That's No Moon...
Matthew 24:6-8, "You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs."
There is a movie series that claims to have been based on events that happened, "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away." This thrilling sci-fi drama series that has taken the world one storm trooper at a time is well known by the title, "Star Wars." In these films, the forces of good and evil collide in epic proportions. The viewer is often gripped by the intense space battles, ground wars, and of course the Jedi duels. There is a line that has become famous in pop culture and is recognizable to all, "Star Wars" fans, and that line is: "That's no moon. . . It's a space station." This line is stated when our heroic crew is flying through space and is supposed to land on a specific planet to find refuge. Instead of finding a planet, they find asteroids, or what they think are asteroids. They are then caught by surprise by a lone ship flying towards what is first thought of as a small moon. The viewer would then see the Jedi, "Ben Kenobi" become rather frightened, and then say those famous lines.
What is key to this scene is that the wise and old Jedi realizes that things are not as they seem. In Matthew 24:4-28, Jesus describes the Tribulation to His disciples and what will take place before His return to bring judgement upon the world (this is a day yet to come). If we look closely in verse 6 to 8, Jesus describes wars happening, false teachers rising up, world catastrophes like earthquakes happening, and famine; but these are only considered birth pangs. In these verses, we find Jesus saying that these events need to happen, and that they are a reminder for us about His second coming, this truth being asserted in verses 29 to 31. If we were to also look at 1 John 2:18, we would see that John confirms this reality by saying, "Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour." (John's use of the word antichrist was a title he gave to people that were once in the congregation he had written 1-3 John to. These individuals were false teachers, preaching a Gospel that was contrary to the truth. So since they were falsifying the truth of Christ, they were not for Christ, making them "antichrists." He was convinced that this was a sign of being in the final hours.)
The world is currently quite frightened because of the pandemic, and I do not blame them. It is incredibly saddening to hear of people becoming very ill or dying from it, and we pray for God's mercy over them and this world. But, we as believers should not just say, "this is just a pandemic and everything will return to how they once were". I think Scripture is clear about how we will face perilous times before Jesus returns. I also think this is a reminder to us that we truly are not in control. How many of us were caught off guard by this situation, and saw our future plans fizzle into a state of uncertainty because we do not know how long this will be going on for? Matthew 6:34 says, "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." There are other verses similar to this one that give the importance of living in the present, and how we can find much more peace by living life day to day rather than on the expectations of the future.
Now that is all well and good, but living day to day may still lack that present hope. That is when we put our faith in the hope that is present and eternal. We put our hope in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who came in the likeness of man. He who lived a perfect life and then gave Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world, because we could not live a life without sinning. By His blood, we can stand before the Holy Father at the day of coming judgement and be justified (being seen without sin) because those that believe in Jesus are cleansed from their transgressions. So in these days of uncertainty, days that encourage us to remember that Jesus is coming, where are you placing your eternal hope? Or, what are you doing so others may know? Hope can be yours today.
If you have any questions, concerns, or need someone to talk to during these uncertain times; please email me at nate.coulson.lef@gmail.com. Our church is here for you. Thank you and God bless.