But Really, It’s the Beginning

Matthew 24:22-31

One day this past week, just as I was leaving the office, the sirens went off. It was a tornado warning. We’d already had heavy rains accompanied by high winds. Now the sky was dark. The trees were still. It was all very ominous. But I wasn’t going to wait until 6:30 when the warning was supposed to be over.

 During my drive home, I listened to the talk radio station. A local meteorologist was on the air. As the sirens were screaming to “run and hide”, he was warning everyone to “find your safe place”.

He went through the list. “If you have a basement, go there. If you don’t, go to a room without a window. And if you’re in your car”… you’re screwed. He didn’t really say that, but it’s what I thought.

He was on the air for over thirty minutes dispensing a message of fear; of impending disaster. Afterwards, the announcer on the following program shared how when he was a little boy he was so afraid of thunder that when he heard a loud clap, five seconds later he would throw up. It was like clockwork.

You’d think it was the end of the world. Maybe it was.

²⁹ “Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.          NLT

I’ve never been that interested in the “end times”. The guys who carry a sandwich board declaring the end of the world, are an oddity to me. It’s not that I don’t believe; it just seems irrelevant to right now. Following Jesus is difficult enough without worrying about something that’s been predicted since Jesus was on earth.

 I think that the question to ask is, “Who is in control”? The answer is Jesus. Knowing that he is in control, makes life bearable; makes life meaningful; makes life hopeful. And when he does return, it will be apparent to all.

 ²⁷ For the Son of Man will come like the lightning which flashes across the whole sky from the east to the west... ³¹ The great trumpet will sound, and he will send out his angels to the four corners of the earth, and they will gather his chosen people from one end of the world to the other.   GNT

 THE END…

But really, it’s the beginning.

We Believe

Revelation 22:1-6

When I was in college and had a big test looming in front of me, I would play a mind game to help me get through the difficult time of studying. I just kept telling myself, “Don’t think about the test. Think about when the test will be over.” I don’t know that this helped my grades any, but it did help relieve the stress.

 John wrote Revelation from the island of Patmos which was likely a Roman penal colony. He was sent there because of his Christian beliefs and witness. In fact, during those days, many Christians were being persecuted because they refused to worship Caesar as Lord. Those were very difficult times for believers.

In part, Revelation was written as an encouragement to those believers experiencing first-hand the wrath of the Roman authorities. John pointed them to what lay beyond the persecution; beyond the test of life on earth. For believers today, he points to the Tree of Life; to Eden restored.

If you think of it, what John did was similar to what I did in college; to look beyond the

pain and suffering of the here and now. Clearly, there is no comparison between the pain and suffering that the first century believers endured and me taking a test. But the principle is the same; look past the immediate trials to the end.

You may not be going through persecution or taking a test, but you may be experiencing other trials. Maybe a loved one has been diagnosed with inoperable cancer; maybe you didn’t get the promotion you deserved or you were fired or the daily grind of work is a burden; maybe you struggle with an addiction or someone in your family does; maybe you deal with depression or a mental illness.  

Whatever your struggle is, John is telling you that ultimately, victory is waiting for you. The New Eden is at the end of the road, where living in His presence and seeing the face of God will be your daily reward.

In 2013, the Newsboys released a song titled, We Believe. The final words of the song are, “We believe he’s coming back again”. That’s what John wrote to the believers in the first century, and to us in the 21^st century.

 If you have a moment, listen to the song and see if it doesn’t give you the Hope to make it through your temporal trials.