Is the end close?

And they asked (Jesus), “Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” And he said, “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them. And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.” Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness. Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives. (Luke 21:7–19)

I know a person that seldom listens well. It seems she is busy planning her response and when it comes, the evidence of not listening is sometimes annoying, or at best, humorous. Really listening is an art. 

That said, I’ve written about the folly of trying to predict the day Jesus will come back. He said that even He does not know when His orders will send Him. We are just supposed to be ready. Is it possible that this description is telling Christians what to be ready for? And saying how important to listen rather than try to plan what will happen.

As I look at the list, the first item says many will come in His name claiming to be Him. Has that happened yet? Being ready means knowing Him so well that I’m not fooled by imposters. Listen.

Then it says there will be many wars with nations rising against nations and this must happen. He does not say why this is necessary, but I think it is one way people will realize their need of God, and Christians will see Him using the tumult of war to draw people to Himself. This tells me how to pray and not be terrified. Listen.

He also says there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. While minor quakes happen frequently, it seems major quakes are increasing. Statistically, this is debatable, but it also tells me not to be anxious about things that only God can control. I cannot understand how He can use horrible events to draw others to Himself, but I can listen.

That most dreaded threat of severe persecution, even from family members, has been happening for centuries. Is it increasing? Reports say that approximately 388 million Christians face high levels of persecution, representing an increase of 8 million people compared to prior counts. Being ready involves being so certain that the worst others can do results in the best that can happen to me!

As for the actual return of Jesus, all these events signal it will happen, particularly the fear, but this is not to be feared because: 

“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:25–28)

Jesus, the daily news is often shocking, but it should not be fearful. As it unfolds, it verifies what You predicted and tells me to be ready, even excited. I will see You face to face and everything that causes fear will no longer exist. Come, Lord Jesus, come.

 

Quit guessing

But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (Matthew 24:36–44)

Yesterday I repeated to my praying friends that I’ve never been able to second-guess God. I’ve learned that too much of my prayer requests are more like telling Him what I want Him to do, and His response is never what I thought it would be and always a surprise, not a surprise that He answered, but exactly what He did about the issue.

This means that that He has taught me to stop speculating. I cannot say, “Maybe God will do this or that” because I have no clue what His plan is or what He will do. I am not God and even making suggestions to Him about how to answer my prayers is simply impertinent. 

As I read what Jesus said about His return, it seems important that even He does not know the day or the hour. Some might say this is His humanness talking, but as God He must know. Yet I read it again — He says only the Father knows, not the Son.

Why? Well, if I am to be like Jesus, this is a trust issue. He is coming back. My role is not speculation about the time or how it will happen, but to be doing what He says. I could waste a lot of time researching all the definitions and descriptions when He asked me to have coffee with my neighbor who needs to hear the gospel. He will let me know what I should be doing, not what He is doing.

Even if I could figure it out, the last line verifies that being ready is more important, for He will not show up when I expect it. So all my ideas are useless anyway.

Jesus, You convince me to be alert to Your Spirit and involved in whatever Your will is for me. Only vanity can make me think this day or year or whatever. You also convince me that how and when You do show up, no one will be able to say, “I told you so.” 

 

God's Patience

Some say that the world is in rebellion against God. This is based on media reports. However, in Christian circles the news of thousands putting their faith in Christ does not get reported by secular media. 

This is one reason for caution in predicting the return of Christ. However, Scripture does give hints that His second coming is marked by current events. The NT gives a description that could be contemporary:

Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. . . . And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:3–12)

God still remains to be patient, yet as one author says, He might be holding back His visible wrath, yet that delay could be more dreadful than a quick punishment for sin. In not striking down those who rebel against Him, He is allowing them to do their own thing out of the hardness and corruption of their hearts without any striving with them, therefore making themselves even more fit fuel for his vengeance. “So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.” (Psalm 81:12)

Even though this seems like patience, it is part of God’s judgment in that increased sin will certainly give those who are judged an eternity to reflect on the length of His divine patience on earth, and their inexcusable abuse of it.

