Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ + Amen.
Today Jesus gives us a warning of the signs of the times. War, famine, pestilence, pain in child birth, the destruction of the temple. A whole host of great and terrible cataclysms that await us at the end of all things, or so it seems.
In this day and age, especially in this part of the country, evangelical Christian misinterpretations of the end times run rampant. People take the words of Jesus to be some sort of checklist that must be filled out for the end of the world to take place. Just a few weeks ago, a prediction of “the Rapture” spread rapidly on TikTok and other social media with many actually believing they knew that Christ was about to come. Now, as Lutherans who find the doctrines of “the Rapture” and predicting the coming of the end as unbiblical, this was not a problem for us, but this caused a great concern among many Christians throughout our country. If the end is coming, what must we do?
There’s also all the business that has been going on in Israel. Many Christians believe that the geopolitical nation of Israel itself is important for our eschatological beliefs. Some even believe Christ will not come back until the Temple is rebuilt! All of these thoughts misinterpret scripture, where Christ Himself has a simpler meaning before us. Consider the signs of the times that Christ produced for us in a brief overview of world history.
In 70AD, the Great Temple of Jerusalem was destroyed by the legions of Rome. This Second Temple, which replaced Solomon’s Temple after it was destroyed by the Babylonians, was the center of life in the Jewish faith of the time near Christ’s birth. When the Jews rebelled against Rome, the Temple fell, sending a devastating blow to Jewish culture and religion. In that very same year, Rome experienced a dramatic shortage in bread due to troublesome weather across the Mediterranean. To the North, the Germanic tribe of the Batavi revolted against Rome, but were ultimately put down.
During the life of Martin Luther in the early to mid-1500s, a number of troublesome events afflicted the people of Europe. A second wave of the deadly Black Plague ravaged the people across the continent. To the Southeast, the Turks threatened open warfare against the Christian kingdoms and empires of Europe. Protestant theologians were threatened with the punishment of death by the Roman Catholic Church for the crime of preaching the Gospel in truth and purity.
Today, we’re still feeling the aftershocks of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Just as it seemed supply chains were returning to normal after the pandemic, government shutdowns and disruptions in global trade slow things down again. Millions relying on government support for feeding their families have had their livelihoods in recent weeks threatened by the lack of SNAP benefits. War rages on in Ukraine, the Congo, Sudan, Somalia, Myanmar, and countless other places, including drug wars in the Americas, and threats of conflict in the tentative peace of Israel and Palestine. Christians are persecuted openly across Asia, Africa, and some places in the Americas, while they are still persecuted less violently across the world even in places where Christianity is legal. Studies by the US Geological Survey estimate that the world experiences 55 earthquakes globally every day, even if many are not felt by humans. Even in areas with some of the highest quality medical care in the world some mothers still do not survive childbirth.
Throughout the history of our world since Christ’s crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, all of the things Jesus mentioned have come to pass and even continue on even now. The Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, just as Christ said. But the earthquakes, wars, rumors of wars, plagues, famines, etc, they are all markers of the fallen world we live in and they are consistent reminders of what lies ahead. As we see these things still coming to pass, we know that the time of Christ’s coming still lies ahead. We are living continually in the End Times. All of these things should not lead us to fear, as Christ promised that even though these events continue, we still have the hope of the resurrection and Christ’s return. Even when our world seems hopeless and loss, Christ still has promised to deliver us from it. Even as persecution encroaches into the lives of Christians, taking away their livelihoods and even their lives, Christ still promises to see it all through to the end, to provide for us and keep us safe spiritually from these attacks from the evil one. Martin Luther once mentioned that checking your pulse was a good way to see whether or not you were still a sinner in need of a savior. If your heart beats, then you still need Jesus. It’s the same way with these signs of the end times, that as long as we see these things occurring in the world around us, we still need to be actively waiting for the Lord to return.
When Christ our Lord speaks to us about the “signs of the End Times,” He is not doing so to give us a timeline to determine His return or to give us a to-do list to “help Him along” with preparing for the end. He’s not even really doing this to scare us straight ahead of His coming, (though, that should come to. Repent of your sin, for the Lord is coming soon.) The Lord Jesus gives us signs of the end times to give us hope and comfort as the years pass by.
This return won’t be something that you can miss. When Christ returns, you’ll know. It will not be like the idea of the Rapture, where a select few will be whisked away while the rest of us have to sit here on earth and wait. When Christ comes, He will come to deliver each and every one of us from this sinful world.
And as far as the Temple and Israel goes, Jesus has that covered too. God allowed the temple to fall in Jerusalem because it was no longer the place where the people would find His presence. That all changed with Jesus. People did not need to go to the temple, because Christ, the new temple, came to them. Even today, when we recall that the scriptures say that our bodies are temples, that takes on new meaning in the truth that Christ dwells within each of us. The Lord continues to make His dwelling here and now with us, truly present in flesh and blood, in, with, and under the bread and wine, as well as in His word when it is read and preached to His people. The sacrifices that once took place in the Temple are no longer necessary as Christ was the all-availing sacrifice for the sake of all sinners. If one claims that the Temple is necessary for Christ’s return, they do not recognize that the work of Christ is just as He said on the cross: “finished!”
The end of all things is nothing to fear. At the end of this teaching, Jesus says: “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 near.” Your redemption draws nearer and nearer each day. When you see these signs happening around you, understand that the Lord has made you promises. Promises to forgive you of your sin, to be present with you, guarding and defending you in love. Promises to raise you and all who believe from the dead to receive the gift of life everlasting. Take heart, dear Christians. Your Lord is coming soon. In the holy name of Jesus + Amen.