Christian Reflection and Prayer

Scripture:

[Jesus said], "Then everyone will see the Son of Man arrive
on the clouds with power and great glory. So when all these
things begin to happen, stand straight and look up, for your
salvation is near!"
Luke 21:27-28 NLT

Reflection:

No fear of judgment

What images come to mind when you think of "end times
prophecies"?…Most people, if they were honest, would admit
that their view of the end times is a frightening one.…They
imagine an angry and vengeful God hovering high above it all,
bent on destruction and raining terror on all who have rejected
him.

Have we missed something? In many ways I think we have.
God didn't reveal these graphic images of the coming judgment
to express his wrath or even to frighten us into believing. He
revealed them to show us his wonderful grace and mercy in the
midst of our sin and unworthiness. The story isn't about pending
gloom and doom, but it's about a loving Father who will do
anything he can to help people escape the consequences of evil.

Bible prophecy isn't intended to frighten us, but it's to prove
beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is real and omnipotent and
active in our lives; to warn us of the very real danger lying ahead
for those who reject his love and mercy; and to encourage us to
accept his gracious and free offer of salvation through his Son,
Jesus.

In his first letter to Timothy, Paul tells us that God "wants
everyone to be saved and to understand the truth" (2:4).…Time
and again in Scripture we are told that God longs for his people to
be with him in heaven. The Bible is not a story of wrath and
judgment but of unconditional love and redemption. God longs to
be with us and wants desperately for us to accept his hand of
salvation. What we do is up to us.

Adapted from Embracing Eternity by Tim LaHaye, Jerry Jenkins
and Frank M. Martin, Tyndale House Publishers (2004), entry for
January 3.