Sunday was a wonderful time of celebration! We celebrated Easter as a church, and it was a wonderful reminder of what Jesus did. He paved the way so that all of those who place their trust in Him will live forever with Him in heaven! There’s no better news than that! It may be hard to maintain a positive mindset right now. You may be asking: Is this it? Can we recover from this? How far will this go? Is this the end? Is all this a SIGN OF THE TIMES?
You’re not alone. Matthew 24 is all about “signs of the times” people look for. In fact, Jesus’ own disciples were feeling anxiety. “As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. ‘Tell us,’ they said, ‘when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’” (Matthew 24:3, NIV). Jesus gave sign after sign: false messiahs, wars, rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes, Christian persecution, apostasy, the rise of false prophets and teachers, lawlessness, and cold and unloving people.
Other things were added to the list to give us an even clearer picture in Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Matthew, and I and II Thessalonians, Revelation, the Psalms, and more. People have always seemed to sense that something isn’t quite right with planet earth—or that things could be better. And in the midst of this nagging doubt, most will eventually insert their own eternal condition. Am I good? Will I get in? Give me a sign. In Matthew 19, you see a rich, young, and powerful ruler. He had “made it to the top.” He thought he had all of the answers, but as the Bible makes clear, his life was EMPTY without Jesus in it.
Even if you think you’re good enough, the Bible says that no one in the world is innocent (Romans 3:10). You can become successful, but in the end, does it mean anything if you don’t know Jesus on a personal level? You can even be heavily involved in “religion,” but religion does not equal relationship. Keep your eyes on Jesus today! Later this week, I’ll help you further understand what a relationship with Him looks like.