They are not all Dark
Clouds
In only the past 40+ years, my adult lifetime, we have
witnessed a tragic number of devastating events in the United States alone.
Worldwide that number becomes unimaginable to most people. We have seen
earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, major epidemics or at least their threat, floods,
avalanches, major storms, enormous tornadoes, droughts and heat waves, nuclear power
plant accidents, fires and explosions, shipwrecks, aircraft crashes, space accidents,
railroad accidents, oil spills, terrorist attacks and many others I will not
take time to enumerate. Dark clouds have shadowed our land almost daily.
There is always something looming just beyond the edge of
today. There have been dark clouds on the horizon almost every morning that I
have gotten out of bed to face another day. Maybe they have not shadowed the
sky above me directly but dark clouds have dimmed the sky nearby each one of us
too often.
I believe God is in control of even the darkest clouds.
Nothing has ever taken God by surprise. A phrase recently made popular says,
“Has it ever occurred to you that nothing has ever occurred to God?” God may or
may not have designed each event in history (I will leave that to the theologians)
but He certainly uses events to bring about His will. So, we would be wise to
watch those dark clouds and learn what we can as we compare today’s events to
the Word of God. Listen to what Jesus said in Luke 21, “(v.10) Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom: (v.11) and great earthquakes shall be in divers
places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall
there be from heaven. (v.12) But before all these, they shall lay their hands
on you, and persecute you,
delivering you up to the
synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my
name's sake.” “(V.16) And ye
shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends;
and some of you shall they
cause to be put to death. (v.17) And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.” “(V.20) And
when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the
desolation thereof is nigh. (V.21) Then let them which are in Judaea flee to
the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let
not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. (v.22) For these be the
days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.” “(V.25)
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and
upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves
roaring; (V.26) men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those
things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
(v.27) “And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and
great glory." At the end of all of this horror Jesus will return with his
armies to defeat Satan once and for all.
Yes, I am aware that Luke 21 is a reference to the
tribulation period. However, the world does not arrive there without having
become so vial and godless that we pass into it without notice. The unsaved
will wake up one day in the tribulation and that first morning will be no
different than the last morning when the children of God were raptured out.
Dark clouds of sin will have filled the skies and it will seem all hope is
gone. Christians (saved during the tribulation) will be outnumbered and
persecuted worldwide. Dark clouds will cover the skies.
But not every cloud will be dark. At the end of this
seemingly bleak picture in Luke Jesus inserts a sense of hope and anticipation
for the child of God. At the end of all of the terror and judgment, disease and
violence predicted here Jesus adds a ray of hope. He says just before the 7 years
of tribulation begin, a window of hope is opened. “(V.28) And when these things begin (when these things
begin, when they start) to come to pass,
then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”
When these events begin, at the start of the tribulation, before the judgment
of God falls, Jesus says, “lift up your heads.”
There is a song I really enjoy. It was sung by many but my
favorite rendition is by the Happy Goodman’s. It is says, “Early one morning I
walked out the door way, and stopped to look up at the sky, I was thinking how
this may be the exact day, that Jesus would sound forth the cry. There was
nothing but blue skies with one little white cloud, slowly slipping along, I
got so excited that I shouted out loud, this may be the cloud He's coming back on.”
Christian, every morning when you walk out your door take
time to look up at the sky. In the midst of all those dark clouds you just may
see "one little white cloud slowly slipping along….”
They are not all dark
clouds.
