Good Morning Friends,
I hope you are entering a time in your relationship with God when God is revealing to you what God is doing. When you open the Bible and when we feast on the Book, this sometimes can happen. Holy History is always moving toward something. When the time is right it will be revealed as to its meaning and not before. Just ask Daniel. But despite all the mystery about what is to come and when it is to come, what is clear is that the present truth and its supernatural power seem to be producing a bit of chaos and confusion as to what to do next. Perhaps we are to practice a new possibility and may certainly get the chance given what is happening in the world. The status quo shifts. God brings something new. So too, as a body of believers, we need to progress to embrace new opportunities without giving up the best of the past. But it is not easy. Sometimes those who have embraced a previous move of God seem to work against the next move of God. Specific traditions sometimes outlive the purpose for which they were established. God is unchanging but is always in the process of change with a goal of saving lives. The thing is that we do not always see it in advance because it is too big to see all at once. It is about nations and the harvest of souls. Hopefully we are plugged into the anointing of understanding, so we might be a beneficial influence for the Kingdom of God as salt and light. And so, we ask the question, hoping for God to provide the answer. How Does God’s Endgame Apply To Us Today?
Scripture: For I know their works and their thoughts, and I am coming to gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and shall see my glory, and I will set a sign among them. From them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Put, and Lud—which draw the bow—to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands far away that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the nations. They shall bring all your kindred from all the nations as an offering to the Lord, on horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and on mules, and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, just as the Israelites bring a grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord. And I will also take some of them as priests and as Levites, says the Lord.
Isaiah 66:18-21 (NRSV)
And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as children— “My child, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, or lose heart when you are punished by him; for the Lord disciplines those whom he loves, and chastises every child whom he accepts.” Endure trials for the sake of discipline. God is treating you as children; for what child is there whom a parent does not discipline? Now, discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.
Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13 (NRSV)
Jesus went through one town and village after another, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?” He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. When once the owner of the house has got up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then in reply he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will say, ‘I do not know where you come from; go away from me, all you evildoers!’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrown out. Then people will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God. Indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
Luke 13:22-30 (NRSV)
As I watched in the night visions, I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him. To him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.
Daniel 7:13-14 (NRSV)
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and locked and sealed it over him, so that he would deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be let out for a little while. Then I saw thrones, and those seated on them were given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Then I saw a great white throne and the one who sat on it; the earth and the heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works, as recorded in the books. And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and all were judged according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire; and anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Revelation 20:1-4, 11—21:2 (NRSV)
Message: One would think that the reading our Book of Confessions might help us with a good answer to today’s question about eschatology, but it is not there. Sometimes there are new confessions and creeds added for the world changes. I have thought for several years that we need a new one that is less centered on what is happening in the world or how to be successful in the world’s eyes, or more moral and inclusive, or religious, but focusing instead on how to have a relationship with Jesus that transforms. The Confession of 1967 etched in time does some of that but frankly we are too comfortable and lack that commitment in our personal and corporate relationships that a new confession might address. A couple of years ago the PCUSA formed a committee to draft a new confession given the divided nature of so much of the world we live in. Maybe we will have a new document by 2030. Maybe Jesus will return first. It is clear that we live in a topsy-turvy world, and the endgame seems to be coming closer all the time. Unfortunately, we hear either too much or too little today about what Christians can ultimately hope for. Of course, we want to get it right. But I for one have a sense of urgency in seeking a transformation that actually helps us to enjoy God now and embrace a hope for us to enjoy God forever. Jesus on several occasions mentioned about the first being last and the last first in the Kingdom of God and although some think it is a reference to an inverse honor to those oppressed in this life reigning in heaven over those who had earthly privilege, but I doubt that is the way things work in the end. I think it is about God setting things right for his disciples not just the poor. Certainly, it might refer to the Jews having the privilege of serving God before the Gentiles and that they might well be the last to be converted once they become jealous of the grace extended to the Gentile newcomers in the faith. Regardless we as Gentiles are to make the most of our time here in history and His Story and that means being all in for the cause of Christ. And that means being deployed for a heavenly purpose that depends on the Holy Spirit moving us to action to help as best we can to save the lost. And perhaps this is the reason Jesus does not answer the question of the day directly. I think Jesus wants us to think deeper and more personally about the problem. Undoubtedly, we have wondered about salvation and if we are saved and if so, how many others will be saved. But Jesus challenges the assumption behind the question. I am convinced that Jesus is not interested in having an abstract theological discussion unrelated to the life of daily living. So, Jesus moves from the abstract question to a personal command. You see, Jesus’ command for us to strive and to seek to enter through the narrow door clearly points to the condition of our hearts. Friends, pursuing Christ and his kingdom requires a seriousness and diligence of overcoming fear with love. Sure, there is grace, but one cannot coast into heaven in the sweet by and by without risking it all in love now. The issue is not familiarity or knowledge but our response to our familiarity and knowledge and this goes beyond striving and seeking to loving. We must demonstrate the gift of the Fruit of the Spirit. Friends, even though we know our Bibles and are even very comfortable with religious culture we too can miss out on getting our greatest need satisfied and that is that the love of Jesus is worth believing. Friends, following Christ is not a one-time occasion but a journey, a lifestyle of repenting of sin and trusting him, but also glorifying God. So perhaps we too can become so familiar and comfortable with our church culture yet have never trusted Christ. If we are not serious in our daily pursuit of Jesus and have little or no appetite for Jesus, our lives may not be much different from those in today’s story and frankly I doubt that is good enough for Jesus to recognize us as one of His own. Something must happen within our hearts to bring the kingdom closer. As Christians we are hoping for something far more wonderful than functional families, intimate relationships, equitable economic opportunities, and psychological health. Do not be deceived. God wants more from us and offers more to us than the world tells us. Eschatology, the doctrine of the final destiny of both human individuals and the entire cosmos, is caught between fanciful speculation and benign neglect. Both attitudes are harmful. Oh, we do so need Jesus. We need greater clarity of what we are hoping for.
