The Lord is Near
The current situation in the Middle East has caused some to explain the events as fulfillment of specific passages in the Hebrew Scriptures. It seems that’s the case every time there is some war that takes place in that region of the world. But when it comes to the end times, Jesus is not so specific. Indeed, He warns of wars and rumors of wars, but also says this: “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:12–14)
Notice that in the midst of wickedness, the Good News continues to be spread. Will everyone who hears come to faith in Jesus as his or her personal Savior and know the joy of His salvation and contentment of walking with Jesus? Unfortunately not. But when sharing the Good News, the emphasis is not on fear of punishment, but rather joy in Jesus. Paul puts it this way in our Epistle reading for this weekend: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4–7) When Paul says, “The Lord is near,” the idea is not just that through His Spirit the Lord is with us as our Good Shepherd, but also that His coming again as Judge of the living and the dead is near.
Whether we experience living through the last days before that Great Day of His return, or our personal end time is dying in Him before He returns, the reality is that a wonderful heavenly celebration awaits all who are in Christ. And so our emphasis as followers of Jesus is not fretting about all the world events and trying to line up passages in the Bible with what is unfolding. We know that all things are in our Lord’s hands and pray for wisdom and guidance for all our political leaders. And since we know all things are in His hands, we can go about the business of inviting people to join us at the eternal feast. And what a celebration that will be!