I have nearly a million pictures in my phone. The reason I have so many pictures in my phone is because my kids love to steal my phone and take selfies. While this can be frustrating sometimes… I really do love looking at the many pictures they leave for me because it reminds me of how much we love each other.

In this passage, Jesus takes a picture of the horrific destruction of Jerusalem and then he takes a selfie and holds it up for us to be reminded of his love for us. Jesus paints this dual picture of the Destruction of Jerusalem and his Second Coming to encourage us to straighten up and lift our heads to Heaven because our redemption is near. Redemption is within our grasp. Redemption is more than a possibility it’s a fact. Redemption is more than an opinion it’s the truth of our need for Christ. Redemption isn’t some far away thing to be grasped. Redemption is near.

Look at Luke 21:20 – 28…

20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, 22 for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. 23 Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

 25 “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

#1: Jesus describes the destruction of Jerusalem… (20 – 24)

What Jesus does here is he paints the picture of epic destruction that is overflowing with imminent danger, abuse, death, fear, wrath and oppression. It’s a picture of mass devastation and epic destruction.

20: Jesus says the city of Jerusalem will be surrounded and destroyed. Jesus is literally prophesying in regards to events that will happen within the next 40 years. History records that the Roman Empire crushed Jerusalem nearly 40 years after Jesus said these things. Scholars say that nearly a million Jews were brutally murdered and almost 100 thousand Jews were taken captive by Rome after Jesus prophesied these things. Can you imagine what it must have been like to have Jesus walking with you in the flesh while you’re thinking that he’s here to take the throne and destroy oppression once and for all only to have him tell you that he’s going to die and on top of that the city along with the temple that you cherish and love are going to be destroyed soon? This is a picture of mass devastation & epic destruction.

21: Jesus says the people will need to flee the city and stay away from the city. Cities are often viewed as places of safety and refuge. Most people would rather be in a city where resources are readily available during a massive storm or disaster. But in this case Jesus says that the city will not be safe. It will not be a place of refuge. Can you imagine what it must have been like to have Jesus create this category for you in your thinking that the place that you once thought was safe is no longer safe? That the place of refuge that you once trusted in is no longer going to be a place of refuge? This is a picture of mass devastation & epic destruction.

22: Jesus says the destruction of Jerusalem will fulfill Old Testament prophecy. The Old Testament prophets always warned God’s people of the price they would pay for their unfaithfulness. Jesus draws his disciples’ attention to Old Testament prophecy when he says “these are the days of vengeance to fulfill all that is written.” Moses, Jeremiah, Micah and Zephaniah were just a few of the Old Testament prophets who warned Israel of the coming destruction of Jerusalem as a consequence for Israel’s disobedience and continued rejection of God. This wasn’t the first time that God had lifted his hand of protection and extended his hand of discipline onto his people. Imagine what it must have been like to be the disciples in these moments and to hear that judgment and discipline was coming soon just as it had come in the Old Testament. This would be a frightening realization. Can you imagine the sobering reality of all of this? Can you see that Jesus prophesied these things because he knew that many people within Israel were going to reject him in a few days and murder him on a horrible cross of execution? Can you feel what this reality must have felt like for Jesus’ disciples? This is a picture of mass devastation & epic destruction.

23: Jesus says the destruction of Jerusalem will be dreadful for the most vulnerable of people. Women who were pregnant or nursing certainly would not be able to escape the devastation of what was coming down the pike if they didn’t get out of town early. Historians say that the Romans surrounded the city of Jerusalem for so long before they actually invaded and destroyed the city that people within its walls began to literally go insane. Starvation, cannibalism, human sacrifice and infighting within the city’s occupants during the destruction of Jerusalem took more lives than could be counted and for the most vulnerable of people this coming destruction would be absolutely terrifying. Can you imagine young children just dropping dead in the streets from starvation. People eating each other. Piles of dead babies in the streets. One historian says that some of the horrors of this destruction of the city of Jerusalem were far too graphic to even record. This is a picture of mass devastation & epic destruction.

