Issue 1592 – Exiled – November 4, 2024
Late last night, I was reading the book of Jeremiah. The Lord has given Jeremiah the task of proclaiming judgment upon the nations of Israel and Judah (by this time, the twelve tribes have long been separated into two nations).
The two tribes will go into exile and captivity in Babylon. Only one of the tribes, Judah, will return. I’m glad I am not the prophet bringing that news.
There is hope for some. God promises that their captivity will be for a limited period, 70 years, far less time than they were in Egypt.
This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. Then after seventy years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity, declares the Lord, making the land an everlasting waste. Jeremiah 25:11-12
I pondered the extent of God’s justifiable wrath. He will not tolerate sin. Yet, there is also mercy, for He would allow some of His people to return.
I wondered if the people who went into captivity counted off the years or if they forgot the promise and went about their daily lives. I can’t see any place in Scripture that tells us that.
How would I respond if put into a similar situation? Would I have a repentant heart, or would it harden against God? Would I eagerly count the days and years, or would it seem so far into the future that I would forget? Would I tell my children about God’s promises, and would they listen if I did?
Seventy years is three or four generations down the line. Many would never return to their homeland. Many would grow up knowing little of their homeland other than some far-off place grandma and grandpa carried on about.
It’s hard for us to comprehend because God works on a different scale of time than we do. It isn’t without reason that Scripture says that 1,000 years is like a day to the Lord.
Thinking of time and timelines got me thinking of the hearts of many Christians. They have become totally end-times-focused, looking at every day’s events to see where we are on the checklist of the day Jesus will return.
I understand the desire for the promised return of Jesus. I know we have lived in the last days since Christ was resurrected and ascended into heaven.
A finite amount of time is left to evangelize and for our loved ones to come to faith. Yet, God is sovereign; I know that whenever the last trumpet sounds, it will not be before God’s work here is done.
Honestly, no one knows whether the church will go pre-, post, or mid-tribulation. Good and godly people have debated that for centuries. However the timing works out, it won’t be doomsday for Christians. Times will be hard, but God’s perfect plan is unfolding, and we have victory in Jesus, come what may.
I don’t know when Jesus will return. Jesus tells us that only the Father knows that.
If we truly trust the Father and understand we can’t predict the date, there is a lot of freedom in not stressing about those things. In the not knowing, we live each day as if He could appear at any time (to the best of our abilities with His help) and leave the rest in his hands.
He may return tomorrow, next week, or seventy years, or two thousand years from now. That shouldn’t be our primary focus. There is no harm in trying to figure it all out, but for many, it becomes an obsession that eclipses their view of Christ and His work.
Jesus has already told us He is coming back, and the timing will be a surprise, so that should be sufficient.
Until next time, live every day for Christ and rejoice in knowing that it will happen when God’s timing is perfect.
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
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