Luke 21:9 But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.

I hear and see much resentment in the community of believers over current events. “Surely the end is near.” We tire of the bad news. We see Christians slaughtered and beheaded and wish for Christ to come again and put an end to all this. This is our wish, this is our hope, this is our prayer. “But the end is not by and by.”

“I don’t know how it could get any worse.” Then it does. We want to see prophecies happen, we just don’t want to be the part of it that is painful. We look to the Word and pick at prophetic hope like it is a menu board where you can order dessert without the appetizer. God is a God of order, and prophesy must happen in order.

Verse 12 begins with “But before these things”. Then a list of painful events are listed. You can look to history and hope that these things have already come to pass, but turn on you international news, they are still happening today. So where do we fit in history?

Ephesians 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

We are preaching the Good News in the face of bad news. This will happen until the end of the church age.

“But the end is not by and by.”

 

Leviticus 13:40 And the man whose hair is fallen off his head, he is bald; yet is he clean.

Well that is nice to know, but I am not bald. I am not going bald. I am not losing my hair nor am I folicly challenged. I have an inherited hairline. Like so many things in a family, it is inherent to the blood. So many things are inherent. Doctors take a family history for just that reason. Many of my cousins are currently reporting thyroid cancer. Mine was removed seven years ago. It’s inherent.

Guess what else is inherent and impossible to deny or avoid, sin.

Lamentations 5:7 Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities.

Not that we have sinned because our fathers sinned but by the law of begetting, we have that same fallen nature.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

There is no escaping it, it is inherent.

BUT, don’t you love when but goes in your favor?

Ephesians 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

We who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior have been adopted into the family of saints and as such have a new nature, a new inheritance, a new destiny.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Hebrews 6:12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Bought with the blood of the Lamb of God, we now have a new inheritance.