Romans 15:4-13 St. Luke 21:25-33

Hope Expectant

When dealing with any historical document, one has to take several things 
into consideration. Firstly, we must consider the thoughts, the 
socio-religious and socio-political movements, and any newsworthy events of 
that specific period to ascertain what the original writer may have meant 
and what the original readers may have understood. Then secondly, we must 
examine the use of words, phrases, idioms, symbols and the like to determine 
their original meaning by comparing the document in question to other 
documents used or believed to be authoritative by the writer. And then 
thirdly, we need to read the document in the light of its own immediate 
context, looking at the whole forest, so to speak, before examining 
individual trees. Only once we have done our homework are we then free to 
apply what we have come to learn from the document to our own present 
situation.

Our Gospel lesson for this 2nd Sunday in Advent is no exception. Strange and 
fanciful interpretations regarding this passage and its parallels in the 
Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Mark have been the plague of just about every 
generation since the 1st Century, and the 20th and 21st Centuries have 
proved to have their fair share of futuristic dreamers, apocalyptic 
visionaries and plain old crackpots. So, if we are to avoid one of those 
three categories, or any others for that matter, we had best stick to the 
general rules of interpretation. In order to do this properly, I will need 
for you to have your Bibles open to the Gospels section for reference 
purposes as we engage in a wee bit of Scriptural hop-scotch. Let's start 
with the Gospel according to St. Luke, chapter 21:5.

Verse 5 is the opening sentence of what is to follow and thus sets the tone 
for what is about to be disclosed by our Lord. "Then, 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, here we have 
the setting plainly stated for all to see. It is the mention of the 1st 
Century Jewish Temple and its lavish splendour that is the reference point 
for the question posed by the disciples in verse 7 and the answer given by 
our Lord in the rest of the chapter.

They asked, "Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will 
there be when these things are about to take place?" Now, if we are going to 
do the passage justice at all we will have to remain within the boundaries 
set for us by these questions. It is the disciples who asked, "when will 
these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to 
take place?"

Our Lord's reply to these specific questions about the time of the 
destruction of the Temple and the signs preceding that destruction can be 
divided into five basic sections.

1) Verses 8-20 where He deals primarily with the signs leading up to the 
Roman siege.

2) Verses 21-22 where He issued a warning for the believers to depart from 
Jerusalem.

3) Verses 23-24 - where He predicted the demise of the unbelieving Jews.

4) Verses 25-33 where He spoke of His vindication before the very eyes of 
those who rejected Him, as well as the vindication of the Church they had 
mercilessly persecuted.

5) And then verses 34-36 where He warned His disciples to be watchful of 
themselves.

So, let's take a short stroll through these five sections, verse group by 
verse group. We begin with the preliminary signs, the first of which is 
false Messiahs. From passages in the New Testament and from what we learn 
from the Early Church Fathers, it didn't take long for the heretics to make 
an appearance. For instance, Simon Magus, who briefly appeared in Acts 8, 
apparently made all sorts of strange claims.even that he would rise again in 
three days after being buried alive.poor Simon Magus. Then there are also 
all sorts of warnings against deceivers in the Epistles of St. Paul and 
others. St. John wrote about many antichrists, even during his lifetime (cf. 
1 John 2:18).so we know that false teachers and so on were up and about at 
the time..and we also know from other extra-biblical writings that some 
Jewish zealots were not shy to claim Messianic status.

As far as wars and rumours of wars are concerned.we know that the reign of 
Nero was a stormy period for all, especially for Christians.and that after 
his suicide, the Empire past from Emperor to Emperor in quick succession, 
Galba, Otho and Vitellius, all of whom died violently. This instability gave 
rise to various and sundry uprisings. The 1st Century Jewish historian, 
Josephus, wrote about a number of them.in his "Wars of the Jews" he said, 
"Every city was divided into two armies, encamped one against another, and 
the preservation of the one party was in the destruction of the other; so 
that the day time was spent in shedding blood, and the night in fear." 
Elsewhere he stated, "There were.disorders and civil wars in every city, and 
all those that were at quiet from the Romans turned their hands one against 
another." So much for wars and rumours of wars.

A great earthquake destroyed Laodicea, Heirapolis and other cities in about 
A. D. 67 and we only need to read the Book of Acts to know all about famines 
at that time. Josephus also wrote about strangely violent storms which he 
took to be indicators of some great calamitous destruction to come upon all 
of mankind.a conclusion our Lord warned His disciples against in this 
passage. Persecutions were numerous right from the get-go, and we also know 
all about the witness of those arrested by the Jewish and pagan authorities.

Now, all of these things would serve as signs that the destruction of the 
Temple was drawing closer and our Lord encouraged His disciples to stand 
fast throughout this period as they would be vindicated.and the sign that 
this vindication had finally come was when Jerusalem was surrounded by Roman 
armies. It is interesting to note that Josephus related that Cestius Gallus 
withdrew the army from Jerusalem for no apparent reason. This calm before 
the 2nd beleaguering of the city under Titus may have been the time when the 
Christians fled from the city as related by the later church historian, 
Eusebius. He wrote that, "the whole body of the Church of Jerusalem.removed 
from the city, and dwelt at a certain town beyond the Jordan called Pella."

