The Last Days 2 - Luke 21 Vs 20-38

Worship, Announcements, and Prayer for the Morning Service

All right, welcome to Faith Bible Church. Glad to have you here today. Just want to go over some quick announcements before we get started. First on the list is prayer meeting. We will be having prayer meeting tonight at 6 p .m. so that'll be here obviously.

And then our missionary of the month again is Ellie Dresinga. She serves in Brazil with the Gospel Fellowship Mission in San Peranga, Brazil. She just does church planning there. She leads youth groups and teaches English.

So just pray for her and her ministry there and that is a fruitful one. We also have a special guest in September, John Knox. He's our missionary to Japan. He's visiting us on September 8th. He'll discuss his ministry at 10 a .m. so there won't be any Sunday school that day.

And just please invite anyone interested in missions. So yeah, especially to Japan. All right, and then we'll pray before we get started. Dear Lord, thank you for bringing us all here today, Lord, safely.

Lord, we pray for those who are here today. We pray for those who couldn't make it, Lord. We just pray, Lord, that as we worship through song and through your word today, Lord, that we would just get rid of any distractions, Lord, from our prior week or from the week to come, Lord, and just focus on you, Lord.

We love you, Lord, and we praise you in Jesus' name.

Songs of Praise and the Daniel 7 Scripture Reading

The first song is, Is He Worthy, and it's sort of a responsive and you're gonna respond to yourself as we sing a verse and then you'll say, we do, we do, he is. But let's stand together. This is entitled, Is He Worthy, and we know the answer to that, right?

And you're gonna say it a few times in this song. Blessed Assurance, and it's a song that celebrates the joy of being in a perfect and confident love that casts out fear, having certainty in the love of Jesus.

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine in his love.

The scripture reading for today is from Daniel, chapter 7, verses 9 through 14. So Daniel, chapter 7, verses 9 through 14. I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool.

His throne was like the fiery flame and its wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him. Thousand thousands ministered unto him, and 10 ,000 times 10 ,000 stood before him.

The judgment was set and the books were opened. I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake. I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame.

As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. I saw in the night visions and beheld one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before him.

And there was given him dominion and glory and a kingdom that all people, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

May the Lord has blessing to.

The reading of his word. Our next song is a very familiar one, Joy to the World, and I know we sing it at Christmastime generally, most of the time, but when Isaac Watts wrote this, originally wrote the words to this hymn, it's about Christ's second coming, and I know we kind of we get used to wrote singing words to songs.

Think about the words and think about Christ's second coming, coming again, and kind of adds a new light to the words to this hymn that is very familiar, Joy to.

The World. Let's stand together. Our next song, and Kevin just read from Daniel.

Chapter 7, and that's actually the first time that the phrase Ancient of Days appears, and what it essentially means is that God existed before the beginning of time. God always was and is and shall be, and his eternality, and so we're gonna, this is a new song, a new song for me and for you maybe, so let's.

Join together as we sing Ancient of Days. With me to Luke chapter 21 verses 20.

Through 38. Luke chapter 21 verses 20 through 38. But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her, for there are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days, for there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword and be led away captive into all nations.

And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. And there will be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars and on the earth, distress of nations with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring, men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near. Then he spoke to them a parable.

Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.

Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away. But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day come on you unexpectedly.

For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch, therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass and stand before the Son of Man.

And in the daytime, he was teaching in the temple, but at night he went out and stayed on the mount called Olivet. Then early in the morning, all the people came to him in the temple to hear him. This is the word of the Lord.

Prayer, Eschatology, and the Immediate Signs of Christ's Return

Let us pray. Father, we are grateful that you have saved us through your Son, Jesus Christ, who died for our sin, suffering the wrath that we deserved, and who rose from the dead, and he calls us his own.

Help us to live that way. We also pray for our brothers and sisters in the United Kingdom who are being persecuted for their speech. We pray that they would continue to proclaim the gospel and the biblical truth that they may be persecuted for.

