Chaos! Don't we just hate chaos?
It is one thing after another. There is always something dripping or broken in the house, but that is nothing compared to the fact that there are people in the church on the edge of homelessness. The kids have just gone back to school - and we wonder how they will cope this year. There is that worrying lump, and the doctor's appointment. There always seems to be new bills to pay. We are worried about elderly relatives or wayward children. There are so many things that make life stressful.
In these verses Jesus speaks about very stressful events. To those Jews He speaks of the fact that in a matter of decades the Roman forces are going to come in and destroy the temple - that symbol of their nations favour, security and pride. What's even more frightening is that at some undisclosed day in the future there is going to be the breaking up of the very fabric of the world.
How are we supposed to cope with those levels of stress? We cope by remembering that Jesus is in control of all things and that He loves us.
God cares for us in the chaos (14-23)
Jesus had told the disciples that the temple would be destroyed. Four of them had asked him when this would take place and what would be the sign that these things were about to be fulfilled. Jesus now gives them an answer.
When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong . . . then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. The ‘abomination that causes desolation’ is the sign that the temple was about to be destroyed. But what is ‘the abomination that causes desolation’? The answer lies in the book of Daniel. There this phrase is used in connection with the desecration of the temple—the introduction of pagan sacrifices to it.
Jesus is telling them that ‘when you see pagan worship in the temple then you should know that it is about to be destroyed.’ While there is some debate about what this act of desecration looked like the thing to note is that it did take place and the temple was then destroyed in A.D. 70.
Jesus then gives them some specific advice. The events surrounding the temple are going to be dreadful and his followers are to flee to the mountains. If you read the history books you will see that the temple and the city itself were destroyed by the Romans, and it seems that the Christians did take this warning seriously and escaped before the crisis.
so note God’s care for his people! Jesus warns them so that they will escape this terrible event. In verse 20 we read that the Lord even shortened the time of that tribulation for the sake of his people. The God who is in control of history altered the course of history for his people’s sake.
Look back upon your life through the eyes of faith. Weren't there times when you thought you could not cope, but He actually got you through? Hasn't He proven that He has trustworthy? He who spared not His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, will He not grant us all things? (Rom. 8:32). Psychologists have discovered that the mind can not dwell on anxiety and thankfulness at the same time, so thanking God for His past mercies actually drives out present worry!
One of the things that I love about our heavenly Father is that He is concerned about everything in our life. We may not be facing the destruction of our city and having to flee our homes, but that does not mean He thinks the small things are insignificant. He tells us to cast all our anxieties on Him--'no job too big. no job too small' - because He cares for us!
Don't be afraid of Jesus' return (verses 24-31)
When the four disciples had asked their question about when the temple would be destroyed they seem to have associated the destruction of the temple with the end of the world. It is this end that Jesus now goes on to describe in verses 24-27.
But in those days, following that distress,
“‘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.’
At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
Notice again the
Lord’s care for his people: when Jesus is revealed in glory and all these
catastrophic events are taking place He will send his angels to the four
corners of the universe to gather his beloved together. The temple was destroyed and replaced by his
new temple—His people, now He brings us to Himself.
Notice too the cosmic scale of the events described here. This picture is of the entire structure of the universe breaking up—the sun, the moon, and the stars. Jesus will be seen coming in clouds with great power and glory. What a shock this will be for people who have spent their whole life ignoring him, they will not be able to ignore him any more! Whatever they are doing will come to an end and they will be confronted with his majesty. They may have denied his very existence but they will see him in his glory. If you are running from Jesus take these verses as a warning—you can run but you will not be able to hide!
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. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
I think the best
way to understand these verses is to see ‘these
things’—that will happen in that generation—as a reference to the events
that will take place surrounding the destruction of the temple, and the
beginning of the birth pains of the end.
Then we take the ‘it is near’
as the end itself. But how can Jesus say
the end is near when we have waited nearly two-thousand years for it and when
he himself says that he did not know when it would be? He is talking about near, not in terms of
hours and days, but it terms of the sequence of events. Once the temple is destroyed and he events
surrounding it, once the birth pains begin then they need, and we, need to know
that the next big entry in God’s diary is the return of Jesus.
It’s a bit like
a pilot wishing to fly a plane. Certain
things must happen first. The crew must
be ready, the fuel must be filled, and the passengers must be boarded. Then when all that has happened he is near
take off. He is just waiting for
clearance and he will jet down the runway.
Jesus is saying ‘when all the events surrounding the destruction of the
temple have taken place then you need to know that the end is near, everything
is ready, it could happen any moment.’
We live at a time when the end could happen at any moment.
The end will come suddenly (verses 32-37)
“No one knows about the day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away. He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with an assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
In Jesus' various teachings concerning the end of time and His return there is a great emphasis on being ready. So I have to ask you, 'are you ready?' He speaks about this readiness in relation to how we live, 'do our lives show the evidence of being born again'? Jesus wants us to have a sense of assurance, but there can't be strong assurance if we are actively ignoring His commands for our lives. So work with me through the following questions:
- do I accept God's verdict on my life, that I actually deserve to be separated from Him and punished for my sin?
- do I see that my only hope is in the death and resurrection of Jesus, and that I will continue to the end only because His Spirit enables me?
- am I asking the Holy Spirit to reveal to me where I need to change and seeking His enabling to be more like Jesus?
- am I seeking to love His people, so that they will be my delight, encouraging and spurring them on to love and good deeds, and not giving up on meeting together for this purpose?
- do I desire to grow? Is it my hope that my best days as a Christian are always before me, and that i refuse to become stagnant?
- do I care about the lost, and desire that people would see God's glory?
- am I remaining faithful to the truth, not letting my opinions simply be changed by the everchanging ideas of the world, or my own prejudices, but sitting under the light of the Word?
God knows that in this life we will always struggle with sin. He knows that our love for Him will be imperfect (I am always helped by what someone said when they explained that 'the desire to love God is love for God'). But in the light of Jesus' return we are never to be complacent.
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