And we are not the only ones longing for this redemption. According to Rom 8:19,22,23, "For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.... For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies."
So the question is, "How will we know when this will happen?" Jesus himself was asked this at various points in His ministry. He explained in Matt 24, "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains." But notice he says, these are just the beginning... the end is not yet. And since this description could be applied to just about every generation, these are things that should "not alarm" us.
Luke 21:11 adds, And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven." Well there are many unique weather phenomena that are witnessed all over the earth, including the aurora borealis and both solar and lunar eclipses. But I'm not sure this is what the verse is referring to. Regardless, none of these should alarm us as it relates to the end of the world.
Ultimately, Jesus told his disciples, "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority" (Acts 1:7). Elsewhere he explains, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you" (Luke 17:20,21). Jesus said he will come like a thief in the night, or when we least expect it (12:39,40). So we are called to be ready, not necessarily look for signs.
But in our longing, we look for the slightest hint or the clearest indication of His return. For me, what Jesus said in Matt 24:37 has particular relevance: "As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." This refers most basically to the idea that no one was prepared for what was about to happen. No one anticipated that God was "paying attention" to how they were living, nor were they ready for His reaction to the sins of men on earth.
But, I believe it also gives us a hint to consider what that generation was like as we compare our own generation. Gen 6:5 says that in the days of Noah, "The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time". And more specifically, in 6:13, God explains, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them." And Gen 8:21 reveals Gods reaction to Noah's sacrifice after the flood had dissipated, considering how the entire human race (save Noah and his family) had just been destroyed, saying "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood."
So, at one level, the Son of Man will return when every inclination of the thoughts of man's heart is only evil all the time even childhood, to the point of filling the earth with violence. This understanding has been the forefront of my mind as I have considered several stories in the news of late:
4/6/10 - Group of "Mean Girls" bully 15 year old girl to death
4/4/10 - 15 year old sells 7 year old step sister for gang rape
3/25/10 - Flash mobs of teenagers brawl, vandalize, and assault pedestrians
2/22/09 - 11 year old murdered father's pregnant girlfriend
4/14/08 - 6 Teen Girls gang beat 16 year old for youtube video
These examples, and many others that flash across our eyes on the nightly news, stun me as I consider the ages of the assailants. It makes me consider that whatever natural restraints there used to be in society, these seem to be eroding for our youngest members. And although world violence in general is in decline, there are an estimated 300,000 child soldiers around the world , and millions more held captive in the sex slave trade or human trafficking industry globally. Violence seems to fill the earth; ...every thought being only evil all the time.
And this makes me think of the days of Noah and considering how God watched this for generations until He finally declared ENOUGH! These stories remind me of what Gary Haugen describes, saying:
[W]hat must it be like for God to be present, this year, at the rape of all the world’s child prostitutes, at the beatings of all the world’s prisoners of conscience, at the moment the last breath of hope expires from the breast of each of the millions of small children languishing in bonded servitude. As I would approach my God in prayer, I could hear his gentle voice saying to me, ‘Son, do you have any idea where your Father has been lately? …[If] we really want to know God, we should know something about where he has been—and what it has been like for him to suffer with all those who are hurting and abused.”
And so for me, as I see the world seem to grow more and more violent, to the point that even from childhood every thought is only evil all the time, it causes me to long all the more for his return. Because there will come a time when again God will declare ENOUGH! And then rend the skies and make all things new! Even so, COME LORD JESUS!