We See the Signs, but What Do they Mean?
Luke 21:25–36
[Jesus said:] “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, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 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.”
And He told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
“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. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 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.” (ESV)
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your mercy in Christ Jesus our Lord. Grant us repentance and faith in your Word. As we see the signs in the heavens and the earth, give us confidence, to lift our heads knowing that our redemption is drawing near. Amen.
Dear Fellow Redeemed,
Have you seen the signs? The stores no longer have Halloween candy. Thanksgiving has come and gone. The days are getting colder and shorter. The grass is getting covered with snow. The plows are on the roads. There are now evergreen trees in our homes. Colorful and bright lights inside and out. The music on the radio and in the stores has changed. The stores are furnished with holiday cheer. People are making gingerbread men, colorful cookies, and lefse. What is happening? What does this all mean? Christmas is on its way. All these signs, the things we notice changing this time of year, point us to the truth, whether we can believe it or not, that Christmas is just around the corner.
In our lesson, Jesus points us to another set of signs. He points us to the sun, moon, stars, and roaring seas and waves on the earth. Signs in the heavens and the earth. These are signs that we have seen since the destruction of the Temple in AD 70. The eclipses, shooting stars, meteors, hurricanes, and storms we have heard about or maybe experienced. We see the signs, but what do they mean? The signs are pointing us to the truth, that the Son of Man is coming on a cloud with power and great glory. These signs are Christ’s warning and promise that he is coming again. The signs we see confirm that Jesus’ Word is true. He is going to come again.
The reactions that our Lord describes to these signs and his return could not be more different. When some see the signs in the heavens and the earth, they will be “fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world.” The Greek word Jesus uses for fainting is not just mere light headedness, but literally the breath leaving the soul. People will be dismayed and disheartened, fainting with fear. The signs that Jesus describes are a warning to unbelievers to repent. For soon, Christ will come in a cloud with power and glory. For the unbeliever, this will be the end—their judgement. As we sing in the hymn,
“But they who have always resisted His grace
And on their own virtue depended,
Shall then be condemned and cast out from His face,
Eternally lost and unfriended.
Have mercy upon us, O Jesus!” (ELH 200:2).
These signs are a warning to unbelievers, but they are a comfort for believers. When Christians see the signs in the heavens and on the earth, they are not frightened despite the responses they see in the world. Christians are comforted, knowing that God’s Word is being fulfilled. Jesus said these things would happen—they are not unwanted, because they mean that Jesus is coming. For the believer, Judgement Day is the day of our redemption. Jesus says, “Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
But why can we look with hope? Why can we have a different reaction than the rest of the world? We can have confidence at our Lord’s second advent, because of his first advent when Jesus came in humility. For the Lord who is coming to judge the living and the dead, was the one who was born in a manger, the carpenter from Nazareth, who rode on a colt the foal of a donkey, a beast of burden, as he carried the burden of our sins to the cross.
What love Jesus had! It wasn’t just for those who he knew would believe, he died for the sins of the whole world! As John writes, “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (I John 2:2). His arms spread out on the cross show how he opens his arms to the whole world. It does not matter who you are—every man, woman, and child, rich or poor, strong or weak, good or bad, Jesus invites to his kingdom. Jesus says, “Amen, amen, I tell you: Anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He is not going to come into judgement but has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24). Jesus wants all people to be saved, which is why he calls us through his word to lead us to repentance and faith in him.
Jesus gives us these signs so that we may be prepared for his return. When we see the signs in the heavens: eclipses, shooting stars, meteors; when we see signs on the earth like hurricanes and storms, we should remember Jesus words. It should lead us to repent of our sins, and cling to Jesus and his Word. And it should bring us comfort because our redemption is drawing near. Jesus gives us these signs because he knows how easily we get distracted.
