Sermon 11-24-24

Pastor Ray Lorthioir

Trinity Lutheran Church

W. Hempstead, NY

Last Sunday of the Church Year.  Based on  Mark 13:1-27

Those In The Know

Today is the final Sunday of the Church Year. Some denominations call it Christ the King Sunday. Thus it’s main theme is the return of Jesus as King of kings and Lord of lords. As we saw last week, those in the know are eagerly waiting for the return of Jesus. For, those who have been given faith to believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ know He is returning with a great blessing for them — His righteousness. Whether dead or alive at the time of Jesus’ return, those who have believed will be re-incarnated in immortal human bodies restored to the full righteousness of Yahweh and without a sinful nature. It’s this incredible righteous existence before righteous Yahweh that all in the know are eagerly waiting for. I pray that everyone listening is eager for this great gift of righteousness from their Creator.

Now, the question of when Jesus will return is a question that has caused many to speculate over the centuries. Martin Luther was no exception. Because of all the changes going on during his lifetime as medieval feudal society was transforming into something new, Martin Luther was quite sure that the end of the world was right at hand. But, that was 500 years ago. And here we still are. 

Certainly in the last 25 years there have been many stresses for Christians as historic Christendom has rapidly unraveled and society has become more debased. Therefore, are we at the point that the Apostle Paul foresaw when he wrote to Timothy in 2Timothy 3:1-5, “1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.” 

Our formerly Christian society seems to have reached the point where Paul’s words are coming true. Therefore, are we finally in the last days? Hard to know. For, this is not the first time in history where long held truths about society and morals have collapsed. If the past is any indicator, when society collapses, people start yearning for something more normal. And that can lead to a revival of seeking after eternal truths and eternal things. It can lead to a revival of seeking after God. Indeed, there seem to be signs of that happening. 

So, how much further is there to go until the end of all things? Probably quite a bit. But what I just said could be entirely wrong. For, Jesus said in Mark 13:32 “‘But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.’” So, how can I know? He could return this afternoon.

One thing is for sure, though. His return will be a surprise. For, on one occasion, Jesus said in Luke 17: 26-30, “26 ‘Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot — they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 29 but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all — 30 so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.’”

In ancient times there were two great catastrophes known to everyone. The first was the Great Flood in Noah’s lifetime. The second was the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The Great Flood was worldwide. Sodom and Gomorrah was local. Nevertheless, both catastrophes had several things in common. First, the destruction was complete. The pre-flood world is entirely gone. The present earth is not the same as it was before the flood. In the case of Sodom and Gomorrah, the destruction was so complete that it’s been very difficult to locate the ruins of those cities. 

Second, only a tiny group of chosen people escaped each catastrophe. Noah and his family — eight people — escaped the flood. Abraham’s nephew, Lot, and his two daughters escaped the destruction of Sodom.

Third, both catastrophes were very sudden. Only those same people who escaped were in the know that something terrible was about to happen. Everyone else was continuing with life in the normal, when suddenly, unexpected terror, catastrophe and death appeared and swept them all away.  Last, and most important, Scripture tells us that both catastrophes came directly as a Judgment from Yahweh.

Therefore, Jesus wants everyone who hears his words to know that His return will have these same characteristics. First, the destruction of the earth will be complete — more complete than anything before it. Second, only those in the know will be saved. All others will perish. Third, the end will seem to come out of nowhere for those not in the know. And finally, all will stand face to face with their Creator in the final Judgment.

Anyone who bothers to read the Bible is in the know about this — whether they believe it or not. Therefore, as surely as we are here, the end of all things will come upon all those who are alive at the time of Jesus’ return. It could be today. It might not be for a long time. But the point is, we are in the know that it will surely happen. The end of this earth is coming. Jesus will return as the undisputed ruler of the human race. The dead will be raised. All will be judged. Messiah’s righteousness will triumph so completely over all unrighteousness and rebellion that only righteousness will remain. Every unrighteous creature in the universe who ignores or despises the righteousness of their Creator will be swept into the Lake of Fire and locked there forever.

Those in the know who are justified before God in Messiah Jesus are eager for Jesus to return. For the justified and saved are eager to be reclothed in the same immortal, righteous human flesh that Jesus has. The justified and saved are eager to dwell with righteous Yahweh forever. Being in the know creates such eagerness.

So, what can be known about Jesus’ return by those in the know? Jesus said that there would be certain forewarnings that would precede His return. So we read in Mark 13:5-6, “5 And Jesus began to say to them, ‘See that no one leads you astray. 6 Many will come in my name, saying, “I am he!” and they will lead many astray.’” So, there will be false Jesus’s appearing claiming to be the real Jesus. I can remember one — a South Korean named Sun Myung Moon. He and his supposedly divine wife have been dead for a good number of years now. Some Jesus!

However, false prophets proclaiming a false Jesus might also qualify in this scenario. Of these, there are a couple big names. First is Mohammed. The Jesus of the Koran is an Arian heresy Jesus. He’s only a man and not God. And the Koran says it wasn’t Jesus who died on the cross. It was some doppelgänger. Islam first took hold in the Christian lands of the old Roman Empire in which the Arian heresy was prevalent. Polygamy and child brides are an interesting feature of this religion. So is the unlimited sex and alcohol in Muslim heaven. And how many people are deceived by this false prophet to this day? A billion.

Then, there was the 19th century American, Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon heresy. He was a false prophet, proclaiming a false Jesus and a false God, all so he and his followers could have multiple wives. In Mormon heaven, every Mormon male gets to be a god populating his own planet with multiple wives. See a similarity here? And there are a lot of Mormons. There are other false Jesus’s on the loose proclaimed by false prophets. And like the real Jesus, all these false Jesus’s are supposed to return. But won’t the adherents of a false Jesus be surprised when they see the real one.

