Mark 13:24-27 Peace, When The World Falls Apart Around You
“But after that distress in those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light. The stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then you will see the Son of Man coming on clouds with great power and glory. At that time he will send out his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of the sky.” (EHV)
We’ve got it good here in the U.P. When I read Jesus’ description of the end of this world’s age, when he says, “After the distress, after the turmoil of that time,” and he’s talking about the whole previous chapter of wars and rumors of war, famine, earthquakes, the abomination that causes desolation, he merges the troubles of the last days together with the troubles that Jerusalem was going to face just forty years later, so you can’t tell where one ends and the other begins, but it’s turmoil; it’s distress. And he says, “After that distress, you’re going to see real turmoil; the whole world is going to fall apart around you. The stars falling from the sky, the heavens shaken, the sun and moon going dark.”—When I read of turmoil in the world preceding his return, my mind jumps to the coasts. Hurricanes and blizzards on the east coast, wildfires on the west coast, and they’re all a long way away from where we live. Even the political and social unrest in our country and our world that doesn’t really have a geographic center or location seems to be a long way away from where I live. The only rumors of war I might hear are rumors about other countries. Not here. Not anywhere close by the U.P. It doesn’t really touch me directly. It concerns me. My prayers go out for those whose lives have been devastated by hurricane or fire, but it’s so far removed from my life, it’s hard to imagine such descriptions of distress and turmoil coming here.
We have a church in Thousand Oaks, California, and I just read a very brief report from the pastor there. That’s the suburb, northwest of Los Angeles, where, ten days ago a gunman killed twelve people, and just days later, before they even had a chance to deal with their grief and troubled thoughts, the city faced evacuation because of the wildfires. Talk about turmoil! Imagine fleeing your home, driving down the highway with walls of flame to the right and to the left. That’s turmoil and distress. And Thousand Oaks had just recently been named the third safest city in the nation.
And still, it seems so remote from the peaceful, safe, life we’ve got in the U.P. How quickly that could change! Today is Saints Triumphant Sunday, and our attention turns today to all the saints who from their labors rest. Judgment is coming, and after that the life of glory, peace, and joy in heaven awaits us all, but today serves as a reminder of those who are already enjoying that peace and rest. There’s a reunion scheduled for all of us, those of us still on this side of eternity and those who have already entered their rest. The day is coming. We said it last Sunday, “Amen, come, come quickly, Lord Jesus.”
But reading the gospel lesson assigned for this Sunday, it doesn’t really have much to say about the Saints Triumphant. Where are they while all this turmoil and distress is taking place? It almost seems like the way I’ve been describing the U.P. They know the world is stressed, but that world of turmoil and distress seems a thousand miles away from where they’re at. Where they live all is at peace. It’s beautiful. The weather is perfect. Their lives are trouble-free. Where they live, the notion that any trouble could ever touch their own neighborhood really is unthinkable. They know what Jesus said about a time of wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, famine, hurricanes, fires, disease, social and political unrest, but all of that belongs to a world far, far away.
They may not have newspapers, tv, or the internet in heaven, but they know what’s going on down here on earth, that this world, the one their loved ones still live in, is coming to a time of such turmoil and distress. In the book of Revelation we hear the saints around the throne of God crying out to him, “How long, Lord?” Not because of their own distress, but ours. Our conflict must be so remote to them, and yet they cry out. I wouldn’t say it troubles them; nothing can trouble them who now know and see with their own eyes how everything fits together in God’s glorious, wise, and gracious plan. But they know we’re distressed, and they can hardly wait for the reunion.
Looking at Judgment Day from the other side, from the Saints Triumphant perspective, is illuminating. We see darkness—“the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light. The stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” They see a stage being set so that the spotlight can shine on the coming Savior. In the theater, when the lights go down, you don’t worry about the power being out or about the darkness, you turn your eyes to the stage and the spotlight. We might be startled or troubled by the darkness; but the Saints Triumphant just grab their popcorn and sit back for the coming show.
We see the world being shaken and falling apart all around us. They see an old, imperfect, worn out world being renovated, transformed into the new and perfect home God has in store for us. We face a time of fear and confusion, wondering just how much worse it’s going to get. They know just how much better it’s going to get.
The last days are a troubling time, but not for the Saints Triumphant. Even here in the U.P. we might not have hurricanes or earthquakes, war or rioting, but that doesn’t mean our lives are all peaceful and trouble-free. It doesn’t take an earthquake to turn your life upside-down. Sickness or financial troubles, the loss of a loved one or conflicts within the family, or the storms of fear, doubt, and temptation raging within your own soul can make any time a time of distress and turmoil. And, yes, even apart from the foretold increase in wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, famine, and troubles for the world at large, there’s also going to be an increase in your own personal distress and turmoil in the final days of this world. The love of families will grow cold, Jesus foretold. The Church will suffer a falling away, such that, if it were possible, even the saints, the elect, would be lost. But it’s not possible.
