Advent – Wait . . . What’s Coming?

Welcome to the first week of Advent! Only four more weeks to Christmas!

The word “Advent” means “coming.” Everyone knows that Advent is the season of waiting for the coming of Christmas, right?

But . . . Wait . . .What’s with these READINGS!

The first week of Advent celebrates (pay attention to that word) the Parousia – the triumphant return of Jesus as the King of Kings.

When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and there came a great earthquake; the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree drops its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll rolling itself up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. – Revelation 6:12-14

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples: There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves: men withering away for fear and expectation of what shall come upon the whole world. For the powers of heaven shall be moved; and then they shall see the Son of man coming in a cloud with great power and majesty. But when these things begin to come to pass, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is at hand. And He spoke to them a similitude: See the fig tree, and all the trees; when they now shoot forth their fruit, you know that summer is nigh; so you also, when you shall see these things come to pass, know that the kingdom of God is at hand. Amen I say to you, this generation shall not pass away till all things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away. Luke 21:25-33

It sure doesn’t sound like a celebration, does it?

Understanding the Parousia

When most people – even Christians – read passages like the one above, or like Revelation 6:12, they assume that it’s all about gloom and doom and tragedy. The end of the world is equated with the “Day of Wrath.” It’s equated with the terrifying end of the world. How can we celebrate that, even if we believe that in the end we’ll be in Heaven?

An how can we help but feel that way? The sun turning black. Stars falling from the sky. Sounds like a cataclysm worthy of the SciFi Channel, doesn’t it?

But what exactly do these images mean?

In his excellent Great Adventure program Revelation, Jeff Cavins points out that this same imagery is used in Isaiah 13 to talk about the downfall of Babylon, Ezekiel 32 to talk about the fall of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and in Joel 2 to warn Judah of its pending downfall if it doesn’t change its ways. In all of cases, the darkening of the celestial bodies signifies the downfall of an earthly power that is opposed to the Kingdom of God. The message is, “your time is up”! In Luke and Revelation, this downfall of an earthly power is paired with the coming of the true King of the universe. Especially in Revelation, the message is one of hope and perseverance for Christians who are being persecuted or who are suffering.

So a better reading of this imagery of the “end times” would be Saint Paul’s Account in 1 Corinthians 15:23-28:

But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end,* when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For ‘God* has put all things in subjection under his feet.’ But when it says, ‘All things are put in subjection’, it is plain that this does not include the one who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to the one who put all things in subjection under him, so that God may be all in all.

The Last Judgment is GOOD NEWS for followers of Jesus!

What “earthly powers” have a hold on you right now? You might see the corruption of our government and culture. You might be trapped by temptations to sin. The message of the first week of Advent is: “Choose the Kingdom of God and persevere in your relationship with Jesus. The days for these earthly and diabolical powers are numbered. In the end, Jesus will reign supreme, and those who are faithful to Him will reign with Him.

Now that’s something to celebrate!

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