This morning, I looked at the clock without my glasses on and thought I had slept an hour longer than usual. There was the immediate
disappointment that my time with God would be cut short.
Thankfully, and surprisingly, when I put my glasses on I
realized that I was up an hour earlier than usual. Oh well; I had already
enjoyed the first sip of my coffee, and I could sneak in a nap right after
lunch, so everything looked hopeful.
Except that it is the day after election. The world is the
world. As God’s book prophesied, “all who
desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil
people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being
deceived.”[1]
And, as an earlier portion of God’s book declared, “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be
done, and there is nothing new under the sun.”[2]
Where, then, does the child of God get encouragement? From
the whole counsel of God’s word, of course.[3]
One of the very special blessings of spending daily time
with God in his word is that his words fulfill the beautiful expression that, “The steadfast love of the LORD never
ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is
your faithfulness.”[4] In
other words, every morning, complete with all its surprises, disappointments,
and opportunities, is a new experience of God’s mercies expressed through his
words.
For more than a couple of decades I have experienced God’s
word speak directly to whatever I am going through at any given time. Sometimes
this gives me God’s view of something I am facing. Other times there is a
distinctive conviction in regard to some immediate mistake. Some days it seems
as though God lays his blueprint over some present worldwide event, and
suddenly I see it through his eyes instead of my own.
All that to say that I came to God’s word extra early
convinced that God had given me added time with him to make sure I had his view
of what is going on in our country, and in the world all around us. As
expected, God’s word did what it is sent out to do. “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged
sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow,
and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”[5]
The Scripture God’s Spirit ministered to my
heart was this: “These
are the ones coming out of the
great tribulation.”[6]
Why is this so
significant, especially on the morning after this Canadian federal election?
Because, under the new government, “tribulation”
takes on a whole new meaning.
Why does this
picture give God’s children something hopeful to carry through whatever
increase in tribulation comes to Canada, and whatever great tribulation is experienced
around the world? Because it tells us that there is: “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation,
from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and
before the Lamb.”[7]
You see, from the viewpoint of the world,
the flesh, and the devil, tribulation is aimed at destroying Jesus’ church. At
times, it looks like the evil triad is successful.
However, God has a totally different view.
Because, “in all these things we are more
than conquerors through him who loved us,”[8] the result of all great tribulation is that God adds to the “great multitude that no one could number.”
Jesus builds his church.[9] God completes what he started.[10] God presents his children, “blameless
before the presence of his glory with great joy.”[11]
Jesus said, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me
I will never cast out.”[12] That is what the picture of the numberless multitude standing safe
and secure before the throne of God is telling us. These are the ones coming
out of whatever great tribulation his people experience in any generation, any
country, and under any government.
While I stand on the downward slope heading
into whatever the new government has in mind, I already know that I will be
among those who come out of every period of great tribulation. It will not be
because I am a strong Christian. It will be the result of the faithfulness of
my Lord Jesus Christ who will carry on to completion what he has started. As
his word says,
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.[13]
That is what we see when God shows us this
great numberless multitude standing before his throne. They are the ones God
knew, predestined, called, justified, and glorified. And, since even the gates
of hell cannot stop him, his children put our faith in him to the very end.
© 2015 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517,
Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted,
Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good
News Publishers.)
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