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"But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all thingswhich are written may be fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
"And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."
Ir is very easy, in this time of great confusion and stress, to wonder if this passage maybe presaging the Last Days. But no, certainly not in the 1stparagraph. Jerusalem is still being trampled by the Gentiles and the trampling shows no sign of abating, and will be until the time of the Gentiles are fulfilled. Would this mean that the Temple Mount is finally and completely under the control of Israel? Stay tuned.
When I was a young boy, I would awaken in the middle of the night, worried that I had missed the return. My solution was to check to see if my younger brother, Joe, was still in bed. There was no doubt in my mind, he was a much more obedient son than I and surely the Lord would take him.
But the Second Coming will be an affair of great turmoil in the heavens, the seas, and distress of the nations. It is not hard to be suspicious in this time of worldwide Pandemic, record hurricanes and forest fires, but not yet. We have yet to see the Son of Man coming in a cloud of power and great glory.But we will. Stay tuned.
Readings:
Morning Psalm 78, Noon Psalm 119:81-88, Evening Psalm 29