Looking Forward to the End
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Romans 8:35
What is your worst-case scenario? What is the worst thing that could possibly happen to you? This may be a dark way to think, but I think it’s also an interesting thought experiment. Especially when you incorporate your faith in Christ into the equation. Sure, there are things that you would probably like not to experience. But you have faith in Christ as your Lord and Savior. What bad thing could happen to you when you have Jesus?
When something inconvenient happens, the common perspective that is shared is something along the lines of, “Oh well, it’s not the end of the world”. To many, that is the worst-case scenario. That the world would end. The other things we can get past, deal with, and move on from. But there is no coming back from the end of the world. In that scenario, it’s just all over.
Those earthly things Paul mentions, which might theoretically separate us, none of them sound fun. Yet, those things cannot separate us from Jesus. He goes on to further exhaust the list: “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (8:38-39) Nothing shall separate us from Christ’s love. Not even death itself can separate us from Christ. Even the end of the world. The world ending doesn’t separate us from Him, instead it brings us right to Him where we belong! There is no worst-case scenario for the Christian. At the end of the day, and at the end of the world, absolutely nothing can separate Jesus from His loved ones!
Jesus lives! I know full well
Naught from me His love shall sever;
Life nor death nor powers of hell
Part me now from Christ forever.
God will be a sure Defense;
This shall be my confidence.
The Lutheran Hymnal 201:4