As for God's patience, He reigns in the midst of his enemies to show his power over Himself, as well as over sinful rebels. He suffers a great interval of time between the saying what He will do and the performance of it — to show that He has not forgotten His word, or repented of it, or neglects it that sinners might not perish, but change their minds. “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) God would rather be pleased with a conversion than the destruction of rebels. 

It is a terror that God has anger, but a deep hope for me that He is slow to it in the lives of those on my prayer list. Jesus died for my sin and faith in Him assures me of no more condemnation, yet I shudder for those who resist His saving mercy. However, I cannot save them, only share Jesus with them, pray and do whatever God asks of me.

I’m to pray for those who also share the gospel — that the word of the Lord may be honored, and that God will protect them from evil and from those without faith. God is faithful and will guard us. May we who do believe have confidence concerning His power in our lives so we will do what He says and direct our hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ. I’m not to get tired of doing good, and that includes kindness to those who have not yet arrived where God wants them to be. (2 Thessalonians 3:1–17)

PRAY: Thank You Lord Jesus Christ for loving me and giving me great hope through Your patience and grace. Please continue to comfort my heart as I pray for others to be brought to faith and then established in every good work and word.

Is Jesus coming soon?

Many Christian friends have said that the situations in the world indicate that Jesus will soon return. They point to wars and earthquakes as signs of that event. However, in reading Luke’s gospel this morning, there are some signs that have not yet happened, convincing me that we really have no idea when our Lord will return. Speculation and signs aside, it seems to me that my concentration should be on what I do know. For instance, Jesus pointed to the religious people of His day and their arrogant pride:

And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” (Luke 20:45–47)

By this, I recognize an ego problem that can pop up in my own heart. I like to be honored. It happened all day yesterday at a quilter’s retreat where I was put on a pedestal and treated like the ‘star of the show.’ It felt good, partly because of great fatigue and concern for our granddaughter (who is having two more surgeries today) but also that constant attack from Satan and the flesh that tells me I am worthless. Thinking about and being what Jesus wants is more important than trying to predict when He will show up, especially since He said no one will know.

The next verses emphasize another attitude related to humility, rather than arrogance and pride:

Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” (Luke 21:1–4)

She gave out of her poverty, not out of her skills, talents, or popularity. Feeling like the ‘star of the show’ had nothing to do with her generosity. It was there, regardless of what the other people thought of her. This tells me to watch my attitude when people try to put me in a place of honor for what I do, rather than Jesus being pleased with me for loving obedience even when I have very little to give.

After this, Jesus tells of when He will return. The sequence includes what many think are signs, but He includes something that is not happening yet, at least not in our part of the world: 

He said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. 
But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness…  You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name’s sake." (Luke 21:10–19)
But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. (Luke 21:20)
And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. (Luke 21:25–28)

Mixed in with this outline, Jesus tells me how to think. This suggests I’ve time to practice and to deepen my faith. He says:

Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict… But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives.

PRAY: Jesus, I realize how often I think about “what should I say” ahead of time, and how easily my endurance is more like impatience, or how quickly I fall apart with life hands me severities, like this past week of nearly losing a beloved family member. Being ready for Your return requires much more than trying to ascertain when that will happen. I’m trusting You to work in my heart so I am truly what You want me to be when You arrive! 


 

Being ready for the King…

 

This week we have been considering our future. We live in a small but lovely gated community with 15 units. However, there is no provision for the problems of aging. If one or both of us becomes unable to manage, we would have to hire help.

Instead of that, there are other communities where seniors can live independently and move to a nearby facility that gives partial care and then another that gives extended care. Instead of moving when we need to move, could it be wiser to move now when we are capable?

The plan of God for His people is being prepared, but this plan is not about aging and the end of life. It is about the return of Jesus. We are supposed to be ready for that by knowing what He wants from His people and knowing what will happen when that time arrives.

These days, with an evil mess extending to all parts of the world, some Christians are certain that the end times are culminating and Jesus will soon be here. That could be so, but even if it is not, I know that I need to listen to Him and do what He says. He does not reveal dates and times, but He does tell us what it will look like — all life will change, except God is the same. He sits on His throne. In the OT, Isaiah saw it and someday I will see it too:

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.” (Isaiah 6:1)

And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. (Daniel 7:14)

At the end of the NT, this vision is fulfilled: “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.” (Revelation 22:1) And they will reign forever and ever!

