The World to Come

Readings for today: Micah 1-4, Psalms 130

I can’t wait for the day when Jesus Christ comes again. The heavens will role back like a scroll. Christ will appear in His resurrection body with all the saints who have gone before us. New Jerusalem will descend out of heaven and be established on earth. The reign and rule of Christ will be absolute and eternal. The influence of the devil and his demons destroyed once and for all. Sin will be erased. Pain and suffering will cease. Every tear will be wiped away. All fears and anxieties will fade. Nothing will be left to disturb the Pax Christi or perfect peace of Christ.

On that day, we will see people from every tribe, tongue, and nation on earth and throughout history gathered around the throne. I can see them even now in my mind’s eye. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of meeting men and women from the Tigray, Amhara, Oromo, Somali, and Borana tribes in Ethiopia. I have met men and women from the Acholi and Baganda tribes in Uganda. I have met men and women from the Dinka and Nuer tribes in South Sudan. I have met men and women from China and Japan and Korea. I have met men and women from Mexico and Guatemala and Venezuela. I have met men and women from England, Scotland, Germany, and France. I have met Greeks and Italians and Turks and Israelis and Palestinians. I have had the privilege of meeting so many different people from so many different cultures and I cannot wait to see them all streaming towards the mountain of God to worship together. I cannot wait to see them unified under the Lordship of Jesus Christ across all the divisions that exist. I cannot wait for the day when the conflicts and wars between all these different groups cease. When the violence and hatred and anger is washed away. When every wrong is made right. Every wound is healed. Every sin is forgiven. Perhaps that’s why I love the vision from the prophet Micah today…

“In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s house will be established at the top of the mountains and will be raised above the hills. Peoples will stream to it, and many nations will come and say, “Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us about his ways so we may walk in his paths.” For instruction will go out of Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will settle disputes among many peoples and provide arbitration for strong nations that are far away. They will beat their swords into plows and their spears into pruning knives. Nation will not take up the sword against nation, and they will never again train for war. But each person will sit under his grapevine and under his fig tree with no one to frighten him. For the mouth of the Lord of Armies has spoken. Though all the peoples walk in the name of their own gods, we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever. On that day — this is the Lord’s declaration — I will assemble the lame and gather the scattered, those I have injured. I will make the lame into a remnant, those far removed into a strong nation. Then the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion from this time on and forever. And you, watchtower for the flock, fortified hill of Daughter Zion, the former rule will come to you; sovereignty will come to Daughter Jerusalem.” (Micah‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭8‬ ‭CSB)

As I said, I can’t wait for that day. I pray for that day. Lord Jesus, come quickly. Lord Jesus, come soon. And until that day comes, Lord Jesus, make me an instrument of your peace. Make me an instrument of your love. Make me an instrument of your grace so this world might get a foretaste of the world to come.

Readings for tomorrow: Micah 5-7, Psalms 131

The Day of the Lord

Readings for today: Joel 1-3, Psalms 125

I have seen starvation up close and personal. I have sat with those who are suffering through incredible pain and hardship. I have watched their children stare off into the distance. I have wept with mothers and fathers who don’t know where to go or what to do. They are helpless. They are hopeless. It’s tough for me to imagine facing anything more difficult. Some blame God for allowing or even creating these conditions. Some blame the corruption of humanity. Some blame the broken world in which we live. I am honest enough to say I don’t have it all figured out nor did the biblical writers. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they watched what was happening in the world around them and interpreted it through a theological lens. They trusted God was at work. They knew God reigned supreme over all He had made. They believed God was faithful and true and would deliver His people but they also knew God was righteous and just and would not allow the guilty to escape judgment. All of the nations and even nature itself were simply tools God used to bring about His sovereign purposes for the world.

These are important truths to keep in mind when we read the words of the prophet Joel about the plagues of locusts that have descended on God’s people. His words have to be interpreted on multiple levels. At their most basic, they are to be taken at face value. He’s most likely referring to a literal plague of locusts that swept through Israel shortly before the writing of his book. On a secondary, more allegorical level, his words are most likely referring to a human army that will sweep in and destroy the southern kingdom of Judah. For example, locust plagues often fill the void left by the Babylonian fertility god, Tammuz, in ancient Mesopotamian liturgies and it is the Babylonians who will sweep in to destroy Jerusalem in 587 BC a couple of hundred years after the death of Joel. Finally, and most importantly, the locust plagues are symbolic of God’s judgment against His people for their sin.

So what do we take away from such readings? What possible relevance can they have for our lives today? Well, as I said above, natural disasters still take place. Starvation, famine, drought, plague are all very real in our world today. Not only that but every single human being faces pain and suffering of some kind over the course of their lives. None of us escapes the consequences of the brokenness of the world in which we live. Like the ancient prophets of Israel, I think it’s important to take time to reflect on what God may be trying to teach us in the midst of our individual, communal, or even national struggles. Is He judging us for our sin? Is He calling us to repentance and humility before Him? Is He comforting us in our afflictions? Is He delivering us from evil? Is He sending us to do the same for others? How do we experience the great and awesome Day of the Lord?

Readings for tomorrow: Amos 1-5, Psalms 126