RECALIBRATING REALITY (6): LIGHTS OUT

(Luke 21:20-24)
May 14, 2017

Read Luke 21:25-28 David Peterson was preparing a sermon when his
daughter came in. Daddy, can we play? David replied, Honey, Im sorry. I
must finish my work first. But in an hour I can play. The little girl replied,
Okay, Daddy. And when youre finished, Ill give you a big hug. She went
to the door, then did a U-turn, and gave Dad a bone-breaking hug. You said I
get the hug after I finished, Dad teased. She replied, I did! I just wanted
you to know what you have to look forward to! So, Jesus to His disciples.

They expected kingdom right now. But due to rejection, His futures death,
resurrection and a return to the Father is in His immediate future. And Delay,
Persecution, and Judgment of Jerusalem is in their immediate future. But
that is not the end of the story. Jesus is coming again! Until now no one
understood that Messiah would come not once, but twice! With this discourse,
Hes telling them, I just want you to know what you have to look forward
to. Its terror to the heart of unbelievers, but ultimate hope in the heart of
every believer. So the Signs, Son and Salvation of 2nd coming.

I. The Signs of the Second Coming

Rev 6-19 describes in some detail the political genocide, and unprecedented
disasters that will fall on earth during the 7-year Tribulation prior to Christs
Second Coming. All are signs, but some seem to immediately precede His
coming: V. 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. . . (to 26b) For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And then
they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud. What are these heavenly
signs? Mt and Mark 13:24-27: But in those days, after that tribulation, the
sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25) and the stars will
be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26) And
then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and
glory. In simple terms, its going to be Lights Out!

This is a preview of the Trib. Rev depicts 3 series of judgments that will haunt
the earth with increasing ferocity during the Trib. First, 7 seal judgments (Rev
6). The 7th seal consists of 7 trumpet judgments (Rev 8-9). The 7th trumpet
judgment consists of 7 bowl judgments. Telescoping devastating judgments.

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Now Rev 6:12 the sixth seal judgment: 12 When he opened the sixth seal,
I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black
as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, 13 and the stars of the sky fell to
the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. This
probably occurs sometime near the middle of the Trib as things heat up.

This appears to be a temporary event, since the sun and moon are still
functioning later. Perhaps God just turns them off for a time, or possibly the
spectacular earthquake causes this. Scientist Dr. Henry Morris of the Institute
for Creation Research suggests: The vast worldwide network of unstable
earthquake belts around the world will begin to slip and fracture on a global
basis and a gigantic earthquake will ensue. This is evidently, and naturally,
accompanied by tremendous volcanic eruptions, spewing vast quantities of
dust and steam and gases into the upper atmosphere. It is probably these
that will cause the sun to be darkened and the moon to appear blood-red.

However it happens, its just a preview. It happens again during trumpet

judgments: Rev 8:12 The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun
was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of
their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from
shining, and likewise a third of the night. There is no natural explanation for
that description. Again, it seems to be temporary, but it is an unmistakable
sign. Jesus is coming. Things are coming apart and Jesus is coming soon.

That leads, of course, to the conditions described in Mt and Mark where the
sky is darkened completely just before He returns. Lights out! This Day of the
Lord attended by darkness is all over OT. Joel 2:1b: Let all the inhabitants of
the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near, 2) a day of
darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! (drop to v. 10) The
earth quakes before them; the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are
darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. Joel sees the Battle of
Armageddon in Joel 3:2: 2) I will gather all the nations and bring them down
to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there . .
. 14) Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD
is near in the valley of decision. 15) The sun and the moon are darkened, and
the stars withdraw their shining. You say, Can God really do that
overrule the laws of nature like that? He already did, dear friends when
His own Son was crucified. Mt 27:45: Now from the sixth hour there was

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darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. Its a wonder God did not
unleash the powers of hell on humanity then and there, isnt it? What mercy!

Theyre going out again, and when they do, there will be no more naturalists
standing around like Carl Sagan saying, The cosmos is all there is, was or
ever will be. That nonsense will be obliterated forever as God shows once
and for all who is the beginning and the end. Its not the cosmos. It is the
Creator of the cosmos. Isa 13:10: For the stars of the heavens and their
constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and
the moon will not shed its light. The sun comes up, but someone has turned it
off. Let the naturalists explain that? That will be the least of their worries.
Theyll be otherwise occupied: Rev 6:15: Then the kings of the earth and the
great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave
and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains,
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calling to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of
him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 for the
great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand? There will be no more
trying to explain God away on that day. Terror will reign with no escape.

Jesus is saying, You want signs? Here they are. Your city is going to be
destroyed. And the lights are going out not just in your house, or the
neighborhood, or country but in the entire universe! Who could dare
make that prediction? Only the One who turned them on in the first place,
right? This is just one more way that Jesus is showing He is God. And if the
first sign came true exactly as He said, be my guest if you want to dispute the
second. But be ready to plead for rocks to fall on you when its lights out.

