For context, Jesus is addressing his disciples, believers in his message. He has already cleansed the temple and has been teaching there. Today’s readings are two parts of a very long discourse in Luke where Jesus talks about the soon to happen judgement in their lifetimes. In the following passages Jesus is telling his disciples what to look out for before the destruction of the temple in 70AD and when they see these signs, they are to leave Jerusalem and escape into the Mountains. This is actually what happened historically, where the Christians of Jerusalem paid attention to Jesus’ warnings and escaped to Pella, in the foothills of the Transjordan mountains. Not a single Christian was killed in the siege because they listened to his warnings. These sayings of Jesus correspond somewhat to the Olivet discourse in Matthew and Mark but Luke’s main focus on the more immediate Judgement and possibly referencing the eschatological Judgement suggests that this might be a separate event.
25 “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth distress of nations in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves,
First Jesus says there will be celestial signs that will indicate the oncoming event. Many conclude that because of the Monotheistic nature of Judaism, they would disregard the sun, moon and stars but this is incorrect, just because they did not worship them as deities, as many pagan nations did, they did not disregard them. In fact throughout the Old Testament celestial bodies are considered symbolically and in some cases literally, the heavenly host of God.
Job 38:7 says: “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.”
And in Psalm 19 we read: “The heavens are telling the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.”
Celestial signs are certainly not contradictory to the Jewish worldview, and we do not need to shy away from interpreting this statement literally. This prompts the question: Were there celestial signs leading up to and during the events Jesus refers to? The answer is yes.
Josephus the Jewish historian recounts that a star resembling a sword stood over the city and a comet would fly through the sky for an entire year. (The Jewish War, 6.300-309.) This coupled with two complete Lunar eclipses in 69 AD and 70 AD respectively would further add to ominous celestial signs that Jesus could be referring to.
There is also the figurative notion to the celestial bodies in Jewish thought of the time period and proceeding it which is evoked in Isaiah and Joel. Both these prophets use celestial bodies as symbolic of human rulers and authorities. To which we ask the question: Did hierarchal powers shift dramatically within the lifetimes of Jesus’ followers? The answer is yes.
Rome would raze Jerusalem to the ground, destroying the temple and take absolute power over it after the siege of 70 AD. Jewish political autonomy within the Roman empire would end, the Herodian dynasty would dissolve and with the annihilation of the Temple, the religious authority of the Sanhedrin and priesthood would collapse. The entire Jewish power system was effectively dismantled.
Jesus then says “the nations” will be in distress, or agony in some translations, at the “roaring of the sea and waves”. In the ancient Near East context, the ocean is emblematic of Chaos, like the Babylonian deity Tiamat, the Goddess of Chaos and Seawater. This is expressed in the Hebrew scriptures in a variety of places in its true non-chaos demon sense and their placements in what they proceed may illuminate what Jesus is saying. In the creation account, God creates everything, but initially what he creates is “without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep”. Chaotic waters, roaring sea and waves. Again in Genesis with the Flood account, God wipes the slate clean with…Chaotic waters, roaring sea and waves. Jesus is saying that this moment that his disciples will see is a New Creation event and even the Gentiles are going to be taken up in it, suddenly Paul’s comments on Jesus being the New Adam take on a much deeper meaning than many Christians acknowledge.
26 men fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
People will faint or “die” with fear at what is coming to “the world”. Although in our New Covenant context we could not possibly understand why anyone would fear a New World under the reign of Christ but that is because we never knew the world without it. We have to place ourselves in the mindset of both the ancient pagans and Jews, the entire known worlds relationship to the divine is about to shift, everything they knew is about to flip on its head. The Temple cult that has been the centre of worship for Jews for centuries will end, the emptiness of Pagan rituals is going to be exposed by the light of Jesus. Man’s wisdom is going to be humiliated by God’s foolishness. All the people in earthly power are going to lose it and everyone who is oriented in relation to the power is going to suffer.
Jesus then says the “for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” In Dr Michael Heiser’s work (The Unseen Realm, Reversing Hermon), he argues that the “powers in the heavens” could refer to spiritual beings associated with the divine council or fallen powers—what Paul refers to as “principalities and powers” (Ephesians 6:12). This relates to the order of dominion since the Tower of Babel incident in Genesis, with details clarified in Deuteronomy 32:8-9.
