He Is Coming With The Clouds
.Revelation 1:7 (NIV)
Look, he is coming with the clouds,and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.
I received this verse in my daily email subscription. Any time I read anything from Revelation, I go to one resource or another to try to comprehend the meaning. Well, 20 minutes later, I'm back at the computer! I was tempted to switch to another verse that might be considered more uplifting, but decided against it as this is obviously the verse I am intended to study today.
My Bible Readers Companion spends a couple of pages talking about the various interpretations of Revelation. Throughout history scholars have considered it prophecy about the end times, but disagreed about whether or not it was literal or figurative. Well, if you know anything about me, I could spend days-even weeks-studying just that argument!
Ultimately I decided that mankind spends a great deal of time debating scripture! We dissect it and analyze it and put it all in historical perspective and beat it to death until it resembles what we think it says--or want it to say.
As our Sunday school class has spent the last several months studying the parables of Jesus, we have discovered that those parables are timeless. With only the slightest explanation of the context--eliminating the context as a distraction--we can very clearly understand the message of Jesus today.
This verse is pretty clear to my mind: WE are the ones who pierced Him. Not only those who placed Jesus on the Cross, but all of mankind, throughout past and future history! Every time we sin against God, we become-again and again and again--one of those who added to Christ's burden.
He became God's offering to us and yet we are the ones who should be offering ourselves up to Him. The mourning in this verse speaks very loudly and clearly to me: I will mourn a thousand years at the end of time before I can even work up the courage to look God in the eye. I will grieve so deeply, my sorrow and distress at my own sinful nature will pour over me like a waterfall or an avalanche.
When we get to heaven we still won't be able to grasp the beauty and power of God. Even in His presence--or should I say especially in His presence--we will be overwhelmed. Yes, we will mourn because of Him--that we caused the need for His sacrifice; that we forget His sacrifice; that we defy His sacrifice.
Jesus gave up divinity to walk among us. I don't think we'll fully grasp the enormity of His sacrifice until we glimpse it for ourselves in heaven.
My prayer today is that you remember God's gift to each of us. And that you offer grace to everyone you meet.
Mary
Labels: grace, Jesus, mary moss, Revelation, worship for the weekday
Behold! He is Coming Soon!
.
Revelation 22:12-14
Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense, to repay every one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.
Colossians 3:1,2 MSG
So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides.
Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ--that's where the action is.
See things from his perspective.
I recently happened upon an earlier post where I discussed the word “behold.” Basically it means, “Hey, pay attention! I’m about to say something very important!” And if you read the sentence immediately following it in the passage from Revelation, you’ll see that John was sharing some wonderful news! As a matter of fact, this passage was part of a sermon I delivered at a nursing home recently as part of my Lay Speaking Ministry. The topic of the sermon was hope and being a blessing to others.
For some reason I find tremendous comfort and even get a little excited when I read the first line of the Revelation passage, “Behold, I am coming soon.” That declaration brings me immediately to the Colossians passage where we’re instructed, “Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is.”
So, we are to wake up, look up, get ready, be prepared and see things from the perspective of the Risen Christ. That’s a much different perspective than the one we’ll be hearing on the evening news! It’s not the frame of reference from which we generally see the world. But we have good news! We have hope! We have a promise! And it’s a promise from God – the Alpha and the Omega – the God of Genesis, who was already in existence when he decided to make Earth and the universe and us.
His power is above all others. His promises never fail – have you read the story of Exodus? Have you read the Old Testament? After 2,000 years of defying and disobeying God, He still sent us a Savior! Behold! We must be ready when Christ comes again so we must pursue the things over which Christ presides. He doesn’t preside over war, murder, hate, anger or fear. He is the Prince of Peace, the Holy One of God, Deliverer, Bread of Life and Chief Cornerstone. Run that in tomorrow’s news cycle!
Behold! He is coming soon!
My prayer today is that you will see things from Christ’s perspective. And that you will be ready when He comes—for behold! Today could be the day!
Mary
Labels: Christ, Colossians, God, Revelation, second coming
