A lesson by Pastor John Skaggs
Sovereign Grace Baptist Church
P.O. Box 1447, Claypool, Az. 85532
520-425-8345 or 520-402-9134
Email: pastorjohn@gila.net
Date: 4-25-99
Sermon Number: 139
Text: Luke 21:25-38
Standing before the Son of Man
In verses one thorough nine of Luke twenty-one we find Jesus speaking to His disciples about things to come. He began by predicting the destruction of the temple. The disciples were obviously alarmed and ask if there would be signs to tell them when this would happen. Jesus’ answer had to do with things that should not be considered as signs. He warned them not to listen to anyone claiming to be the Christ or that He had returned to some part of the earth unknown to them. He spoke of wars and rumors of wars. He predicted great earthquakes, famines, general terrors, and great signs in the heavens. None of these things should be taken as THE sign that the time had come. Jesus then spoke to His disciples of a particular kind of persecution that they would have to endure. Some would be taken to the synagogues for trial, put in prison, killed, and persecuted by the Jews. The hardest part of His prediction was the revelation that their closest relatives and loved ones would turn them over to the authorities. The second coming of Christ was also the subject of that lesson and would be preceded by all of these events.
Even though the second coming is nearer today than it was in Paul’s day there are no signs that tell us exactly when that day might occur. We must simply be ready at all times. For, says Jesus, ". the day of the Lord will come LIKE A THIEF. ." 2 Peter 3:10-14 NASB
Then in verses ten through twenty-four Jesus gets specific about the destruction of Jerusalem. However, He continues to maintain that in spite of the signs that indicate the nearness of the destruction they could never determine exactly when it would take place until it had begun. Many hardships would have to be endured before that day but all of them, said Jesus, would be opportunities for testimony. Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD. Over one million men, women, and children, died at the hands of the Romans. This judgment of God had been predicted by the prophets who spoke with the authority of God. This horrible event points us to the future and final judgment of God concerning all men. In the section of scripture we look at this morning the second coming, which cannot be separated from the final judgement, is the focus. In this passage Jesus speaks of signs that will let us know His coming is very near. Then He tells us to remain alert, refrain from fleshly indulgences, and to pray for sufficient strength to deal properly with the trials that will surely come upon God’s children as the day approaches. We must not forget that every trial and hardship must be viewed as an opportunity to bear witness of the faith that lies within us and the Savior who redeemed us. Let’s began our study.
(Luke 21:25-26 NASB) "And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, {26} men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken."
The parallel passages in Matthew and Mark tell us that, "The sun will be darkened, the moon will not give forth light, and the stars will fall from the sky." Luke mentions "the roaring of the surging sea," and indicates that, as a result of it all and particularly the shaking of the "the powers of the heavens," people will be fainting from fear and apprehension.
The picture is impressive and frightening. In a moment the sun refuses to shine. Because the moon’s light is reflected from the sun it also ceases shine. The whole planet is in darkness, the sea goes crazy and terrifying sounds are heard. ". . the roaring of the sea and the waves." Other texts help fill out the description of this awful scene.
Mark 13:25 "AND THE STARS WILL BE FALLING from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken."
2 Peter 3:10 "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up." Many have suggested that these descriptions must be symbolic for if one star fell to the earth it would be completely destroyed. There are other arguments against taking our Lord’s words literally. Some of them seem to make sense and others do not. How literal must we take these fearsome statements? That will only be know when they begin to come to pass. But even without that information it is easy to see why people will be fainting from fear. Everything they have ever known will be turned upside down and inside out. The world will be in chaos. These last hours, days, months, and perhaps years will completely unnerve those who do not know Jesus.
It will do so because they know what is coming and why. Unbelievers, generally speaking, know they must face a judgement for their sins. In the back of their minds there is this ever present expectation. Listen to the words of Hebrews 10:26 "For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain terrifying EXPECTATION OF JUDGMENT, and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES." The day of the Lord will be different things for different people. For the unbeliever it will be a most terrifying, unescapable day of reckoning.
On the heals of these earthly and cosmic cataclysms will be the actual coming of our Lord.
