"But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." Luke 21:28 [NASB]
Jesus spoke these words to His disciples and followers. He
had just told them about what would happen before His return to earth. It began
with telling them the stones of the temple would be torn down. The things they
called beautiful would be no more.
What Jesus told His disciples and followers distressed them
and they questioned Him about the signs of when these things would happen.
Jesus listed several things that would occur before His return in Luke 21. He
said people would come proclaiming they are the Christ. Nations and kingdoms would
battle. Great earthquakes, plagues, and famines would rock the people of the earth.
Terrors and signs from heaven would happen. People they knew and people they
loved would persecute them. Some believers would die because of people who hate
Jesus’ name. Armies would surround Jerusalem. The Gentiles would trample Jerusalem
under their feet until their “time is fulfilled.”
Each of these horrible things are enough to scare most people.
To hear them all put together as a string of things that would happen before
Christ returns is horrifying and would have been even more so for the believers
of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the city of God, Zion. To fathom the city of God as
being laid ruin was hard for them to imagine.
Today, we experience or hear of things hard to fathom. Why would
a friend say slanderous things about you at work? Why would a family member
betray you and say you mean nothing to them? How can our nation be so much
under the influence of Satan? What is happening with the world? So many places
are in ruins because of wars and terrorists. Why must I live in fear wondering
if a bomb will explode near me or my family while at work, school, worship, or
play?
“What is happening to our world?” you may wonder. Jesus
explained it in Luke 21. He said,
There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among the nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; 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. Luke 21:25-27 [NASB]
Because these things occur, does that mean we should be
afraid, run, and hide? That is the natural instinct of at least a third of the
people, according to psychologists. They say people either fight, flee, or
freeze when confronted with something horrible/scary. Jesus did not tell people
to do that. What He said gives us courage and hope. Jesus said, “But when these
things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your
redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:28) The reaction Jesus told His disciples
and followers to have completely contradicts what psychologists consider
normal. Straightening up requires having courage in the face of difficulties.
Jesus’ followers could have courage because Jesus is the overwhelming conqueror
of the world-over Satan, sin, and death. These things Jesus said would happen
before His return to earth are what He conquered. Satan causes them and, thus,
Jesus is the Conqueror. Believer’s in Jesus Christ can have hope because our
redemption is near. As believers, Jesus redeemed us from slavery to sin and
death when we confessed Him as our Lord and Savior. He will redeem us when He returns
to earth to take us to His heavenly kingdom.
Today we face horrible things. Bombings occur often around
the world. Countries antagonize each other and prepare for war. Children rise
against parents and parents against children. Friends betray friends to religious
activists to save themselves from torture and death. Famines, plagues, floods, and
earthquakes happen more than in history. These things make people wonder if the
end of the world will happen soon. They cause fear to rise in the hearts and
minds of millions of people. As Christians, we can remember Jesus’ words. We
can gain courage and hope in Him, and “straighten up and lift up our heads”
because He told us these things would happen and that He would come to redeem
us. The day of His coming is nearer with each day. Hold on to hope. Keep the
faith. Find joy in knowing Jesus
knew these things, is Conqueror, and is coming to take you with Him.
Consider what Jesus said as recorded in John 16:33.
“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace.
In the world you have tribulations but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
Take courage. Have Hope.
Lift up your heads. Jesus is coming.
Lord, forgive me. I get lost in my personal
storms and forget to look to You. I allow the trials, setbacks, and disappointments,
in my days to distract me and I take my eyes off You. That is when the storms become
too violent in my mind and I cannot see where to go or what to do, then I give up.
Please help me keep my eyes on You, my Savior, and not on my storms. Help me straighten
up and hold my head up because You are my Hope, my Redeemer, and the
overwhelming Conqueror of the world. Give me the strength, perseverance, and
faith to keep walking with You when I feel blinded by the day’s trials. Guide
me through those days, Lord. Help me not to faint and stand back, but to keep holding
Your hand and looking at You. Nothing can overwhelm me when I keep my eyes on
You. Thank you for being God and being greater than anything that comes against
me. Thank you for loving me.
