What if Jesus comes back today?

Sermon for Advent 2

Romans 15:4-13  +  Luke 21:25-36

Most people don’t think the world is going to end in judgment, with Jesus literally coming back to the world to put an end to it. And they live like they don’t think judgment is coming, as if they didn’t have to answer to the Judge at all. Now, many are convinced that the earth will be destroyed, but they think mankind is going to destroy the planet, or maybe an asteroid will do it, or a solar event, and that mankind’s only hope of survival is becoming a multi-planetary species. (I think that’s what Elon Musk has suggested.) Even among those who do believe that God is going to bring this world to an end, many are under the impression that there’s going to be some apocalyptic event, a global disaster, or “Armageddon,” or “Rapture,” or a sinister world leader stepping forward as the Antichrist to crush the Gospel, before the day of judgment comes, so that, when these things happen, it’ll be obvious to everyone that the end is about to come. And so they think they’ll have time to prepare, when they see those catastrophic events taking place.

But think back to what Paul wrote in the Epistle just two weeks ago: For you yourselves know perfectly well that the day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as birth pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will surely not escape. Or remember what Jesus Himself said: As the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. That means that most people will have no clue that the end of the world is upon them, until it is upon them!

Christians are also left not knowing when the end will come, but Christ’s coming shouldn’t surprise us, as it will the unbelieving world. It shouldn’t come as something totally unexpected to us, because Jesus has given us things to watch for, reminding us to expect His coming, and to expect it at any time, so that, when we see the Son of Man coming in power and great glory, we won’t say, “Oh, I had no idea He might come today!”, but instead, “Yes! I thought He just might come today!” What if Jesus does come back today? You want to be able to stand before Him, if He does, to survive His coming and to go with Him into eternal life. In order for that to happen, Jesus tells you and all His disciples in today’s Gospel: Always watch and pray, that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will take place and to stand before the Son of Man.

Part of “watching” is recognizing the signs that Jesus gives us, pointing us toward His second Advent. Today’s Gospel from Luke 21 includes a few of those signs, and when we add the signs recorded earlier in Luke’s Gospel and in Matthew’s and Mark’s Gospel, we see the fuller picture that the Holy Spirit has painted for us. We’re to look for signs in three different areas: in nature, in society, and in the Church.

In nature, Jesus speaks of signs in the sun, moon, and stars, fearful sights and great signs from heaven. Great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences. The sea and the waves will roar. All pandemics and natural disasters are included among those signs, along with anything strange or out of the ordinary happening up in the heavens, or below on the earth, changes in the atmosphere, in the weather, in the climate, in the crops that are grown. The world draws its own false conclusions about all those things, but Christians should know better. When we hear of strange or fearful or destructive things happening in nature—and they happen all the time!—we should recognize them as signs pointing to Jesus’ coming, and we should remember to be watchful for that great day.

In society, Jesus speaks of signs like wars and rumors of wars. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. Lawlessness will abound. Christians will be hated and persecuted. When we hear about such things happening—and they happen all the time!—we should recognize them as signs pointing to Jesus’ coming, and we should remember to be watchful for that great day.

In the Church, Jesus speaks of signs like these: Many [Christians] will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. There will be a great falling away from the faith. The love of many will grow cold. Many false prophets will arise, and many people will be deceived by them. The man of lawlessness himself, also known as the Antichrist, will arise—not within the world governments but within the Christian Church!—and cause many to fall away. And, finally, the Gospel will be preached to all the nations.

Now, which of those things hasn’t happened yet? Most of them have happened and continue to happen repeatedly throughout history, continually reminding God’s people to watch and pray. The only sign people still get confused about is who or what the Antichrist is, but when we put together the passages of Scripture that talk about him, it’s clear that it isn’t just one man who will arise close to the end of the world. It’s an institution, represented by a man, that has its origins going back almost to the time of the apostles themselves. And when we compare the teachings and practices of the Roman Papacy to Holy Scripture, it becomes evident that the papacy is, at very least, a clear manifestation of the Antichrist. And if anyone doubts that the Antichrist has already been around for a while, consider this: Can anyone really question the fact that the solid, Christ-centered, Biblical foundation of the outward Christian Church around the world has already been decimated? Look at the state of Biblical Christianity today! What further damage could a future Antichrist do to the Church than that which has already been done? So, clearly all the signs pointing to Jesus’ coming are there before our very eyes, leaving us Christians without excuse, screaming at us every day, “Jesus is coming! Watch and pray that you may be ready if He comes back today!”

So, part of watching is recognizing those signs that are all around us and constantly remind us to be ready. Another part of watching is not letting your heart be weighed down by earthly pleasures or earthly concerns. Jesus said in today’s Gospel, Be on your guard, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you unexpectedly. For it will come like a snare upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth.

Now, Jesus is talking to Christians, here, not unbelievers. He already knows the unbelieving world is focused on their earthly life, because they don’t know the true God or believe in the future He has foretold. They don’t acknowledge their sinfulness and their need for a Savior. They don’t know the love of the Father, who gave His only-begotten Son to suffer and die for the sins of mankind, that all might believe in Him, and be saved from sin and from the coming judgment. Their hearts have not been remade and renewed through faith in Christ Jesus, so of course their hearts are weighed down and bound tightly to this earth. But Christians have come to know the love of God. We have put our faith in the redeeming work of Jesus, our Savior. If we belong to Him, then we walk according to His Spirit and have our hearts set on Him and on His imminent return. That’s where our hearts are set by the Holy Spirit Himself. But the flesh, the sinful nature that we still carry around with us, isn’t interested in Jesus, or God’s will, or a heavenly inheritance. The flesh is still earthbound and always will be, and that’s why it’s so easy for us to be weighed down by earthly pleasures and earthly concerns, by earthly goals and earthly desires.

But Christians are not enslaved by the flesh. We are not ruled by it or controlled by it. We are not at its mercy, as if we had no choice but to have our hearts weighed down. No, God has given us His Spirit, who uses the words of Jesus in today’s Gospel to wrench our hearts away from earthly things and sinful things and lifts our gaze heavenward again.

So walk with the Spirit! Watch and pray, so that if Jesus does come back today, you’ll be ready. At every party you attend, at every function, be ready. At work every day, at home, at school, be ready. At every funeral, during every hospital stay, on your deathbed, be ready. Be watching. Remind yourself that Jesus may well come back today, so that, if He does, you’re not caught unaware or unprepared, giving in to temptation, joining in with the world in its never-ending celebration of depravity, of itself, but looking to the Lord Jesus as your sure hope of eternal life.

And part of watching and being ready is using the amazing gift God has given you in the Holy Scriptures. God’s Word is that which prepares us for Christ’s advent, both His first advent and His second. Listen again to what Paul said in today’s Epistle about the Scriptures: Whatever was written before was written for our learning, so that, through patience and the comfort of the Scriptures, we might have hope. God wants you to have hope. He’s given you everything you need to stay watchful, to stay vigilant, to be ready for your Savior’s return, in His written Word, in His preached Word, in His visible Word, namely, the Holy Sacraments. Use the gifts He has given to make you ready for His arrival. Expect Jesus to return today, every day. And on the day when He finally does—which may be today!—you’ll be able to stand up straight and lift up your heads, for your redemption is drawing near! Amen.