And we pray for them that they would endure and persevere through your power in order to please Christ for your glory. In Jesus' name. Now, while last week's passage dealt with the distant signs of the second coming of Christ, this week's passage will deal with the immediate signs of the coming of Christ.

The distant signs were wars and rumors of war, right? Pestilence, famines. And as you know, since the first century, we've had a lot of those. And each time there's a dictator who wants to take over the whole world, we thought, ah, that must be the Antichrist, right?

But of course, those were the distant signs. The second coming unfolds both the judgment of the whole world and the redemption of the righteous. God's judgment and redemption go together. Now, this passage doesn't tell us every little detail of what will happen in the last days.

For example, the rapture isn't quite spelled out in Luke's passage. But you can get to it when you read 1 Thessalonians. You can read about it in John 14. But this has to do with the second coming of Christ and the tribulation that comes before it.

And Luke's passage is also uniquely different from those of Matthew and Mark's because Luke's focus is not really on the rise of the Antichrist. He doesn't mention the man of lawlessness, although Matthew does.

Rather, he narrates the fall of Jerusalem as a parallel event to that of great tribulation. The question is really, if the destruction of the temple in AD 70 was so gruesome, how much more on the last days when God's wrath is poured out?

It's this parallel of view of prophecy, and it is quite common in the Bible. And this is important today because we rarely think about the last days. One of the consequences of not thinking about what Jesus will do when he comes back is that we have multiple generations who are more anxious than ever.

We are, in fact, one nation under therapy and SSRI, more so than any other Western nations. Needless to say, we can't even compare with the African. And one reason for that is that we have lost the sight of the eternal.

We too often expect and pray for the world to continue the same way that it has been for the last however many decades. However, according to scripture, the world will not get better. And having such an expectation that the world would continue on or even get better can cause people to worry and be anxious.

In fact, this chapter in Luke and other eschatological texts concerning the last days show us the opposite. Yet last days, that's how Christians must face suffering, even if it's not an eschatological trial.

The suffering and the stress that you it is not purposeless. That's important. And that also means in the greater scheme of things, the wars and even the great tribulation will not be purpose behind all of that.

And thinking about the last days reminds us that God has a plan despite how best of this world will. And studying eschatology teaches us that God's sovereign plan not only foresaw, but included the destruction that this world.

There's just no guarantee of when the rapture is like a false. Before the rapture, we will witness some historically today is what are what are the implications of Christ's second coming? First, how do we know when Jesus is soon after the tribulation in Jerusalem, the whole creation will proclaim the coming of Christ to judge the world.

Soon after the tribulation in Jerusalem, the whole creation will proclaim the coming of Christ to judge the world. This 20 to 24 show the desolation of Jerusalem is immediate time before the coming of Christ.

But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that it's desolation is here. Now, unlike Matthew and Mark's passages, the desolation of Jerusalem portrayed here focuses more on the destruction of the temple in 1870, the desolation and abomination of the antichrist in the future.

Yet by doing the first destruction, we get the preview of the second destruction in the eschatological time. The first call is the forties of the second. Now, verses 21 to 24 show that show how the destruction will unfold.

First, verse 21 shows that everyone will avoid Jerusalem like the plague and let those who are in Judea, the southern region of the land of Israel, flee to the mountains. But those who are in the midst of her declares and let not those who are in the country enter those in the surrounding region will be to the mountains.

And this is a common thread. Whenever a judgment occurs, there's a common command to flee to the mountains. And we saw that before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19, the angels tell Lot and his family to flee to the mountains.

And this is almost an echo of it. Now, those who are already and wherever you want to be. And verse 22 tells us this is not just an accident that Jerusalem is surrounded, but rather it's a national judgment for their failure to trust in the Messiah.

This is 87. On the other hand, before the second coming, it will be a global judgment defying the price. Now, verse 23 shows us the severity of the siege, the army surrounding, but woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days, for there will be great distress in the land and rally to those who all lived in the first century Jerusalem.

