Church!" Visions of what the future may hold are more often read not from the text of Scripture, but from the cultural ethos of the time. There are three common views of the future proposed for the next millennium. In the technocratic model technology takes control of the human race so that man is ruled by machine. "2001: A Space Odyssey" or the "Terminator" movies fit here; the future is a battle of man vs. machine. There is the utopian view, which sees a future revolt against materialism and technology with a return to a nature theme. Hollywood doesn’t make many like this - too peaceful. In an odd sort of way "Planet of the Apes" or "Waterworld" would present a utopian or at least an anti-materialist view of the future. A third way of looking at the future is in an apocalyptic model, wherein the utter destruction of all we know and understand will take place - this is pictured most recently in the movies "Armageddon" or "Deep Impact." But while speculation will always abound, what can we know for certain about the future? Where should our confidence lie? What do we know about the end of time? While we live in an uncertain world, full of conflicting ideologies and speculations regarding the end, we must never forget that our God’s sovereign plan is still at work. But of what can we be certain? 29. "Immediately after the distress of those days "`the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.' 30. "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. 32. "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. 34. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. WE CAN BE CERTAIN OF THE COLLAPSE OF THE COSMOS Our passage this morning describes the conclusion to that which we’ve examined in the previous three weeks. This is the final cataclysmic spectacle. As distress occurs with repeated and increasing frequent intensity, like a women in labor, then the end will come. The troubles between the resurrection of Christ and His return are characterized by false worship led by false Christs and false prophets. But in the midst of that turmoil, God’s supreme command of the world remains. There is a Latin saying which originated in the political unrest of the 16th century Switzerland, and which was revived by theologian Karl Barth in the midst of the Second World War. "Switzerland is governed by the confusion of men and the providence of God." What a wonderful statement of the dual reality we face. While confusion and tribulation may be what characterizes our life, we still live under the providence of God. But that faith is tested as we are told what to expect in the end. In verse 29 we are given a frightening picture of the end. There is perhaps no greater image of the total disintegration of the world as we know it than by saying the sun will be darkened and the stars falling from the sky. This image speaks of the total breakdown of our universe. Nothing can stand in the face of this kind of end. While the cosmic cessation is part of what we can be certain, Jesus makes use of Old Testament imagery when He talks of the sun, moon and stars ceasing to give light. This was a common idiom in the ancient world when speaking of not cosmic, but political collapse. The Fall of Babylon to the Medes in 539 BC was prophesied in terms of the sun, moon, and stars going dark (Isaiah 13:9-10); the fall of Edom was prophesied in terms of the heaven wearing away and the sky rolling up like a scroll (Isaiah 34:4); Amos foretold of the destruction of Samaria (722 BC) by saying the sun would go down at noon and the earth would go dark in broad daylight (Amos 8:9); and the destruction of Egypt involved prophesy of darkened sun, moon, and stars. In our own political context stars are used on our own flag to signify the fifty states Jesus gives us confidence in the face of distress, of tribulation. For all the troubles that have arisen, that are now on the horizon, that will come in the future, there is a movement to our life. We do not live in a haphazard world governed by mere chance. Our sovereign God is directing us toward a final goal. And that final end will not come until the end. We need not fear this world rushing headlong into destruction like a freight train off its tracks. One important step of that goal is that at the end of time, all that which stands opposed to God, which lifts itself as the one to be worshipped (as we saw last week in verse 15 regarding the abomination that causes desolation) will finally be destroyed. We need this reminder, for throughout the ages the church has been despised, Christ’s rule rejected, God not believed. The rule of God over His own creation will be evidenced in a way which can only be described as earth-shaking. The cosmic imagery here, while in the Old Testament describes the destruction of world powers and governments, points also to what will happen at the end of the age when the universe as we know it will come to an end. 2 Peter reminds us that with the coming of Christ the cosmos will likewise dissolve. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. 2 Peter 3:10-13 The reason for this image of destruction of that which lights our life is, for us, a positive image. The prophet Isaiah says in 60:19 that the sun will no longer be our light... "for the Lord will be your everlasting light and your God will be your glory." John in his Apocalypse describes eternity with these same words when he says: “There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light." WE CAN BE CERTAIN OF THE COMING OF CHRIST The next thing of which we can be certain is that Christ is coming back. I’ve joked that as some segments of contemporary Christianity become engrossed in end-times speculations, they produce elaborate charts of the end times. Conjectures as to what in contemporary life equates various verses abound, but beyond promises of difficulty, what is certain about the end is this: the cosmos will collapse and Christ will come. As a young Christian I remember week long prophecy conferences explaining all the signs of the end. A Presbyterian Prophecy Conference would be brief: Jesus will return! What is the sign? The sign is Christ’s return. Of this we can be certain. What is the response to the sign? The nations will mourn. As He does throughout this section, Jesus repeatedly speaks with reference to the Old Testament prophets which foretold of His first and second advent. Zechariah 12:10 speaks of such a mourning. John picks up on this in Revelation 1:7. The mourning comes because He has been rejected. When the final sign is given, it becomes too late to respond, too late to repent. This is a mourning of lost opportunity: It is now too late. The grief for many will be that Jesus was not believed, a regret that will turn into a tragic wailing as people realize their imminent judgment. What does this coming look like? Unlike His first coming which was in secret and humble, the Second Coming comes with power and authority. Here Jesus makes reference to Daniel 7:13-14. The clouds symbolize God’s presence and His deity. This