Gospel Meditation
Luke 21:20–28
Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
1. Jesus, in the last few days while on the planet, explains that Jerusalem would come under attack, and it did in about thirty-eight years from then by the Romans, and it would be tragic for those inside the city.
2. Then Jesus says, “until” the times (here the word is Kairos) of the Gentiles are completed, Jerusalem will be trampled down. This gives way to many conflicting ideas, and here my view is that Jesus is speaking of the end of the world, also known as The Second Coming.
3. It is here that Christians, over the centuries, have come up with different ideas, and these in opposition one to another. Most healthy it is to not insist on one single point of view, but be open to various scenarios.
4. Jesus now turns to the arrival of the Son of Man, meaning His return at the end of the age.
5. There would be “signs” or indicators of this return to planet earth, even His return to the universe as indicated with the phrase, “sun and moon and stars” in verse 25.
6. He says that on the earth nations will be perplexed, likely meaning confused and disturbed by events, people even “fainting with fear” thus indicating very turbulent times. Yet, in the midst of such indiscernible conditions, the Son of Man will arrive with “power and great glory.”
7. Then we will look up, “raise your heads” because our salvation is coming near.