''And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other (Matthew 24:31).''

While Jesus descends toward the earth, He will send out His angels into the world to gather and harvest the souls of the righteous. Earlier in Matthew's Gospel, Jesus speaks of the angels as harvesters going out into the field of the world to gather the righteous into the barns of Heaven and the unrighteous into the fires of Hell (Matthew 13:24-30, 37-43). Later in the same chapter, He speaks of the angels as fishermen gathering the good fish into containers and throwing the bad fish away into a fiery furnace (Matthew 13:47-50).

Also, in His parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Lazarus "was carried by the angels to Abraham's side" (Luke 16:22). The angels gather the righteous into Heaven. And the righteous will come from all over the world. From all denominations. Because the elect aren't the members of one denomination or another. You are one of the elect if "confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). In your true confession and faith, you firmly believe that you will be gathered by the angels to join your Father in Heaven. And this faith and confession causes the elect to say with St. John, "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:20). Amen.

''Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory (Matthew 24:30).''

The final sign of the End Times is "the Son of Man coming on the clouds of Heaven with power and great glory." At this point, time stops. There is no more time after Jesus returns. It is eternity outside of time.

"All the tribes of the earth will mourn." There will be no second chances. Our faith in this life will determine our reward after Jesus appears. Unfortunately, for the bulk of the people on the earth, they will mourn when they see Him coming back. But we who believe that Jesus died, rose and ascended for us will receive eternal life with Him. We will rejoice when we see Him. We may even dance as the angels come to retrieve us. To bring us home to be with Jesus. Amen.

Sweet Sixteen round from the World Heavyweight Title Tournament!!!

Rick Rude vs 'Dirty' Dutch Mantell

TV TITLE MATCH: Buzz Sawyer (c) vs Shane Douglas

Billy Gunn vs Austin Idol

Jesse James Armstrong vs 'Gentleman' Chris Adams

Goldust vs 'Fallen Angel' Christopher Daniels

Undertaker vs Michael Hayes

Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Curt Hennig

David von Erich vs Jimmy Golden

''Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken (Matthew 24:29).''

The Bible is filled with the image of the heavens being shaken when God comes down from Heaven. St. Peter culminates the great list of passages, saying, "But he Day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed" (2 Peter 3:10). 

When Jesus returns to the earth, everything will be undone. This fallen creation. Sin. Death. Everything will be reborn as the long-awaited new heavens and new earth finally appear "in which righteousness dwells" (2 Peter 3:12).

Then the righteous of the Lord will live with Him forever in the Paradise He has promised to those who believe.

The tribulation will be severe, but it will be short. Thanks be to God for His wondrous mercy! Amen.

''Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather (Matthew 24:28).''

Vultures seek out death. It seems as though they were created for this purpose. But we know that God created everything "very good" (Genesis 1:31). When God created the vultures, they had an entirely different purpose. How do we know? There was no death in the Garden of Eden. God created the world so that there would be no corpses for the vultures to gather around.

But after sin entered the world and wrecked creation, the vultures also were changed. They sought corpses. Not that they would kill. They sought what was already dead. So also, many in this world do not seek to kill the Christian faith. They seek to circle around those whose faith has already been killed.

How do you keep the vultures away from you? Feed your faith. Be in the Word. Gather together with the saints in worship. Pray for God's strength to get you through this day. As your faith grows and thrives, you'll not see the vultures around you. Brush them off as you brush the dust off your Bible. Live in Christ as He lives in you. Amen.

''For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man (Matthew 24:27).''

For those who are waiting for a secret rapture of Christians to take them away from the troubles of the Great Tribulation, I have to say that Jesus says otherwise. "For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west." Everyone will be able to see Jesus when He returns. There is nothing secret about this appearance. When Jesus returns, there will be no mistaking it.

