October 12, 2023
“…with great power and glory.” Mark 13:24-27
Tough times are coming. The terrible events that Jesus speaks of were given as prophecy but sound a lot like the news headlines of our present day. I suppose all generations faced with such terror and destruction have seen their day in the same way. They wonder with us, Is this it, Lord?
But there is more to come. Things not related to “man’s inhumanity to man” but to natural events that are beyond any storm, earthquake or volcanic inferno anyone has ever witnessed. Things that are not confined to our puny planet. Jesus outlines four cataclysmic events:
- The sun shall be darkened
- The moon shall not give her light
- The stars of heaven shall fall
- The powers that are in heaven shall be shaken
The first three might be explained in terms of rare but not uncommon astronomical events, such as solar and lunar eclipses or meteor showers. But Jesus gives these as a signal that something else is about to occur. They must be significant enough events that will attract attention. Ones that astronomers will not be able to comprehend.
Science has recognized the clockwork precision by which the universe runs (but, alas, not the Source of that mechanism). What if that clock suddenly burst into a mass of flying gears, axles and springs?
As we develop telescopes that peer deeper and deeper into space, we uncover more questions than answers. Assumptions on how the universe began and continues are being shaken. We are now encountering light rays from the beginning of the universe. We know less than we thought and what we thought we knew is being tossed into the nearest black hole. Is the universe as stable as we hope it to be?
These events that Jesus describes may not last long enough for any explanations to be attempted. Their only purpose is to herald the next big event: Then they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
No one will have a chance to ask: What caused this? How did this happen? Why didn’t we see it coming? The coming of Jesus in the clouds will be absolutely overwhelming. It will push out all other thoughts and concerns. This is it. It has finally happened!
The angels will come and swiftly gather up those who have kept their faith, those who have held true to the Lord. None will be missed or lost in the ruins. God will be faithful as he always has been. It will be time for eternity to begin as those former things pass away.
Copyright 2023 David J. Cooley