But those who are going to live first fall to foreshadow the times when there is historical consideration. If you were a British citizen in the 1870s, what was that like? Much worse than after the Roman siege, over 1 .1 million Israelites were killed in Jerusalem.

1 .1 million. Imagine everyone in Sacramento County. That's the equivalence here. 97 ,000 is a flash. Personally, it was severe. It was a glimpse of hell on earth. Such as has not been since the beginning of the world.

The great tribulation would make 87 seem like a child's play. 4 tells us the result. And they will fall by the edge of the sword and be led away, captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

The results here are two-fold. One is the immediate result, which is that no one will get out of that city safely. 1870. And that's God's judgment on you. The point is God's judgment is unescapable. And the reason why these verses are not just about 1870 is because of the last phrase, and Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

That actually looks beyond 1870. Although Israel may be trampled down, it will be as if God's plan for Israel did not end in 1870. That's an important thing to consider. And this is the only time of the phrase times of the Gentiles is used in the New Testament.

And that's the time we're living now. The times of Gentiles. It is a period in God's redemptive plan in which the Gentiles are dominated. It had been said in quite a large more Muslims were saved than the previous.

Yet, after this time, they will come to faith in Jesus Christ. And Romans 11 details that. Paul believes that the ethnic Jews will come to faith in their Messiah in the end times. This shows that God still has a redemptive plan for the Jews.

That they were not just left behind or abandoned. And God will save them too in a large way. What will be the sign of Jesus' return? Verses 25 to 28 depict the coming of the Son of Man. Verse 25 starts with the cosmological sign that precedes all the coming of Christ.

And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars that on the earth distress a with perplexity the sea and the waves roaring. This verse tells us that the heavens, earth, and the sea will all clearly proclaim the coming of their Creator.

The signs in the sun, moon, and stars are portrayed in Isaiah 13, 9 through 10. Behold the day of the Lord comes, cruel with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation, and to destroy its sinners from it.

For the stars of the heavens and the constellations will not give their light. The sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light. Those are the signs. The heavenly signs are the heavenly silence.

The cosmic order will not work the same way as they have been before the Son of Man appeared. The heavenly bodies will cease to work the way they have been working since the beginning of creation, proclaiming the coming.

Not only the heavens but the earth will declare the coming of its Creator. Think earthquakes. Isaiah 24, 19 through 20. The earth is utterly broken. The earth is split apart. The earth is violently shaken.

The earth staggers like a drunken man. It sways like a hut. Its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and it will not rise again. This is more than just a category. It's a richer scale. Five earthquakes in the Southern California region that we hear about on a monthly basis.

It will be an earthquake of a magnitude that we can't even measure. Third, the seas will be roaring. The 70 of the earth's surface will not be stable. What this shows is that if part of creation will announce the coming of the Son of Man, in fact the nations will be perplexed, the Gentiles, because all the things that were normally dependable and predictable are uncontrollably shaking.

You're often surprised by the death toll of one natural disaster in a region, even if it's far away, and it will be on the news for a while. This hurricane, category 5, or this earthquake in this region, and you may never have gone to that region, but it impacts us because it is unpredictable.

It's a reminder that the nature itself is not something that humans can control. That's beyond our control. That's God's domain. Now, imagine the whole world experiencing every natural disaster again.

This is the tribulation, and when the world sees this, that's the immediate sign that Jesus is coming soon. Now, how will the world respond to the cosmic signs of the coming of Christ? Verse 26, men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

They will be struck with fear because they all know this is important because a lot of the times, Christianity is just, they say, Jesus is not even a real person, and oftentimes really powerful people say that because they know, they will know at that moment that there's judgment.

The powers of the heavens here are the stars. In ancient times, many pagan religions believed that the stars all represent the heavens and beings like angels or, you know, or the pagans. They're gods, right?

