Ep. 240. Matthew 24 | Signs of the Last Days
EPISODE 240
SIGNS OF THE LAST DAYS: MATTHEW 24
Christ Jesus is going to return, of that we can be certain. In fact, we Christians ought to have our lives shaped by the attitude of holiness when we consider the present reality of Jesus's return. For example, Peter tells the believers to set their hope "fully on the grace of God that will be brought to you the day Christ returns." And again, he says, "Since we know this present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, we should conduct ourselves in holiness during our stay upon the earth." Paul reminds the believers in Thessalonica, "The day of the Lord should not overtake you like a thief in the night." After all, we are of the day and not of the night. We should expect Jesus' return. When the trumpet sounds and the voice of the archangel cries out, when Jesus pierces the veil of our sky and the clouds are rolled away, we faithful followers of Christ will not be surprised to see it but will welcome it as the fulfillment of the longing of our hearts and inmost desires. Christ's return will be the first note of a song we've longed for and expected and the fragrance of a supper we've hungered for with anticipation.
I am neither wise enough nor foolish enough to proclaim that I know when our Savior's coming is on the horizon, but I am confident that he is coming, and so my eyes are ever turned in that direction. The expectation of the coming of my Lord is never far from this thought or the next one, and the momentary distractions of the day are interrupted by the beautiful thought that the clouds in the distance could be the very ones he comes riding on today.
So don't read this chapter and find your heart flooded with the weight of the impossible mathematical calculations of our coming King and the tribulations that precede him. Instead, close your eyes, draw in a breath deeply, and listen for the trumpet sound. It well could be this next moment. That, at least, is the hope the writers of the New Testament would have us cling to.
ADDITIONAL READING: 1 John 2:19; Daniel 9:27; Daniel 11:31; Daniel 12:11; Joel 3:15; Isaiah 13:10; Revelation 6:12-17; Amos 8:9; Revelation 8;12; Revelation 1:7; Revelation 19:11-16; Luke 17:26-32; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-5; 1 Peter 1:13-16; 2 Peter 3:10-15