return of Christ is understood to be the fulfillment of this age, the consummation of time. In 1 Corinthians 15:24-25 Paul describes this coming as the conclusion of His reign and rule. At this time Christ reigns and will do so until He returns, the heavens and earth are destroyed, the new heavens and earth are set in their place. WE CAN BE CERTAIN OF THE COLLECTION OF THE CHOSEN With the same certainty we can know that this world, with its power and substance will come to an end, and with the same certainty that Christ will come again with power and glory. We also know that when He comes He will come for those that are His. The trumpet call in the Old Testament was an important means of communication. In Numbers 10 the trumpet was used to signal the Israelites that it was time to move on. Likewise at the beginning of the year of Jubilee it signaled that debts were forgiven, slaves were set free. The trumpet sound was a joyous occasion of the end of the old and the beginning of the new. In Isaiah 27:13 God promises that He will gather His people with a great trumpet blast. This image is picked up by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:52 and in 1 Thessalonians 4:16. This is not some secret rapture from suffering, but at the end of the age, all those dead and alive will be raised to be with Christ. This is a comfort we often neglect. We are to be reminded that when we face difficult times, when life seems to get the best of us, that at the end of all history our Lord will return for us, everyone of us who are His. The success of the "Home Alone" movies was in part because of the common fears we had as children, of being left behind, of being forgotten, of fending for ourselves. God will never leave us; He will never forsake us. WE CAN BE CERTAIN OF THE COVENANT PROMISES OF GOD Of all that we are to be certain of, the obvious question remains: On what basis can we be certain of this? We can be certain because the God who is bringing the world to a conclusion in His time, the God who is sending His own Son who died for His people, to take them home again, that God has promised, and what He has promised will be done. The fulfillment of the promise is first seen even now. The very distresses we face are part of the evidence which points to Jesus’s return. The parable of the fig tree points to the impending return. Some have developed from this rather simple statement a complex idea that the fig tree represents Israel’s national formation in 1948, so that the generation mentioned in verse 34 means that Jesus must return by 1978 (when so called scholars were sure a generation was 30 years) then 1983 (when in 1979 they were sure a generation was 35) then 1988 when it had to be forty years. But this fig tree is not a symbol of modern-day Israel. Rather the fig tree, unlike other trees in Palestine, sheds its leaves every year and grows new leaves in late spring. When the fig’s leaves appear, people then know the harsh winter rains will be soon over, and harvest time would soon be upon them. We have a similar saying: April showers bring May flowers. In order to get to the wonderful flowers of May we must endure the showers of April. To get to the joyous return of Christ we must endure the trials of today. And it is those very trials, those difficulties that serve as constant reminders that Jesus is coming back. When we see all the distress described in verses 4-28, when we experience the troubles described which are so commonplace in human life, we can be certain the end will come. At last Jesus answers the disciples question in verse 3: "What are the signs?" The return of Christ is imminent as all that is said comes about. When is that? Verse 34 marks what must happen first: This generation must first see all these things. Jesus is not saying He will return after the generation, but that He will not come before all this happens to this generation. As we’ve seen in this passage, all the events listed occurred in the forty years leading up to the destruction of the temple in . But the same cycle continues throughout history as again and again false prophets teach heresy and God’s place of worship is contaminated. While all which to us seems so certain will in time disintegrate, Christ’s promises will not come to an end. While we may be a people living in a time of flux and change, we have grown accustomed to the predictability of life. Every morning the sun rises, every year we cycle through the seasons. Even the abnormal is predictable. El Nino is a pattern; floods come in cycles. In our brief lives, in our short time here on earth, we imagine that life as we know it is so certain. But it's not. Yet one thing is certain: The promises made by Christ to come again for us remain firm; they stand fast. While our culture may think that which they build will remain, while humanity may imagine the ground on which we stand is indeed terra firma, that which we think will last will not. On the other hand, while we may be surrounded by those who say God’s Word is not relevant for today, that it is outmoded, that is the only thing which will last. Toward the end of World War II, downtown Warsaw was almost totally leveled. Only one skeletal structure still stood on Warsaw’s main street, and many devout Poles considered it a kind of shrine. The badly damaged structure was the Polish headquarters of the British and Foreign Bible Society, and the words on its only remaining wall were clearly legible from the street: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” Of what can we be certain? We don’t know what the future holds in so many things. We make plans for our future, we save and invest (as we should), but the market could turn and we could lose everything. We decide what job we’ll take, but soon the company could downsize and we may be unemployed. We may plan out a vacation, decide to take a cruise next year, but the length of our days is not for us to decide, but lies in God’s hands. We don’t know if Y2K will be a hiccup or a last gasp. We can not be certain if the Asian market will spell disaster for the world economy. We are unable to determine if we will die due to global warming, acid rain or nuclear fallout. What is certain are the promises of Christ. The promise of His return are certain. With His return we know that His promise of pardon is as certain as His prophesy of punishment. His Word remains firm and true. So now, between His resurrection and His return, what are we to do? How are we to live? We are called to remember Christ and His death for us, in the meal set before us this morning. In the Lord’s Supper we have the gospel acted out before us; we have His death and resurrection on display. It is God’s kiss of grace, His promise of His return to take us home with Him so that we may share with Christ our Bridegroom at the banquet table in heaven. This simple bread and wine remind us that Christ will come once again. As we eat and drink and trust in Christ’s all-sufficiency for our sins, we know that He will provide for us all we need. |
