PROGNOSTICATORS

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?”

Luke 12:54-56

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

How good of a prognosticator are you?

We all do it, you know. We all like to make predictions, trying to interpret any number of things.

Of course, the one we are most familiar with is the weather and although most people don’t have the sophisticated equipment and knowledge to forecast what weather is to come, we know who to turn to that does. We even have an entire cable channel dedicated to nothing but weather. That’s how popular the need for accurate weather predicting has become. I mean, we even have a day set aside for a groundhog who presumably holds some magical ability to foretell weather spring will come early or winter will prolong.

Recently, the National Football season ended with their showcase championship event, The Super Bowl. What happened over the two weeks leading up to it? Everyone seemed to have their own opinions as to who would win and why. Perhaps there is no other sports event that lends to predictions than professional football’s championship game.

Yes, we seem to like to envisage almost anything that lends to prediction to include whether relationships may or may not last, particularly when celebrities are involved. But here’s one thing we’re not very good at forecasting. We’re not skilled in seeing our own futures, perhaps because we’re too focused on the futures of others, and this includes the fallen state of the world we live in.

As we see in today’s scripture passage from the 12th chapter of Luke, this isn’t just a present day problem for the people in Jesus’ time erred the same. Look again at His words again here:

He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?”  Luke 12:54-56

Throughout this chapter, we find Jesus addressing a crowd of thousands which included His disciples. Taking advantage of the opportunity, He does what He usually likes to do, teach. As the chapter comes to a close we find Him addressing an issue among His listeners. For although they liked to pay close attention to predicting the weather (when it would rain or be hot), especially as it applied to their beloved harvest, they were not as good at paying attention to things much more important than that like the present times.

What were they failing to see?

The main thing was that their Savior was with them, the Messiah prognosticated by the prophets of old, the One who had come to save them.

Indeed, Jesus had been predicted. Jesus had been announced as arriving by John the Baptist. Jesus had shown Himself to possess a power unlike any man who had ever walked among the Jewish people. And yet the people didn’t recognize or acknowledge Him and they failed to do so all the way up to calling for His crucifixion and subsequently watching Him perish on Calvary’s cross.

The Jewish people failed to see the predicted Jesus who was in their midst to save them from a fallen, sinful state they also seemed to overlook. Today, the same thing is happening with the only difference being that the knowledge of Jesus as being God’s only Son and the Savior of mankind has now existed for more than 2,000 years. It’s far from a novelty as it was back when Jesus was alive.

So what will come of those today who can prognosticate weather, sporting events, relationships, or any number of other things and yet not see that they are living in a world destined for destruction, a world ready to take them down with it unless they receive salvation through Jesus, the only One who can bring it?

Let me make a prediction.

It’s not going to end well and this isn’t coming from me. God’s word tells us what to expect.

“And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”

“Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then He said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”  Revelation 20:12, 15; 21:1-5

Here is the prediction that is trustworthy and true, the prognostication you can take to the proverbial bank:

The book of life is going to be open and not everyone’s name is going to be written in it. Only those who received Jesus Christ as Savior will be listed and those people will enter into the new earth and heaven with God forever, liberated from everything that has ever afflicted them in this earthly life. Indeed, God will make all things new through His Son.

As for those who chose to reject Jesus, giving their attention to everything else except their own need for salvation, they will find they are not in the Book of Life and as a result will get to spend the rest of their life in the lake of fire. That’s right. You aren’t going to incinerate into ash and that be the end of it. That would be too easy. Instead, you will get to live in eternal torment. You’ll wish you could escape it but there will be no way out. Ultimately, you’ll get to kick yourself forever for snubbing the One who came to save you.

Here’s the good news for today. You can choose to secure your future in the best way possible, a future that will never stop being the best ever. You can reside with God and Jesus eternally with no worry over pain or sickness or hurt or sin for there will only be light and love and peace forever more.  

All you need to do is realize you are a sinner without hope of salvation unless you receive Jesus as your Savior, the Jesus who died in your place on the cross to pardon you from your sins, the Jesus who justifies you on judgment day before God the Father, the Jesus who will ensure your name is written in the Book of Life.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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