Everywhere Signs

He answered them, When it is evening, you say, It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.  And in the morning, It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening. You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.  – Matthew 16:2-3

The religious leadership came to Jesus asking Him for a sign of His authenticity, something to affirm who and what He was.  Signs, Jesus pointed out, bear different significance as the circumstances differ.  Since those who were demanding a sign did not know what time it was, the sign was unlikely to be of predictive value to them. 

We live in the day of grace, of God’s mercy and His love, and of the reign of the Holy Spirit.  What we see around us – however confusing and disturbing and dark it may be, has to be viewed in that context.  We know that the Cross is behind us and that, whatever storms may assail us, in Christ we are alive, free, and secure. 

The unbeliever looks at the world with its darkness, chaos, evil, and violence and sees no reason for what is happening.  It is all random and accidental.  Evil is motivated by ignorance and superstition.  The signs are the same for believers and unbelievers.  What those signs mean differ because our basic understanding of reality and of history diverge.  This is not to say that believers always have the right view or that non-believers have not grasped the underlying concept even if they reject Christ.  Oftentimes our understanding is shaped unconsciously by our family, community and culture.  The Christian who studies the Word and seeks God has a better chance of overcoming the world’s indoctrination and negative programming that many others. 

There is no question that we living in changing times.  Is it the time of the Rapture?  The time of the Antichrist?  Is Jesus about to return and rule over the earth from Jerusalem?  Are we going to enter the Great Tribulation?  I don’t know. 

We live in a time of great apostasy, of decadence, and of increasing wickedness.  The last verse of Romans chapter 1 seems most applicable:  Though they know God’s decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.  We inhabit a diseased culture that celebrates deviance and applauds arrogance. 

Yet, these are signs that God is at work.  In that same chapter, just a few verses prior, Paul says, For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes … For it is the righteousness of God revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’ (Romans 1:16-17).  He will not fail us.  He is not unaware of what is going on.  We do not control God, but we do not have to, for He is Good.

Watchers

 Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning – Luke 12:35

Be in readiness.  One does not need to adhere to any particular eschatological doctrine in order to understand that we do not know when our end will come.  Nevertheless, the mass of people, including many who follow one religion or another, live in a state of unthinking security, unaware and in spiritual slumber. 

The night of the ancients was divided into four watches, the second and third falling on either side of midnight.  We speak of the “midnight cry”, but the parable Jesus gives here of the watchful servants indicates that, while we might expect the Lord’s return at the darkest hour, we must remain watchful even when that time has passed.  In fact, Matthew 14:25 says, “And in the fourth watch of the night, He came to them, walking on the sea.” 

Neither the midnight nor the storm nor yet our fears will move God before the time comes.  Faith must persevere through darkness and turmoil.  We must watch and pray even when all seems hopeless and lost for we do not and cannot know what the Lord’s plan is or when and how it will come to us.

Only one thing is certain:  there will be an end. 

And, if there is, our watchfulness, our willingness to stay awake, to keep our lamps trimmed and burning, to stare into the darkness looking for and waiting for the Lord will be rewarded.  A lot of Christians are going to face this.  Christians are being martyred and driven out of the Middle East.  So far, in most of the West, we are facing ridicule, which is no big deal.  More and more, however, there are moves to try and silence us. 

I will admit that sometimes I think the best thing some Christians could do to further the kingdom would be to shut the hell up.   Still, the idea of punishing people for “hate speech” is odious and offensive to those who love liberty, and I would not want to see that day come.  I don’t always get what I want. 

Some believe that what I am waiting for is an escape from an impending Great Tribulation where all the wicked will be left behind to suffer under the wrath of God while we believers are transported to a party that will last for seven earthly years.  I don’t suppose I would complain if that turned out to be the case; I just think, in this world, as Jesus promised, we will have tribulation.  So, no matter how dark the night, how fierce the storm, or how terrifying the circumstances, I will try to keep my watch faithfully and always be ready for when He will call me.

Units of Measurement

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. -- 1 John 4:18

Often times we are involved in relationships that are fear-based.  Some of us work out of fear of losing all that we have or not having enough.  Sometimes we live and act out of fear of punishment.  Our behavior may be limited and defined by our fear of legal repercussions.  We may not go certain places or do certain things because of the fear of death or injury. 