God has his elect, his chosen ones, that he himself chose from eternity, before the world itself began to be, purely out of his own grace and mercy. And they are his. And they will always be his. They are joined to him by faith, by the simple trust we have that Jesus died to pay for all our sins. But we are his not because we chose to believe, but because he chose us to receive this gift of faith. A faith that rests at the cross of Jesus, and a faith that will carry us safely through all the distress and turmoil to come.
“At that time he will send out his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of the sky.” Wherever we live, the storm-ravaged coasts of Florida, the smoke-clouded homes of California, the war-torn lands of the Middle East, the poverty-stricken journey of a caravan of immigrants in Mexico, or the peaceful countryside of the U.P, his angels will find us and gather us to himself, and we’ll enjoy that reunion with the Saints Triumphant, all the saints who from their labors rest.
We look at Judgment Day today from the Saints Triumphant perspective, from the other side, to remind us that we can have peace, even when the world is falling apart all around us. For God’s elect, the outcome of all this turmoil and distress is no different, whichever side you approach it from. So sit back, grab your popcorn, and enjoy the show.
I almost said, “Amen,” right there. At my computer yesterday I had to backspace out the Amen, because that’s not quite how we conclude. We don’t just sit back with a bowl of popcorn. Like the saints around God’s throne crying out, “How long, Lord?” we are concerned, concerned for all those who are in distress, concerned for those who are suffering, who’ve lost their homes or are recovering from the trauma of grief and bereavement, deeply concerned for all who have a troubled faith, in fear, doubt or temptations, and those who have no faith but desperately need to know the peace we know. That’s one difference between us and the Saints Triumphant as the last days approach—they can only watch and plead for the Lord to come quickly. We can do something. We can lend our aid to the troubled, lend an encouraging word to the distressed. We’re still on this side of eternity, with a time of grace given to us to serve the Lord, however long or short that time might be. And our work here is vital. Although God will save his elect, with or without us, he is depending on us to be the ones through whom he reaches his elect. It won’t be an angel reaching out to your neighbor; it’s you. It won’t be the Saints Triumphant making this difference in someone’s life, it’s you.
We have a peace and confidence that will get us through the times of turmoil and distress. Share that peace with those who don’t have it. Share that confident message that our Lord and Savior is returning, soon, that all may join us in the day of glorious reunion with the Saints Triumphant, in Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
“But after that distress in those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light. The stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then you will see the Son of Man coming on clouds with great power and glory. At that time he will send out his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of the sky.” (EHV)
We’ve got it good here in the U.P. When I read Jesus’ description of the end of this world’s age, when he says, “After the distress, after the turmoil of that time,” and he’s talking about the whole previous chapter of wars and rumors of war, famine, earthquakes, the abomination that causes desolation, he merges the troubles of the last days together with the troubles that Jerusalem was going to face just forty years later, so you can’t tell where one ends and the other begins, but it’s turmoil; it’s distress. And he says, “After that distress, you’re going to see real turmoil; the whole world is going to fall apart around you. The stars falling from the sky, the heavens shaken, the sun and moon going dark.”—When I read of turmoil in the world preceding his return, my mind jumps to the coasts. Hurricanes and blizzards on the east coast, wildfires on the west coast, and they’re all a long way away from where we live. Even the political and social unrest in our country and our world that doesn’t really have a geographic center or location seems to be a long way away from where I live. The only rumors of war I might hear are rumors about other countries. Not here. Not anywhere close by the U.P. It doesn’t really touch me directly. It concerns me. My prayers go out for those whose lives have been devastated by hurricane or fire, but it’s so far removed from my life, it’s hard to imagine such descriptions of distress and turmoil coming here.
We have a church in Thousand Oaks, California, and I just read a very brief report from the pastor there. That’s the suburb, northwest of Los Angeles, where, ten days ago a gunman killed twelve people, and just days later, before they even had a chance to deal with their grief and troubled thoughts, the city faced evacuation because of the wildfires. Talk about turmoil! Imagine fleeing your home, driving down the highway with walls of flame to the right and to the left. That’s turmoil and distress. And Thousand Oaks had just recently been named the third safest city in the nation.
And still, it seems so remote from the peaceful, safe, life we’ve got in the U.P. How quickly that could change! Today is Saints Triumphant Sunday, and our attention turns today to all the saints who from their labors rest. Judgment is coming, and after that the life of glory, peace, and joy in heaven awaits us all, but today serves as a reminder of those who are already enjoying that peace and rest. There’s a reunion scheduled for all of us, those of us still on this side of eternity and those who have already entered their rest. The day is coming. We said it last Sunday, “Amen, come, come quickly, Lord Jesus.”
