©2001 Jonathan Gallagher

Jonathan Gallagher

Red orange yellow... The lurid colours of the rainbow stain the sky as the blazing orange fire deepens to heavy blood-red. The clouds shine too; silver and glistening gold against the royal purple of the coming night...

Sunset.

That powerful image that has been painted and described in so many ways. The hero rides off into the western sun. An old man sits on the beach as his life fades with the golden light. Two lovers stand beside the guard rail, silhouetted in the dying sun: the end of another shipboard romance.

At sunset comes that emotive time that captures our feelings of finality and end. The end of another day. Sad, happy, glorious, indifferent--whatever. A time to think, to reflect on where you've been, what you've done. As the sun slides slowly out of the sky, where are you? Another day ended, and how far have you come? Questions, questions.

For just as the day ends, everything ends. In our experience all things (even the good things) come to an end. The last bite of a sandwich and it's ended. An end to every journey. And every living thing upon this earth has its own end.

So what about this earth, this planet we call Home? Will that too have an End? Yes, say the scientists, in ten billion years when our sun explodes into a red giant of a star so big that it will swallow up this old earth. Yes, much sooner, say the doom-watchers, pointing to the rising tide of pollution, the accelerating race to nuclear destruction, the famines and the plagues and the overpopulation. Yes, say the cranks and fanatics, prophesying their latest way-out message of doom and disaster.

Hardly anybody says No anymore. The only variation is how it all will end. Which gets so dreary and depressing that most of us would rather not think about it, thankyou.

But if there is to be an End, what would you prefer? The bang, or the whimper? Or is there another, a better alternative?

YES! A million times better than nuclear holocaust or pollution poisoning or killer viruses. And infinitely preferable to this world continuing as it is!

I remember how surprised I was when I heard the news. Old news, really, getting on for 2000 years old. But I'd never heard about it before. Nor, it seems, have others. --Which is strange, when we know so much else concerning this person, Jesus Christ.

What's Christmas? The time we remember that Jesus was born.

What's Easter? The time we remember that Jesus died and rose again.

And then what? Nothing.

It's as if we've left out the most important part of the story. Not that anything could be more important that what Jesus has done for us, you understand. The Cross is not to be sneezed at! But think of this:

You're telling a story--maybe a funny story. What sense does it make if you stop before the punch-line? How good a story would Cinderella be if you left her still sweeping the floor for her ugly sisters? You're telling your mates about the latest football match--but you don't bother telling them the final score. Does that make any sense to you? Hardly.

But that's what most people do with the story of Jesus! They leave out the end! How about these for important words from the mouth of Jesus himself? Listen:

"I will come again." [1]

What was that?

Jesus himself promised to come again. The one who came to us, born a "son of Man"; the one who was crucified and who rose from the dead--he is coming back!

What? How? When? I remember asking the same questions. (And it is strange that this has been kept so secret. Should be front-page news...)

Some people think Jesus meant he would come again invisibly --through the Spirit, perhaps. Or at death. Or through the work of the Church. What did Jesus say about it?

"For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." [2] A pretty visible event, then! "Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him." [3]

Jesus makes this solemn promise of the time "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him" [4], which completes his plan for the salvation of lost mankind.

Those that heard him quite obviously believed every word: "In keeping with his promise," they said, "We are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness." [5]

Those early Christians looked forward to the return of their Lord with vivid expectation and confidence in what they called "the blessed hope" [6], absolutely sure that Jesus would return. For that is what he said, and they believed him. They had their proof in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus himself!

Jesus is coming back, quite literally. He'll come again just as he left [7]. So what does that mean?

Well, for one thing it means that all talk of us wiping ourselves off the face of the earth is not true. The End will not come through total nuclear annihilation or AIDS or the sun exploding. The End is not a man-made event or a natural catastrophe. The End is God.

Maybe that frightens you. The image some have of THE END OF THE WORLD is of a horrible nightmare, and the return of Jesus can be made to sound just like that. But is it?

From the descriptions given in the Bible the emphasis is not on the negative (all the destruction and disaster stuff) but on the positive (the glorious hope of Jesus' return, the joy of those who wait etc.) For those who choose to reject God and his love The End is certainly not pleasant! But when Jesus told his friends he would come back that wasn't meant to frighten them. He was trying to encourage them.

So we should take the news that Christ will come again as good news. The importance of the news is that we should get to know this returning Jesus now--as our friend. Nobody should be scared of a friend!

Because the real question is: "If Jesus is really coming back, why?" To which Jesus gives the answer: "I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." [8]

The hope Jesus held out was to spend all eternity with him. Not to hope in death, but in his return when he would take all who love him to be with him:

"For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." [9]

If you accept that Jesus was born and lived and died and rose again--then don't leave out his most precious promise that he would return. For whether you believe it or not, it is undeniably true. For what would God be if he left this world to continue on for all eternity in this awful mess!

No. Jesus Christ will come again. He comes to end sin and sadness, to begin a new life for all who love him, and to restore the kingdom of God in all its harmony. All his work so far would be incomplete without this coming. Salvation must be completed in its fullest reality: Lo--he will save us.

So when? Nobody knows, not exactly [10]. But Jesus told his friends to watch carefully for the signs of his coming--and they're all around for those that want to see. The time is simply "Soon". And surely if you're honest, it can't come soon enough. For who wants to live in a world that is falling apart, with so many horrendous problems?

"Yes, I am coming soon," promises Jesus; "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus," say his friends [11]. As the End approaches, where are you? As the world heads into its garish sunset of war-clouds and firestorms, earthquakes and overwhelming evil; where will you be? As the world-film finishes and THE END appears written large across the face of time, as the closing credits roll--how will you react?

Trembling with horror, fearful for the dying of the light? Or looking to the Saviour, Jesus who is coming again. The End is God's new Beginning for those that love him. Eternal life with God himself.

For in the twilight of the world the Sun of righteousness will arise. In the darkness of the night of evil will shine the glorious appearing the Saviour Jesus Christ. In the sunset of man's despair will blaze God's sunrise.

Sonrise.

References

1. John 14:3

2. Matthew 24:27 NIV

3. Revelation 1:7 NIV

4. Matthew 25:31 NIV

5. 2 Peter 2:13 NIV

6. Titus 2:13

7. Acts 1:11

8. John 14:3

9. 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17 NIV

10. Matthew 24:36

11. Revelation 22:20 NIV