The stars represent their gods. Actually, even in our days, we see astrology has come back, and people believe that their lives are determined by the location and the timing of the stars, and now before Jesus comes back, the very things that people trust and worship will be shaken.

That's the judgment. The judgment even affects the heavens. What seemed to be unreachable and unshakable will fail before Christ comes. Verse 27, then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

How can we know that true Jesus Christ has come? He comes from above in the clouds. He comes in a cloud full of glory and power. False teachers may fly on their private jets, but none of them will come in a cloud.

In fact, if they attempt, they will see Jesus real quick. This entry into the Son of Man's divine quality. In the Old Testament, the Lord comes in a cloud. This is from Exodus 15 -20. The Lord, here is Yahweh, right?

The Yahweh, or the Lord, descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the name of the Lord. The question is, what kind of figure is this? The Son of Man, a figure who looks like a man coming in the same mode of transportation as the Lord himself.

And the title of the Son of Man needs to be unpacked here as well. As Kevin read from Daniel 7, it's the Son of Man who receives dominion and authority over each of these eternal gods. A curious thing is that before the Son of Man even appears, thrones are placed.

The question is, why are there multiple thrones in Exodus? There's a hint of the Trinity even in the Daniel 7 passage that you cannot explain away with one purely monotheistic view. Isn't this the God who does not share his glory with no other?

Understand that from the writing of the Old Testament, Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of the cross and placed his son. That's why there are thrones. Now let's get to the Son of Man. The Son of Man, in the Old Testament, in the most basic sense, is a figure that is a man.

Ezekiel is called the Son of Man and he's obviously not the eschatological figure. What it's saying is, in the heavenly realms where there are thousands of thousands, which is man, serving God, and then, other than that, there are 10 ,000 and 10 ,000, 10 ,000 x 10 ,000 x 100 ,000, standing before God.

In that whole throne room, God picks one figure and it's not him. He picks in the heavens, there is one. And when that happens, the Ancient of Days, God himself, gives hands over all dominion and the glory to this Son of Man.

And when this occurs, the whole world, every nation and tongue, that means the same, they serve him. And oftentimes, you would say, okay, maybe he's not a divine being. He's just like a very important being.

They just serve him. Angels can serve other beings than God. However, if you look at the verb, to serve, in the book of Daniel, in the first nine times, all eight other times refers to worshiping God or some other deity, which means this verb is precisely and only used for any type of service but of worship.

And that action is done towards the Son of Man. And the Son of Man received worship from all the world in front of the Ancient of Days, unless he himself is divine. Now, what's the response to the coming of Christ?

Verse 28 shows the response of the redeemed. Now, when did these things begin to happen? Look up and lift up your heads because these are the redeemed who remained on earth and resisted the Antichrist.

They presumably got to see some of their brothers and sisters executed under the rule of the Antichrist, and they survived by God's grace. And when these signs occur, it is their turn. It's a sign for their redemption.

It's their turn to celebrate. While the wicked look down in fear, the redeemed will lift up their heads. Their redemption is more than just spiritual here. It is a total deliverance. The King has come back and he will reign on earth.

That was a couple months ago. And before that, one student told me that Jesus might be coming back to school that year. And the reason was that the prior solar eclipse would go horizontally, and then this one will horizontally, which makes a cross.

And then there are like different cities named Salem. Important name, Salem, right? Jerusalem, Salem. And, you know, and maybe there will be the rapture, and maybe Christ will come back because of the solar eclipse.

I have to remind her that the signs before Jesus coming are actually more spectacular than a pre-solar eclipse. All of us needed a special glasses to stand and stop and just see it cover a little bit.

What this shows is the second coming of Christ is a guaranteed event. It will not be questionable. It will not be an ambiguous entry. But that could be Christ. No, even the enemies of Christ who want to doubt that it's Christ will have no argument that it is Christ.