But reading the gospel lesson assigned for this Sunday, it doesn’t really have much to say about the Saints Triumphant. Where are they while all this turmoil and distress is taking place? It almost seems like the way I’ve been describing the U.P. They know the world is stressed, but that world of turmoil and distress seems a thousand miles away from where they’re at. Where they live all is at peace. It’s beautiful. The weather is perfect. Their lives are trouble-free. Where they live, the notion that any trouble could ever touch their own neighborhood really is unthinkable. They know what Jesus said about a time of wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, famine, hurricanes, fires, disease, social and political unrest, but all of that belongs to a world far, far away.
They may not have newspapers, tv, or the internet in heaven, but they know what’s going on down here on earth, that this world, the one their loved ones still live in, is coming to a time of such turmoil and distress. In the book of Revelation we hear the saints around the throne of God crying out to him, “How long, Lord?” Not because of their own distress, but ours. Our conflict must be so remote to them, and yet they cry out. I wouldn’t say it troubles them; nothing can trouble them who now know and see with their own eyes how everything fits together in God’s glorious, wise, and gracious plan. But they know we’re distressed, and they can hardly wait for the reunion.
Looking at Judgment Day from the other side, from the Saints Triumphant perspective, is illuminating. We see darkness—“the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light. The stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” They see a stage being set so that the spotlight can shine on the coming Savior. In the theater, when the lights go down, you don’t worry about the power being out or about the darkness, you turn your eyes to the stage and the spotlight. We might be startled or troubled by the darkness; but the Saints Triumphant just grab their popcorn and sit back for the coming show.
We see the world being shaken and falling apart all around us. They see an old, imperfect, worn out world being renovated, transformed into the new and perfect home God has in store for us. We face a time of fear and confusion, wondering just how much worse it’s going to get. They know just how much better it’s going to get.
The last days are a troubling time, but not for the Saints Triumphant. Even here in the U.P. we might not have hurricanes or earthquakes, war or rioting, but that doesn’t mean our lives are all peaceful and trouble-free. It doesn’t take an earthquake to turn your life upside-down. Sickness or financial troubles, the loss of a loved one or conflicts within the family, or the storms of fear, doubt, and temptation raging within your own soul can make any time a time of distress and turmoil. And, yes, even apart from the foretold increase in wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, famine, and troubles for the world at large, there’s also going to be an increase in your own personal distress and turmoil in the final days of this world. The love of families will grow cold, Jesus foretold. The Church will suffer a falling away, such that, if it were possible, even the saints, the elect, would be lost. But it’s not possible.
God has his elect, his chosen ones, that he himself chose from eternity, before the world itself began to be, purely out of his own grace and mercy. And they are his. And they will always be his. They are joined to him by faith, by the simple trust we have that Jesus died to pay for all our sins. But we are his not because we chose to believe, but because he chose us to receive this gift of faith. A faith that rests at the cross of Jesus, and a faith that will carry us safely through all the distress and turmoil to come.
“At that time he will send out his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of the sky.” Wherever we live, the storm-ravaged coasts of Florida, the smoke-clouded homes of California, the war-torn lands of the Middle East, the poverty-stricken journey of a caravan of immigrants in Mexico, or the peaceful countryside of the U.P, his angels will find us and gather us to himself, and we’ll enjoy that reunion with the Saints Triumphant, all the saints who from their labors rest.
We look at Judgment Day today from the Saints Triumphant perspective, from the other side, to remind us that we can have peace, even when the world is falling apart all around us. For God’s elect, the outcome of all this turmoil and distress is no different, whichever side you approach it from. So sit back, grab your popcorn, and enjoy the show.
I almost said, “Amen,” right there. At my computer yesterday I had to backspace out the Amen, because that’s not quite how we conclude. We don’t just sit back with a bowl of popcorn. Like the saints around God’s throne crying out, “How long, Lord?” we are concerned, concerned for all those who are in distress, concerned for those who are suffering, who’ve lost their homes or are recovering from the trauma of grief and bereavement, deeply concerned for all who have a troubled faith, in fear, doubt or temptations, and those who have no faith but desperately need to know the peace we know. That’s one difference between us and the Saints Triumphant as the last days approach—they can only watch and plead for the Lord to come quickly. We can do something. We can lend our aid to the troubled, lend an encouraging word to the distressed. We’re still on this side of eternity, with a time of grace given to us to serve the Lord, however long or short that time might be. And our work here is vital. Although God will save his elect, with or without us, he is depending on us to be the ones through whom he reaches his elect. It won’t be an angel reaching out to your neighbor; it’s you. It won’t be the Saints Triumphant making this difference in someone’s life, it’s you.
We have a peace and confidence that will get us through the times of turmoil and distress. Share that peace with those who don’t have it. Share that confident message that our Lord and Savior is returning, soon, that all may join us in the day of glorious reunion with the Saints Triumphant, in Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
