Text: Luke 21:5-28 (Malachi 4:1-6, 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13)                                  W Second Last Sunday

Signs

          In the name of him whom we will see coming in the clouds with power and glory, dear friends in Christ:  The setting of this morning’s Gospel lesson is the spectacular complex of buildings and courtyards that together made up the holy precinct of the Temple of God in the city of Jerusalem.  Jesus has spent the day teaching at one of the pillared porches there, and now the hour has come for him and his followers to retire to the Mount of Olives for the evening.  It’s as they’re leaving the area that a few of them comment on the imposing architecture and ornately carved stones that adorn the place.  It would have been only natural:  the whole scene was very impressive, what with the white marble façades, the tall, graceful columns crowned with gilded flourishes, and the massive structural stones some of which weighed upwards of thirty tons. Especially to the many followers of Jesus who were from the rustic villages of Galilee the sight must have been breathtaking.  This inspiring achievement of men would have conveyed to them a feeling of pride and wonder.  And the huge scale of it would have instilled in them a sense of permanence.  It was a place that combined beauty and strength. It must have seemed to them the sort of thing that would stand forever.

But Jesus, overhearing their awestruck appraisal, tells them, “You see all this? It will soon be nothing but scattered rubble.  Not one stone will be left atop another.”  That must have been a shock to their systems; a statement as horrifying to think about as it would be hard to imagine.  This was the holy Temple of God.  To think of it being desecrated was offensive enough; but the kind of disaster it would take to destroy the place to the degree Jesus had indicated was mind-boggling.  One thing’s for sure though, after saying it, he would have had their undivided attention. Now they’re just full of questions. When?  How?  What will be the signs?

In the sermon message a few weeks back on All Saints Day, I mentioned how the Lord has given us a window on the future.  It was a scene in the Book of Revelation in which the whole multitude of saints are gathered around the throne of God singing his praises and thanking him for the redemption he gave us through his Son, Jesus, the Lamb slain for our sin. That vast and joyful assembly in the heavenly throne room, we know, is our destination.  It’s where we’re going – and we long to be there.  In today’s lesson however, Jesus tells us a few of the things we can expect to see along the way as we journey to that destination. And there’s no doubt about it:  he makes it clear that it’ll be rough going.

And it’s important that we understand that the things Jesus foretells are more than just sights we will see; they are signs to us.  That is to say they pack a message.  They are meant to be reminders to us of things Jesus has said and warned us about.  And so it’s vital that we know how to read the signs and take their messages to heart because like the signs along a highway that tell you where you are, that you’re going the right way, how far you have to go, and what kind of road hazards you have to watch out for, if you don’t know how to read them, they can’t do you any good.

But before we get into the details, let me say this about all the signs in general: together they remind us that we’re on a journey.  They tell us that we’re just passing through this world on the way to another place and time.  It’s something that we often lose sight of or forget.  We have a tendency to think in terms of the present only, like this is all there is.  And as such, we’re looking for ways to put down deep roots here.  We want stability.  We want permanence.  We want to surround ourselves with an atmosphere of beauty and strength in which we feel comfortable, safe, and at ease.  We want things to be right and peaceful and satisfying now.  We long for enduring relationships with others that we can always depend upon and that never undergo any stress.  We want life without wrinkles – not the kind that upset our daily routines or the kind that keep showing up on our faces.  And there’s nothing wrong with wanting these things – we were actually designed for it.  But the signs we keep passing on the way remind us that we’re not going to have it here.  We’re moving. The scene keeps changing.  It’s in constant flux.  And so our utopian dreams of attaining life without wrinkles will never be fulfilled here.  The signs in general all remind us that this present world and everything in it is destined to pass away, and that for the fulfillment of our deepest dreams and desires we have to look ahead to the final destination.