Sometimes it’s easy to ignore the warning signs. The very first vehicle I owned came with the service engine light on, and sometimes other lights came on too. But I knew it wasn’t an actual issue. And so, it became normal for me to have my dashboard look like Christmas all year round because of all the warning lights. I remember one occasion, when I was giving somebody a ride for the first time, that they say, “Hey! Your service engine light is on! And your brakes! You need to get that checked out!” I replied, “Oh, it’s always been that way, don’t worry about it. We’ll be fine.” For some reason, he was not convinced.
It’s been almost two thousand years since Jesus ascended into heaven and ever since then we have been seeing the signs that Jesus described in our lesson. And it might be a temptation for us to see the signs in the heavens and the earth and think, “Oh, it’s always been that way, don’t worry about it. We’ll be fine.” Sort of like me with my dashboard lights on my car. But that would be a great mistake. These are not empty signs. They are our Lord’s signs to you and me. He is going to return, but we do not know the day nor the hour.
So, Jesus says, “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. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth.”
The devil works very hard for us to ignore Jesus’ signs—to treat them as unnecessary warning lights on our dashboard. He distracts us. When we face troubles, he tempts us to solve those burdens at the bottom of a bottle. He tries to get you and me to be more concerned about the cares of this life. He tries to make that persistent sin in our life seem like no big deal. But Jesus says, “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.”
And so, what are we to do? Should we establish a “signs” committee on our council? Should we be making banners and advertisements telling people that the end is near? We do see some churches doing that, but no. The church is never told to preach the signs. The church is to preach the Gospel. The signs don’t save. They only warn. The Gospel saves.
God’s promises and his saving Gospel are what we need in our lives. Consider the description of those who are not in God’s Word and hearing his Gospel, “hearts… weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life.” Without Christ, there is no true hope. When they see the world falling apart, they see all the things that they love fall away. But not for the Christian. Jesus wants our hearts tied to heaven, not to the things of this world. When our treasure is in heaven, then these are the sweetest words to our ears: “Lift up your heads, for your redemption is drawing nigh.”
We can lift up our heads at Christ’s return because Christ lifts up our hearts here and now by the forgiveness of sins. Every Sunday after we confess our sins, the Pastor says, “Lift up your hearts unto God!” Why? Because the “Almighty God, our heavenly Father, has had mercy upon us, and has given His only Son to die for us, and for His sake forgives us all our sins.” The Pastor speaks these words, but they are Christ’s promises. They are our Savior’s words, the Pastor is simply the mouthpiece.
Jesus gives us another wonderful promise. He says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” Everything in this world will not last—it is like the flower of the field or morning dew. But God’s Word will last forever. And his word promises eternal life to all who believe in him. His word promises that we are children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. His word promises that he will never leave us nor forsake us.
After Jesus tells us about the signs of the end, he uses a beautiful parable about a fig tree and other trees. This is important to note! He doesn’t tell a terrifying, frightful parable about fire, but as Luther commented, “a beautiful, comforting, lovely parable about trees.” When the trees bud, “you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near.” Luther continued, “So also, when the sun grows dark, you should say, the trees are blossoming beautifully. Why? Because we are to be set free forever. The signs which will occur in sun, moon, sea, and earth, the world will regard as threatening pikes and halberds. But you, my disciples and Christians, are to think of them as beautiful blossoms. You ought to rejoice; for the kingdom of God is coming to you because you believe and are baptized, because you suffer and because you petition and pray.”
As we look forward to summer each spring, so also, we look forward to the beginning of a new life in Heaven with our Lord and Savior. The joy that summer brings is but a glimpse of the joy we will have on that great day. And so, as we see the seasons change, as days grow colder and shorter, we look forward to summer… we look forward to the life to come.
There can be a lot of sadness and grief during the Christmas season—the dreary weather, the loss of loved ones, or failed hopes. But even as we head into the darkest days of winter, the holy night offers hope. There is Light. No matter your life’s situation or circumstance—Christ has come and will come again. The sadness and troubles of this life will one day be gone, and the new day shall dawn. The signs are here.
Until we finally reach that new season under heaven, where Christ will be our life and light, may we remember Paul’s words: “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Amen.