The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-4,
"Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, 'Peace and safety,' destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief."
At the end of this age, when Jesus Christ returns to planet Earth, he will take the world by surprise. As life appears to continue from day to day for the people of the world as it has for millenia, folks will be unaware when this life comes to a sudden end. As Paul says, "the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night." Jesus taught us, "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." Matthew 24:36-39.
Paul tells us that believers "are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief." This doesn't mean believers know exactly when the Lord is returning as Jesus taught above, however, Jesus also taught, "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it ["the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory"] is near, right at the door." Matthew 24:32-33. In the Matthew 24 passage, Jesus provided signs to look for, such as "You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains." Matthew 24:6-8.
Believers will know when the "season" arrives and to be expectant, even if they do not know the specific timing. Not so the world. The unsaved of the world will have the second coming of Jesus Christ come upon them in a total bewildering surprise. Let alone being tone-deaf to the signs of the times around them, they have no idea the Lord is returning.
For the world, Jesus Christ's return is a dark and foreboding event, a day of darkness and gloom. Listen to this passage from Zephaniah 1:14-18,
"The great day of the Lord is near—
near and coming quickly.
The cry on the day of the Lord is bitter;
the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry.
That day will be a day of wrath—
a day of distress and anguish,
a day of trouble and ruin,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and blackness—
a day of trumpet and battle cry
against the fortified cities
and against the corner towers.
'I will bring such distress on all people
that they will grope about like those who are blind,
because they have sinned against the Lord.
Their blood will be poured out like dust
and their entrails like dung.
Neither their silver nor their gold
will be able to save them
on the day of the Lord’s wrath.'
In the fire of his jealousy
the whole earth will be consumed,
for he will make a sudden end
of all who live on the earth."
For the believer, however,
'"Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
for true and just are his judgments.
He has condemned the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth by her adulteries.
He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.'
And again they shouted:
'Hallelujah!
The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.'
The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried:
'Amen, Hallelujah!'
Then a voice came from the throne, saying:
'Praise our God,
all you his servants,
you who fear him,
both great and small!'
Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
'Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.'
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)
Then the angel said to me, 'Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' And he added, 'These are the true words of God.'" Revelation 19:1-9.
Takes your breath away, doesn't it?!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
"Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, 'Peace and safety,' destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief."
At the end of this age, when Jesus Christ returns to planet Earth, he will take the world by surprise. As life appears to continue from day to day for the people of the world as it has for millenia, folks will be unaware when this life comes to a sudden end. As Paul says, "the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night." Jesus taught us, "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." Matthew 24:36-39.
Paul tells us that believers "are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief." This doesn't mean believers know exactly when the Lord is returning as Jesus taught above, however, Jesus also taught, "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it ["the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory"] is near, right at the door." Matthew 24:32-33. In the Matthew 24 passage, Jesus provided signs to look for, such as "You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains." Matthew 24:6-8.
Believers will know when the "season" arrives and to be expectant, even if they do not know the specific timing. Not so the world. The unsaved of the world will have the second coming of Jesus Christ come upon them in a total bewildering surprise. Let alone being tone-deaf to the signs of the times around them, they have no idea the Lord is returning.
For the world, Jesus Christ's return is a dark and foreboding event, a day of darkness and gloom. Listen to this passage from Zephaniah 1:14-18,
"The great day of the Lord is near—
near and coming quickly.
The cry on the day of the Lord is bitter;
the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry.
That day will be a day of wrath—
a day of distress and anguish,
a day of trouble and ruin,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and blackness—
a day of trumpet and battle cry
against the fortified cities
and against the corner towers.
'I will bring such distress on all people
that they will grope about like those who are blind,
because they have sinned against the Lord.
Their blood will be poured out like dust
and their entrails like dung.
Neither their silver nor their gold
will be able to save them
on the day of the Lord’s wrath.'
In the fire of his jealousy
the whole earth will be consumed,
for he will make a sudden end
of all who live on the earth."
For the believer, however,
'"Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
for true and just are his judgments.
He has condemned the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth by her adulteries.
He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.'
And again they shouted:
'Hallelujah!
The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.'
The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried:
'Amen, Hallelujah!'
Then a voice came from the throne, saying:
'Praise our God,
all you his servants,
you who fear him,
both great and small!'
Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
'Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.'
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)
Then the angel said to me, 'Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' And he added, 'These are the true words of God.'" Revelation 19:1-9.
Takes your breath away, doesn't it?!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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