Revelation 1:7 – 8 “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, ” says the Lord God, who is and was and is to come—the Almighty.”
Even before Jesus ascended into heaven, his disciples were already getting anxious as to when he would return. Acts 1:7-11 describes the scene: Jesus replied, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After He had said this, they watched as He was taken up, and a cloud hid Him from their sight. They were looking intently into the sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.”
By this time, John is the last man standing among the disciples. All the other disciples have already been martyred for their faith. Now there are second and third and even fourth generation believers in the church. John wants to make sure that these believers don’t get discouraged and that they realize that Jesus could come back at any moment. Believers in Christ need to live in the expectation of that return.
Weddings were a big deal in Jesus’ day! The date would be announced, and the venue, but nobody knew exactly when the bridegroom would show up. Potential wedding guests had to be ready; festivities would begin as soon as the bridegroom arrived. Jesus told a story about twenty young ladies who were waiting to take part in a wedding. The bridegroom didn’t show up when expected, and night fell. Ten of these ladies had planned ahead and had enough oil for their lamps to burn all night; however, the other ten found their lamps running out of oil. And while the second group was off buying more oil, the bridegroom showed up, the wedding guests entered the wedding hall, and the door was locked. The feckless young ladies who had not been prepared found themselves locked out of the celebration. The moral of the story was obvious: Jesus was comparing himself to the bridegroom and warning his followers to be ready at all times for his return.
“and every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him.” When Jesus came as a baby, he was born to a poor family in an obscure village in a small country. He was a nobody. But when Jesus returns as the conquering King who has vanquished hell, death, and the grave, EVERYBODY is going to see Him! Jesus warned his disciples of this shortly before he was crucified. “Therefore if they say to you, “Look, He is in the desert!” do not go out; or “Look, He is in the inner rooms!” do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” (Matthew 24:26-27).
Before Jesus was crucified, he was beaten with whips having sharp pieces of broken pottery to help tear the flesh further. Then Jesus was nailed to the cross and eventually a Roman soldier thrust a spear into his left side to make sure that he was dead. None of us were there that day at Calvary; yet, we are all just as guilty as if we were in the crowds that screamed “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Jesus did not die on Calvary for his own sins, but for ours. When Jesus returns, everyone will see him in his majesty and his glory. At the same time, all of us will fall under the conviction of the Holy Spirit that WE are the ones who caused those wounds! We are the ones who caused Jesus to be pierced! And all of the human race will grieve because of the way Jesus suffered and the fact that he suffered for us!
So shall it be! Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, ” says the Lord God, who is and was and is to come—the Almighty.” When we say something is going to happen, there is always a chance that circumstances will change. But when God says “So shall it be,” that ends the matter! In the Greek alphabet, Alpha is the first letter and Omega is the last letter. God is assuring us that He is the beginning and end of everything, that He is Almighty, and that He has always existed, still exists and always will exist.
Today, where is your confidence? Are you trusting in financial security or a job or family connections? Perhaps you are a physical fitness buff and run marathons. As long as you are trusting in anything or anyone less than the One True Living God, you are making a terrible mistake. If COVID has taught us little else, we should have learned that businesses, jobs, social position and health can all vanish in an instant. In Psalm 95:7-8 the Psalmist tells us, “Today, if you hear His voice, 8do not harden your hearts…”
Remember the story of the wedding party. Jesus is going to return, but nobody knows the day or the hour. If we are not ready, if we have not chosen to follow Jesus, we will be like the young ladies who found themselves locked out of the wedding feast.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank you for loving us so much that you allowed yourself to be pierced for our sins and nailed to the cross! Thank you that you have made a way for us to be with you in heaven forever if we will only believe on you and what you have done for us. Help everyone who reads this devotional to come to a saving knowledge of your love for them. In your mighty and precious Name, Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
Leave a comment