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.
All the commandment which I command you this day you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments, or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know; that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but that man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. Your clothing did not wear out upon you, and your foot did not swell, these forty years. Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you. So you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, by walking in his ways and by fearing him.
If you have wondered where I have been throughout the last 9 months -- no!I've not been pregnant! LOL! I have been experiencing much of what is described in these verses.
God has been refining me, humbling me, testing me and yes, sustaining me. Sometimes Iforget that faith is not a destination! It is a journey that never ends. I know that's a bit trite, but oh so true. God wants us to "walk in his ways" throughout every momentof our lives. He knows we can't find our way on our own, so he leads us where he needs us to go so we can learn what he needs us to learn.
He doesn't leave us alone, though! He provides for us the "manna" that we need to be sustained and more. Like the Israelites who were stiff-necked and stubborn, I try to rebel against God sometimes too. I have not been intentional or consistent in my seeking Him out. I allow all the very important things of this world to interfere with the very important things God has planned for me to do.
I've been praying about whether or not to maintain this blog. I have three others and a 2x a month column and I'm about to begin a publicity campaign for my book. This morning it became clear to me that this is what I need to do first--above all else. I probably won’t be posting a devotion every morning, but I will be doing so with some regularity.
I need to stay grounded in God’s Word. I must remember that He is the source and creator of all I am and all I am able to do. To truly honor Him, I must obey, trust and believe that He will lead me to His plan for my life while I’m waiting for heaven.
Today I pray you seek God’s wisdom and guidance before all else.
