A ‘Mystery!’

 

I’m a fan of a British detective show, Midsomer Murders.  In each episode the writers give several characters plausible motive for the crime to keep viewers guessing until the last few moments when the culprit is revealed. The murderer is usually a surprise character,  someone who is introduced to the plot early on, seemingly innocent. It’s fun to watch, at least for this old guy.  

I do not know if high school students read O. Henry short stories anymore, but I read them in American Literature class a long time ago. O. Henry loved a surprise ending, often wrapped in emotion. His best story is The Gift of the Magi. In that story a young wife, Della, sells her hair that her husband admires to buy Jim a watch chain for his prized watch.  Meanwhile he sells his watch to buy beautiful combs for Della's hair. At the end, both find their best treasure the love of the other.

In the 15^th chapter of 1 Corinthians, which is a lengthy defense of the literal, bodily resurrection of Jesus and an encouragement to Christians to hope for eternal life, Paul drops a surprise into the text near the end of the chapter. He writes-  "Listen, I tell you a mystery: (a secret) We will not all sleep, (die) but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." (1 Corinthians 15:51-52, NIV)  What? We all die, right?  What is he talking about?

He explains in another letter. "We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:14-18, NIV)

At the Second Coming of Christ Jesus, the Believers who are living will find themselves miraculously and instantaneously transformed into eternal beings! That generation will not die, but they will be changed in the moment. Our pastor spoke of Jesus’ return yesterday, encouraging us to live expectantly, even though it may seem that the coming of the Lord is never going to happen. Even the first generation of Christians grew discouraged of waiting, some concluding that it must have happened without their knowledge. They thought Jesus would keep His promise to return to establish His earthly Kingdom within a short time, but as the generation died off, some doubted the promise. Do you? Have you pushed that promise to the periphery of your mind, thinking it possible but highly unlikely?

Peter urges us to keep faith, to hold onto the mystery of His coming.  He reminds us that time on God’s calendar is much different than ours. "But you must not forget, dear friends, that a day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent. But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and everything in them will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be exposed to judgment." (2 Peter 3:8-10, NLT)  Jesus will return. The kingdom of righteousness will be established. Evil will be judged and done away with forever!  This is our GREAT hope, my friend.

I would love to be a part of that last generation, suddenly changed from a dying man to a creature of immortality, wouldn’t you? That’s God’s mystery, a secret that inspires us to live for Him. As we head into a new week, Easter 2023 behind us, lets commit to living for Christ Jesus, expectant of His coming, ready to be changed, to receive His commendation for faithfulness.

The word from the Word challenges me. Hear it with faith. "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." (Titus 2:11-14, NIV)   Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

(Video of this blog at this link)

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Days Of Elijah

Behold He comes
Riding on the clouds
Shining like the sun
At the trumpet call
So lift your voice
It's the year of Jubilee
And out of Zion's hill
Salvation comes

These are the days of Elijah
Declaring the Word of the Lord
And these are the days
Of Your servant Moses
Righteousness being restored
And though these are days
Of great trials
Of famine and darkness and sword
Still we are the voice
In the desert crying
Prepare ye the way of the Lord

Behold He comes
Riding on the clouds
Shining like the sun
At the trumpet call
So lift your voice
It's the year of Jubilee
And out of Zion's hill
Salvation comes

And these are the days of Ezekiel
The dry bones becoming as flesh
And these are the days
Of Your servant David
Rebuilding a temple of praise
And these are the days of the harvest
The fields are as white in the world
And we are the labourers
In Your vineyard
Declaring the Word of the Lord

There is no god like Jehovah
There is no god like Jehovah
There is no god like Jehovah
There is no god like Jehovah (hey)

 

Robin Mark

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