In today’s Gospel (Luke 21:20-28), Jesus gets eschatological. You may not know what ‘eschatological’ means. But don’t worry. It’s not the end of the world.

Jesus foretells the destruction of Jerusalem and then compares that with the end of the world. Behind this is the idea that God acts consistently across history, therefore his actions in one era parallel those of another. God rescues His people in the Exodus; He rescues His people from Exile. The judgement on Jerusalem is a picture of the judgement of the world. One mirrors the other.

As we saw last week when we looked at Jesus’ arriving and weeping over the city (Luke 19:41-44), the fall of Jerusalem came in AD70 when the Romans destroyed the city and its temple. Jesus foresaw this and used it as a picture of God’s judgement.

We don’t like the idea of an angry God. But as human beings we sometimes get angry and with good reason. On the TV news yesterday we saw again video of the abuse of people with learning disabilities which was exposed by the BBC programme, Panorama, at Winterbourne View care home in Bristol in 2011. We get angry when we see vulnerable people being bullied. Doesn’t God have the right to be angry when His laws of love are flouted or ignored?

On Sunday, we begin Advent. No, not Christmas. Advent. The season of expectation, of looking forward with hope. Traditionally, the themes of Advent are death, judgement, heaven and hell. (I’m not sure we’ll get all of those in before the tinsel hits us.) But the point of Advent is to be serious about our life. To listen to John the Baptist who asks, are you ready to meet with God? If God turned up today, would you be in a good place?

The Bible doesn’t provide a neat timetable of how the end of the world will happen. We do’t need to know. The Bible invites us to live our lives in this world in such a way that if the world – or at least our world – were to end today, we would have nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to regret.

The truth is that none of us is in a good place; none of us is perfect. Which is why the gospel is good news. Because, although God is angry at sin, He loves sinners. He invites them to sit at his table and enjoy His Banquet. Not because of anything we have done but because of what Jesus has done.

We will see

“the Son of Man coming in a cloud” with power and great glory.
Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.’ (Luke 21:27,28)