With all of the uncertainty in life we can sometimes feel overwhelmed by the constant bombardment of variables seemingly beyond our control. At times we might wonder if God is losing control. But the events unfolding in our civilization are not random events. They were predicted thousands of years ago and must come to pass before all can be fulfilled. We can have full confidence in the promises of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ. So take heart, Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33b).
In John 14:1 Jesus is recorded offering these words of encouragement to the disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in Me.” And in Matthew 24:6-8 Jesus said, “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.”
Have faith in God. His eternal redemption plan is underway. Jesus promised that he was going ahead to prepare a place for us in the Father’s house. And He qualified that statement by saying, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:3).
We Are Headed For Heaven
The apostle Paul wrote that our present sufferings are not comparable to the reward that awaits us in heaven (Romans 8:18). Those who sincerely believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ have reason to be encouraged. Paul also said that if only for this life we have hope in Christ that Christians of all people, are the most to be pitied (1 Corinthians 15:19). We are headed for heaven! Our hope is an eternal hope!
Our salvation is not of this world. Our salvation lies beyond this world. It lies beyond the completion of our earthly lives, in heaven, in God’s kingdom. True believers are citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20). We are destined for a glory that is out of this world!
I’ve written before that one of my favorite Bible passages is Matthew 7:13-14 , “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Jesus was talking about an entrance, not an exit. He was speaking about a beginning, not an end.
Just as Jesus departed from His earthly life, rose after three days and ascended to heaven, we also will rise like Him and be like Him. He is the first of many. He is the first fruits and He paved the way for us to follow Him (1 Corinthians 15:20).
Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27). Not only in this life but in the life to come. Jesus blazed the trail for us to follow. He also said, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:28).
Paul wrote in Romans 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Do not let the adversity of this world overshadow God’s promises. Amidst the chaos and evil of this present age, there is a place waiting true believers in the Father’s house. Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in Jesus.
Store Up Treasures In Heaven
Jesus advised against storing up treasures on earth. He recommended storing up treasures in heaven. In Matthew 6:19-20 He declared, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
The world and everything in it is fading away. It is temporary and destined for destruction. 1 John 2:15-17 warns us, “Do not love the world or anything of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”
This does not mean believers are to shun technology or avoid a career in mainstream society. As ambassadors of Christ we ought to be a light shining in the darkness. However, John advises the church against loving the worldly systems that govern commerce, maintain power in the hands of the elite, profit from war, glorify wealth, exploit the weak and seduce citizens into the pursuit of worldly pleasures. These systems are controlled by the god of this world, Satan (2 Corinthians 4:4).
All of creation is groaning under the weight of sin. Paul proclaims in Romans 8:20-23, “For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”
In arrogant denial of the Creator, mankind idolizes human accomplishments and dismisses the gospel as mythology, therefore effectively placing themselves above God. Through blasphemy and slander the unrepentant are storing up the wrath of God against themselves.
Paul warns the of this in Romans 2:5, “But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when His righteous judgement will be revealed.”
Paul explains, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.” (Romans 1:21-23).
Just Like The Days Of Noah
Jesus revealed that the last days would be like the days of Noah and that judgement would come suddenly (Matthew 24:37-40). From Genesis 6:5 we learn, “The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.” And just as in the days of Noah, mankind today practices every kind of wickedness imaginable.
We see it all around us. On the news, in movies, magazines, advertising and social media. Civilization has descended into a culture of chaos. Sin is being normalized and righteousness is labeled as intolerance. Good is called evil and evil is called good. The prophet Isaiah wrote about God’s distaste for this hypocrisy in Isaiah 5:20: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”
As disturbing as all of this is to witness, do not let your hearts be troubled. You who have placed your hope in the salvation that only comes through the blood of Jesus Christ. The earth is not your home and the destiny of the world is not your destiny.
Have faith in the promises of God, who paid the price of your transgressions Himself through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Have confidence in Christ, because nothing can separate you from His love (Romans 8:35). The destiny that waits true believers is a new heaven and a new earth. And the dwelling place of God will be with men.
“They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:3b-4). So be it!
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