[Jesus Speaking]
Immediately after the distress of those days “ ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
A few this stand out to me in this passage:
- The Heavenly Bodies will be darkened and shaken and the stars will fall,
- The sign of the Son of Man, in the heavens,
- The coming of the Son of Man, and
- the calling of his elect.
When I think about what God has made that provides us with warmth, food, brightness, and growth, it is the sun. God made the sun to bring life to earth. The stars are beautiful and also used as navigational tools. The moon is the most incredible nightlight the world has ever seen, and it also changes the currents and tides of the sea. When Jesus comes again, none of these things will be needed. This is because God’s elect will be in direct communication with him, directly fed from his presence. And those that are not elected and did not follow Jesus, their judgment is sure.
The heavens are so majestic now, it just makes me wonder what amazing display of beauty and power God is going to do to create the sign of the Son of Man? It will be a sign of truth and love. A sign that leaves no doubt in the minds of any resident of earth … that Jesus Christ is Lord. It will be a sign of joy for those who have chosen to wholeheartedly follow Jesus — his elect. And it will be a sign of doom and fear for those who gave their lives to the pleasures of sin in this world.
The Bible says that when Jesus comes, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that he is Lord. His coming will be something that we could never dream of. He will judge those who did evil, and he will rescue those who were righteous.
And when he calls his elect homeward, there will be a great party in heaven. We, those who follow Jesus, will be restored with our brothers and sisters in Christ. These brothers and sisters are not only those that we lived with, but those that follow Jesus in generations past.
With so much to look forward to, how could anyone not follow Jesus and seek his Lordship over their life?
Lord, you love me deeply. This is why you came to rescue me and you’ve created a way for me to know God. Thank you! Thank you for the sacrifice, the heartache, the perseverance, and the love that you showed to me. You deserve all the praise and all the glory!
