As I was talking with my parents one night the topic of
Christ’s return came up. During the
conversation my mom made a comment stating how great it would be for Christ to
return that week. I responded by
pointing to Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:14 (as I referred to in my previous post
Come Lord Jesus, Come) and saying I
don’t think He will be returning this week.
My dad jumped in the conversation and said, I am not so sure about that,
there are a lot of theologians out there that think Christ could return anytime. Although I don’t disagree with my dad (Christ
could return anytime, it just depends on what Jesus meant by “the whole world”
and “the nations” in Matthew 24:14) I do think that God’s purposes on earth
have not yet been accomplished; and thus I think Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:14
have yet to be completed.
One of the reasons I think this is found in Revelation
7:9-10:
“After this I looked and there before me was a
great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language,
standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white
robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation
belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’”
The verse says “every nation, tribe, people and
language.” It says “every.” Not some, not most, not a lot, but “every.” We still have a ways to go before this is
accomplished, yet at the same time it is not far off. Visit www.joshuaproject.net
for more information, including statistics, on completing the task of world
evangelism.
Although I hold to the interpretation that Christ’s
return is still waiting on the completion of world evangelization it is
important to take Jesus’ words later in the passage to heart as well:
“No one knows about that day
or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the
Father.” (Verse 36)
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will
come. But understand this: If the owner
of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would
have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the
Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Who then is the faithful and wise servant,
whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them
their food at the proper time? It will
be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in
charge of all his possessions. But
suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away
a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and
drink with drunkards. The master of that
servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not
aware of. He will cut him to pieces and
assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.” (Verses 42-51)
Like I said, it
is impossible to know with 100% certainty what Jesus meant my “the whole world”
and “all nations.” Therefore we must be
ready for Him to return at any time. I find
it interesting the reference to servants.
Verses 45-47 speak about the servant who is doing what his master asked
him to do while his master is gone, and verses 48-51 speak of a servant who is
doing his own thing. When the master
returns the good servant is rewarded while the bad servant is punished. Whether we believe Christ will return
tomorrow or not (according to our interpretation of Matthew 24:14) it is still
important that we are doing our Master’s work while we wait for His
return. And I believe His work has a lot
to do with the winning of souls of all people groups! Thus whatever we believe our actions should
be progressing the Kingdom of God and not simply waiting for it.
The next day, as
I was thinking about the comment my dad made, a question popped into my
head. I thought, “if Jesus where to
return today, would I have done all I could do assure that He has as many
worshipers on this earth as possible, or would I have regrets?” (and not just
me but this entire generation of believers)
As an athlete I have always used the negative feeling of regret to
motivate my training and performance. As
I trained and made decisions I always asked myself, if I continue training this
way, or if I follow through with this decision, will I regret that choice if
the outcome is negative or will I know that I gave it my all? As an athlete I got comfortable at making
decisions that would leave no room for regrets.
Yet when I look at my Christian life and what I have intentionally done
for the Kingdom of God I haven’t applied the same type of intensity to my
decision making. If Jesus were to return
today I truly believe there would be an inappropriate number of worshipers
compared to the potential number there could be if those who say they believe
would truly live with the Kingdom of God in mind instead of living out their
own desires. There are so many seeking
people out there that are just waiting for the gospel to break through the
walls that are currently surrounding them, both those who live within earshot
of the gospel and those who couldn’t seek it out even if they wanted.
I will end with
this. Spreading the gospel isn’t about
loving people, it is about loving God.
No one deserves to be saved, no one is owed the chance to hear the
gospel and respond to it. It is an
undeserved gift from God. However Jesus
Christ, who died for the entire world and every single individual in it,
deserves for His message to be spread so that He can have the worship that He
desires. He is worthy, He is deserving,
He is the Lamb that was slain…
“And they sang a new song: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open
its seals, because You were slain, and with Your blood You purchased men for
God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and
priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.’ Then I looked and heard the voice of many
angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten
thousand. They encircled the throne and
the living creatures and the elders. In
a loud voice they sang: ‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power
and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!’ Then I
heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea,
and all that is in them, singing: ‘To Him who sits on the throne and to the
Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!’ The living
creatures said, ‘Amen,’ and the elders fell down and worshipped.” (Revelation 5:9-14)
Dear Lord,
No one knows the day or the hour, but I pray
that You would find Your people ready when You return. I pray that You would find them doing Your
work. I pray that You would find them
walking in obedience to You. I pray that
You would find an earth full of worshipers of You. Because You are deserving and worthy of all
our praise and adoration. You are the only one worthy of praise and honor and
glory. I pray that the words found in
Habakkuk 2:14 would be fulfilled soon and that the earth would be full of Your
glory just as the waters cover the sea, so that You can receive the praise due
Your name for ever and ever.
Amen, let it be so (and let it be soon
accomplished!)
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