Apparently, when Titus returned, no Christians remained in Jerusalem, and 
the city fell after a long, horrible and sickening siege. Josephus described 
the awful things that took place during this time in detail, but I will 
leave it up to you whether or not you would like to read them. Let it 
suffice to say that approximately eleven hundred thousand died by famine or 
by the sword and more than ninety thousand were sold into slavery. Many were 
torn apart by wild animals in amphitheatres as both an entertainment for and 
a warning to the masses throughout the empire. In many ways, Buchenwald, 
Nanking and other places well known because of the unimaginable atrocities 
committed against man by man, still pale in the light of the sheer horror of 
the fall of Jerusalem.

The symbolic description of the socio-political and socio-religious upheaval 
throughout the Empire at that time is well within keeping with Old Testament 
biblical imagery where the collapse of various great powers and nations were 
predicted in terms of the sun not giving its light, the moon turning to 
blood, the stars falling from the sky and the heavens themselves being 
rolled up as a scroll, like a sardine can. These are Hebraic idiomatic 
phrases that were never meant to be taken literally. Besides, we must 
remember that our Lord was warning His disciples about things that were to 
take place within that generation. Look at what He said in verse 32. 
"Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till 
all these things take place." As we have already seen, all these things did 
take place before the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

But what about verse 27, "Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a 
cloud with power and great glory"? Surely this is a description of the 
Second Coming of our Lord? Well, actually it is not, unless we simply 
disregard the time indicators we have already looked at which clearly mark 
out the boundary lines as to when these things took place.

So, how do we explain this verse? Again, in the Old Testament, the Lord's 
coming on the clouds always described His coming in judgment. A quick look 
at any decent concordance will enlighten even the most stubborn on the 
subject. Besides, we have our Lord's own statement before the Sanhedrin at 
His trial in all three Synoptic Gospels warning them that the tables would 
soon be turned. "Hereafter," He said to those seated in judgement against 
Him, "you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, 
and coming on the clouds of heaven." (cf. St. Matthew 26:64; St. Mark 14:62: 
St. Luke 22:69) In other words, those who sat in judgement against the Son 
of God would soon come to learn first hand that they had committed the faux 
pas of all time.the real big time booboo.by putting to death the Son of God 
Himself and by rejecting His message of forgiveness and reconciliation for 
forty years.and the manner of this revelation was His judgement against them 
in the destruction of their city and their Temple.all neatly described in a 
language they would have understood.God coming on the clouds in judgment.

But why am I waxing lyrical on things which have no immediate bearing upon 
your lives? Why harp on ancient history when there are so many more relevant 
issues in the world today? Why indeed? Have you not seen the state of the 
modern Church, dearest brethren? Have you not asked yourself why a Body of 
People filled with the most powerful Being in the Universe has become so 
impotent? Especially when we read that when this same Church was in its 
infancy, its critics claimed that it had turned their world upside down?

Is it possible that the modern Church is not making much progress because 
they believe that what we have just examined as history is yet to be 
realised? Look on the shelves of most Christian Bookstores today and you 
will be amazed at the plethora of titles on the so-called "Last Days"! 
Sadly, the expectant hope of the Gospel is all but eclipsed by a morose 
preoccupation with a pessimistic belief that the great tribulation described 
by our Lord Himself is going to flatten us all soon. Consequently, when evil 
rears its ugly head, instead of combating it with prayer and evangelism, 
many modern Christians excuse their lack of involvement with a shrug of the 
shoulders and a sigh as they pietistically say: "Well, it's a sure sign that 
we are in the end times. Come and rescue us quickly Lord Jesus." And then 
they substantiate this behaviour with copious quotes from passages such as 
our Gospel lesson for today which, as we have seen, have absolutely nothing 
to do with our historical situation.

Thus the final warning of our Lord to His disciples remains strangely 
applicable for us today. "Take heed to yourselves.watch therefore and pray 
always." Yet not that we might be able to escape, but rather that we might 
not be found guilty of holding to a false religion by shirking our 
responsibility to shake the very gates of hell with the glorious message of 
liberation from sin through the victory of the Son of God on the cross of 
Calvary.

Were the Old Testament People of God not judged for their refusal to be God's 
light to the world? How then will we escape His judgement if we do not do 
what He commanded so clearly before His Ascension?

When our Lord does return to consummate all things and to deliver the 
kingdom to the Father once He has placed all His enemies under His feet (cf. 
1 Corinthians 15: 24-25), it will not be to rescue a fledgling Church 
trapped in an apostate city.it will be to reign over a triumphant Church 
which has obediently pressed back the gates of hell and which has reconciled 
all the world to God through Christ.

Dearest brethren, as we come before the throne of our Great King to 
participate once more in that which bought us our freedom, let us remember 
that if it were not for some obedient individuals, who refused to be part of 
a largely inactive holy huddle, and who obediently shared the Gospel with 
you, you might not have known the privilege which is yours this day. As you 
partake of the life sustaining Sacrament of our Lord's Body and Blood, 
beseech Him to graciously grant you the boldness to break away from the 
negativity of the modern Church and to embrace that hope expectant that is 
ours in Christ.

© Johann W. Vanderbijl III 2004

The Rev. Fr. Johann W. Vanderbijl III, Rector
The Anglican Church of St. George the Martyr, R.E.
427 Batesville Road
Simpsonville, SC 29681
cranmer@...
www.stgeorge-re.org