II. The Son of the Second Coming

The last time the world saw Jesus He didnt look so good. Hanging naked on a
cross in shame -- total human failure. But that was because he was taking the
failures of the world on Himself willingly dying to pay sins penalty for all
who would believe. The ugliness that should be ours was laid on Him. On the
cross He mirrored our fate! But, Beloved, those days are over. 27 And then
they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

Jesus calls Himself Son of Man -- a title taken from Dan 7:13-14, I saw in
the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a
son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before
him. 14) And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all

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peoples, nations, and languages should serve [a word used only of serving
God] him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass
away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. This is the Father
presenting the Son an eternal kingdom. Jesus claims that identity, and predicts
He will come again exactly as Daniel describes in a cloud with power and
great glory to claim His kingdom. Its all coming but in Gods way!

He came as a baby in a manager the first time the culmination of which was
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death
on a cross (Phil 2:8b). The first time, He suffered rejection to save us from
rejection. But there will be no dismissing Him the 2nd time. Listen to Matt:
24:29: Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be
darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from
heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. (Lights out! Now
watch)! 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man (which could
be translated the sign which is the Son of Man, genetive of apposition), and
then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man
coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

I saw a movie once where the screen went completely black near the end.
There was silence for a moment, then a spotlight caught only the face of an
actress as she began to sing. The effect was electric. But no Hollywood
producer could duplicate the effect the Jesus 2nd Coming will have. The
whole world will instantaneously be jolted to the realization that it was all
true. Jesus was everything He said and more. Reality will come crashing in
on a world that thought it could kill and ignore Him without consequence. But
now all will see His power and glory. No one will miss this. Rev 1:7,
Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those
who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him.

Theyll wail bc it will be immediately clear that while He came in humility the
first time, now He comes now in full vindication to rule and reign and judge
those who have rejected Him. Times up! The grace period is over. The mercy,
trampled underfoot by mens arrogance, will be withdrawn. Mt 25:31 When
the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit
on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he
will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from
the goats. Mercy is ended; justice has arrived. Unbelievers will absorb
themselves the penalty Hed gladly have taken for them.

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Remember 1981 when traffic controllers (PATCO) went on strike illegally?
Pres Reagan order them back to work giving a 48-hour grace period. Few
returned thinking they were indispensable. They thought wrong. They were
fired. Reagan said in his autobiography, They apparently thought I was
bluffing when I said controllers who didnt honor the no-strike pledge
would lose their jobs and not be rehired; and they underestimated the
courage and energy of those controllers who didnt strike. [We] went
through a difficult period. But as each day passed, there were more planes
in the air; we discovered that before the strike, the air traffic control system
had about 6000 more controllers than it really needed to operate safely.

It wasnt a bluff nor was Jesus bluffing when He said in Jn 3:18, Whoever
believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is
condemned already, (death sentence) because he has not believed in the name
of the only Son of God. He warns in Jn 5:27: And he (Father) has given
him (Jesus) authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.
Jesus is coming again either to be your Savior or your Judge. Thats not
good news for those who have blown Him off. Its the beginning of the end.
Lights out! The Son of the Second Coming will look much different from the
Son of the first Coming.

III. The Salvation of the Second Coming

But for believers different story. 28 Now when these things begin to take
place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing
near. Some point to the words when these things begin to take place and
conclude Jesus is referring here to phase 1of His coming the Rapture, which
occurs pre-trib and takes church age believers out of this world.

But thats unlikely. This whole discourse is focused on the 2nd Coming at the
end of the Tribulation. These things must refer to the signs Jesus has just
mentioned lights out. Those are shortly before He comes again. Notice
straighten up and raise your heads, which most logically depicts believers
who have come to Christ after the Tribulation began and who have been under
severe persecution. When they see the universe literally falling apart,
causing others to cry out for rocks to fall on them, they can do the opposite.
They can stand tall bc redemption is just around the corner!

Mt 24:31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they
will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

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I dont know whether the angels will put those people on airplanes or transport
them in some other way! But they are coming home to share in the splendor
of the Savior for whom they have suffered. Dont you want to be part of that
group? You can be. Jesus promises elsewhere believers whove died will come
with Him to share in the glory. But you have to reserve your place now.
Redemption is for those who have trusted Him in this life who are heirs of
God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that
we may also be glorified with him (Rom 8:17). Count me in!

Conc Listen, Jesus is coming again. Just as the promises of His first coming
were literally fulfilled, so will those of His 2nd Coming. Just as Jerusalem was
destroyed as He predicted, so He will come as He predicted. Guaranteed.

But what about your personal reservation? Have you taken care of that so
youre on the right side of history when He comes? C. S. Lewis says I
would not have thought much of a Frenchman who waited until the Allies
were marching into Germany and then announced he was on our side. In
fact, if he were a known collaborator, it would have been too late already.
Hed be like those who will beg Jesus regarding all they did for Him. But
Hell say to them in Mt 7:23, I never knew you; depart from me, you
workers of lawlessness. Clear, isnt it?! You have to commit now. Then is
too late.

Lewis goes on: When the author walks onto the stage the play is over. God
is going to invade, all right: but what is the good of saying you are on His
side then, when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a
dream and something it never entered your head to conceive comes
crashing in; something so beautiful to some of us and so terrible to others
that none of us will have any choice left? For this time it will be God
without disguise; something so overwhelming that it will strike either
irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature. It will be too late
then to choose your side. . . . That will not be the time for choosing: it will
be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we
realized it before or not. Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose
the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It will not last
forever. We must take it or leave it. Lets pray.

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