Better Late than Never

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9

Recently, Hurricane Harvey ravaged Houston, Texas, and the Gulf Coast. According to one news organization, "Harvey was a Category 4 hurricane with a top wind speed of 132 mph ... It dumped 51.88 inches of rain over a seven day period ... An estimated 1 trillion gallons of water fell during the four days.. The highest storm surge — about 12.5 feet ..."  Add to that Hurricane Irma which is currently making land fall in Florida, the recent total solar eclipse, wildfires devastating the Northwestern part of the United States, an 8.1 Magnitude earthquake in Mexico, the nuclear aspirations of North Korea, the global threat of ISIS, the never-ending turmoil in the Middle East and numerous other events around the world and many people are asking, "Is God trying to tell us something?" The short answer is, "Yes." Many Christians will engage in what I have heard called, "Newspaper Eschatology." Basically, that means that anytime there is a newsworthy event somewhere in the world, whether it is a natural disaster, man-made disaster, like terrorism, or some sign in the heavens, people will assign a Bible verse to it as if it is the fulfillment of prophecy. In fact, Jesus said, "When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near (Luke 21:28)." I would love nothing more than for Jesus to step out of the clouds right now and today. And He may do just that. However, there is something that people are missing in all of this. These "signs" have been going on since Jesus uttered those words nearly two thousand years ago. There hasn't been a day go by since then where there hasn't been something that could be considered a sign. Today, you can't turn on the news or open up your web browser without some headline reminding us of a calamity or strange event that has taken place or will soon take place. The problem I have is that rather than look at all these as signs proclaiming the return of Jesus, many people are proclaiming them to be THE signs of His return; as if because the present signs happened, Jesus is coming out of the clouds at that moment. While I understand the joy that moment would hold for me and every other Christian, there is some benefit in Jesus delaying His return to earth. In 2 Peter 3:9, the apostle Peter speaks of the will of God as wanting everyone to come to repentance. In other words, God desires that all mankind turn from their unbelief in Jesus Christ and turn to Him for salvation.

In order for as many people to come to faith in Jesus Christ as possible, what does God need for this to happen? He needs time! There must be time for the message of the Gospel to reach around the world so as to give everyone the opportunity to respond to it. Therefore, the longer the Lord delays His return, the better it is for those who haven't accepted Him as their savior. The verse from 2 Peter speaks of God being "patient." You can't be patient without some long period of time elapsing. We also know that God is a loving God. The Bible tells us that "Love is patient...(1 Corinthians 13:4)." God loves the world so much that He is patiently waiting for people to come to faith in Jesus. We must also remember that we are in a war; a spiritual war. Jesus told us, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10)." In this war, the plunder are the souls of man. The devil wins by stealing, killing and destroying. He steals the hopes of people, kills their bodies and their dreams and destroys lives and even eternities for some. God, on the other hand, wins through creating. He does this by resurrecting people from the dead; first spiritually through faith in Jesus Christ and, in the future, He will do it physically. While it is heartbreaking to witness so much pain and suffering going on in the world through all these terrible events, we must take heart that, in the midst of it all, people are coming to faith in Jesus Christ and being saved. Often times, it is only through pain and suffering that people come to the end of themselves and, at the lowest point of their lives, find the loving arms of Jesus waiting for them. This is where Christians can be used of the Lord. We can be there for people who have lost everything, both physically and spiritually, and take advantage of the opportunity to introduce them to Jesus. Will everyone accept Him? Unfortunately, no they will not. But, some will! It is difficult to watch all the events going on in the world. It is a daily reminder of the consequences of sin and what the rejection of God has brought on this world and the people living in it. Yet, with all of that going on, there is a sense of excitement as you see the truths of Jesus Christ, the Bible and our faith confirmed. While we lift up our heads awaiting our redemption, let us also not forget to fix our eyes on our fellow man and be available to share the hope we have so as to save some. Perhaps, they will come to faith in Jesus and join us in our anticipation of the Lord's return as well as doing what they can to bring others to faith in Him.