Third-Last Sunday of the Church Year 2009

THIRD-LAST SUNDAY OF THE CHURCH YEAR

8 November Anno + Domini 2009

"Remaining Steadfast in the Great Tribulation”

Matthew 24:15-28

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Today, we make a deliberate turn in the Church Year.  We're heading down the home stretch, and as we come to the end of the Church Year, we spend these last three weeks focusing on the consummation of this age; the End of this world as we know it, which will be ushered in by the great and glorious return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

Each of these next three weeks, we have our focus directed toward a specific aspect of the Second Coming of Christ.  This week, we focus on what the conditions of this world will be like when our Lord returns.  Next week, we get a picture of Judgment Day laid before us in the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats.  And, two weeks from now, we hear the Parable of the Ten Virgins, and are exhorted to be like the five wise virgins who were prepared for the Coming of the Bridegroom.  Dear friends, it is good, right, and salutary that we spend the last few weeks of the Church Year focusing on the return of our Savior, for, truth be told, we're often so mired down in the muck of this world that we fail to give this glorious truth much thought.

The first thing we must take note of when hearing the Gospel lesson for today is the fact that our Lord Jesus is prophesying about two different time periods in the midst of this single paragraph.  In this way, Jesus is consistent with the prophets of old, through whom He spoke in the same manner, prophesying in the same breath about things which would take place in both the near and distant future. 

First, Jesus speaks of the impending destruction of Jerusalem, which would be fulfilled in 70 A.D.  He warns His disciples to get out of Dodge, or rather, Jerusalem, when they see "the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place.”  It was in about 40 A.D. that the Roman Emperor Caligula ordered the erection of his statue to be placed in the Temple in Jerusalem.  As you can imagine, the Jews were none too happy about this, and a great revolt was launched.  The Jews were able to thwart the plans of Caligula, but it was a short-lived victory.  Less than 30 years later, the Temple was destroyed and Jerusalem was left in shambles, just as Jesus predicted.  The great commotion caused by Caligula's attempt to place a statue of himself inside the Temple was the sign to Jesus' disciples to flee before the impending judgment to come. 

Then, Jesus switches gears, using the prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem to launch into a prophecy of the Last Days preceding His Second Coming.  Just as there was great turmoil in Jerusalem in the days preceding its destruction, so there will be great turmoil in the whole world, but specifically within the Church, in the days preceding His Return:

"For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.  And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved.  But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.”

Jesus paints a rather gloomy picture for us here.  Things will be very bad in the days preceding His Return.  Holy Scripture echoes Jesus' prophecy throughout its pages, telling us in no uncertain terms that there will be a great apostasy, a great turning away from the faith, in the Last Days.  But, dear friends, you have to have ears of faith to hear and understand what is meant by this. 

You see, the great tribulation which will be experienced in the days preceding our Lord's glorious Return will not be seen or experienced by the sinful world.  To all intents and purposes, things will seem to be running along smoothly, even progressing, to the unbelieving world.  No, the great tribulation to which our Lord draws our attention will be seen and experienced by His Church.  He makes this clear by warning us, "Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' do not believe it.  For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.  See, I have told you beforehand.” 

What Jesus is speaking about here is that "little season” we're told about in Revelation, when Satan will be unleashed to wreak havoc upon Christ's Church.  How will Satan do this?  He will raise up for himself many "antichrists,” false teachers who will infiltrate Christ's Church with their false teachings, leading many away from the Truth.  And, keep in mind, dear friends, that Satan is very good at what he does.  He has had much time to perfect his craft.  He knows how to present his lies in ways that appeal to man, appear harmless, and cause many to mistake them for truth.  Satan's goal is not to rid the world of Christianity, but to fill the world with false Christianity. 

In much the same way as the unbelieving world will think that things are running smoothly and progressing in the days preceding Christ's Return, so it will be for the vast majority of those who claim to be Christian.  They will flock to the plethora of false teachers Satan raises up and follow their false teachings, believing them to be presenting the doctrines and practices of true Christianity.  St. Paul puts it this way:  "For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Tim. 4:3). 

