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 his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
28 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
32 “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35 Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
At the end of the tribulation period, it will be unmistakable when Jesus returns. There will be cosmic disturbances and Jesus will return with celestial fanfare, coming on the clouds. He will gather the Jews from all over the world. Jesus pointed to the fig tree which loses its leaves in winter and by its buds you can tell summer is near. All the signs Jesus spoke of would be indicators that these things would happen. There seems to be a double prophecy mixed into what Jesus is saying. This generation could refer to the people Jesus was speaking to who would experience some of this in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. This generation could also refer to the generation of Jews, the elect, who will be alive during the time of the tribulation and will endure through to the end. Clearly, Jesus did not return in His glory and so there is still the future aspect we wait for. Jesus added the certainty that even though the current heavens and earth will pass away, His words are certain.
But when will this happen? Even though there are predictors which Jesus pointed out, no one knows when these events will take place. Even Jesus, in His veiled humanity, was not privy to that information while on earth. We are all to be on guard and stay awake because we do not know when Jesus will return. The events that indicate Christ’s return are all linked to the tribulation, the rapture of believers will happen before that—without warning—so we too need to be awake and alert to His return. Are you living your life in light of eternity? Are you ready for Jesus to return today? If He does, will He commend you for your life lived for Him? If you’re not sure of that, what one thing can you change today?
I like verse 31. God’s word really will not pass away so instead of focusing on earthly treasures that will last a very short while, we must read, meditate and memorise scripture.