Luke 21:26, commentary and pictures

The verse foretells a time when people are overcome with dread as they watch calamities approaching the earth, with nations in distress and perplexity amid turmoil by sea and land. The shaking of the powers of heaven means the sun, moon and stars will be moved out of their places by the voice of God, while the shaking of earthly powers comes first through war, famine and pestilence among nations. This fear and shaking are evidences and warnings that the coming of the Son of man in power and great glory is near, that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand and redemption draweth nigh. When these things begin to come to pass believers are to look up and lift up their heads without fear, and to watch and pray as Luke 21:36 directs so they may escape and stand before the Son of man. It leaves no time to lose but calls for quickened faith, watching, working and knowledge of God's word, and for the coming events to be earnestly presented as warning while mercy still lingers.

Context and Wording

The verse stands in a discourse that looks in two directions at once, describing both the destruction of Jerusalem and the closing events of earth's history, reaching past the fall of the city to the final judgment and conflagration, and given for the benefit of those living in the last days of the earth. It belongs with the signs recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke that picture the troubled conditions preceding the day of the Lord and the coming of the Son of man. Widespread conflict, violence, and upheaval, with signs in the sun, moon, and stars and perplexity among the nations, show that the powers of earth are stirred and that Christ's coming and the day of vengeance are near, calling people to prepare for the second coming.

The shaking of the powers of heaven means that the sun, moon, and stars will be moved out of their places by the voice of God. They will be shaken but will not fall and will not pass away, and heaven and earth here mean literal heaven and earth. That heavenly shaking comes afterward, while the shaking of earthly powers comes first. The first shaking touches rulers and nations through war and rumors of war, sword, famine, and pestilence, and only then does the voice of God shake the heavens and the earth.

The turmoil and upheaval of angry nations in Europe is part of that earlier shaking of earthly powers, not the shaking of the powers of heaven. The white cloud with Christ revealed in power and great glory is the sign of His coming, while changes seen in the setting and rising sun are not that sign. After the heavenly shaking, the Holy City will descend through an opening in Orion.

Fearful Events Foretold

The verse foretells men overcome and with hearts failing for fear while watching for what is coming upon the earth, in distress of nations with perplexity and the roaring of sea and waves, because the powers of heaven shall be shaken. This fear belongs to a time of great tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world nor ever shall be, immediately before the Son of man is seen coming in a cloud with power and great glory, and to times of perplexity including wars and religious oppression that accompany the world's coming destruction. Together with the following signs these events show that coming and the kingdom are near, leaving no time to lose and no ground to assume delay.

The fear comes amid wars and religious oppression, widespread strife, bloodshed, violence and upheaval, showing that the powers of earth are stirred and the end is near. War produces famine and want, and bloodshed produces pestilence, bringing fear and perplexity as people look toward the calamities coming on the earth. The fear comes while storms, earthquakes, whirlwinds, fires, floods, tidal waves, disease, famine and the sword spread desolation by sea and land in towns and cities, with plagues and judgments falling. In those last days nations are perplexed, thrones are broken, war and suffering abound, the earth's burning contents destroy its inhabitants, and fear and consternation spread especially in large cities where wickedness has grown greatly, with widespread disease and suffering and loss of life where health laws are ignored. The Chicago fire is an example of such destruction, marking a beginning and not an end of visible judgments upon proud and wicked cities and people who provoke by pride and wickedness, and the increase of earthquakes, storms, tidal waves, disease, famine, fires and floods warns that a decisive event will soon take place as restraint is withdrawn.

The failing of hearts happens while armies muster for battle, the earth is moved out of its place, the mountains are carried into the midst of the sea, the waters roar and are troubled and shake with their swelling, and the vials of wrath are opened bringing pestilence, famine and death upon the inhabitants of the earth in their terrible mission. This is the time of the sealing of the servants of God, with the sea and the waves roaring and men's hearts failing them for fear while the earth is moved. The verse was fulfilled in the earthquake shaking and destruction seen in loss of property and demolished buildings at Mountain View and San Jose, giving those calamities great meaning. The final scenes are already casting their shadows before, and the sound of their approach causes the earth to tremble and fills men with overwhelming fear and dread, for the Bible alone gives a correct view of those great final scenes in the history of the world.