As lightning lights up the darkened skies of a storm, so Jesus also lights up the world through His appearing. As we go through this Epiphany season in the Church Year, Jesus lights up the world again and again. Showing us by His ministry that we are children of a most merciful God. Jesus appears as a man, but He is God in the flesh. Again and again, He jolts His disciples by proving His divinity by His great miracles and teachings.

But the lightning isn't the only thing that happens when Jesus returns. St. Paul tells us, "For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to mee the Lord in the air" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). 

When Jesus returns, everything will change. And there will be no mistaking His appearing. Amen.

Liturgical Date: Fifth Sunday in Lent B

Calendar Date: March 21, 2021

Location: Our Savior, Milford, IL

Order of Service: Divine Service 3

Hymns:

#594, "God's Own Child, I'll Gladly Say It"

#430, "My Song Is Love Unknown"

#697, "Awake, O Sleeper, Rise from Death"

#620, "Jesus Comes Today with Healing"

#617, "O Lord, We Praise Thee"

#436, "Go to Dark Gethsemane"

Sermon Theme: The New Covenant

Sermon Text: Jeremiah 31:31-34

Other Lectionary Readings: 

Psalm 119:8-16

Hebrews 5:1-10

Mark 10:35-45

''Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect (Matthew 24:23-24).''

Is it possible for someone who is saved to fall from God's grace? Unfortunately, it is. While Jesus says, "No one will snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:28), He elsewhere says that the wedding guest without the garment of faith will be cast out into outer darkness (Matthew 22:11-13). No one may snatch us out of His hand, but that doesn't mean we can't jump out of His hand.

It is faith that brings us into the kingdom of Heaven. Without faith, we cannot enter Heaven. Unfortunately there are many who have been raised in our churches and succumbed to the worldly social pressures and left the faith. 

Baptism isn't enough. We need faith to go along with it. Many have been baptized that have fallen away from the truth of the Gospel. They no longer believe Jesus is their Savior. Therefore He must hand them over to their foolishness (Romans 1:22-23). Trading God's truth for the devil's lie.

Is it possible to fall from God's grace? Yes it is. But to prevent that, be in the Word so you will not fall for the devil's lie. Amen.

''For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short (Matthew 24:21-22).''

As the days until the Last Day become fewer, the world will be getting worse and worse. The Great Tribulation, which everyone is looking for, is here. Now. But the tribulation continues to get worse every day.

But the tribulation is also evidence of God's mercy. "If those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short." God shows His love for His fallen creation in not letting the days of the Great Tribulation to continue on without end. Because of the Church, God cuts short the days.

God wants all men to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). But if the days were lengthened, there's the possibility that no one would be saved. Everyone would fall away from the faith if there were no end to it.

But God ends the evil. When Jesus comes back, all the evil will be abolished and nothing but good will remain. And in His goodness we wish to live forever. Amen.

''Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath (Matthew 24:20).''

St. John Chrysostom writes on this morning's verse (''Gospel of Matthew, Homily 76'' 1):

:Recall that this discourse is addressed to the Jews. He is speaking here of the ills that should overtake them. He is not speaking primarily to the Apostles, who did not keep the Jewish Sabbath day. They were nowhere around when Vespasian did these things. Indeed, most of the Apostles would soon be dead or in other distant parts of the world.

:It is to the Jews that He says "Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath." Pray that it not be in winter, because of the difficulty of the season. Pray that it not be on the Sabbath day, because of the absolute authority exercised by the Law. For they had need of flight, and of the swiftest flight. The Jews would not dare to flee on the Sabbath day, because of the Law.

The Sabbath commandment is to be kept among us, but we're not to withdraw from our Sabbath duties in order to flee persecution. In fact, the Sabbath gathering of the saints is actually the most appropriate place to be when the persecution comes. St. Cyril of Alexandria writes, "God did not create the winter of misfortunes. Winter means the time that we are possessed by the fleshly passions" (''Fragment 269'').

At the End, the world will be given up to the fleshly passions, but Christians are called to live by the Spirit and not by the passions of the flesh. Amen.