2ND SUNDAY IN ADVENT

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

Dear friends in Christ Jesus!

Throughout the entire history of the Christian Church there have been those who believed that the end of the world was near. The world's end has always been proclaimed to the world but never as frequently as now. In America a sect has now arisen which simply preaches that the Lord will soon come in the clouds to judge the living and the dead. This sect, however, is not satisfied with preaching about an early appearance of Christ to judgment; in enthusiastic conceit it has also repeatedly mentioned the day when this great event will take place. These enthusiasts have been put to shame; the stipulated days have gone by and the world continues as before.

And what is the result? The world has become only the more impudent and has sunk only the deeper into the sleep of security. Men everywhere shout for joy that the Bible and Christianity has suffered a new defeat and that reason has carried off a glorious victory. You see, unbelieving preachers and editors cry to their hearers and readers, you see; the prophecies of Scripture, the apostles, and the prophets amount to nothing; the days during which the world was supposed to be annihilated have passed and the world still stands. Don't trust the Bible any more; its prophecies are the dreams of an excited imagination. See into what foolishness and misfortune many have now fallen, because they so confidently expected the predictions of the Bible to be fulfilled!

But my friends, don't let that deceive you. It is not God and his holy Word but only men with their dreams who have become a laughingstock. Nowhere in Holy Scripture is the day and hour mentioned when Christ will return. On the contrary, the Lord says clearly and distinctly, "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." Mt 24:36. And in another passage he condemns all searching after that day as something un-Christian and says, "It is not for you to know the times and the seasons, which the Father had put in his own power." Acts 1:7.

In vain, therefore, the unbelieving world attributes to the Gospel what is due to the impertinence of foolish men. But that is the way of the world; if sinful men abuse God's Word, if sin, absurdities, and misfortune are the results, it exclaims, See! those are the fruits of your wonderful Christianity!

Just let these lovers of lies continue to fight the Christian Church with such arrows dipped in the poison of lies. All lies will finally be revealed and come to naught, but the Christian truth will and must be victorious. What if the end of this world never does come on that day when according to human figuring it should come; that such a day will dawn is certain. That so many false prophets predicting the end of the world have now arisen is the result of Satan's work; that is how he seeks to make the poor world more and more secure, lull it into the sleep of spiritual death, and convince it that Christ's return is a ridiculous fable. Soon Satan will have reached his goal; then, when after the many unfulfilled predictions all the world merely jokes about the Last Day and says, He will not come; let us eat, drink, and be merry! then he will come, quickly and suddenly, and find no one prepared; in a moment when

he is not expected he will suddenly be there; then Christ will appear, the trumpets will sound, the dead will awake, the whole world will be on fire, all the godless will howl, and the pious, now glorified, will soar high into the air at the right, hand of the Son of God. Oh, that this moment may find us all properly prepared!

With God's assistance I will now speak to you on how we should prepare ourselves for this day. Let us therefore call on him, etc.

The text. Luke 21:25-36.

On the basis of the Gospel, permit me to speak to you on:

THE CHRISTIAN'S PREPARATION FOR THE COMING OF JUDGMENT DAY

According to our text there is a threefold preparation;

I. He is to Take Diligent Note of the Signs which Precede it,

II. Watch out that his Heart is not Burdened with Earthly Things, and

III. Not Become Tired of Watching and Praying.

Lord Jesus, by your word you yourself intend to awaken us, so that we are constantly alert, ready to go to meet you, our Bridegroom, even at the midnight hour. In, this hour, extend your gracious hand toward the hearts of all my hearers and unite them with you in order that someday we will be with you forever. Amen,

I.

My friends, out of great love God has so arranged things, that no man knows what will happen to him in the future, yes, not even the next hour; if a person knew in advance that he would be successful, it would make him secure and proud; if, on the other hand, he knew all his adversities in advance, he would despair even in happy surroundings. Therefore, although God has revealed to man that he must die some day, he has hidden the hour of his death from his eyes. And yet, God has given us certain eigne by which we are constantly reminded of the certainty of our coming death and by which we can recognize its nearness. Every day man becomes older and older; he sees how quickly the time of youth disappears, his powers wane, his cheeks and hair become white, sight and hearing lose their keenness, his back becomes bowed, his hands begin to tremble, sicknesses gradually exhaust the body, and how the fruits of his life constantly become riper and riper for the plucking; all these are continuous signs and messengers of death.

