So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.
When the signs Jesus described come to pass, His followers can know that the kingdom of God is near at hand. Those signs concern both the destruction of Jerusalem and the final events of earth's history, for Jesus joined those two crises in one prophecy whose words also apply to those living in the last scenes of earth's history. The signs that show the kingdom is near include signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars, distress of nations with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring, men's hearts failing for fear in looking for the things coming on the earth, the shaking of the powers of heaven, and the Son of man seen coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
As the new growth and shooting and budding of trees in spring shows that summer is near, so the visible signs announce that the coming King and His kingdom are near. The kingdom here is the kingdom of His glory, announced by the message of His second advent just as the message of His first advent announced the kingdom of His grace, and the second message like the first rests on prophecy. The words spoken to Daniel about the last days are understood in the time of the end, when many run to and fro and knowledge is increased and the wise understand while none of the wicked understand; the time of the end has come, the visions of the prophets are unsealed, and their warnings point to the Lord's coming in glory as near.
These signs mark the nearness of the day of the Lord and the end of all things, meaning Christ's return and believers' redemption are drawing near, and that nearness can be recognized even though the exact hour is unknown. The signs warn of Christ's second coming and the destruction to fall upon the world, and those who heed the warning will be saved, for as with the warnings before the Flood, the destruction of Sodom, and the fall of Jerusalem, faith in the warning leads people to act and escape judgment.
Therefore the verse calls for watching and rejoicing, staying awake, watchful and sober, guarding against hearts being overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness and cares of life so the day does not come unawares, and continuing in watching and prayer to escape what will come to pass and to stand before the Son of man. It rebukes the idea in the heart that the Lord is delaying His coming and calls people to look up and lift up heads because redemption draws near, to wake from sleep and urgently carry the work forward with no time to lose. The whole chapter is a solemn message for the present time to be carried clearly to people in the cities, including fully establishing the work in the Southern field with nothing less than has been done in more favorable places like Michigan and the Pacific Coast.
When the signs Jesus described come to pass, His followers can know that the kingdom of God is near at hand. Those signs concern both the destruction of Jerusalem and the final events of earth's history, for Jesus joined those two crises in one prophecy whose words also apply to those living in the last scenes of earth's history. The signs that show the kingdom is near include signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars, distress of nations with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring, men's hearts failing for fear in looking for the things coming on the earth, the shaking of the powers of heaven, and the Son of man seen coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
As the new growth and shooting and budding of trees in spring shows that summer is near, so the visible signs announce that the coming King and His kingdom are near. The kingdom here is the kingdom of His glory, announced by the message of His second advent just as the message of His first advent announced the kingdom of His grace, and the second message like the first rests on prophecy. The words spoken to Daniel about the last days are understood in the time of the end, when many run to and fro and knowledge is increased and the wise understand while none of the wicked understand; the time of the end has come, the visions of the prophets are unsealed, and their warnings point to the Lord's coming in glory as near.
These signs mark the nearness of the day of the Lord and the end of all things, meaning Christ's return and believers' redemption are drawing near, and that nearness can be recognized even though the exact hour is unknown. The signs warn of Christ's second coming and the destruction to fall upon the world, and those who heed the warning will be saved, for as with the warnings before the Flood, the destruction of Sodom, and the fall of Jerusalem, faith in the warning leads people to act and escape judgment.
Therefore the verse calls for watching and rejoicing, staying awake, watchful and sober, guarding against hearts being overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness and cares of life so the day does not come unawares, and continuing in watching and prayer to escape what will come to pass and to stand before the Son of man. It rebukes the idea in the heart that the Lord is delaying His coming and calls people to look up and lift up heads because redemption draws near, to wake from sleep and urgently carry the work forward with no time to lose. The whole chapter is a solemn message for the present time to be carried clearly to people in the cities, including fully establishing the work in the Southern field with nothing less than has been done in more favorable places like Michigan and the Pacific Coast.