Everywhere men are failing for fear because the world is uneasy, restless and apprehensive on the eve of some great event, ruled by impulse and excitement, with nations tottering and serious times directly ahead. The safety, security and strong bulwarks trusted for protection will in a very little time be hopelessly shaken to pieces, with all hopes centered in this world destroyed, while agencies of darkness are secretly strengthened and ready for the last great crisis and Satan gathers the powers of darkness to unite with evil men so that men take step after step toward ruin under infatuation and a terrible pall upon the mind. The events unfolding among nations command the attention of people in every class in intense unrest and an approaching decisive crisis, with final movements rapid. The shaking involves terrifying, destructive activity in nature and of earthly and heavenly powers in signs and wonders, with calamities, casualties and crimes of no ordinary character stirred from beneath through evil angels, and with deceptions, delusions, lords many and gods many, false Christs and the cry Lo here is Christ and Lo He is there fostering delusive hopes to distract from present duty.

Signs of Near Return

The failing of hearts for fear while watching for what is coming on the earth, with the powers of heaven shaken, is an evidence and warning that the Lord is soon coming, the end is near, the kingdom of God is nigh at hand, and redemption draweth nigh. This distress of nations with perplexity and roaring sea and waves proves Christ's coming is not delayed and leaves no time to lose in the work, calling God's people to wake from spiritual sleep and prepare rather than assume delay. Yet the exact day and hour of that return are not revealed. Those who keep God's commandments and have the faith of Jesus have a defense in that time.

That terror comes in great tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world nor ever shall be, and trouble such as never was since there was a nation. It comes as these things begin to come to pass, accompanying the world's coming destruction, immediately before the Son of man is seen coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Before He appears the earth is shaken and people hear the voice of God, and God's people also suffer affliction in that trouble.

The same day of divine wrath is the time of the seven last plagues, a time of distress before Christ's second coming. In that application, those who have stood in the way of warning sinners will faint when the plagues fall on the wicked and sinners bitterly reproach them. Watchfulness and prayer belong to this time so that people may escape what is coming and stand before the Son of man at His appearing.

The signs in the sun, moon, and stars have been fulfilled, and the increase of earthquakes, storms, tidal waves, disease, famine, fires, and floods warns that the end is near and a decisive event will soon take place. These judgments come as God withdraws His restraint. As surely as shooting fig trees mean summer is nigh, these things beginning to come to pass mean the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.

Scripture Links and Teachings

When these things begin to come to pass, with distress of nations and perplexity and roaring sea and waves and hearts failing for fear while watching for what is coming upon the earth because the powers of heaven shall be shaken, believers are to look up and lift up their heads because redemption draweth nigh and the kingdom of God is nigh at hand, as surely as shooting fig trees mean summer is nigh. This beginning comes in great tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world nor ever shall be, immediately before the Son of man is seen coming in a cloud with power and great glory, and it is one of the evidences that the Lord is soon coming and part of the warning to be earnestly presented that the judgments of God are about to fall upon the earth, leaving no time to lose and requiring quickened faith and a life not of idle expectancy but of waiting, watching and working. The prospect of the Lord's soon appearing in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory calls for solemnity and sobriety, but not sadness or gloom. Amid the fear and distress among people as they anticipate events coming upon the earth in the close of its history, with unrest among nations and roaring seas, those who believe in the Son of God can hear His reassuring voice and need not be afraid. The same time is connected in Luke 21:36 with watchfulness and prayer so that people may escape what is coming and stand before the Son of man at His appearing, for it refers to the same day of divine wrath as the seven last plagues, a time of distress before Christ's second coming.

