Do You Believe He is Coming?
Luke 21:25-36
December 7, 2025 anno Domini
When you pray, “Come Lord Jesus, be our guest,” do you believe it? Do you actually think, or act like Jesus could come to your table, could return as He promised? Or, when you mindlessly say the Lord’s Prayer while secretly planning your Sunday afternoon activities – do you think the Lord will answer your prayer, “Thy Kingdom come” or “Deliver us from evil.” You learned from the catechism what those petitions ultimately mean – that our Father in heaven will complete our salvation, by sending His Son to judge the living and death, damning all evil people, locking away Satan, and rewarding those who believe with resurrected, sin-free bodies, living eternally in the new heavens and the new earth.
Advent means “coming.” And contrary to popular opinion this season’s focus isn’t primarily on the birth of Christ, but of His coming once in the flesh to save us, coming a second time to deliver us eternally, and coming now to us with that salvation in His Word, His water, and His body and blood.
Today’s Gospel reading takes place during Holy Week. Jesus is in the Temple. Luke 21 begins with a widow putting her life savings, her last two coins into the offering plate. That widow has put all her hope in the Lord’s coming. What good are her two coins? What is she holding on to them for? She likely was part of that Palm Sunday crowd and saw Jesus coming into Jerusalem. She heard the crowd shouting “Hosanna, Save us now.” She remembered her Sabbath school flannel graph stories about Zechariah’s prophecy, “your king will come humble and mounted on a donkey,” and she believed. That’s how it works – you hear God’s Word, you believe in Jesus, and you live accordingly. She believed her Lord was coming and of her Jesus says, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
I’m guessing that once Jesus started talking about offerings, someone changed the subject – oh, look at this marvelous temple. Aren’t those stones magnificent? Isn’t it beautifully and richly adorned? But Jesus won’t be deterred. The end is near for Jesus in death and for the temple. He tells it like He sees it and since He is God He sees it as it is. “As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” Jesus’ words came true. In 70 AD the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. To this day there is no temple in Jerusalem. Do you know what stands on the temple mount today? A mosque.
We’ve got a great building here at Redeemer, probably one of the most solid buildings in all of Saint Cloud, and beautifully adorned. The very walls of this place declare what we believe, teach, and confess. But it will not last. It wasn’t built to last – it was built for Jesus – that He might come to you now with His Word, that He might tell you what’s coming your way – there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world.” If you haven’t noticed it those days are here. Do you believe this? Do you live accordingly?
I’m want to warn you about two common false teachings that are prevalent among Christians about these last days.
One false teaching is Millenialism. Millenialism believes there will be a visible thousand-year reign of Christ on earth before the final judgment. Millenialists take their teaching from the book of Revelation which says that an angel will seize “that dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan” and bind him for 1000 years. The first problem with millennialism is that it plucks a number out of a book filled with symbols where lampstands are churches and stars are angels and angels are pastors, and it makes that number literal. According to Revelation the whole number of those sealed for salvation is 144,000, but then a few verses later is a description of heaven in which John sees “a great multitude no one could number.” 144,000 is obviously symbolic.
The greater problem of millennialism is that it contradicts three very clear teachings of the Bible. First, Jesus will return once, not twice, not in stages, but once to judge the living and the dead. Second, it promises that Christians will be spared suffering in the last days contrary to Jesus’ own words in Luke 21. And third, it teaches that those who reject Christ will get a second chance to believe. Lutherans are amilliennialists, which means we don’t believe in that visible 1000 year reign of Christ. We believe that we’re living in that 1000 year reign now – where Christ rules the world by His Gospel. Lutherans say, “Ah, Millennialism – we don’t believe in that.”
Millennialism is taught alongside another false teaching – the Rapture. The rapture is the belief that Jesus will return secretly and abduct all the Christians from the world to spare them from the great tribulation. This event would then give unbelievers a second chance – if all of a sudden, every Christian you know mysteriously disappears, you might think – maybe there’s something to Jesus after all, and you believe. But once again, this teaching separates what God’s Word has joined together.
Jesus Himself spoke the words upon which the rapture is based, “I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.” However, when you look at the context, Jesus is talking about visible days of judgment – the day the flood came on the earth, and the day fire rained down on Sodom. These are days when the righteous were separated from the wicked – Noah and his family were taken, the world was left. Lot and his family was taken, and Sodom was destroyed. Jesus warns that His coming will be sudden, will be seen, and will be final – on that one day – all the world will be judged – righteous believers will be saved. Unrighteous unbelievers will be damned. No second chances. Just like the days of Noah. Just like Sodom.
The next time you pray, “Come Lord Jesus” or “Thy Kingdom Come” you should ask those seated at your table – what should we do today if Jesus is coming tomorrow?.
Jesus gives you the answer – first, look up, look forward to His coming. You have His Word of promise – you’re forgiven, you’re alive, your redemption is drawing near. Everything you hoped for – the end of sorrow, death, and sin is coming. The dark winter of this world will give way to the eternal summer of the resurrection.
Second, sober up. Don’t be like the people of Noah’s day or the people of Sodom, indulging yourself with gluttony, or drunkenness, or screens. Letting your flesh rule your life instead of Christ, will trap you in unbelief. Stay awake, don’t live in darkness, live in the light of Christ. Go to church, hear God’s Word, read the Bible, fight your flesh, curb your appetites, so that you have strength to escape all these things that are going to happen.
Then, Jesus promises – you will stand before the son of man. There’s nothing better to pray and to believe. In the name of Jesus. Amen