The immediate events before Christ's second coming will be supernatural and spectacular at the same time. It will be terrifying for those who have rejected Christ, but it will be glorious for those states who remain faithful during the time of tribulation.

And the whole world will announce the coming of its creator. The whole creation will know when its creator is about to enter. And there will be only two responses, utter fear or full redemption. The hope is that all escape the coming of tribulation.

It is that we won't be left behind if your faith isn't in Christ. But for those of you who may be left behind because you didn't truly believe, the guarantee of full redemption again is still the same.

Full faith in Jesus Christ. When he comes back you can lift up your eyes and see the coming of Christ. Faith is the thread that binds it together. The only proper response to hope is to see the second coming.

Followers of Christ must vigilantly anticipate. Followers of Christ must vigilantly anticipate. 29 to 33 Jesus tells a parable. Look at the big tree and all the trees. When they're already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near.

And her figs are delicious fruits. And they're valued. They're very well sought after and pretty common too. There are a lot of metaphors. In this case, the parable is about discerning the sign. Why do we need to discern the sign the way we look at the big trees?

Well, for those of you who might have big trees in your backyard, you know that they lose all their injury. No leaves, no shoots. They just fall off that. When it is summer, the leaves and shoots come back.

Clear sign that summer is near. In fact, it's a drastic transformation. Oh, for those of you who have lived in tropical regions like Louisiana, that's a new sight if you see it. The trees that seem to be dead are living again.

That's the clear sign. Now, what's the point of this parable? So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. When all the signs are happening, the cosmological signs and the tribulation, the kingdom of God is near.

You don't have to fear the worst. Just as we would look at the signs of the big tree to know the season, God's people must watch for the signs that strike here to know the coming of the kingdom. Now, how certain are the signs?

Jesus assures his followers in the following two verses that they will happen. 32. Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place. You listen to that, you hear that, and you would be questioning what?

This is one of the most difficult past verses to understand in the New Testament. The key to understanding is which generation is Jesus referring to when he says this generation. Some argue that, however, I think that's really hard because the word is mostly used for a chronological.

It leaves us with two options. First, this generation could be the current audience, the first century followers. However, things did not take place in the first century. In fact, only the destruction of Jerusalem took place.

You'd be wrong. Then, this generation must be the generation that will face the tribulation. This fits the context well. Remember what Jesus said in verse 20. When you see Jerusalem surrounded, the sign of desolation is near.

These are some immediate signs. Unlike last few days, passage is centered around it. During the tribulation time, you see the sun moon and the stars all die. These will all occur in great succession. It's the same generation that experiences the tribulation.

If they survive, heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away. The foundation of this world may be the very things that we expect to occur, like the rising of the sun and the gravitational pull.

That's what this Jesus commands for his followers. But take heed to yourself, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come unto you unexpectedly.

Hearts are the inner seat of emotion, will, and desire. It's your core being of who you are. Now, what does it mean by weighed down? That means your hearts become heavy. In Hebrew idiom, heavy hearts are hearts that are insensitive to the work of the Lord.

The literal translation of Pharaoh's hardened heart is actually heavy heart. The Lord says to Moses, Pharaoh's heart is heavy. He refuses to lift it. This is not the heavy heart of sorrow. It's the heavy heart of God's movement.

It's something like the work of God. That's what it means. So, Jesus is commanding his followers, be careful, watch out, unless your hearts become dull. What causes our hearts to become dull and insensitive to God's work and his plan?

There are three examples given here, and by no means are they exhaustive, but they are carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life. The first on the list goes with the second. It is the uncontrolled indulgence in pleasure.

It is a passionate devotion to pleasure that numbs our minds from the reality of the more common ones in our days. What this is, is it's a passionate devotion to pleasure, to escape. It's an act of worship.

It means substance or experience to soothe the weight of discomfort or uncertainty of life, instead of going to Christ to surrender the outcome to him. It is an act of placing our pleasures on the throne of our hearts where Christ needs to be.