The white cloud, with Christ revealed in power and great glory, is the sign of His coming, while changes seen in the setting and rising sun are not that sign, though signs in the sun, moon, and stars and the nations' perplexity testify that Christ is coming. The roaring of the sea and the waves and men's hearts failing them for fear take place at the time of the sealing of the servants of God shown to Ezekiel in vision and witnessed by John in Revelation. That sealing time comes while the earth is moved and the mountains are carried into the midst of the sea, literally transpiring with waters roaring and troubled and mountains shaking with the swelling thereof, and while plagues, pestilence, famine, and death perform their terrible mission. Before the Son of man appears, the earth is shaken and the people hear the voice of God, facing trouble such as never was since there was a nation, in which God's people also suffer affliction, while signs in the sun, moon, and stars and trouble among the nations show that the end is near and the Lord's coming is at the door.

Call to Prepare and Warn

The failing of hearts for fear at what is coming upon the earth leaves no time to lose, for the shaking of the powers of heaven is a sign that the coming is not delayed and the kingdom is nigh at hand as surely as shooting fig trees mean summer is nigh. Preparation is required rather than delay or idle expectancy, with quickened faith and a life of waiting, watching and working, with works matching faith and the mind fixed on God, earnestly seeking personal salvation and helping to save others above lesser concerns. Those who assume the return is delayed must wake from spiritual sleep and prepare for redemption as these things begin to come to pass. Knowledge of the truths of God's word provides the safeguard needed for that preparation against the deceptions that would divert from it.

Those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus have a defense when hearts fail amid the calamities and upheavals coming upon the earth, for these events testify that the end is near and the Lord is at the door. The terrifying and destructive signs in nature and the activity of evil powers, with deceptions, false Christs, delusive hopes and distraction from present duty, are harbingers of the great future. The eye of faith discerns in them the grand and awful future and the triumphs that will surely come to God's people.

Those who have rejected God and made Him no refuge will have no hope or consolation when distress and perplexity bring fear so great that hearts fail. When minds and lives absorbed in appearance, display, pleasure and worldly concerns are torn away from those things, there is nothing to turn to, and rejection of truth reaps its sown consequences. Yet those who have not wholly yielded to the world or wholly given themselves to it can still humble themselves, turn to God with the whole heart, and find acceptance and pardon.

The coming events and the judgments about to fall are a subject of warning to be earnestly presented, told to others and explained, with the signs of the times opened and the truth made known. Warning and light about those events and God's purposes are needed because Satan works to keep people ignorant by coming between them and God, shutting away light and holding them in darkness. The increase of calamities as restraint is withdrawn is also a time of mercy in which those who have not yet learned the truth or known what is coming, being in spiritual darkness, may hear it and be saved.

This solemn time so near the judgment stands on the very borders of the eternal world, with trouble, affliction, anguish and distress upon every soul. Those called to a special work in it are to be as though they had none of the domestic cares that divorce interest and heart from the work and lead to serving tables, but to be wide-awake and earnest, giving whole souls to warning the world without veering from it. Everywhere hearts are failing because the world is uneasy, restless and apprehensive on the eve of some great event, ruled by impulse and excitement, while agencies of darkness are secretly strengthened for the last great crisis when final movements will be rapid and great changes very soon take place. In that crisis the children of the light must be constantly watchful and prayerful, quickened by the Holy Spirit, single-eyed to the glory of God, wise as serpents and harmless as doves, discerning Satan's devices, keeping vital connection to understand what is transpiring, and in advance of the world in intelligence, plans, methods and character to relieve suffering in unselfish liberality, self-denial, goodness and mercy. God's people are not half awake and do not understand the terrible crisis, as men under infatuation move step after step toward ruin with nations tottering and earthly safety and bulwarks soon hopelessly shaken to pieces, so they must know the working of darkness and abounding iniquity and rise to the emergency with greater diligence while angels of mercy work through human agents.