25 “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
29 And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
34 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” 37 And every day he was teaching in the temple, but at night he went out and lodged on the mount called Olivet. 38 And early in the morning all the people came to him in the temple to hear him.22 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. 2 And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people.
Luke 21:25 – 22:2
Coming on the Clouds
Leading up until this point things have been looking bleak. The old Temple system with its sacrifices and the nation of Israel were set to be destroyed and you wouldn’t blame the crowd for thinking that God was abandoning His promises. Yet, as some would find out, God was fulfilling all the promises to Israel in the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus and inaugurating the kingdom here on earth.
There will be signs in the heavens, most notably when Jesus died – the sun would be darkened, earthquakes, and the moon turned to blood. This earthquake was felt as far away as Italy, and geological studies have concluded that a major seismic event occurred sometimes between 26AD and 36AD. Many historical writers have taken note of the eclipse that occurred. There would be big signs pointing to this enormous event.
There are other signs, ‘the roaring of the seas and waves.’ Now it is my opinion that this is speaking of the turmoil and chaos of the Roman Empire during this time. The Old Testament refers to the Gentile nations using the imagery of the sea – as from the Jewish perspective, the great Gentile nations were across the Mediterranean Sea. The powers of the heaven will be shaken, something I see as referring to the powers in the spiritual realm, namely the dark spiritual forces which have enjoyed sacrifices and rulership through the Pagan cultic practices. The demonic realm had no challenges so far. Because of Jesus, this was about to change.
Acts 2:20 also supports this claim, as the signs in the heaven coincide with the ‘pouring out of the Spirit.’ This is the time for salvation. This is the era of the church, and the powers in the heavens are now shaking in their boots. The ruler of this world has been overthrown. Then they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven. Many see this as the Second Coming, yet Jesus is referring to a passage in Daniel.
13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
Daniel 7:13-14
The Son of Man is coming on the clouds and is presented before the Ancient of Days (aka God). Notice that the coming of the Son of Man is not something that is coming to us here on earth, but rather an event in heaven. Jesus is presented before the Father, and will receive rulership, dominion, glory, a kingdom – so that all people would come under His rule. All people will serve Him. Jesus is not speaking of His second coming, but rather the Ascension. Jesus rules and reigns right now, gathering for Himself a kingdom that will not be destroyed – which cannot be said of any worldly kingdom.
Jesus encourages His followers. Stand up straight, hold your head high, rejoice, for redemption is drawing near. The kingdom the Jews have long been waiting for was about to come, it just looked very different to what they were expecting.
To illustrate His point, Jesus tells a parable about a fig tree. Before calendars on phones – or even ones you might stick on the fridge – telling seasons was either done by counting, or by watching plants change. Fig trees would grow vibrant leaves as summer was approaching and was a good indicator that things were going to warm up. In the same way, these events are like the green leaves of a fig tree, they let us know that something is going to happen.
‘This generation will not pass away until all has taken place.’ It was a call to His audience to pay attention, for these things will take place within about 40 years. Those who were listening to Him say these things were going to live through these events. Many of them would tragically lose their lives in the siege of Jerusalem. This phrase from Jesus is a good indicator that we shouldn’t be expecting a future event for us as readers. Although, this will be a future event for His audience. These things were guaranteed to take place, for even the heavens and earth will pass way – but Jesus’ words will not. They are more secure than even our current reality.
Therefore, the audience should be careful. Don’t spend your days getting wasted, enjoying your few days on this earth and giving no care or concern for the things of God. We all have a meeting with Him one day. Many in the city of Jerusalem were not expecting to be besieged and put to the sword. It came upon them suddenly like a trap and they did not heed Jesus’ words. Instead, they should have prayed for an escape like the early Christians did, listening to Jesus and trusting Him so that they could escape the destruction of Jerusalem, and indeed the wrath of God when they stand before the Son of Man.
Jesus taught all these things in the Temple. Gathering huge crowds to Himself every day. However, He was slowly losing support from them, as we will see later. Jesus would withdraw every night from the city, which made life difficult for the chief priests and scribes who wanted to grab hold of Him and kill Him. The last two verse tells us that the Passover was at hand – the lamb was about to be sacrificed for the sins of Israel. Moments before this event, the leaders were plotting how to murder Jesus. They were afraid of the people, so they needed to do it in secret. Little did they know that they were about to get lucky.
Just like the Jewish people, feasting and celebrating while things were deteriorating on a geopolitical level and their nation was in great jeopardy, we too can become to complacent and comfortable with the things of this world. Just like them, our nation is not eternal and will one day come to an end. Just like them we will stand before the Son of Man. Are we ready for that day? Or are we preoccupied with the pleasures and comfort of this world which distract us from our relationship with God?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you that I can rest assured knowing that your kingdom can never be destroyed and will last for eternity. Help me live for you amidst the turmoil of this world and the comfort and ease of my life. One day I will stand before you, a great day of comfort for my soul but a day of danger for those outside Christ. Help me share the good news of Christ. In Jesus Name, Amen.
I understand that some reading this devotion will disagree with my viewpoints on the End Times. I wholeheartedly welcome dialogue on anything I have written.