So with that overall understanding, let’s take a closer look at the specific signs. First Jesus warns us that there’s going to be trouble and confusion within the Christian church.  False teachers and false christs are going to arise from its own ranks and deceive people.  Many will be led astray.  And it’s significant that Jesus warns us of this first because it’s by far the most dangerous threat we face.  In the other things, the wars and tumults and the natural disasters and famines and whatnot that he mentions, you might lose your life.  But if you are led away from the truth of Christ’s Gospel, you will lose your soul.  So Jesus begins by warning us not to let ourselves to be fooled.  And as we survey the present state of Christendom, we can see just how dire and appropriate this warning is.  There are literally thousands of Christian and pseudo-Christian denominations all claiming to have the whole truth and at the same time, all flatly contradicting the others on any number of points.  They can’t all be right.  And to the degree that they are wrong, specifically to the degree that their teachings undermine or pervert the central truth of the Gospel that people are saved by grace through faith in the merits of Jesus who suffered and died to atone for the sins of the world, they are leading people who call themselves Christians to hell.

Now, that’s a hard pill to swallow.  We don’t like thinking of it that way.  But that is precisely what Jesus warns us is going to happen – so it shouldn’t surprise us to see it going on.  What it should do is cause us to redouble our efforts to know the truth, to confess the truth, to help lead others to the truth, and to know how to spot and refute a falsehood or a phony when we see one.  Not everything or everyone that claims to be of Christ is.  Jesus warns us that his name is going to be used to deceive people.  And it’s the nature of deceptions to sound right and appealing—that’s how people get deceived.  So be on guard.  Question. Probe.  Be suitably suspect.  Test the spirits.  And don’t let yourself be led astray.

            The second sign Jesus gives us is that of seemingly endless political turmoil, and all kinds of wars and conflicts between nations.  This too is a bitter pill for us to swallow.  We’d like nothing more than to believe the politicians who are constantly promising, “Vote for me and I’ll give you peace, prosperity, and security – and I’ll lower your taxes while I’m at it.”  In one way or another they all say these things because they know that they resonate with us.  And perhaps they really do believe that they’ll be able to keep their promises; but it never works out that way, does it?  John Lennon sang about imagining a world free of violence and hostility in which there was perfect harmony and the world would live as one; but it’s a false hope in this fallen world.  Jesus tells it like it is:  we’re not going to solve the world’s problems no matter how hard we try because we cannot solve the underlying problem of human sin – not even our own.  Now, that’s not to say that we shouldn’t participate in the political process as individuals or in global affairs as a nation and try to make the world a better place to live in; it’s rather that we need to recognize our limitations and give up the silly notion that if we just elected the right people and came up with the right policies all of our problems would go away.  This sign reminds us that no one can save humankind from itself except for the Savior who gave his perfect life for our sin. 

The next signs Jesus mentions are natural disasters like earthquakes, famines, and disease epidemics.  They remind us that nature itself is at odds with us as a result of the curse of sin and that the whole creation is groaning as if in labor as it waits for its own redemption and for the sons of God to be revealed.  Of course, we like to flatter ourselves most of the time with the notion that we’ve got nature pretty well under control.  But then along comes a tidal wave that kills a half million people, or a hurricane that drowns a major city, or wildfires that leave thousands homeless and we’re reminded exactly where we stand.  On top of it we’ve got the pandemic AIDS in Africa, the Bay area in California now long over due for a major earthquake, and the problem of global warming.  Scientists may be divided on the question of what’s causing it, but that it’s happening is pretty well established.  And that it’s likely to cause widespread flooding in low lying areas and the desertification of major food growing regions, not to mention all kinds of other harmful climatic changes – it all just goes to show how powerless we really are.  And no one but the Lord knows what’s next.