And So, I guess I would really like my enemies to have a good life and even make it into heaven for then they would no longer be enemies and even though I might never like them perhaps I could love them. The thing is that each of us will die someday, and we do not know how many days we each have left so it is always better to number our days, so to speak, and to find the wisdom in love. Likely it starts with loving our family, but the way is narrow. We are to make the most of our time, and by that, I mean accomplishing as much spiritual good as we can with the relationships God has placed in our lives with the time we have left. So, we ask God to open doors, then we look for God to open doors, and then we walk through those doors by sharing the gospel clearly and honestly. But let’s be honest about being authentic. This is not easy. We like to look the part of a Christian even if we do not live it. We really do not like the idea of only a few being saved. But life would be a bit boring without the mystery. The Bible just does not tell us exactly what to do tomorrow with specificity. Read the Book of Daniel in its entirety. For it tracks the life of Daniel and the unfolding of the empires of the world from Babylon to Persia to Greece and Rome to the end of days beyond our time. So, we wonder what is ahead for us. The time of Anti-Christ and a concentration of the will to power and a war on faith from institutional beasts of evil most likely. The trials will climax until Jesus returns. Thankfully we do not live in an impersonable universe. God’s providence is to help the people of God during these difficult times in preparation for eternity. By the time the end comes the Church will be slain like Jesus and like Jesus this shattered death will defeat the devil. Purification like the pruning will bring a great resurrection. If I read scripture right, and I am quite capable of being wrong, only a remnant will remain to be reborn. Many will be called but few will choose and be chosen. A belated realization of something after a period of confusion and ignorance is to come. We need perseverance. Hopefully love is patience in this regard.
Pray we are changed and not deceived. Pray God open doors for us to share the Gospel clearly before the last trumpet. Pray we realize that no one gets to heaven by accident. Pray we realize that the road to heaven is narrow. Pray that we realize that not everyone may be going to heaven or experiencing heaven here on earth in part because of the choices they make. Pray we realize that missing heaven may or may not be eternal torment but would certainly be a separation from God of our own choosing. Pray we strive and seek to enter through the narrow door of Christ. Pray our striving and seeking is for Christ and not in vain. Pray we repent and put our faith in Christ realizing that the saddest words are what might have been. Pray therefor for God’s Kingdom to come on earth as in heaven. Pray we become sin free and debt free as death itself is destroyed. Pray that we study the Word for its new revelation as the seals are broken and our eyes open, and hearts open. Pray we do what we do today and the next day believing that we will stand with Jesus on the last day secure in the love of God. Pray that despite all our striving we realize that God is still in charge and that God loves the whole world. Pray God heal us of our lack of trust. Pray God helps us to see more clearly and love more dearly. Pray we confess our complicity in systems of injustice that bar others from the life of abundance Jesus promised. Pray we repent of the ways we have failed to love our neighbors as ourselves and failed to share the Good News of Christ. Pray that we affirm that God’s image is borne by every person gifted with life in the Holy Spirit and that God’s gracious pardon is available to each person, for we all are children of God. Pray we realize that our future rests in God’s hands. Pray for more than social justice. Pray love abounds in the reign of Christ in our hearts that is beyond time and space. Pray we realize that the goal of life is the glorification and enjoyment of God. Pray for a heaven on earth. Pray for the hope of something new. Pray we do not trust in our own works but the work of Jesus for the fruit belongs to the one who planted it in us.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 