{27} "And then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN A CLOUD with power and great glory." If we are correct in taking Christ’s words literally then at the time of His coming the whole world will be shrouded in darkness. Yet the text declares that all shall see Him. How can that be? Because He is coming in all His power and in all His glory. He is the light of the world and on that day His presence will literally illumine the earth. Is this possible? Indeed it is. For we read of the New Jerusalem in (Revelation 21:23 NASB) "And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God has illumined it, AND ITS LAMP IS THE LAMB." I won’t press this any further but if these thoughts are correct you can imagine the terror that will fall upon the earth. One moment it is plunged into utter darkness and the next every shadow is dispelled by the arrival of the Son of God in power and in all His brilliant glory. What an awesome scene!
Matthew 24:30 ". . and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then ALL THE TRIBES OF THE EARTH WILL MOURN, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory."
Matthew 26:64 Jesus said to him, "You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN."
Revelation 1:7 "BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and EVERY EYE will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Even so. Amen." Notice the statement about the resurrection. "Every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him." Seems to me that these might be numbered among the fainters. Every eye that has ever existed will see the Savior coming in the clouds and all who do not love His appearing will be terrified. They will faint, run for refuge to the mountains, and cry out for the rocks to bury them. But at last there will be no escaping the all seeing eye of the Son of God. When Jesus came the first time He came as "the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." He humbled Himself and came as a babe. He allowed Himself to be carried away by wicked men and put to death. He came to save His people from their sins. But when He comes again it will be with power and with glory for the purpose of judgement and to gather all His blood bought children to Himself.
We have already seen how the unbeliever will respond to our Lord’s return and the signs that precede it. But how ought the Christian respond to all of this? The answer is found in verse twenty-eight.
{28} "But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
All the scary stuff mentioned in verses twenty-five and twenty-six will fill the hearts and minds of unbelievers with great alarm. But for Christians these things are the telltale signs that their final deliverance is near. For them the coming of these terrifying disturbances in the heavens and in the waters will mean that the days of their suffering will soon be over. We need not be afraid of the second coming or the hard things that will precede it. On the contrary, the return of Christ will be a most joyous event for all the children of God. We will all, with the Psalmist, encourage one another to sing for joy.
Psalms 98:5 "Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre; With the lyre and the sound of melody. 6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn Shout joyfully before the King, the LORD. 7 Let the sea roar and all it contains, The world and those who dwell in it. 8 Let the rivers clap their hands; Let the mountains sing together for joy 9 Before the LORD; for He is coming to judge the earth; He will judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with equity." And the people of God say, "Even so Lord Jesus come quickly."
Isaiah 12:1 Then you will say on that day, "I will give thanks to Thee, O LORD; For although Thou wast angry with me, (God is angry with the unbeliever every day.) Thine anger is turned away, And Thou dost comfort me. 2 "Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the LORD GOD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation." 3 Therefore you will joyously draw water From the springs of salvation."
Isaiah 25:8 He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken. 9 And it will be said in that day, "Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation." Oh, Lord Jesus, come quickly!
Isaiah 60:1 "Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. 2 "For behold, darkness will cover the earth, And deep darkness the peoples; But the LORD will rise upon you, And His glory will appear upon you." Oh, Lord Jesus, come quickly!
(Romans 8:15-18 NASB) For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" {16} The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, {17} and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him. {18} For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us." You and I must be always looking up. We should even now be craning our necks as if trying to see over the horizon. We must not be found hiding in some dark place filled with fear. We must straighten up, lift our heads, for our redemption is drawing near. By the blood and righteousness of Jesus we can approach that final day with confidence.
(1 John 4:15-17 NASB) {15} "Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. {16} And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. {17} By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have CONFIDENCE IN THE DAY OF JUDGMENT; because as He is, so also are we in this world. {18} There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love." Do you love God by faith in Jesus? Do you know yourself to be a son or daughter adopted by grace? Then look up without fear, your redeemer is coming on a cloud. And, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1 NASB)
Lets move on to the parable that begins in verse twenty-nine. {29} "And He told them a parable: "Behold the fig tree and all the trees; {30} as soon as they put forth leaves, you see it and know for yourselves that summer is now near. {31} "Even so you, too, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near."
Near the end of winter and the beginning of summer the branches of the fig tree become soft and tender and covered with buds. Soon, very soon, its branches are leafing out all over. When this happens to a fig tree or any other tree we know that summer is near. Likewise, when we see the things Jesus speaks of beginning to take place we can know that the coming of Jesus is near. Once again we must take note that Jesus said near not here. Recent events in my life will serve to illustrate the non specific nature of the signs of the seasons.