That's why it's idolatry. And what they do is they make our hearts insensitive to the work of God. We may be too late to respond. Maybe escape from reality. The third on the list is the fixation on the reality and cares of this life.

Other translations may have anxiety of this life or worries of this world. What this means is instead of trying to drown away the hardship with pleasures, the danger here is an attempt to control every part of life, like this heart.

Life is unpredictable. That's always been the case. Don't let anyone hold something. The person attempts to control every part of it. I've got security. I've got to marry the right person. I've got to enjoy my life.

I've got to go get my bucket list to the right school. Everything has to be figured out to the T. This too is idolatrous. It's idolatry of control. I'm not saying don't take care of your family. I'm saying don't make your plan the ultimate plan.

I'm not saying don't go on vacation. Don't make it your plan. I've got to do this before I die. Now, why do we need to be alert? Verse 35. For it will come as a snare of all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.

Imagine a trap that's suddenly shutting. That's what Jesus is saying here. The coming of Christ will come suddenly, and it has a cataclysmic consequence if you're not vigilant in your life. And if you're not with Christ now, then you will be left behind to face God's full wrath.

And if you don't ever come to Christ, there's no guarantee that you will be watching for the coming of Christ the second time anyway. So those people, their hearts would be heavy. If your trust is in something else now, whatever it is will not save you from the wrath of God that will come.

Now, how can we be saved from this? Watch therefore and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man. Those who are attentive to Christ will escape the wrath of God.

In the end, the only source of salvation from the coming wrath of God is our trust in Him. No one can escape God's judgment on their own worthy. But those who are counted worthy because of their faith in Christ will stand before the Son of Man justified.

They will escape the wrath to come to be with Jesus. And verses 37 to 38 are transitional verses that tell us that Jesus continued to preach and teach in the temple despite the leadership's opposition, which sets up for the betrayal that's coming.

If they can't turn Jesus externally to publicly humiliate Him, then we will get Him from the inside. We'll hire someone to betray Him. Vigilance and watchfulness of the end days is not installing an atomic bomb through Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and walking with the Lord in every facet of your life.

Eventually, God's wrath against this world will be that one. Jesus promises that He even shares what signs will occur distantly and even immediately before the coming of Christ. The question is not how to avoid God's wrath, but rather who will receive God's wrath.

That explains how to avoid God's wrath. In the end, we are all sinners and we all deserve to face God's wrath. You could fool your family. You could fool your teachers. You could fool the church. But God is omniscient and He is clear who deserves God's wrath, and that's everyone of us.

Then grace decided to take your place of wrath. This was only possible, and it was the only way to save sinners. When God became a man and lived the perfect life that we all fail to live, and He died the sinner's death that we all were on the cross, He faced the full wrath of God that was deserved by us for every ounce of our sin so that if you trust in Him, if you trust in His death and resurrection, that wrath you would have received and poured out of your heart.

This is how you are counted worthy to escape the coming wrath. There is no wrath for you if you belong to Christ because He took you. We are not Christians. We are made to serve the eternal world to come to its end.

But find reality and really trust the Savior in the first place. When Christ comes for the church, you have to be watchful. Lest we find out we've only mentally assented to Christ. We just check all the boxes of correct theology, but later find out that you only trusted in yourself.

What is making your heart dull? What is making your heart heavy? What is your truth? What is truly your highest delight? What do you race toward when you are down? Where does your mind go when you are idle?

The presence of your Savior or the presence of something else? Call to watchfulness of Christ because today, because the tribulation is a horrible way to wake up. Wake up today to the call of Christ. Put everything else in your life as disconsected.

Let us pray.

Father, we are grateful that Jesus is coming. And we are grateful that in Christ we can avoid the tribulation. We can avoid the wrath to come. We can avoid the eternal judgment. Because He faced it for us.

Thank you that we will be with Christ one day. And that would be the most glorious and most pleasing, most exciting moment in our lives. Help us to look forward to that. And may that eternal perspective shape how we live now.