LUKE 21:24-28 – “Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.””
THEME OF THE DAY: OUR REDEMPTION DRAWS NEAR. In today’s scripture Jesus provides signs which will mark the end of human history. With the end of time will also be His promised return. The purpose of Jesus’ words is not to cause us to try and figure out when He will come back. He closes His statements with these words – “Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Our Lord wants us to be encouraged that our deliverance or redemption is close. We don’t have long to endure our trials in this sin-cursed world.
The Apostle Peter used the words “a little while” to show how short our suffering is in this world. It does not feel like it when the fiery fires are intense but in comparison with eternity, they are – “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10).
When we look to the scripture to define the length of our lives, language of brevity appears often. James calls our lives a mist – “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes” (James 4:13, 14). The prophet Isaiah uses the metaphor of grass – “A voice says, “Cry!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:6-8).
It is important we learn to see the transitory nature of our lives, not just in our suffering but all the time. Such a mindset equips us to prioritize life around the eternal and spiritual or what matters most. So, remember, our redemption draws near. Live ready. It is nearer than we may think.
PRAYER: Father, I praise You for a redemption that delivers me forever from suffering, Satan and sin.
REFLECTION: When trials abound stop and think of them as compared with the length of eternity.