The Second Coming

 

Signs of the End

 

Mark 13: 24-32

²⁴ “But in those days, following that distress,

“‘the sun will be darkened,
    and the moon will not give its light;
²⁵ the stars will fall from the sky,
    and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

²⁶ “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. ²⁷ And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.

²⁸ “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. ²⁹ Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. ³⁰ Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. ³¹ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

The Day and Hour Unknown

³² “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

For centuries the description of the Last Days inspired fear as it grimly reminded the Faithful of "the end of the world".  Today, we read these verses less literally and even with some indifference, so detached from God and the Word of God, are we. Yes, there are Scripture scholars who explain the literary form and caution the reader not to be frightened by taking these verses literally, but do agree that at some point, Jesus will return to establish his everlasting kingdom, at a time we cannot predict. For sure, we have not here "a lasting city" and the goal of putting the Gospel into to practice in our lives remains valid. Rather than be frightened by the figurative language, or dismiss it as pure exaggeration, let us focus on how we can best purify our lives and live the Gospel as if this were our one and final opportunity, and prepare our hearts and behavior for the weeks of Advent, and the Christmas Season soon to be upon us.

Bro. Rene