Theme: Endurance
Text: Mal. 4:1-2; 2 Thess. 3:7-12; Luke 21:5-19
What would happen to you if the centre of your world were suddenly destroyed? This is an experience that no one can escape and some people have actually lost their lives as a result of this. In His prophetic discourse on the Mount of Olives, our third Scripture reading, Jesus teaches the right response to just such a situation, a situation that would occur when Jerusalem is destroyed. Jesus knew what the city of Jerusalem meant to the Jews. He knew that for them it was not only the centre of the world but also the most important place in the world. It was the site of the Temple famous for its architectural design and expensive decorations. Being the site of the Temple it was a holy city blessed with God’s special presence and every Jew was required to visit and worship there specific times every year. Therefore to talk about the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple was to talk about the destruction of the Jewish world and the Jewish identity. Jesus, however, indicated that it would not be the end of the world for the Jews because they would have to face another end – the final one. History has confirmed this as the Second Coming of Christ is yet to be fulfilled. The judgment of God upon the nation Israel because of their disobedience that led to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple on the one hand and the final judgment that would take place at the end of the age should have a sobering effect on our conduct and behaviour. When we face tragedy and our world appears to have come to an end our behaviour should not be that of resignation but that of endurance until we can rejoice in God’s restoration and have the assurance of spending eternity in His presence.
Endurance can bring us closer to God especially when we trust Him to restore us. Everyone will face a time that his or her world would appear to have come to an end. Once we are alive this is not the final end. The final end is our death or the Second coming of Christ. This time or times that we experience are to serve a very important purpose. They are to teach us that restoration is possible no matter the situation or the problems that had threatened to destroy us. They are also to teach us that we should be prepared at our death or at the Second coming of Christ, whichever comes first. We have no excuse no matter how sudden or surprising our final end might come. Our many previous experiences in life should have alerted us and pointed to it. The fulfilled prophecy of the end of Jerusalem should serve to prepare us for the yet to be fulfilled prophecy of the second coming of Christ.
The disciples imagined that their two questions, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?” referred to the same period. They assumed that the destruction of the Temple would also mark the end of the age. But our perspective, with over 2000 years of history to back it, should be different. The destruction of the Temple occurred in 70 A.D. but the end of the age has not yet come. Between the two periods there is enough time for restoration and enough time to prepare for the end of the age. After the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple Israel ceased to exist as a nation. The Jews were dispersed and scattered all over the world. Many false messiahs have come and gone and some are still with us today. Events such as wars, earthquakes, famines, pestilences and strange events in the heavens are occurring with increasing frequency and anti-Semitism continues to incite hatred towards the Jewish people. All these have happened yet the world has not come to an end. We are not to be deceived to see in these events a timeframe for the Second coming of Christ. Not only are we not to be deceived we are to understand that these events are reminding us of the end. Many modern day prophets have become experts on predicting when the end will come based on their interpretation of certain scriptures. A few years ago many people were made to believe that the time had come and they removed their children from schools, stopped work and got rid of their property only to find out that they had once more been deceived. We should be used to such deception by now, as the method used is not new and first took place in the Garden of Eden. It always begins by suggesting that somehow we had misunderstood what God meant and ends by changing the Word of God. To see deception at work in our world today we just need to look at the way we treat sin. In the minds of many people, we have misunderstood what God meant by adultery and an “improper relationship” is different from adultery. In the same way there are many people who see nothing wrong with an “alternative” lifestyle and do not see it as homosexuality. The only sure way to prevent deception is to know and obey the Scriptures i.e. to grow spiritually. But just as you can only begin to grow physically after you have been born, you can only begin to grow spiritually after you have been born again. You are born again the moment you confess Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord believing that He died and rose from the dead to pay the penalty for your sins.
Endurance and guidance from the Scriptures will reveal that there are manifestations of evil in every age. However, towards the end of the age, there will be an increase in evil, in deception and a tremendous potential for people to be deceived. These events should be taken seriously and treated God’s way so that we can enjoy His provisions. God wants the best for us. As long as we are alive we can still effect change by our decisions and actions but at death there will be no more opportunity. We would have squandered the time.
