“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.

Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:1-8 ESV

As Christians, we look at each day as yet another opportunity to live and serve God while His patience still stands. We know and understand that the return of Christ could happen at any moment, and that God’s judgment then follows for all mankind. The righteous and unrighteous, the strong and the weak, the rich and the poor, we all will stand before God to give account for what we have done in and with this life we live.

For those of us who are counted as teachers, we will be held doubly accountable, and our words, we will find, really do matter quite a bit. David, in the Psalms, asks God many times about the prosperity of the wicked. He questions God about His judgment and the timing of His will when he asks ‘How long, O Lord?’

“When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish before your presence. For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.”

“The wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God. For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever. Arise, O Lord! Let not man prevail; let the nations be judged before you! Put them in fear, O Lord! Let the nations know that they are but men! Selah”
Psalm 9:3-4, 17-20 ESV

We know the day will come when God exacts His judgment, and we know that those who die apart from Him will not enter the inheritance that is promised for those who die in HIm. We know God is just, and we trust in His righteousness and truth. But we also know that God’s grace is bigger than we can possibly imagine. We know the desire of His heart is that all would come to Him, and that everyone would receive His grace. Unfortunately, and with loss we cannot possibly comprehend, there are many who choose self over salvation, and they will not taste eternity in the presence of God.

And here we are greeted with an ‘even so’ and we are reminded that God is still sovereign even in the midst of our sin and punishment. Our sin does not diminish God or His character. It does wound His heart, as we see sin grieving God all throughout the Scriptures. And so we live everyday He gives us, in His grace, sharing the love that was first given to us from His great heart. Everyday, we GoLove others for His sake, in His Name and according to His good purpose. We stand awaiting His judgment and the full revelation of His grace. Even so. Amen.