Readings for today: Revelation 14-18
I know a young man who grew up in our church family who has become an atheist. He and I dialogue from time to time about all that is wrong in the world. He simply cannot bring himself to believe in a good and all-powerful God when there is so much evil and suffering and heartache and pain. I have to admit I sympathize with him. I’ve seen man’s inhumanity to man firsthand. I’ve been to refugee camps and seen victims of attempted genocide. I’ve spent time with those dying of starvation or drought or famine. I’ve prayed with good friends who’ve been attacked and beaten and threatened for their faith. So I can understand where this young man is coming from. At the same time, I’ve challenged him as well. What if the problem isn’t God but us? What if the issue is the person looking back at us in the mirror? After all, my young friend does very little - by his own admission - to alleviate suffering. He does very little to help those in need. He gives no money. He gives no time. He takes no personal responsibility and this, I believe, is the root of our problems.
When God created the heavens and the earth, He created humanity in His own image. He gave us authority and dominion over all He had made. He entrusted His creation into our hands. He set us up as stewards and through our work the earth would flourish and thrive. He also gave us agency and free will. He didn’t want a slave, He wanted a partner. He wanted someone who would care about creation as much as He does. Tragically, we rejected our partnership with God and went our own way. We wanted creation for ourselves and what have we done with it? Exploited it. Abused it. Even raped it at times. We see creation as an expendable resource to satisfy our selfishness and greed. The result is pain. Suffering. Heartbreak. Human beings have an insatiable appetite so those who have much seek more and refuse to share with others. The result is a disproportionate allocation of resources. Some have more than they need while others do not have enough to survive. And rather than try to rectify this situation, we tend to double down. Might makes right. The rich get richer while the poor get poorer. It’s survival of the fittest on a global scale.
Is it any wonder the Book of Revelation spends so much time talking about God’s judgment? God will not be mocked. He will not let injustice and oppression and sin and evil have the last word. There is coming a day when the seven bowls will be poured out on the earth and the key question for us is this…will we repent? Or will we be like those in Revelation 16 who curse God instead? Will we humble ourselves before the Lord and submit to His sovereign will or will we be like the kings of the earth who march on Jerusalem and the Lamb? Will we repent of the many ways we have contributed to the evils of the world and the sufferings of those around us either by our action or non-action or will we continue to blame God as my young friend does? These are the questions God’s Word confronts us with today as we finish our Bible reading for the year. They are great to reflect on as we consider the kinds of changes God is calling us to in 2023.
Readings for tomorrow: Revelation 19-22