24: Jesus says the destruction of Jerusalem will be a continuation of the trampling of the Jews. Jesus prophesies that this trampling of the Jews will continue until “the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled”. In other words… Israel will be trampled on, oppressed, abused and slaughtered until the times of the Gentiles are over when Christ returns. Can you imagine hearing this? Can you imagine your expectations getting destroyed in these moments? Instead of telling his disciples that he was here to overturn all the years of oppression and abuse, Jesus told them that even more destruction was coming and that it would continue until the end. This is a picture of mass devastation & epic destruction.

Jesus has just described the destruction of Jerusalem in some very graphic ways. He’s told his disciples that the things they cherish and love are going to be destroyed. That their place of safety and refuge will become a place of destruction and death. That horrifying wrath is coming on account of mankind’s disobedience and rejection. That the destruction that is coming is too horrifying to describe in complete detail. It’s almost like this is the beginning of the end rather than the end itself.

How devastating would this have been to hear? How hopeless would you feel? How fearful would you be? Maybe that’s right where Jesus wanted his disciples to be on that day. Maybe that’s right where he wants you and I to be right now. Because after painting this picture of the destruction of Jerusalem, Jesus paints the picture of the object of our hope.

#2: Jesus describes his second coming… (25 – 27)

What will it be like to be alive on Earth during the time of Christ’s second coming? What will be happening in the world when Christ returns? What will that day be like? These are some of the questions that Jesus answers as he describes his second coming and paints the picture of our hope.

25: Jesus says that there will be signs of his second coming everywhere. There will be signs in the sun, in the moon and in the stars and all over the Earth as nations wage war with one another and across the oceans and seas as natural disasters erupt everywhere. This is a picture of total pandemonium across the Earth and the cosmos and throughout all of God’s creation. Can you imagine what it will be like to experience this? What do you think you would feel like to witness this worldwide tidal wave of destruction? What do you think it must feel like to stand in front of a massive wave from an ocean bearing down upon your home and your family? What would it feel like to stand on your front porch and watch as countless tornados spin recklessly throughout the entire world? What if as you’re watching this happen you also see stars falling from Heaven and the moon turning strange colors right in front of you? And as you’re experiencing that the sun is shaking uncontrollably while foreign nations are dropping bombs in your community. What would you feel like if all of this were happening all at once?

26: Jesus says that people will be afraid because of all the chaos in the world. The picture Jesus uses here is of people actually fainting from their fear and anxiety because of what is happening across the world. It will be as though the very foundations of Heaven itself are being rocked beyond control. It’s as though the sinful spin of our world towards widespread pandemonium and destruction will be unstoppable and uncontrollable. Can you imagine what this sense of an absolute lack of control over your circumstances feels like? Can you imagine the total sense of helplessness in your heart as you stand on your porch and see these things happening? The unbeliever stands in fear because this is the end of all that he or she has hoped in. But the believer in these moments stands in confidence with his or her eyes turned towards Heaven awaiting the return of Christ.

27: Jesus says that people will see him coming in the Heavens. He specifically says, “then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory”. This is a picture of our conquering King who is returning to set everything right in the face of total destruction, mass pandemonium and the loss of hope. Christ is the picture of our hope. The apostle John described it this way in Revelation 19:11 – 16 when he says “Then I saw Heaven opened, and behold a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords”. If you oppose God and if you reject Christ then you have no hope. You have nothing good to look forward to because the death, the decay and the destruction that this world is tale-spinning towards is the reality for which you are headed eternally. But if you have trusted in Christ then this picture of Christ’s return gives you a place of rest and refuge and hope. This is the picture of Christ’s return! This is the hope that we have! Christ is the picture of our hope!