For the next sign Jesus returns to the community of the church to warn us that those who trust in him will suffer persecution and the increasing hostility of the world.  I find that remarkable because as I listen to various evangelists and TV and radio preachers, I’m constantly hearing them speak of a great revival that they insist is coming to this country.  They speak of it as if it’s just around the corner.  Suddenly millions are going to come flocking to the faith and Christianity is going to become popular again – like it supposedly was in some golden age in the past.  I have news for them.  Christianity, true Christianity that emphasizes Christ crucified for our sin has never been popular, and according to Jesus it never will be.  It runs up against and attacks the pride, reason, intellect, and glory seeking of fallen humans.  By nature, people hate it.  And Jesus warns us that because of this true believers will be objects of scorn and contempt.  Even their own family members will disown and betray them.  This, he says, is not a cause for alarm or despair.  Rather we are to see conflicts when they arise as opportunities for us to testify to the truth.  It’s when the difference between our way of looking at the world and everyone else’s is clearly seen that the truth shines more brightly in the darkness. And Jesus tells us that we needn’t worry about how to explain or defend ourselves in the hour of trial.  He promises to send us the wisdom and words we need to make our confession of faith.  That too is a sign for us and for others.

And Jesus speaks of other signs in heaven and on earth:  nations in distress, the seas in turmoil, people fainting with fear, terrified of what may come next.  And despite it all he says, “When you see these things, relax and know that your God is in control.  You will not be harmed.  Not a hair of your head will perish.”    And mind you he says this even of those who are put to death for their faith – so it’s clear that he isn’t speaking of being rescued from every threat in this life.  But whatever people take from us now in time God is more than able to restore in eternity.  So Jesus tells us not to worry about it; just remain faithful.

And to help keep us faithful the Lord has given us other signs.  In today’s Old Testament reading, the prophet Malachi promises that before the great and awesome day of the Lord, God will send forth Elijah to prepare the way.  But we need to understand that the language here is a prophetic metaphor.  Elijah is in heaven.  He’s not coming back.  What it means is that the Lord will send someone who will fill the role of an Elijah. What role is that?  Well, you may remember that Elijah was the one faithful spokesman for God in a time when all the other prophets had either been turned from the true faith by their apostasy or silenced through persecution and death. Now, we know that the appearance of John the Baptist was a fulfillment of this prophecy.  In a time when the Jewish faith was being thoroughly corrupted and falsely taught by the religious leaders of his day, John stood alone and called the people to repent from their sin and to believe in the soon to be revealed Savior.  So John was an Elijah for his day.

But there is more to this prophecy, because the Lord has promised that his true church will endure until he returns – that there will always be a faithful remnant of believers.  And wherever they are, they will have an Elijah with them to speak God’s Word faithfully.  There are any number of such Elijahs today:  God’s faithful spokesmen who are proclaiming his truth over and against the more popular theories and pseudo-Christian religious systems that people find more appealing.  The Elijahs are out there—though they will always be comparatively few in number.  They will never be in the majority.  But wherever they are they have been entrusted with signs so that you can recognize them.

What signs? First, they have God’s Word, which they proclaim in all its truth and power.  They don’t apologize for it or try to explain it away.  Secondly, they have the sign of Baptism by which simple water and God’s Word are united to perform the miracle of spiritual rebirth and the washing of renewal by the Holy Spirit.  Third, they have the Holy Supper through which the Lord Jesus gives his true body and blood to the faithful for the forgiveness of their sins and the strengthening of their faith.  And finally, they have the sign of the cross of Jesus, for that is the emphasis of all their preaching and teaching.  By God’s grace and upheld by your prayers, I hope to be such an Elijah for you for the present.  But one thing we know for sure is that times change.  People and pastors come and go – and sometimes they change their position on things.  Sometimes they even fall from grace.  But the signs by which you can recognize an Elijah never change.  So wherever you are, wherever this journey through life takes you, look for the signs; and where you find them you will find the Lord’s messenger to keep you in the true faith and prepare you for the coming of the day of the Lord.  He who has made the promise to you is faithful, and he will do it.  He will bring you to the final destination with all the saints in glory.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Soli Deo Gloria!