Day 365

Of the Last Judgment.

Chapter 32, Paragraph 3.

“…so will he have the day unknown to Men, that they may shake off all carnal security, and be always watchful, because they know not at what hour, the Lord will come; and may ever be prepared to say, Come Lord Jesus, Come quickly, Amen.”

Scripture Lookup

Mark 13:35-37

Luke 12:35-40

Revelation 22:20

Reflection

Jotting stuff down on my calendar lets me determine my priorities. This way I know how to get ready: do I have time to get this errand done? Do I have to be concerned that x,y, and z haven’t happened yet?  With a schedule, I determine the course of the day. I am in charge!

To my carnal self, knowing the date of the Last Day would be ultra convenient. Looking at the number of people who have claimed to know the exact day of Christ’s return, I’m guessing I’m not alone. But we are clearly told in Scripture that no one knows the day or the hour. (Mark 13:32) Why leave us in suspense?

By withholding the date of the Last Judgment, we are completely dependent upon God for our tomorrow. We know that there will be a day when justice and mercy will be meted out in full measure; we are to be content with that. Living however we want for a time and then cleaning up our act will not work. We must anticipate His arrival at any moment.

Waiting for the Lord to come can be wearying, though. As a mom, I am always “on” when watching my young kids. I don’t want anything to happen to them, so I do my best to  keep them out of trouble. When night comes, I can breathe easily when they are finally asleep, knowing I have a break. In a similar way, when the Lord finally comes, our battle with the world, the flesh, and the devil will end. We will no longer have to be vigilant, because there will be no sin to fight. Longing for that day to come, and for it to come quickly, is a good thing. In doing so we recognize our weakness and look to Christ to fulfill His salvation. He will give us the strength to endure, but even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Amen.

Questions to Consider

• Are you anticipating the Last Day? Why or why not?