J.C. Ryle's Devotional Thoughts on the Gospel of Luke. Section 124. The Second Coming of Christ. Luke 21, verses 25-33.

And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars, and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring, men's hearts failing them for fear and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth. For the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption draws near. And he spoke to them a parable. Behold the fig tree and all the trees. When they now shoot forth, you see and know of your own selves that summer is now near at hand. So likewise you, when you see these things come to pass, know you that the kingdom of God is near at hand. Truly I say unto you, this generation shall not pass away till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

The subject of this portion of our Lord's great prophecy is his own second coming to judge the world. The strong expressions of the passage appear inapplicable to any event less important than this. To confine the words before us to the taking of Jerusalem by the Romans is an unnatural straining of scripture language.

We see firstly in this passage How terrible will be the circumstances accompanying the second coming of Christ. Our Lord tells us that there will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken, and at that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. This is a singularly solemn picture. It may not be easy, perhaps, to attach a precise meaning to every part of it. One thing, however, is abundantly plain. The second coming of Christ will be attended by everything that can make it alarming to the senses and heart of man.

If the giving of the law at Sinai was so terrible that even Moses said, I exceedingly fear and tremble, then the return of Christ, when he comes to earth in power and great glory, will be much more terrible. If the hardy Roman soldiers became as dead men when an angel rolled the stone away and Christ rose again, then how much greater will the terror be when Christ shall return to judge the world. No wonder that Paul said, Knowing the terrors of the Lord, we persuade men. Hebrews 12.21, Matthew 28.4, 2 Corinthians 5.11

The thoughtless and impenitent man may well tremble when he hears of this second coming of Christ. What will he do when worldly business is suddenly stopped and the precious things of the world are made worthless? What will he do when the graves on every side are opening and the trumpet is summoning men to judgment? What will he do when the same Jesus, whose gospel he has so shamefully neglected, shall appear in the clouds of heaven, and put down every enemy under his feet. Surely he will call on the rocks to fall on him, and on the hills to cover him. Hosea chapter 10 verse 8.

But he will call in vain for help, if he is never called on Christ before. Happy will they be in that day, who have fled beforehand from the wrath to come, And been washed in the blood of the Lamb. We see secondly in this passage how complete will be the security of true Christians at the second coming of Christ. We read that our Lord said to his disciples, when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, lift up your heads, for your redemption draws near.

However terrible the signs of Christ's second coming may be to the impenitent, they need not strike terror into the heart of the true believer. They ought rather to fill him with joy. They ought to remind him that his complete deliverance from sin, the world, and the devil is close at hand. and that he shall soon bid an eternal farewell to sickness, sorrow, death, and temptation.

The very day when the unconverted man shall lose everything shall be the day when the believer shall enter on his eternal reward. The very hour when the worldly man's hopes shall perish shall be the hour when the believer's hope shall be exchanged for joyful certainty and full possession.

The servant of God should often look forward to Christ's second coming. He will find the thought of that day to be accordial to sustain him under all the trials and persecutions of this present life. Yet a little while let him remember, and he who shall come will come and will not tarry. The words of Isaiah shall be fulfilled, he shall swallow up death forever. The sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces, and will remove the disgrace of his people.

One sure method for a patient spirit is to expect little from this world and to be ever waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We see thirdly in this passage how needful it is to watch the signs of the times in the prospect of the second coming of Christ. Our Lord teaches this by a parable. Behold the fig tree and all the trees. When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.

The disciples ignorantly supposed that Messiah's kingdom would be ushered in by universal peace. Our Lord, on the contrary, tells them that the signs which shall immediately precede it shall be wars, confusions, perplexity, and distress.

The general duty which these words should teach us is very plain. We are to observe carefully the public events of the times in which we live. We are not to be absorbed in politics, but we are to mark political events. We are not to become prophets ourselves, but we are to study diligently the signs of our times. So doing, the day of Christ will not come upon us entirely unawares.

Are there any signs in our own day? Are there any circumstances in the world around us which especially demand the believer's attention? Beyond doubt, there are very many. The drying up of the Turkish Empire, the revival of the Romish Church, the awakened desire of the Protestant churches to preach the gospel to the heathen, the general interest in the state of the Jews, the universal shaking of governments and established institutions, the rise and progress of the subtlest forms of infidelityâ€"all, all are signs peculiar to our day. All should make us remember our Lord's words about the fig tree. All should make us think of the text. Behold, I am coming quickly. Revelation chapter 22 verse 7

We see, lastly in this passage, how certain it is that all our Lord's predictions about the second coming will be fulfilled. Our Lord speaks as if he foresaw the unbelief and incredulity of man on this mighty subject. He knew how ready people would be to say, improbable, impossible, the world will always go on as it has done. He arms his disciples against the infection of this sceptical spirit by a very solemn saying, Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall never pass away.

We shall do well to remember this saying whenever we are thrown into the company of those who sneer at unfulfilled prophecy. The sneers of unbelievers must not be allowed to shake our faith. If God has said a thing, then He will certainly bring it to pass. The probability or possibility of it are matters which need not trouble us for a moment.

That Christ should come again in power to judge the world and reign is not half so improbable as it was that Christ would come to suffer and die. If He came the first time, then much more may we expect that he will come the second time. If he came to be nailed to the cross, then much more may we expect that he will come in glory and wear the crown. He has said it, and he will do it. His words shall never pass away.

Let us turn from the study of these verses with a deep conviction that the second coming of Christ is one of the leading truths of Christianity. That the Christ in whom we believe be not only the Christ who suffered on Calvary but the Christ who is coming again in person to judge the earth. you