When?

Readings for today: Revelation 6-10

I often meet Christians who believe the Lord is coming back in their lifetime. They look at the world around us and see the evidence of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. The white horse gallops through places like Ukraine where Russia seeks to conquer her former republic. The red horse rides through places like Gaza and Somalia and South Sudan and Yemen where terrorist groups disrupt peace with violence. The black horse visits nations afflicted by famine due to natural disasters, locust plagues, climate change, and other calamities. And the pale horse eventually comes for us all, bringing not only famine but disease with him. Of course, these four horses don’t just ride in other parts of the globe. They are very present here at home as well. The conflict between political parties and extremist groups is real. The violence in cities like Chicago or on the southern border cannot be ignored. The plight of those living in food deserts in communities all over our country or those who struggle to find sustainable housing is heartbreaking. And the death of those we love due to tragedy, diseases like cancer, or some other event that robs those we love of life is more common than we want to admit.

This is why we cry out with the saints who have gone before us, “How long, Strong God, Holy and True, how long before you step in?” (Rev. 6:10 MSG) I imagine Christians throughout history and around the globe today join us in that same cry. Can you imagine, for example, what it must have felt like to live in Europe during the Black Plague when 1/3 of the population died? Imagine living in the Holy Land when the Crusaders arrived or in Spain under the Inquisition? Imagine what it must have felt like to live under Stalin’s purges or the regimes of Pol Pot or Mao Zedong where millions lost their lives? Imagine what it must have felt like to live in the death camps in Nazi Germany or to be Tutsi in Rwanda during the genocide? I don’t share these examples to diminish the very real pain and suffering so many of us face on a daily basis but simply to help us gain some perspective on the delay of the parousia or the Lord’s return.

God has a plan. He is never early. He is never late. He arrives precisely on time. He sees all the evil that is taking place on the earth and He will one day come to judge the living and the dead. No crime will go unpunished. No wrong will fail to be made right. No injustice will be allowed to stand. No sin will go unaddressed. Those who bear His seal will be saved and will represent a multitude from every tribe, tongue, and nation on the earth. But until that day comes, life on earth will not be easy. We will experience trial and tribulation. But we can take heart for if we persevere in faith, we will receive a white robe, washed in the blood of Jesus Himself. We will find ourselves standing before the throne of God, serving Him day and night. We will hunger no more neither will we thirst. God will wipe away every tear and take away every sadness and make all things new. Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus! Come quickly!

Readings for tomorrow: Revelation 11-13

Christian Hope

Readings for today: Isaiah 59-61, 1 Thessalonians 4

Hope seems so elusive these days. The world is groaning. Our nation is struggling. Our communities are hurting. Our churches are dying. People we know and love are suffering. I think of the families of those who have lost loved ones over the past 18 months to COVID. I’ve spent time with many of them. Listening to them share their grief. I think of the families of those who have lost loved ones to suicide recently. I’ve spent time with many of them as well. Listening to them share their pain. I think of the people I know who’ve had to shut down their businesses due to the lockdowns or supply chain issues or lack of a steady workforce. I’ve listened to them share their frustrations. I think of the people I know who can’t find work in their field anymore because of all the changes that have taken place. I’ve listened to them share their fears. I think of the pastors I know who’ve watched their churches be torn apart through divisions over masks, vaccines, politics, social/cultural issues, etc. Stunned by the lack of grace among the people of God, they feel paralyzed and isolated and question their call. It’s heartbreaking and soul-crushing and if we aren’t careful, we will fall into despair.

We are not the first to face such things. We are not the only ones weighed down by such burdens. The early church suffered greatly as well. They too knew hardship and pain. They were intimately acquainted with death and disease. They understood what happened when economies crashed and nations failed and divisions threatened to tear them apart at the seams. Most of Paul’s letters are written to churches who were struggling with all these things and more. They too found themselves on the brink of despair. That’s why I find his words so comforting this morning…

“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians‬ ‭4:13-18‬)

We do not grieve as those who do not have hope. We do not suffer as those who have no salvation. We believe Christ has died, Christ has risen, and Christ will come again. We are not fighting a losing battle. We are not engaged in a war that will never end. We are not doomed to wander in the ruins of this world with no escape. There will come a day when the Lord Himself will descend from heaven. He will sound the trumpet of God. With the voice of an archangel, He will issue His glorious command. The dead in Christ will rise. Those who are alive will join them. Together they will ascend to meet the Lord to celebrate His return just as the Roman citizens used to rush out of the city of Rome to meet their victorious generals as they returned from conquest. As Christians, we are to keep our eyes fixed on the horizon. We are to pray continuously for the Lord’s return. We place our ultimate hope in Jesus not technological advance or scientific research or political compromise or social policy or homogenous community or military might or cultural hegemony. He alone will set all things right. He alone will make all things new. He alone will wipe every tear from our eye and put an end to all evil and sin and suffering and pain. Fix your eyes on Jesus, friends, and encourage your brothers and sisters in Christ to do the same.

Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 62-64, 1 Thessalonians 5