“When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of men, he fixed the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. For the Lord’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage.”
In the future event Jesus is referring to, the powers and dominions will shift, no longer will the nations outside of the promised land be under the powers established in Genesis 11. God the father is gathering back all his children that he disinherited and the events of 70 AD signify the definitive conclusion of the Old Covenant, firmly establishing the independence and permanence of the New and Eternal Covenant.
27 And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
Here in verse 27 many commentators ignore two very important words. It is the “then” and the “they”. Jesus says “then” to let his audience know that what he is about to say will follow all the signs he just spoke about previously. The “they” indicates that this is not the Second Coming, where his followers will see him but a different event where those who are not his audience will see him.
What these people are going to see is the “Son of Man coming in a cloud”. Throughout his ministry Jesus refers to himself as the Son of Man, although literally meaning human being, this term took on an entirely different meaning with the Prophet Daniel.
In Daniel 7:13-14 we read “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. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”
The Son of Man figure in Daniel is a Divine figure, the riding on a cloud might make you think of Dragonball but this idea is incredibly ancient. In both the Hebrew Bible and the ancient Near East context, riding on a cloud is a sign of divinity. In Psalm 104:3 Yahweh uses the cloud as a chariot, in the Caananite context Baal is the rider of the clouds. Jesus is once again making a statement of divinity but in a very Jewish way. He is simultaneously rebuking pagan deities and claiming to be Yahweh.
The issue here is that this is not good news for those who rejected him because when they see him coming on the clouds in the near future he is coming in Judgement. The historian Josephus once again is very helpful in this area as a very peculiar detail he noted is relevant to this statement by Jesus as it relates to the Siege of 70 AD.
He says: “a certain prodigious and incredible phenomenon appeared … which I suppose would seem a fable, were it not related by those that saw it … before sun-setting, chariots and troops of soldiers in their armor were seen running about among the clouds, and surrounding of cities.” (Josephus, The Jewish War)
I will not go as far to say that this is Jesus on the clouds with his Angels, I am just saying it is very interesting that those that saw this were the people who rejected Jesus and his warnings.
28 Now when these things begin to take place, look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Here Jesus is telling his disciples that when all of this happens they should “look up” and raise their heads because redemption is near. All limited human reason to a first century Jew seeing these events would be cause for massive alarm and panic but Jesus is clarifying that this is actually a good thing and that they should not be distraught over it. They should persevere because this will lead to their vindication as Christians but will also lead to the judgement and destruction of the Holy City and the inhabitants that rejected Jesus.
34 “But take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a snare;
35 for it will come upon all who dwell upon the face of the whole earth.
36 But watch at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of man.”
Here the lectionary jumps a few verses ahead, skipping Jesus’ parable of the fig tree. He is still talking to his disciples and tells them to “take heed” to themselves. Meaning they should pay attention to their spiritual wellbeing as according to Jesus’ teachings. This is clarified by Jesus’ saying “lest your hearts be weight down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life”. Just because they are disciples now, it does not mean they are once saved always saved. That is not how this works. They must remain vigilant and sober because the devil prowls round looking for someone to eat even in the days going up to 70 AD and beyond. If they fall into worldly distractions they will not notice the signs he has previously explained and the day will come upon them like a snare or a trap. It will be sudden and surprising. They must be sober and watch.
Some commentators suggest that the parable of the fig tree may act as a divider between Jesus talking about the soon-to-happen judgement of 70 AD and the Second Coming Eschatological Judgement of the end, which is a possibility depending on how you interpret verses 34-36. Jesus will say that “it will come upon all who dwell on the earth” which positions the judgement to be global instead of local as it is in 70AD and Jesus also says “But watch at all times” suggesting this is about something before and after the events of the Siege and relates to the life of the Christian and his particular Judgement at the end of his life.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1022): “Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ.”
In Catholic eschatology, Jesus is the divine judge (John 5:22), and this meeting is anticipated both at death (Particular Judgment) and at the Last Judgement. There is no concreate interpretation of this verse and all three, 70 AD, Particular Judgement and Final Judgement fit depending on what angle you approach. Perhaps they are all mystically interconnected in a way we cannot fully understand in this life.
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