Jesus has just described his second coming so that we can see the picture of Him as the object of our hope. We can look at these dual pictures of the destruction of Jerusalem and the return of Christ and admire them as awesome paintings and even get to know every detail of them in an attempt to gain more knowledge but the reality is that when Jesus described this dual picture of destruction and hope he described it so that his disciples could respond. But how should they respond to this? How should their hearts be provoked in these moments? How should they feel deep inside? How should they think about these things? How do you think Jesus wanted them to respond to these stories?

#3: Jesus describes how & why his disciples should respond… (28)

I want you to think about the word “response” for a minute. The message of the gospel elicits a response. The bad news of the gospel, which is the depth & the consequences of our sin, elicits a response. We, either, hide, cover and run or we acknowledge, confess and surrender when we hear the bad news of the gospel. The good news of the gospel, which is the hope of Christ and his work at the cross on our behalf, elicits a response as well. We either, resist, reject and rebel or we submit, receive and run to Christ when we hear the good news of the gospel. In light of this gospel-that-elicits-a-response understanding… the question is how does Jesus ask his disciples to respond and why should they respond in the way that he asks them to respond?

28a: Jesus says that in light of the coming destruction and his return we should straighten up & lift our heads. One scholar says that “As the world shrinks back in fear, the saints will look up in expectation”. This is the response of the believer. We do not hunch over in despair and discouragement. We instead straighten up with our heads up like the sons and daughters of the King that we truly are. We don’t walk around beaten down and depressed. We walk around in humble dependence and joy in our King. We don’t hide out in the basement while the world goes to hell in a hand-basket. We get out in our communities and share the hope of Christ. We don’t stand in the street and throw fits because the world is coming to an end. We serve our neighbors and especially our enemies. So this is how we respond to the dual story of mass destruction and the hope of Christ’s return. Now we have to ask why? Why should we respond this way?

28b: Jesus says that we should straighten up and lift our heads because redemption is near. The meaning of the word redemption is to be purchased at a price. Purchased at a price. Jesus was headed to the cross in just a few short days to purchase us back from the bondage of Satan, sin and the grave. The Scriptures tell us that the payment or price of our sin is eternal death both physically and spiritually. Jesus paid that price for you and I so that we could be redeemed. Why should we respond to this passage by straightening up and lifting our heads? We should respond this way because our redemption is near. Our redemption is at hand. The price has been paid. The payment to purchase us back from the realm of death and rebellion has been paid in full upon the cross of Christ. We should straighten up with our heads up because our redemption is near.

Closing reflections…

How does this passage apply to our daily lives? How do we connect this passage to our hearts and our minds right now? This passage is a dual picture of destruction and hope, which calls us to straighten up and lift our weary heads because our redemption is near. But what does that mean for us in 2016?

Think about this. As you think about racial issues & poverty in our community, how do you feel and what do you long for? As you think about broken marriages and the pain of hurting relationships, what do you feel and what do you dream about? As you think about people you love who are openly rejecting Christ and embracing a destructive worldview, what emotions are you aware of deep within your soul?

If you’re listening to this and you haven’t received Christ… then what fears or objections are you aware of deep within your heart? As you think about the fact that all that we cherish in this life will come crumbling to the ground one day, how are you provoked? When you realize that there is no safety or refuge in this world apart from Christ, what are you motivated to do? When you are faced with the fact that you have no control over the direction of the world we live in how are you challenged? When you think about Christ’s return to bring completion to his work of redemption in the world how are you encouraged? When you think about the horrors of this life and the hope we have in Christ, how are you moved?

In this passage, Jesus has painted a dual picture with a practical response for us. He’s painted the dual picture of the destruction of Jerusalem and his second coming to encourage us to straighten up and lift our heads to Heaven because the immediate presence of evil and the return of Christ are both intended to remind us that our redemption is near. Redemption is within our grasp. Redemption is more than a possibility it’s a fact. Redemption is more than an opinion it’s the truth. Redemption isn’t some far away thing to be grasped. Redemption has a name and that name is Jesus. Your redemption is near.