Look around, dear friends.  See the great apostasy occurring before your very eyes.  The amount of false teachers surrounding us today is unprecedented.  They're everywhere!  They're on TV, they're on the radio, their books fill the shelves of Christian bookstores.  They're even right here in our little town of Alma.  They preach what itching ears want to hear.  They avoid talking about sin and emphasize the supposed good people have in themselves.  They present Jesus Christ as a mere example to follow, instead of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  They avoid making any exclusive claims, but instead present Christianity as one of many ways to get to heaven.  Tell me that you haven't heard this as you've watched the "boob tube” lately.  Tell me that you haven't heard people masquerading as Christians telling people that to believe in Jesus is not the only way to get to heaven.  These false teachers deny the exclusivity of Christianity, and they do more.  They deny the means of grace our Lord has established to bring people into, and keep them in, the one true faith, teaching that Baptism is nothing more than a pledge of allegiance made by those who are old enough to decide whether or not they want to follow Jesus, instead of the gift of Life worked by our Lord in those whom He brings to faith.  And, they teach that Holy Communion is nothing more than a memorial meal in which the bread and wine (or, grape juice) simply represent the Lord's Body and Blood, a teaching that was never held by anyone in the Church prior to the 16^th century.  And, these false teachers turn worship into a people-pleasing hour of entertainment, after consulting unbelievers to determine what they would like worship to be.  They go out of their way to create a church for people who don't like church.  And, all of this, they present as Christianity.  And people buy it hook, line, and sinker. 

And, these false prophets do not wear buttons or t-shirts which have "I'm a false prophet” written on them.  No, they are wolves in sheep's clothing.  You will not recognize them by their looks, but by the message which issues forth from their mouths.  Just look at the most popular "pastor” in America these days, Joel Osteen, whose nickname is "the smiling pastor.”  He looks harmless.  He speaks with a soothing voice.  He just wants to help people "live their best lives now” and "become better thems” and to realize that "it's their time.”  His goal is to get people to think positively about themselves; to get them to realize that they have the ability within themselves to please God and secure His blessings.  When asked why he doesn't remind his hearers of their sinfulness and exhort them to repentance, he replies, "That's just not my way.  I just have a different view of God.  I believe God wants people to see the good in themselves, so that they can prosper and live lives filled with abundant blessing.”  I just saw Osteen in another interview this week, in which he said that everybody's welcome at his church, gays and straights, and people from all different religions.  Well, isn't that special, Joel?  What about Jesus, Joel, where does He fit in?  Oh, that's right, you don't ever mention Him.  And yet, dear friends, Joel has over 40,000 people in attendance every week, and a following of millions who watch him on television. 

Oh yes, dear friends, Satan is very good at what he does.  So good that even the elect are often uncomfortable in hearing these things pointed out to them.  They may not buy into the false Christianity set before them by these false teachers, but neither are they comfortable with labeling it as necessarily false.  "That's just their way,” they say.  "So they're a little off in what they teach and how they practice their faith, but that doesn't mean we should be critical of them.” 

Repent, dear friends in Christ.  Heed your Lord's warning.  Open your eyes and see the great falling away from the faith happening all around you.  Do not buy into the devil's lies.  Do not think that the false Christianity he presents is harmless and cannot touch you, for the truth is that he will go to all lengths, pull out all the stops, to seduce you into it.  To the extent that you and I, and all of us, have grown lax and failed to see things for what they really are, we are most encouraged to heed our Lord's warning to repent! 

For our Lord says, "For as lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the Coming of the Son of Man.”  Dear friends, our Lord is Coming.  Soon.  We know not when, but we are told to get ready and be prepared at all times.  And, we are told to especially be ready when we see the abomination of desolation, when we see the false christs and false prophets surrounding us, peddling their lies of Satan, and passing them off as true Christianity.  Now is not the time to slumber!  Now is not the time to let down your guard.  Now is the not the time to buy into the politically correct, false philosophy that rules this age, claiming that whatever you believe is fine and true for you, and that there are many ways to heaven.  Now is the time, dear friends in Christ, to take your faith seriously; to let nothing stand in your way of being fed by the Holy Word and Sacraments, through which you are kept and sustained in the true faith. 

The great and glorious News is that your Lord, the same Lord who will return shortly, is already here for you.  Even now, in this Last Hour, He is your bulwark, your mighty fortress, against the evil that surrounds you.  He comes to you here in His Holy House to strengthen you for the journey which lies ahead in the wilderness of this sinful world.  He can do so.  He, and no other, for He is the One who lived the perfect, sinless life in your place, and went to the cross to suffer and die for every one of your sins.  He is not interested in your feelings and emotions.  He is not interested in the latest fads.  He's not into making sure that you're entertained when you come into His Holy House.  He's not into seeing to it that you feel good about yourselves, but wants you to recognize your sinfulness, that you would repent and trust not in yourselves, but in Him, who takes away your sins.  He's into faithfulness, and making sure that when you come into His Holy House, He is here to feed you with that faithfulness through His precious Word and by means of His very Body and Blood. 

Come, then, dear friends in Christ, in this Last Hour, to the Table that is set before you in the midst of your enemies.  Come and feast on Christ; be filled by Him, that you might be emboldened to remain steadfast in His Word, avoiding the false teachings that surround you, and clinging ever steadfastly to His cross.  He has warned you beforehand about the false christs and false prophets to come.  They have come in full force.  Therefore, be ready, for He is coming soon to take you home.  In His Holy and Precious Name.  Amen.

Now the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, unto life everlasting.  Amen.