"Is Our Redemption Drawing Near?"

Jesus said, "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." (Luke 21:25-28 NIV).

Our reading today is in a greater context of Jesus answering a direct question from his disciples as to the timing of the end of the world as they knew it. We call that “the Second Coming.” Please do not dismiss this devotional as either unimportant or fanciful speculation. My concern is neither of those outcomes. I do not want anyone to somehow get caught by surprise by the end, nor do I want to subscribe to the thought that we can somehow predict the exact timing of the coming of Christ. The overwhelming evidence of Scripture is that we are to be prepared for that time now.

In the past several years we’ve seen numerous significant natural disasters in many places across the globe. For thousands of years there have been earthquakes, famines, and plagues which have brought havoc to mankind. However, the events of the past few months have been breathtaking in the scope of devastation they have caused. For instance, when have you ever heard of a volcanic eruption shutting down air traffic across an entire continent for a week, which, itself, may be only a precursor to its neighbor volcano’s explosive power which portends 10 times the devastation! Similarly, has the world ever witnessed the destruction of another underwater “volcanic” event spewing massive quantities of crude oil for a month into the ocean and threatening to affect a quarter of the globe? Aerial photographs of this disaster have the appearance of “blood” and remind one of passages from Exodus or the book of Revelation. Just a few months ago, these events would have stretched our imagination, but these are the signs of the times in which we live!

There are two principle points I want to make. First, this means that “our redemption is drawing near!” That ought to excite us. It ought to bring us great encouragement and hope as we face these difficult challenges in our day. This is not our home. Our home is being prepared for us and we may soon be able to move in! Secondly, I believe these events are calling us to preparation of ourselves and others. It is a great privilege for God to have appointed us to live in this day. So many people are once again turning to the Church for answers! We DO have those answers. We need to be ready and willing to share the answer of faith in Christ! There are so many ways to do that. The important thing is that we do it. We have a light for this darkness; we must not hide it under a basket of legalism and traditions. Let it shine! We may be in the last days!