“But in those days after that tribulation the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in the clouds’ with great power and glory, and then he will send out the angels and gather [his] elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky. Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that he is near, at the gates. Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come. It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch. Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning. May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch (Mk. 13:24-37)!”’
Jesus drew from the OT to speak about his second coming in triumph; “Indeed, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and burning anger; To lay waste the land and destroy the sinners within it! The stars of the heavens and their constellations will send forth no light; The sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not give its light (Is. 13:9-10).” All of creation will signal the coming of the ‘Son of Man’ (Dan. 7:13-14), who will gather the elect to himself. Jesus told his disciples to watch for the signs so they will know when the Son of Man will come. Some early Christians took the saying, “This generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place,” as a reference to the death and resurrection of Jesus. The disciples have to remain alert because no one but God knows when Christ will return in Glory.
Almighty God, Jesus told us to watch and wait with patience as we struggle through our trials to remain members of the elect. Strengthen us on our journey so that in spite of our hardships we may persevere to the end and receive Your promised reward of a share in Christ’s glory. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
References:
Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, & Roland E. Murphy, (Eds.). (1990, 1968). The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentis Hall, Inc.
Jose M. Casciaro, Santiago Ausin, Gonzalo Aranda, Claudio Basevi, Vincente Balaguer, Francisco Varo, James Gavigan, Brian McCarthy & Thomas McGovern (Eds.). (2017). The Navarre Bible - New Testament. Dublin 8, Ireland: Four Courts Press.
Comments