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"But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
"And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."
- Luke 21:20-28
On Saturday, we read that as Jesus was in the temple in Jerusalem with His disciples, some began to speak of its grand beauty: how it was adorned with beautiful stones and donations, He said, "These things which you see -- the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down." So they asked Him, saying, "Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?" And He said: "Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and 'The time has drawn near.' Therefore do not go after them. But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately." Then He said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. But before all these things they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake. But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But not a hair of your head shall be lost. By your patience possess your souls."
"But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled." My study bible suggests that Jesus' phrase, "when you see" indicates that many of the disciples would still be alive at that time, which is the time of the Roman siege of Jerusalem (AD 70). This is a warning to the disciples about what is to come in Jerusalem. Such terrible violence begets Jesus' vivid and powerful warning. It will be time to flee the city. The pregnant and nursing will therefore have the great hardship as it will be difficult for them to depart and flee quickly in the desperation of this time. The times of the Gentiles, as I understand it, are the era which has followed. Because of Jesus' strong warning here, the early Church in Jerusalem survived and they were able to flee.
"And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near." These verses, in contrast to those above, tell us about His return or Second Coming, presumably when the times of the Gentiles have been fulfilled. Whatever way Jesus describes His Return, it is always with the clear sense that it will happen suddenly, and with power and great glory that is unmistakable to anyone when it does occur. The heavens will give signs and they are to "look up and lift up their heads" because redemption draws near. There are commentaries by the Fathers that the meaning of the words that the "sun will be darkened" is really expressing the dimness of all things in relation to the glory of Christ. Everything else, even the sun, moon, and stars will be dark by comparison to the power and great glory of Christ in the fullness of His splendor.
It's a great temptation to think about the time of the "end" or rather, Jesus' Second Coming, and try to imagine what it will be like -- or to wonder if we are "getting close" somehow. But the truth is that the Gospels tell us over and over again that we simply can't be prepared for this, in the sense of having total expectation and anticipation as to when it will happen. Rather, Jesus once again, as written by Luke, says to "look up" as if this is a moment when all things come together, and the splendor of the Lord outshines everything in our present understanding. Jesus consistently gives us warning, though, that it's our job to be prepared. We think about these things not to put up a timetable, but rather to be ready at all times, each moment, for the event to happen when we least expect it. And with that in mind, the concept of His "imminent return" is most important and essential for us to remember and to think about, to be prepared for. In this respect, it's something we do think about, or at least keep at all times in our remembrance, in our awareness. Are we ready for that time? What are we doing that reflects our "awake" natures to that Presence? What's God seeming to ask of us right this moment? Let's remember, also, the siege of Jerusalem, this incredibly violent, destructive, unexpected reality that appears when the temple is destroyed, and a Roman general (Titus) walks in the place of the Holy of Holies. It is a kind of depth of violation that was unimaginable, except of course there was prophecy already indicating such a thing could and would happen. Jesus gives full attention to details that will warn the disciples of the Siege that will end the temple worship and sacrifice, and destroy Jerusalem and the temple with it. But of His return? What exactly is the fulfillment of the times of the Gentiles? There is no real concrete warning about what these things mean -- only that it will happen suddenly and with so much force and power and splendor that there will be no mistaking it. It will shine from one end of the sky to the other like a great flash of lightning, and the sun, moon, and stars will be darkened in comparison. We can't miss it. Timetables, in this sense, just don't matter. It's the end of time as we know it and understand it, the end of all things as we know and understand them. And we are to keep this in mind at all times, because it's with that awareness that we have to live. It puts things in order to consider the reality of this event. It's a great promise, and we're also promised it will take us unawares. So how does this brilliant flash of overwhelming splendor form and shape your awareness of what your life is about? What does it put into perspective for you this moment? Jesus has asked through different parables to consider whether or not we have unfinished business to take care of! How does awareness of this event make you truly mindful? This is perhaps the most essential question we have for ourselves, and Jesus has posed it for us starkly and beyond doubt as a promise.