This has been such a mild winter that I got spring fever very early on. Near the last of February it felt as though I should be planning a garden. I was frustrated because Wal-Mart didn’t have their seeds or plants out when I wanted them. Finally the seeds became available so I bought a seed sprouting tray and sprouted my own plants. But when they were ready to be planted it was still too cold to put them out. I began asking garden wise people when I could safely plant my garden. There were many opinions all of them based on signs that, to them, indicated summer had arrived. A friend of mine and myself submitted to a tried, proven, and sure sign that our plants would be safe from the frost. I refer to the sprouting of Mesquite trees. More than one person said this was THE sign that there would be no more frost. This proved to be a false sign and cost those who trusted it many of their plants. The sign told us that summer was NEAR but is could not be taken too specifically. In order to be sure the Gardner must wait till he sees firsthand that the frost is over. So it is with the signs of the times. They tell us that Jesus is near but they will never tell us when He will appear. The Christian must not ignore the signs but he must be careful not to make too much of them either.
{32} "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place."
This statement speaks of the generation of people who will live in the days just prior to the coming of Christ. Those who will experience the roaring, out of control sea. That generation that is living on the earth when the sun and moon cease to shed their light. This is the generation who will see the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have His word on it. For He says, {33} "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away." The heavens and the earth as you know them will pass away. They will be changed dramatically but, "My word will never change, it will never fail to come true." Since all of this is true what should we be doing while we wait and watch? Jesus answers the question for us beginning in verse 34.
{34} "Be on guard, that your hearts may not be weighted down (overcome with earthly burdens) with dissipation (nausea or drunkenness) and drunkenness and the worries (anxieties) of life, and that day come on you suddenly like a trap; {35} for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth. {36} "But keep on the alert at all times, PRAYING in order that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to STAND BEFORE THE SON OF MAN."
Leave it to our Savior to make a statement like this. Here is proof that He understands and knows the battle we fight day-to-day against sin, the flesh, and the devil. He understands that the burdens of life, business, and day-to-day existence, can drive even the Christian to total distraction. Such concerns and troubles may very well keep us from praying at all. Such concern with earthly things can in fact divert our attention from spiritual matters altogether. Therefore we mustn’t think it strange that Christ warns Christians to refrain from drunkenness. He knows how hard it is to live in this world and He knows the temptations we face. He understands the temptation to seek temporary escape. After all, that’s the attraction of drunkenness, is it not, the temporary escape from the pain of day to day existence. Jesus warns us not to be overcome with anxiety, not to try to escape through drunkenness, but to be calmly alert at all times praying for strength to escape all these things that are about to take place. While we wait for Jesus we must watch and pray.
Prayer is our number one defense against anxiety and fear. Yet this means of grace is too often treated as a last resort among Christians. This was not true of Christ or of the Apostles neither should it be true of us. We must ALWAYS be watching and praying. Hear the word of the Lord.
Luke 12:37 "Blessed are those slaves whom the master shall find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. 38 "Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. 39 "And be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 40 "You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect." Lift your head up, pay attention, watch and pray1
1 Peter 4:7 "The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer." Why do we pray? In our text Jesus says we are to pray for strength to escape, or get through the trials we will face without sin.
Luke 18:1 "Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart." Little courage is often preceded by little prayer.
Ephesians 6:18 With all prayer and petition PRAY AT ALL TIMES in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints. Prayer must never be treated as a last resort but as the first order of business at all times and in every situation!
Matthew 26:41 "Keep watching and praying, that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." So, remain alert, keep your eyes open and pray without ceasing. This is how you and I will endure the trials that are coming our way. This is the counsel of our Savior, we dare not take it lightly.
The lessons of the day are these.
1. All men will one day stand before the Lord Jesus to be judged. In that day millions will try to escape His searching gaze. But there will be no escape. For one this will be a most terrifying experience that will end in eternal punishment for sin. However, the sinner who has trusted Christ for salvation will approach the day with confidence. This man will lift his head and be filled with gladness and rejoicing for the day of his final redemption will have come at last. The only way that one can have confidence in that day is to rest his or her soul in the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
2. Secondly we see that the stability of the believer in the troubled times is not automatic. There is something he must do everyday, all the time. He must watch, that is, he must be on guard against sin, temptation, laziness, pride, and any number of things that could trip him up. While he watches he must pray for the flesh cannot resist and win the day on its own. We must have God’s strength and in order to get that we must ask for it constantly. We must watch and pray strength to get through the evil without sinning against our God.