The same is true also of Judgment Day. It is just as certain as the hour of our death; Christ, therefore, asserts in our text, "Verily I say unto you, This generation," namely the Jewish people, "shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away; but my words shall not pass away." Vv. 32,33. But when the day of the world's destruction is, knows no creature; that is written alone in the hidden books of the secret counsels of God. Nevertheless, in his revealed Word God has indicated signs by which the Christian can recognize the nearness of this great day. Christ speaks of that in our Gospel, "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." VV.25,26. That these remarkable extraordinary phenomenon in the world of nature

and men are the signs pure and simple which the Christian is to take note of as messengers of the Lord's nearness, Christ himself states when he adds, "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 fcp pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth high." Vv. 27,28.

The question now arises, What are we to think of those signs? Have they already taken place, or are they still to be expected? Here Christian exegetes are of different opinions. A few suppose that those signs will first occur shortly before the end of the world, perhaps a year, perhaps only a few days or hours before; the sun, moon, and stars will lose their light, the sea will roar and overflow its shores, the earth will quake, the stars will alter their courses, anguish and despair will prevail among men. It seems as though this exposition does not agree with the analogy of Holy Scripture.

In order to help us understand his words, Christ himself gives us this parable in our text, "Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; when they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye. when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand." Vv.29-31. From this we must conclude that the signs of Judgment Day will follow slowly the way spring gradually unfolds; little by little the trees become green and the buds burst and blossom; this does not happen suddenly like a trick of magic.

We, therefore, dare not suppose that the signs described in our Gospel have never occurred and are all still to be expected. To be sure, every year we see new signs, but the majority have already taken place throughout the centuries. Frequently have the sun, moon, and stars become darkened before the very eyes of men; frequently have anxiety and fear seized men; frequently have countless fainted from fear and waiting for the things which are to come; frequently have the seas roared frightfully and the earth trembled as though it was going to burst; frequently, therefore, have all signs cried out to men, Awake, you sleepers! The end is near.

Oh, yes, it is true, that astronomers and scientists can often point to the natural causes for such striking phenomenon; nevertheless, they are and remain God-given signs of the early overthrow and destruction of this entire universe. For is it not God who rules the world, who guides the moon in front of the sun, so that the latter is hidden from view and its light taken away, and the like? Remember, even though we see the natural causes of our sicknesses, are they not in spite of that the forerunners of our certain death? So also the world has, as it were, been sickly for the past 1800 years; one might say that the sun, the world's eye, has frequently lost its power to see; the world has frequently been convulsed; all this shows us that the world's hour of death is at the door.

Though the unbelievers may ridicule the idea as a superstition that in these striking natural phenomenon Christians believe they understand God's language, do not let that disturb you who believe in God's Holy Word, Rather, daily prepare yourselves for the great imminent change in all creation by earnestly taking note of the signs of the times. Learn to understand God ever better whenever he speaks to us clearly by all sorts of terrible, unusual world events. Believe that these forerunners have already been sent in sufficient frequency; this very day Christ could therefore appear; this very day could be the Last Day, the day of the resurrection, the Day of Judgment. Already in the days of the apostles Christians did not, dare to be secure; even then many signs had occurred; yet since before God a thousand years are as one day and

one day as, a thousand years, time through God's patience has dragged on for 1800 years. But now that the great universal apostasy which was predicted has taken place and the antichrist is also revealed, we dare not feel safe for one second; even before we leave this church, yea, even in the next moment Christ can come like lightning out of a blue sky; even in the next moment heaven and earth, can take fire and God's judgment throne appear.

II.

Listen, therefore, to the second part of a Christian's preparation; it consists in his earnestly guarding himself against burdening his heart with earthly things. For Christ continues thus in our Gospel, "And take heed to yourselves. lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness. and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares," V. 34.

A Christian does not prepare himself properly for the Last Day by quitting his job, and only praying, nor in selling all his property and giving it to the poor. Not at all! That, is the very reason why God has not revealed the day and hour to us; as long as God himself has not destroyed this world, we are to remain in our calling, continue to fulfill our duty over against our families and especially our neighbor, and, when Christ will come again, let him find us at our posts where he has placed us,

Christ does not forbid eating and drinking nor faithfully providing for those things which belong to the support and wants of our body, but burdening our hearts with these things.

