Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near

 

 "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 some spoke of the temple, 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 comments that the phrase when you see indicates that many of the disciples would still be alive at the time of the destruction of the temple and the Siege of Jerusalem, which would come in AD 70.   According to fifth century church historians, the early church at Jerusalem fled east of the Jordan at these signs.   The destruction of the temple was complete (see Saturday's reading, above), so that Jesus' prophecy that not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down was fulfilled.  That great conflagration and intense fighting included not only terrible loss of life and starvation of Jerusalem's inhabitants but also a massive destructive fire that swept the city, indicating days of vengeance indeed and certainly horrific hardship for those who are pregnant and those who are nursing babies, making the necessary sudden flight impossible.

 

 "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."  How will Christ return?  My study Bible comments that the event will be unmistakable to all the world, as He will be coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  

In the mystery of this revelation and prophesy, we are given a glimpse of what are called end times.  In popular literature and media, end times are often portrayed as only the extraordinarily dramatic and frightening events close to the immediate time of Christ's return and of judgment.  But this is not the picture of end times that Jesus gives us.  Instead, the "time of the end" indicates the whole of the age in which we live now.  That is, these events of the end times begin, in Christ's words here, with the destruction of the temple and of Jerusalem, and continue until the time of His Second Coming, which will be apparent to all.  Of that specific time of His return, He says, "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."  But the rest of this discourse is concerned with times leading from the Siege of Jerusalem, through the present time, and until the time of His return, as described by Christ.  So what we observe from today's reading is a combination of worldly wars and disasters which we know, and then the 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." There have been times in the history of the Church when the sign of the Son of Man has been reported in the sky, meaning a brilliant image of the Cross, such as that noted by St. Cyril of Jerusalem in a letter to the Emperor Constantius II in the year 351, which remained for several hours and reportedly shone brighter than the sun (see Apparition of the Holy Cross).  But it is noteworthy that in the discussions we have of Jesus teaching about end times in the Gospels, the later first century destruction of the temple and of Jerusalem are mingled together with the end of the created world in the fullness of time, and there is no clear sense of chronology given.  The only conclusion we can draw is the relationship between the terrible event of the decimation of the temple and the city and the cataclysmic events to come which we're told will culminate in the powers of the heavens being shaken and the return of Christ in a cloud with power and great glory.  Even until today the many wars, famines, and natural disasters we know about have continued throughout the history that we know.  Certainly the evidence of tremendous violence, in and of itself, is notable, such as the wars of the twentieth century, great and small, involving so much of the world, and the development of massively powerful technology with which to wage war is noteworthy in terms of a kind of progression that seems to tie these themes together.  We have echoes of these prophecies throughout the ages, but most clearly in today's world we have strong warnings about environmental challenges, even as the world today dwells with an almost studiously-ignored uncertainty regarding what is by now the most heightened risk of nuclear conflict in history.  None of us should be ignorant of the fact that war is by now waged on a number of fronts which includes new technologies, including information, infrastructure systems, and many varied types of weapons unheard of before.  A true world war at this time would be something far more devastating than what was experienced in the previous century.  But what we may draw from Jesus' presentation of end times is simply that from that particular "type" of destruction of the temple, which He characterizes as vengeance, echoing through history until today, the world is seized in its own conflicts and trauma.  The struggle for spiritual truth brought by Christ into the world remains, and in the midst of that spiritual struggle are all kinds of other struggles and conflicts that magnify and echo one another.  "What is truth?" becomes yet another important question at such times of conflict and violence.  Perhaps the most important meaning we take from Christ's prophecy must be the singular importance of maintaining our understanding of who we are and what we must be about -- that none of the fearsome things we know, or the unknown things we dread, throw us off the track of maintaining our spiritual mission as Christ's followers.  We are not to make timetables about "the end" nor are we supposed to view any of these things except as signs to remind us of our real identity and the maintenance of our souls as those which belong to Christ.  That is, to be following in His mission and commandments for us, and most especially to keep in mind the real mission to care for one another as He has taught.  As St. Paul put it, to comfort and edify one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11).  These incidents that make us fear, great and small, man-made or seemingly natural, should function for us as echoes of the elements of Christ's prophecy, and at the same time reminders not to fear but put our trust in Christ.  For we have not only been told all things beforehand, but we are also those who are meant to live His teachings.   That would especially include the "new commandment" that we love one another as He has loved us.  In caring for one another, let us remember that includes comfort and encouragement, an assurance that there is a way God wants us to go forward in spite of difficulties and obstacles and fears of what might be.  For it is in Him whom we trust, and to Him we look to find our redemption.