No, really…think about that for a moment. If you are one of those Bible students who reads the ‘good book’ through the lens where much of its content is directed at one specific ‘generation’ of people who will just happen to be around here for the final …’final days’… then you might be missing out on a lot of pertinent information that actually applies to any and all of us today…regardless of if/when God finally ‘pulls the plug’ and the lights go out.
Obviously it’s a question that folks have pondered and discussed since God began communicating with us, where He would often speak of the ‘latter days’, which is mentioned frequently throughout the scriptures. Even those closest to Jesus came to Him privately and asked: “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matt. 24:3)
No doubt you had parents and most likely grandparents (if they were ‘church going, Bible believing folks) who were convinced they too…were ‘living in the last days’ and were anxiously awaiting the return of the Lord. I’ll be the first to admit when I first ‘got saved’ back in 1980 at the young ripe age of 20…that I was convinced I would never be around long enough to have to put kids through college, let alone see them get married, etc. And many of you know now how that worked out for me. I have three wonderful daughters who are all college educated and happily married today. Did I mention I am known as ‘Papa’ to two precious young grandsons? :- )
I only bring this up because when you re-adjust the manner in which you read and study scripture…it takes on a whole new meaning of relevancy to us…regardless of when Jesus finally ‘comes back’, a.k.a. ‘the second coming of Christ’. And let me also state for the record here…that while I am not suggesting or denying that there will be some ‘form of a catching away’ as some verses point out, many sincere ‘believers’ who have placed all their confidence that a ‘rapture’ is your ticket out of here before things get bad…could lead to some disillusionment if not great disappointment…or worse.
The book of Hebrews, which was written somewhere between AD 64-69) opens up with these words: “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets…has in ‘these last days’…spoken to us by His Son (Jesus)…who is the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person.” (1:1-2).
While my emphasis here is on ‘these last days’, I would be remiss if I didn’t also point out that we are told in Col. 1:15 that Christ “is the image of the invisible God.” And let’s not forget what He told His disciples, Phillip in particular, when asked to show or reveal the ‘Father’ to them’…Jesus replied: “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9).
Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians took time out to review what happened to that first generation of their ancestors who were delivered from the bondage of slavery in Egypt, at the hand of Moses. And this ‘review’ included the not so glorious events that unfolded as God was ‘not pleased with most of them…and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.’ (1 Cor. 10:5). That’s another way of saying they ‘were destroyed’ (Heb. 3:17-19). And why are God’s people oftentimes ‘destroyed’? (Hosea 4:6).
Friends…is it the will of God for ‘any to perish’? You might refer to 2 Peter. 3:9 to help you answer that question, and you will clearly see what God’s hope and desire truly is. He wants all men to ‘come to ____________’.
Oh, and when it comes to this idea of wanting or needing to ‘please God’, the first order of business is to come to a place of ‘saving faith’, for without faith, it is impossible to please Him (Heb. 11:6). And hopefully by now you also recognize that ‘obedience is the fruit of saving faith’ (Heb. 3:17-19; 5:9).
I know, I know…this whole ‘obedience thing’ is the wrench thrown in that confuses us all the time when we are convinced all we ‘need to do is believe’. But there is no getting around the fact that true ‘children of God’ are ‘led by His Spirit to deal with this flesh nature of ours once and for all (Rom. 8:13-14)…because if we fail to deal with our ‘carnality’…we remain hostile towards God and will not subject ourselves to His law, nor can we ‘please Him’ (Rom. 8:7-8). And those who ‘belong to Christ have done…what, according to Gal. 5:24?
Which takes me back to where this train of thought evolved from early this morning. I woke up with Isaiah 30:15 on my mind. It’s where God was trying to convey to His people (whom He referred to as ‘rebellious children’ vs.1) way back then … the root of their struggles and suffering, telling them “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength…but you would have none of it.”
That would be a good chapter to read over today if/when you have time, as I’ll pick up from there tomorrow (Lord willing). But I want to draw your attention back to the closing comments from my last post on Tuesday. It was one of those thoughts that just ‘dropped in my spirit’ and has stayed with me, regarding this notion of who our true ‘enemy’ is…and understanding why…he/they seem to gain so much headway into our lives, bringing much needless pain and heartache. God uses our ‘enemies’ to carry out His disciplines and judgments. He always has…and continues to do so today. And while we want to debate and strategize over who the enemy really is…and how to deal with Him…the answer is quite clear- ‘repentance’ is the key! And it’s not the ‘sins of our enemies’ that God wants us to ‘repent of’…it’s the sins of His people (OUR sins) that turns things around for us.
And did you know there is a huge difference between ‘confessing’ one’s sins…and ‘repenting’ of/from them?
Meet me back here tomorrow?
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