Jesus taught His disciples to pray “Your kingdom come” and that fits with what the OT teaches:

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’ (Jeremiah 23:5–6)

Yet Jesus also said that His kingdom was near or they were not far from it, and even that it had already arrived…

Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can 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)

When Jesus promised ‘eternal life’, he wasn’t so much thinking of never-ending life (though it included that); he was promising life that is characteristic of God’s kingdom being available to us right now; a life so powerful that it bursts through the doors of death and will continue in the life to come in even fuller expression.

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. (John 5:24)

So how do Christians live in that kingdom until entering its fullness? By being filled with the Spirit of God, ceasing from self-rule, knowing I cannot do it and aware of my helplessness, yielding to Him. He gives me His thoughts, directions, ideas, love, peace, joy and all fruit of the Spirit and puts His hand in this ‘glove to move me as He wills. And I know it is Him for He is on the throne of my life…

I have been’ crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

PRAY: Lord Jesus, life in Your kingdom is all about You and a grand glimpse of eternity. The more You rule my heart, the more excited I am to be there for I am already being made ready for what is to come later. Help me trust You for all decisions and activities while still here, keeping in mind that it does not matter much where I live, but that I live in You!

Be Ready

 

What is my choice: A planned visit from a friend? She drops in and surprises me? I know she is coming but not when?

A planned visit would have me baking a treat. A surprise might be embarrassing if my home was in disarray. The third option would have me diligent and trying to be ready for that visit anytime, day or night. I know Jesus is coming, but God in His wisdom did not tell us when. He gives indications that are vague — but every generation wonders if this is it.

Daniel illustrates the readiness that God’s people should have for events they know will happen. In his case, he found out how long his people would be in captivity in Babylon and reacted by getting ready:

in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. (Daniel 9:2–3)

Today’s devotional stops there to make a point: God’s sovereignty doesn’t eliminate the need for prayer. This relationship between our prayers and what God does is a mystery. We cannot know for sure if God does certain things even if we don’t pray, but He prompts us to talk to Him about everything. For instance, doctors told a dear friend’s wife her hubby would die. She sadly began planning a funeral. However, many prayed, and he is at home recovering. Would that happen if no one prayed? We cannot know. We only know God is involved in how we pray.

As for Daniel, he found out that the time was near for his people to return to their homeland then prayed, first honoring God and then confessing sin:

I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules . . .

This confession continued and was specific. It included praise, why they were in Babylon and how they deserved to be there because of their disobedience. He asked God to turn His wrath away and show mercy to them. (See Daniel 9:4–19)

At the end Daniel said, “O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.” (Daniel 9:19) He knew his prayer was fitting into God’s plan.

Lately, God shows me a mystery; I pray from my heart and am surprised at the words that come out. Even if the specific will of God is not revealed, when I ask God to surprise me, the answers are beyond anything I could have imagined. Daniel knew the seventy years were nearly up and prayed accordingly. I have not been told when Jesus is coming back, but I’m praying as if it will be soon.

Certainly, I need to pray like Daniel in that God’s people need to honor the Lord and confess our sins. The children of the Lord do good things, yet we have many failures too, failure to stand up for what we believe, failure to take care of the needy in our midst, failure to live for Christ and instead live far too much for our own gain. Too many Christians are not ready for Him to return and end our time here.

Daniel prayed: “We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you.”

To God belongs mercy and forgiveness. He is worthy of our obedience, yet we often take His grace for granted and are busy doing our own thing. We are dismayed at the world’s events, yet did we earn these calamities by our disobedience, by not seeking His face and His favor? God knows where repentance is needed.

Jesus, this devotional says, “Never before have world events pointed so dramatically to the nearness of the return of our Lord . . . this is not the time for complacency . . . but careful Bible study and fervent prayer.” You are urging me to pray more and give great attention to You. Guide me in both — that I might honor You.

MORE: Read Daniel 9 and pray as he did for my own life and the lives of others.