Jesus went on in Mark 13:7-8, “7 ‘And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.’” Well, it seems like there have been birth pains for a long time now. And more pains are coming. There are those saying that the Ukraine war has now morphed into World War 3. Just what we’ve always needed — another European land war. But even such a war is only a birth pain, not the birth.

In the verses immediately after verse 8 Jesus spoke of the time of the Church, the time we’re in. He said there would be persecutions. Indeed, there have been persecutions in the past. However, it is estimated that more Christians died for the faith in the 20th century than in all the previous centuries together. We’ll see what the 21st brings.

After verse 14, Jesus spoke of the fate of Jerusalem in the first Jewish-Roman war of 67-70A.D. — a war that was still 30 plus years in the future when Jesus spoke of it. He warned Christians that they had to get out when they saw the armies of Rome gathering around Jerusalem. They did. And so Jewish Christians escaped the hideous fate of Jerusalem in that war.

But there would be more. Jesus said in Mark 13:21-23, “21 ‘And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23 But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.’” Here Jesus was probably referring to the man at the center of the second Jewish-Roman war of 132-136A.D. — a man nicknamed Simon Bar Kochba, who some rabbis proclaimed to be the Messiah. Like the first war, the second ended in disaster for Israel, and the false christ was killed.

Finally, Jesus said this in Mark 13:24-27,  “24 ‘But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25 and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then he will send out the angels and gather ahis elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.’” This is the event we’re waiting for. But did you notice that it’s very different from all the previous events Jesus spoke of? For, it involves events in space. The sun will go dark, and, of course, the moon will also. Looking up from earth there will be incomparable violence among the planets and all other objects in space. It looks like earth will be bombarded with enormous space debris.

The sun going dark is most interesting because in Revelation we read this. Revelation 16:8-9,  “8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. 9 They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.” So, before Jesus returns there’s going to be climate change like no other. The entire planet is going to bake in fierce heat. The only safe place will be underground. Yet, when Jesus finally comes everything will go cold because the sun will go dark.

In Luke, Jesus’ discourse is expanded this way. Luke 21:25-28, “25 ‘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, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.’”

The thing that will distinguish the actual coming of Jesus is the sky. In both the day and night sky there will be great terrors to behold. There may be stuff coming down, like what fell on Sodom and Gomorrah. And massive lightning may be a constant threat. Jesus said those living close to the sea, like us Long Islanders, will see and feel the effect of the massive electrical and gravitational show overhead. We know the sea can be a terror. We experienced it in 2012’s Superstorm Sandy. But when Jesus returns, things will be much worse than the worst hurricane can produce. I’m guessing that there will be tsunamis unlike anything seen before. This will come from all the earthquakes caused by the overhead show.

Sometimes people ask me if I think the return of Christ is at hand. My answer is simply this. Look up. If you see terrifying and unusual stuff, then it looks like yes. On the other hand, if everything beyond earth’s atmosphere looks normal — even in a terrifying storm and even in nuclear war — the answer is no. He’s not at hand.

Now, amazingly, Jesus said that the Christians alive when the terrors in the heavens finally come should take heart. The reason is that the very thing we’ve been yearning for — the righteousness of Christ — will be right upon us. When it all stops and the dust clears, there Jesus will be. And we will move right into the resurrection of the dead, the great Judgment and the beginning of eternal righteous life with Yahweh. In other words, if we know Jesus’ words, we’ll have hope and strength when the terrors from space finally come.

One key to such hope and strength is that we have to think and see beyond this world and this life. Scripture says that this present world is not our home. In 1 Peter 2:11, we’re called sojourners and exiles living in this world. In Hebrews 11:13 God’s people are called strangers and exiles on this earth. In Scripture it’s clear that in Messiah Jesus we’re called to an ultimate destiny far greater than anything this world has to offer. Thus, only the Word of God illuminated by the power of Lord Holy Spirit can give us the wisdom and insight needed not only to comprehend the things of the end but to stand firm when they come.

How great is our destiny in the resurrection? We only catch glimpses of it through what is prophesied in Scripture. However, there is another way to see how great our destiny will be. And that’s through Jesus.

Yahweh, the Son, willingly took on our human flesh. The incarnation of Jesus Christ is not just a miracle. It shows us the great love and commitment our Creator God has toward us — that He would humble Himself in such a way for us. Jesus willingly endured the rejection of the leaders of His own people. He obediently endured a miserable, horrifying death at their hands — abandoned by everyone, even those closest to Him. The miracle is that He suffered death on a cross entirely for our sake. And, on the third day an angel rolled back the stone door of His tomb in the midst of an earthquake so that the world could see that His tomb was empty. Then, alive in an immortal flesh and bone human body — the kind of body we’ll inherit — Jesus appeared to about 600 select witnesses. It’s upon the testimony of these eyewitnesses that Christianity stands to the present day.

The fact that Yahweh, the Son, would do all this for us is the best sign we have that our destiny beyond the resurrection is very great. For, the Son of God suffered specifically as a human, and not as an angel or any other kind of spiritual creature. This alone demonstrates how great the future is for God’s children redeemed in Messiah Jesus.

And on this Thanksgiving Sunday, here’s my thanksgiving before the Lord. O Lord, we are most thankful that Jesus was sent to redeem us from sin, death and the power of the devil. We are most thankful that because of Jesus we will finally be clothed in righteous human flesh, no longer afflicted by a sinful nature. We are most thankful that because we will finally be clothed in righteous flesh, You will dwell with us and we with You, forever. Amen.

All Bible quotes are from the ESV.