You who seek your heaven on earth in eating and drinking; who would rather refuse to nourish your soul than your body; who would rather dispense with the bread of life, the Word of God, than lack earthly bread; whose object it is to lead a continual peaceful, comfortable, enjoyable life; who, therefore, would gladly let God stay in his heaven if only he would always bestow upon you health, money, and good days on earth; who fill yourselves with the choicest food so that you become incapable of lifting your soul to God or get so intoxicated that your blood is inflamed and your tongue babbles, you are the ones who in God's eyes burden your heart with eating and drinking, even though you perhaps do not think so. And you who have undertaken to become rich, to pile dollar upon dollar, or to constantly expand your business, or to build you a house; and who rise with these thoughts in the morning and go to sleep with them at night; who are so occupied with your material plans; who greedily look into the future and already in spirit joyfully see how all your constantly growing wishes are being fulfilled, you are the one whose heart is burdened with the cares of this life. Alas, how many of us there may be who find in this description the condition of their life, thoughts, and being, and suppose that they are the best of Christians!

Is that the way to prepare for the sudden arrival of the Last Day? Oh, indeed not! Whoever acts that way, certainly does not earnestly believe that that great day is near each and every moment; he certainly thinks in his heart, "My lord delays his coming."

Yes, all of you who now constitute a great portion of our congregation, whose heart is almost always filled with the thoughts and cares of the future, who with your little shops are occupied in your minds with your little speculations just as well as the possessor of huge sums, who burn with a desire for more and more profits and who rejoice more over the briskness of your business before the Christmas festival than over the heavenly gift, for which sake this

this festival is celebrated; oh, you earthly-minded souls, you burdened hearts, how poorly you are prepared for the approaching end of this world! You say, you believe that God will soon consume heaven and earth with fire, and yet you cling ever more firmly to earthly things! You say you believe that Christ could come today for judgment and yet you do not provide only for tomorrow but for years on end! Oh, how you deceive yourselves! If you would hear today, "Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him," Mt 25:6 this would be frightful news for you; between you and the children of the world there would be no difference; you would not lift up your heads with joy because your redemption draws nigh; the destruction of the world would be the destruction of all your hopes and dreams, for you do not place your hope in Christ but in unrighteous Mammon. Do you want to persevere in such a miserable state? Do you want to continue to let your heart be so full of earthly things that heavenly things can find no place there? Do you not want to forsake the world before it forsakes you? Oh, turn around, perceive your error; it leads to damnation even though you may otherwise live honorably; then though the Last Day of the world may come today or tomorrow, you will not be frightened but happy and enter into eternal joy and blessedness,

II.

That this may happen Christ cries out to us all, "For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man," V. 35,36. Watching and praying is therefore the third part: of preparing for the sudden appearance of the Last Day.

Christ tells us that the Last Day will come like a snare upon all who dwell on the earth. A snare is placed where one least expects it; the wild animal thinks it can go its usual way unhindered as always, and lo! all of a sudden it steps upon the trap and is caught. Therefore, wherever you go you should watch and pray, my dear Christian; in all places you should think: Perhaps here lies the snare against which Christ has warned me; perhaps here is the place where Christ will appear to me and take me away into his eternal kingdom.

Christ moreover says that he will come like a flash of lightning; lightning does not come slowly but more quickly than our eye can follow; it flashes from one end of the sky to the other. So quickly will the great change have taken place. There will be no time to cry for grace, no time to be converted, no time for preparation. Therefore, watch and pray now that you will be ready.

Finally, Christ also says, that he will come as a thief in the night; a thief does not announce beforehand that he will come at this or that hour. So Christ will not come when no one thinks he will; the day of his coming will not be different from any other day; the sun will rise just as brightly as in the past; on that great morning a person will get up from his bed as in the past; he will go to work, will eat and drink, will laugh and joke, will curse, rage, and blaspheme, will sin as in the past; everything will go its usual course as in the past; no one will think, Today the Lord will come; he will rather think, Today is like yesterday, and tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow it will be just like it is today. And see, whereas formerly all things turned unceasingly like a wheel, suddenly they will stop; in a moment God's Son will stand before all men, the holy angels will appear in all places and corners, God's trumpet will sound in the ears of all and mountain and valley and sea will open and all the dead will arise. Is it therefore not necessary that we watch

and pray so that we will be worthy every moment to escape all these things and be ready to stand before the Son of man?

Oh, my dear hearers, if we would only really believe the doctrine of the Last Day, how much more watchful, how much more zealous in prayer, how much more earnest in our whole Christian life we would be! Then pray to God that he would make an indelibly deep impression upon you concerning this day; continue your meditations under the guidance of God's Word also at home; in faith commit your soul every second to your merciful Savior, and, though you may wake or sleep, work or rest, laugh or weep, you will be worthy through Christ to stand before him. May he do that to us all for the sake of his love. Amen.