The End of the Beginning
A study and reflection on the Gospel According to St. Luke, chapter 21, verses 25-33.
“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves;
Men withering away for fear, and expectation of what shall come upon the whole world. For the powers of heaven shall be moved; And then they shall see the Son of man coming in a cloud, with great power and majesty. But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption is at hand. And he spoke to them in a similitude. See the fig tree, and all the trees: When they now shoot forth their fruit, you know that summer is nigh;
So you also, when you shall see these things come to pass, know that the kingdom of God is at hand. Amen, I say to you, this generation shall not pass away, till all things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”
In the Nicene and the Apostles Creed, we proclaim “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.” And when He does, “His Kingdom shall have no end.”
Preceding this, we will see an increase in divine warnings from nature. We will see nations in distress. We will see an increase in anxiety, unrest, paranoia, fear. “The powers of Heaven shall be moved.” These are all signs that His Return is near.
He will return with great power and majesty. In His First Coming, He was the meek lamb. In His Second Coming, He will be the mighty lion. For the unbelieving world, it will be a moment of dread. But for His Bride, He says confidently for us to “Look up; lift up your heads; your Redemption is at hand.”
Christians have freedom to charitably debate and disagree and dialogue and discuss concerning the time line of end time events. Most important, however, is that we always be prepared because, even though we do not know exactly when He will return, we know that our end can come at any moment. May we be ready when that time comes.
He says, “This generation shall not pass away till all things be fulfilled.” Scholar Iver Larson notes, “Whatever the reference is, that class of people will endure through tribulations. By parallelism, the phrase is closely connected to ‘my words’ which is also positive and has endurance. Who would ensure that the words of Jesus were kept in existence through difficult times? It seems to me that ‘this genea’ [this generation] in this verse most naturally refers to the class of Christians keeping the word of God throughout the ages until the end of heaven and earth.”
Tertullian writes in Book IV of Against Marcion, “If, therefore, these tribulations are the signs of the kingdom, just as the maturity of the trees is of the summer, it follows that the kingdom is the Creator’s to whom are ascribed the tribulations which are the signs of the kingdom.”
Many assuredly believe in our present day that we are very near these times. Indeed, we are near, but there are still events to unfold. We are seeing the seeds planted of the signs of tribulation, just as we see the seeds of the apostasy planted all around us. But we still await the arrival of the Antichrist, which must happen first.
St. Hippolytus writes, “Now, as our Lord Jesus Christ, who is also God, was prophesied of under the figure of a lion, on account of His royalty and glory, in the same way have the Scriptures also aforetime spoken of Antichrist as a lion, on account of his tyranny and violence. For the deceiver seeks to liken himself in all things to the Son of God. Christ is a lion, so Antichrist is also a lion; Christ is a king, so Antichrist is also a king. The Saviour was manifested as a lamb; so he too, in like manner, will appear as a lamb, though within he is a wolf. The Saviour came into the world in the circumcision, and he will come in the same manner. The Lord sent apostles among all the nations, and he in like manner will send false apostles. The Saviour gathered together the sheep that were scattered abroad, and he in like manner will bring together a people that is scattered abroad. The Lord gave a seal to those who believed on Him, and he will give one in like manner. The Saviour appeared in the form of man, and he too will come in the form of a man. The Saviour raised up and showed His holy flesh like a temple, and he will raise a temple of stone in Jerusalem. And his seductive arts we shall exhibit in what follows. But for the present let us turn to the question in hand.”
Be on guard when this deceiver, the Antichrist, comes, for his public arrival appears to be imminent. But also remember that Our Lord is already returning in hidden ways through His Divine Will. He stands at the door of the heart and knocks this very moment. Whatever the near future holds, always know that He holds the future in His Hands. And we are charged with bringing His Kingdom to the world around us, both now and in the days to come.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. We love you. Save souls. Amen.
