The Return of the King

The Return of the King

My wife, Sheila, was so excited when we woke up Saturday morning, while at the same time I was groaning.  What was behind those opposing emotions?  Not because it was Thanksgiving weekend. Not because the first day of deer season was Monday. Not because I was with her. 

IT WAS SNOWING!! 

Sheila gets delightedly excited when snow falls from the heavens while I dread the nasty wet stuff. The difference?  She looks forward the beauty of freshly fallen snow. She looks forward to the look of newness when it covers the earth.  She looks forward to days when shuts life down and when are forced to stay home.  She looks forward to the hush that falls when the snow hushes all noise.  She looks forward to walking in it and even shoveling it!  It’s about all the ways snow adds value to life.

I dread it the troublesome precipitation!! My thoughts go many directions, none of which have anything to do with beauty, newness, cozy days at home, romantic walks or hushing noises.  My thoughts are about trying to get off of the treacherous, icy, slick hill we live on, the dangers of driving in it, the aching muscles from shoveling it, paying for it to be removed, the wasted time I have to spend on it.  It’s about all the ways it sucks value from my life. 

Same snow.  Even the same home.  Sheila longs for it and I don’t have one cell in my body that wants it.

Very much like the two mindsets of humanity about Jesus coming back.

The Bible tells us we should be excited, longing, even praying for the Return of the King - Jesus.  Not just knowing it as a fact and promise of our Lord, but focused on it, LONGING for that day.  I’m ashamed to admit that I have not been LONGING for my Savior’s return.

“Both the Old and New testaments are filled with references to the second coming of Christ. One scholar has estimated that there are 1,845 references to Christ's second coming in the Old Testament, where 17 books give it prominence. In the 260 chapters of the New Testament, there are 318 references to the second advent of Christ--an amazing 1 out of every 30 verses. Twenty-three of the 27 New Testament books refer to this great event. For every prophecy in the Bible concerning Christ's first advent, there are 8 which look forward to His second!”  (Today in the Word, April, 1989, p. 27).

You get the idea that the return of the King is a big deal to God!  Something that we should be LONGING for.  But… most Christians I’ve met are not focused on Jesus’ return.  I’ve been asking myself, “Why?”  When the Bible gives it that much ink, why are we not doing the same? 

- Is it possible we’re too comfortable with earthly life to focus on the next?

- Is it possible we’re too caught up in the here to be longing for the hereafter?

- Is it possible we’re not convinced of the pleasure of Heaven?

2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NIV) I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

I will not long for snow, but I’m working on longing for the return of the One Who loves me most.

How about you?

Boldly, Herb

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Destiny: Frog or Follower?

There was a frog that absolutely knew his destiny was to turn in to a handsome young prince. But for confirmation, he decided to visit a fortuneteller. The fortuneteller brought the frog in and gazed into her crystal ball. She said, “Oh, I see something. You are going to meet a beautiful young woman.”

      The frog gets very antsy, “Yes, I knew it. I’m going to become a prince.”

      The fortuneteller continues, “From the moment she sets eyes on you she will have an insatiable desire to know all about you. She will be compelled to get close to you--you’ll fascinate her."

      The frog is very excited. He asks, “Where am I? At a party? A restaurant? A book store?”

      The fortuneteller answers, “No, Biology class.”

The frog BELIEVED he was on the path to happiness, fortune, position and glory.  With ALL HIS HEART he believed.  He so believed that even as the fortune teller described his future the amphibian was seeing what he wanted to see, hearing through the lens of the believed destiny.  He filled in the blanks with pictures that came from desire rather than truth.  His belief actually blinded him to truth.  Wow!

Did the fact that he believed with all his heart change his destiny?  Nope.  Truth was still true.

How many of us see our future through the lens of desire rather than truth?  It paints a picture that is wonderful but is a fairy tale. 

There is a popular religious philosophy called “Universalism” that paints a fairy tale picture. And that fairy tale is embraced by many.  Universalism states that everyone will eventually go to Heaven. Everyone, without exception, will be reconciled with God and enjoy eternity in everlasting blessedness.  Sounds appealing because we don’t like to think of anyone we care about missing Heaven and entering Hell.  But what does truth say?  Over and over in Jesus’ teaching and that of the other New Testament writers we read that ONLY those who turn to God will go to Heaven.  In fact, Jesus says it is only a comparable FEW!!  Jesus’ words, not mine.

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. ¹⁴But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV)

  

Who are the "few" who find the road that leads to Heaven?  Read on.

²¹“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²²Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ ²³Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Matthew 7:21-23 (NIV)

Those who KNOW Jesus and, as a result, do the will of God are the few who go to Heaven.  Exclusively.

Fairy tale or truth. 

Someday we will stand before He Who is THE Truth.  Many will face it shocked and wide eyed like the frog as Jesus says “I never knew you” and go to eternal pain in Hell. Few will feel their hearts jump when Jesus welcomes them into Heaven.  At that point, all that matters is TRUTH.

What are you living?  Seriously, don’t get smug and flippant.  Take a hard look.  Are you really, really doing the desires of God out of loving relationship?  No excuses, no “oh, God will understand,” no twisting Jesus’ words even a little bit.  Simply a very hard look into TRUTH.  Better now than later.

Because the truth is what matters. 

Frog or follower? 

Boldly, Herb

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