When Jerusalem was destroyed the Jews felt that their world had come to an end. They were not only without a country but they would also lose their language and experience untold hardships. Sometimes they were treated worse than animals and during the holocaust 6 million Jews were murdered in the gas chambers of Nazi Germany. There were doctors like Mengele who performed medical experiments using Jews as guinea pigs. But in spite of all that the Jews went through they never gave up. They endured till the time of restoration in 1948 when Israel once more became a nation and the Hebrew language, a language that had not been spoken for several centuries, was once more restored. They have given us an example that no matter how bad the situation may look, God is able to restore and we should also never give up when we face difficulties or experiences that we consider being the end of our world. In a lifetime there are many ends before the final end. It might be the end of a friendship, a relationship, or a marriage. It might be the end or death of a child, a parent, a sibling, a spouse, or a friend. They can be seen as devastations that result in depression and despair or they can be seen as challenges to be dealt with. We can let the overwhelming feelings of sadness bury us alive or we can rebuild with the final end in mind and live in its light. We need to see every bad experience as an opportunity to reshape our priorities, revise our values and reform our life before it is too late. We should not miss out on the many opportunities that come our way to make that decision that determines where we find ourselves at our death. As long as we are alive we can always turn to God for restoration and eternal life. It is only with God that we have hope for today and hope for the future that makes life worth living. How can we be afraid of today or the future when it is in God’s hands? What are you afraid of today? Put it into God’s hands and trust Him to take care of it.
There is really only one way to deal with the consequences of our failures and mistakes in life. It is coming to Christ, acknowledging our sins, repenting and asking for His forgiveness and confessing Him as our Saviour and Lord. When we do this we are assured of eternal life. The least we can do in return is to please Him by obeying His Words. It is to believe that the flesh profits nothing and that it is the Spirit who gives life. It is to have that life by walking in the Spirit and we walk in the Spirit when we are obedient to Christ for according to His words ‘The Words that I speak they are Spirit and they are life”.
Christ is the only one who can restore and save us. Whatever the present may be or the future may hold, God can be trusted to see us through. Our part is to demonstrate our faith and faithfulness by doing whatever God is telling us to do. Naaman, after his miraculous healing, demonstrated his faith by acknowledging the God of Israel as the only true God. He knew however that he had to return to an unclean heathen land and be associated with the idolatrous ceremonies of a heathen temple. But because he had realised the holiness of God and knew the uncleanness of his own land and people, he showed his faithfulness by determining never to worship from an unclean earth. So he carried with him earth from Israel. Likewise the believer who has experienced the restoration and salvation of the Lord can demonstrate his or her faith and faithfulness by no longer being satisfied with the mere forms and ceremonies of man made worship. He has been in the heavenly land and had a glimpse of its glories and the holiness of God. He has brought back a portion of that sacred soil and no matter where circumstances may take him; he should now worship on sacred ground that is in spirit and in truth. God wants us to live a spiritual life, an abundant life and enjoy eternity in His presence. When Jesus Christ is our Saviour and Lord we should spend every day rejoicing for the joy of the Lord is our strength.
Every tragedy in our lives opens the door for God’s restoration and reminds us of our final end. They are not only sources of grief and pain, but also opportunities for growth and joy. When tested by such events will we remain faithful? Will we give up and stop living or will we stand up and face the challenge and trust God to restore us? Our world should not come to an end because of a separation or divorce. It should not come to an end because of delinquent children or financial problems. It should not come to an end because of unemployment or sickness. Everything that happens to us is in a sense a dress rehearsal for the final End. We learn what needs to be done and correct what we have not been doing right so that the performance will be successful or in other words so that we enter into God’s presence after our final performance. No matter what conditions we may face or are facing we should still rejoice because God can be trusted if He is in charge of our lives? Is Jesus Christ in charge of your life? Have you confessed Him as your Saviour and Lord? Have you received this great salvation He has purchased for you? If you have not there is no better time than now. Just pray to Him and ask Him and He who is faithful will grant you your request. Amen!