In dating or, to use the more quaint and apparently outdated term, courting, the party with the least fear has an advantage.  To fear less, even to care less, is, within the world system, the way to go.  There would seem to be a positive correlation between love and fear in that the more we love, the more susceptible we are to fear of loss.  Every parent knows fear with regard to their child.  Everyone who cherishes something experiences dread now and then over the possibility that it might be damaged or destroyed.  Yet, the Bible says "perfect" love is the antidote to fear.  How can this be? 

John's focus is love for God and the love of God.  This world and all that it contains is always passing away, but God is eternal and unchangeable.  It is our relationship to the Eternal which counters and eliminates fear.  Faith and love are closely related.  If we love someone, we generally have faith in them.  Loyal and faithful service is an expression of love.  To be able to trust someone is to have no fear as to their favorable intentions toward us. 

Of course we know that good intentions on the part of even the best of individuals cannot guarantee results.  This is not the case with God.  If He intends to do us good, good will be done us though mountains must be cast into the sea.  To know the love of God, the perfect love of God, is to trust perfectly, to be confident not only about His good intent but His ability to shelter us even in the midst of storm and trial. 

I was talking to a man yesterday who just returned from China.  He was there speaking to members of the underground church.  It was a humbling experience.  These are believers who suffer under an oppressive government and are persecuted, sometimes in the extreme, for their faith in and love for Jesus.  Preaching about a a pretribulation rapture sounds somewhat hollow to people who know tribulation that we cannot imagine.  The same would be true of many of the Christians in Africa as well as those who suffer under Islamic regimes.  Fear would be justifiable in China, in Sudan, and in Iran just as it was in some places and at times in John's day. 

Yet to those who know God and trust Him fully and completely, fear is replaced by love.  The process may be gradual or sudden, once for all or somewhat uneven, but it is happening.  The more we know of Him, the better we understand Him, the more we love and trust, and the less we fear.  It can be a barometer of sorts for us.  When our love for the Lord is as perfect as the Lord Himself, we will be fearless. 

Pop Quiz

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:4-7

A certain level of physical satisfaction is fairly easy to achieve these days in most developed countries. Mental and emotional satisfaction is not quite so easy. We see people striving and struggling, not to be filled with food and decently clothed, but to fulfill an elusive, ephemeral vision that promises happiness. Were he to stand on Wall Street today, I wonder if Paul would say to us as he did to the Athenians, “What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.” A life insurance salesman who worked a territory somewhere southeast of Dallas told me that he had trouble selling in a certain area. He said if the men there had a trailer house on a couple of acres, a pickup, and a bass boat, they were satisfied. I actually admire that kind of simple approach to life on the physical level. While knowing when we have enough is good, we can be assured that Jesus is not going to leave us either in mere material contentment or in pursuit of the wrong goal. The early church preached that “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God”.

The idea of entering the kingdom through tribulation is also reflected in John 16:33 where Jesus says: In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. He is not talking just about great world-shattering cataclysmic events – though those can and do happen. He is not necessarily talking about our being persecuted for our faith in Christ, though that, too, is promised to us. He is saying that some days your car won’t start. The baby will have a rash. The dog will eat your last bagel. The boss will have PMS. The lawnmower will break when you start to cut the grass. You will spill an overpriced macchiato caldo down the front of your new Egyptian cotton pinpoint shirt. God is in the business of messing up our satisfaction when we are satisfied with anything less than Him. This is the negative aspect.

Paul tells us the positive side in his letter to the church at Philippi quoted above. The Psalmist echoes it as well, saying, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” While it is possible and not unreasonable to interpret that statement as being about material blessings, it is mostly about having God Himself as both the object and source of our satisfaction. He assures us that, if we seek Him we will find Him. If He is the focus of our desire, He will be ours as we are His.

I suppose you could say that I count on Christ to disrupt my life with a little turmoil when I let the wrong things get to the top of the stack. By now I should have learned to check my priorities whenever I find myself getting upset and discontented. This is not to say that even my best efforts to keep God first in my life will prevent troubles large and small from erupting day by day as surely as a pop quiz in history class, but rather that I should know the answer every time because it is always the same: The Lord is at hand.

And, by the way, these pop quizzes count for one hundred percent of your grade.