Intermittently attending a Lunchtime Bible Study in St Andrews' Cathedral every Thursday that focuses on the apocalyptic books and gave one interpretation of how the end-times may be like as understood by the scriptures and interpreted by world events today.
I leave as mystified as I had entered (with a huge headache to boot) but this year's bible study on the apocalypse hit me with 2 points:
i) Everything, including the pain, suffering and tribulations, happens for the glory of God
ii) That the end will come, VERY soon (Perhaps even in this generation!)
My immediate reaction was of fear. What if I were to live a (relatively) blameless life and then in one weak moment to deny Christ? Would I be condemned for that - as one who had never been truly chosen in the first place? Would I lose my eternal inheritance in that one moment as Esau did for stew? Would I be set aside as God's anointed (1 Jn 2:20) as with Saul?
God's personal care is seen even in this issue. "By chance", (as if anything can really happen by chance!) my bible study for the day was on Psalm 17.
"I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God;
Incline your ear to me and hear my speech.
Show your marvellous lovingkindness by Your right hand,
O You who save those who trust in You....
As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness;
I shall be satisfied when I awake in your likeness." (Ps 17:6-7)
Hamster's timely reminder also led to this bible verse:
"Therefore, brothers,since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful....
Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For,
"Yet a little while,
and the coming one will come and will not delay;
but my righteous one shall live by faith,
and if he shrinks back,
my soul has no pleasure in him."
But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls." (Heb 10:19-23,35-30)
The next question then that struck me was, "What does being prepared for God's Coming Again means?" (cont in Pt 2)
1 comment:
God's priority would probably be to save souls. After all He paid with his own blood. What was really brought into relief this past year, was that God's standard of love is so far from my standard of love. Love is not even about sacrifices for Him. Love goes where I give up. Love wants to cover even the corrupt powerful whom nobody dares to speak against, nobody dares to correct. Correction, nobody cares to correct. If only we listened to our consciences, Christ would be here already. If I were God, I would likely kills them a thousand times. But I am not God. And then I realized, we are brought into dark places, the twisted recesses of twisted souls, to be a herald of the light. Where these weavels are beyond me, beyond my most courageous attempt at hope, Love reminded me, they are not beyond Him.
Lloyd John's devotional on April 4 -
"Down beneath the shame and loss
Sinks the plummet of the cross
Never yet abyss was found
Deeper than His love could sound."
- Anonymous
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