Chaos on earth but what about Eternity?

 I am so concerned about justice and freedom. I think that is right. God called Martin Luther King, Konrad Adenauer, William Wilberforce, Harriet Tubman, Nelson Mandela, Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, feminist leaders and many others to resist tyranny.

Freedom, justice, merciful provision for the poor, sick and needy are so important, but in the end we all die. What happens then?

Democratic freedom, fair wages, health care and welfare for retired people are important in this life but in other world, these things no longer count.

Some Christians are obsessed with wealth and national greatness and others are concerned with welfare for the poor and needy, but in the next life the alternatives are quite different.

All the tension and chaos in our world is distracting us from eternal realities.

Where will you spend eternity?

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NRSV

Hope in Troubled Times

 The world is shaking. Everything is uncertain. First Covid, then Ukraine, now war in the Middle East.

“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.

I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty. Hag 2:6–7 NIV

Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. Is 60:1–2 NRSV

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,
it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,
it was the age of faith, it was the age of scepticism,
a season of light, a season of darkness,
it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair,
we had everything before us, we had nothing before us”

Dickens, Charles. Charles Dickens: A Tale of Two Cities

The world of yesterday is never coming back. The world of today is a mess.
We wait, but we do not know what to expect.

The future will be different from the past, but we do not know what will come and when it will come. But wait with patience. In the deep darkness, God is not a passive bystander.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer had to look death in the face. He confronted the power of darkness with open eyes. He was executed by the enemy, that is, hanged by the SS, but he entered God's loving presence at that very moment.

He wrote the following words:

Wonderfully sheltered by good powers
Let us confidently await what may come
God is with us in the evening and in the morning
And certainly every new day. (Translated from German)

But these terrible last years before peace were like labour pains. Two new babies appeared. A new Germany, a civilised democratic country, and a new Israel, the restored homeland of the Jews.

This convulsion will continue. Covid did not come from God. We are experiencing cruel demonic attacks, but God still remains God. God is good and He is controlling this shaking to accomplish His will.

Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. Is 60:1–2 NRSV

I believe that the worst time will be the best time.

But the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. Hab 2:14 NRSV

Countless millions will bow before Jesus. The long-awaited reformation will finally come to light.

Expect Surprises from God

 Everything is changing around us. Not since the last world war have we experienced such a traumatic acceleration of change.

For two hundred years, our culture has been characterised by an optimistic view of the world. The philosophers and intellectual writers of the Enlightenment and scientists for over a hundred years have taught us a view where progress is supposed to solve our problems.

But now everything is coming apart at the seams.

A few years ago, I was a guest preacher in a small church. I heard an unusual word from the Holy Spirit. It was a song, not a hymn and not in German.

Everyday, it's a gettin' closer
Goin' faster than a roller coaster
Love like yours will surely come my way

I shared this message in the congregation. The pastor confirmed the word from God. A guest preacher a few years ago had shared a similar prophecy, speaking of a roller coaster.

The song is about a romantic love affair with a woman. The singer falls in love and is enraptured by the acceleration in the new relationship. In the Bible, we see that God loves his people like a faithful man loves his fiancée.

The amazing acceleration of change around us is like a roller-coaster.

In these chaotic times, many shocked people are looking for a return to the old days. Many want to hold on to old traditions.

Some want to avoid the international crisis by restoring the nationalism of the past.

We are overwhelmed by climate change, terrorism and pandemics. In a world where all sorts of storms are raging, many are looking for a safe cosy corner in a religion where everything is well known and no changes are allowed.

We see this in conservative Christian communities, which are strongly characterised by conformism and dogmatism. We see these religious tendencies everywhere and in different denominations, and also in fundamentalism in other religions.

We also see exactly the opposite tendency. There are also churches that want to be modern and tolerant, where everything in the Bible is questioned.

 Everything is like a roller-coaster where we strive to hold on somehow.

The Bible is our anchor and foundation. Only in God's Word do we find eternal, unchanging truth. 

The Bible speaks of a flawless, unchanging God who never deviates from unchanging principles. We need that like never before.

But the Bible is not just a law book or a theological textbook. In the Bible, we find amazing stories where God surprises us again and again with totally unexpected supernatural acts.

God only once allowed the Hebrews to cross the Red Sea on dry seabed.

God only once let a giant be killed by a boy.

We can expect unprecedented global revival in this crisis. We see this in biblical prophecies.

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. Hab 2:14 NIV

Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old.
I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Is 43:18–19 NRSV

We must expect huge surprises and pray for them.

‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ Jer 33:3 NASB95