Looking for Christ's Return in the Headlines

[Darris McNeely] We're living in a time of great confusion. Every day, we wake up to a new crisis. We hear about Ukraine destroying Russian warplanes in a drone attack. Civil unrest and riots break out in Los Angeles. Economists fear a recession. And then, Israel bombs Iran.

The headlines flash across our screens in rapid succession, and we are left trying to make sense of it all. But what if the real headlines were already written long ago? What if the chaos we see isn't random but part of a larger spiritual reality that's been unfolding across time?

You seek understanding about today's world. Like many, you look to the Bible for understanding. So consider this question.

Is a crisis event breaking out in the world the prime motivator for you to live a godly life, to get right with God?

I used to think so. I don't anymore. And let me explain why.

I've always been a news and prophecy junkie. For me, it was always a big rush. Excitement, drama, and anticipation would rise when I would read about events that had prophetic implications. And I know that you do the same. Well, I've read these for years while searching to understand the world and to obey the teaching of Jesus Christ when He said, watch therefore and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man. I take that very seriously.

At Beyond Today, we believe that to truly understand what's happening in the world, you need to see it through a different lens. And that's the lens of the Bible, specifically through the gospel of Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God.

Jesus said that among other things, there would be wars, rumors of war. He said that in answer to a question that was put to Him by His disciples, and it was meant to focus them and us on large events that impact the nations and the course of history.

They were on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, and the disciples came to Jesus privately, it says, asking, tell us, when will be these things and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? It's in Matthew chapter 24. The disciples asked the same question in their day that you and I ask today, when will Jesus Christ return and put an end to the human suffering? That's what we look for.

Many times behind our questions is, why do people suffer?

That's important to understand on this program.

We put together a booklet, a study aid, Tools for Spiritual Growth that you can access readily at ucg.org/bt491, Tools for Spiritual Growth, a study aid, along with other material there that can help you to understand why there is that suffering and how it's going to be put to an end right now in your own life.

Jesus did give to His disciples specific signs to watch for. Continuing on in Matthew 24, He said, Take heed that no one deceives you, for many will come in My name, saying that I am the Christ, and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. And He ended that passage saying these are the beginning of sorrows.

Now the first sign that He mentioned was false religion. Jesus countered false ideas in His own day. Religious people would question Him about who He was and whether He did really come from God. They denied His teaching. They didn't listen and watch and understand His miracles. And later in the New Testament, there are examples of false teaching creeping into the church. Only a few years after its beginning. And today, we have many brands of faith. But the Bible shows you there can only be one true church.

Now crisis events today are a regular part of our world. We can find a dramatic headline describing something bad every day.

Consider the war in Ukraine. It has now been raging for more than three years. More than a million Russian casualties have been experienced as troops are moved into battle lines. It's really a meat grinder. The carnage there is on par with the worst of World War I. And in Gaza, the war between Israel and Hamas terrorists commands world attention. And as I'm speaking, Israel is attacking Iran to destroy its nuclear program. Indeed, these are large and important news events shaping our present world. And they create dramatic headlines.

Reading them, listening to them, makes us very anxious because we wonder, what does it mean? What does it mean for my future?

Well, Jesus mentioned earthquakes and pestilence and famine, among other things. And we know that that too has been a part of the entire history of the world. And yes, we should be aware that there will be events that are markers at the end of the age prior to Christ's Second Coming. But they should not be our prime motivation to worship God in spirit and truth.

Our commitment to the worship of God in our life should be rooted in a relationship with God. That's how we will endure to the end in faithful obedience. Not by fear, but by confident faith. Your zeal to worship, to obey God, your urgency and zeal to live godly in today's world should not be tied primarily to the bad news headlines screaming at us from the internet and cable news shows.

Let me tell you something sincerely. What passes today is news is not always news. Much of its entertainment disguised as news. News shows today, they have to capture and hold our attention. And that's a hard job. We have short attention spans with news and world events holding our attention long enough to inform and educate us. Well, that's a lost cause. Almost a lost art. Frankly, it's almost impossible. News reporters are poorly informed and biased in other things.

What they understand about the world will only depend on the effort that they have put into understanding what makes the world work. And that takes a depth of knowledge of history, of culture and other factors for them to give accurate reports about the big events they cover. Unfortunately, many lack those qualities.

But most importantly, the source of true understanding about the world, human nature and the why of the world is rejected.And that source is the Bible. The Bible tells us not only there is a God that created this world, but what God is and what He is doing with this wonderful awe-inspiring creation that we call earth.

The Bible also shows us why God created humans in His image. And these fundamental truths matter. They are the basis to understand and interpret today's world events. Again, at our landing page, ucg.org/bt491, there's a booklet, Tools for Spiritual Growth, that you can look at and study to help you to understand how to develop a life and a relationship with God through a study of His Word and through real faith-filled prayer.

You know, it's time that we all adopt a different approach. So do this. Find the headlines in the Bible. And let those be the scenes that inspire you to devotion and lifelong worship of God in truth.

Let me give you an example. It's in the book of Revelation, the last book of the whole Bible, chapter 14. There we have a scene of Christ on Mount Zion after His second coming, and around Him is a large group of saints. Here's what it says. Then I looked, and behold, a lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000, having the Father's name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters and like the voice of loud thunder, and I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps.

Here's a headline of not just the return of Christ. It is a triumphal scene of resurrected saints with Him. Many people who have overcome the world through the ages, overcoming through grace of God, now they have glorified bodies through the resurrection. Made immortal, it's an awe-inspiring sight that should motivate us today into a life of faith, a life of confidence, a life of excitement for the reward that is promised to the saints by God, which is eternal life in His family.

The passage goes on to explain the character of those standing with Jesus. They've maintained spiritual purity by living clean, good lives today. They follow Christ's life as a pattern for theirs. There's no deceit found in their mouths. They do not live with malicious or envious thinking. Eternal life in the kingdom of God for them should be enough of a motivator to live a holy life today. And it should be enough for all of us.

This is the headline event that should charge us with excitement and a passion for a well-lived life for the rest of our life. Think about that. Think about it when you find yourself chasing headline events on the internet, experiencing uncertainty or fear because of world conditions that are very real, that we should be concerned about but not overly anxious about.

I'm saying that we are to be awake. We are to be alert to the dangerous spiritual traps of this world. We have the stable foundation and the support that flows from a life redeemed by the blood of Christ and led by the Spirit of Christ. This is the life of a disciple.

Here's the truth. The real news is not what happened today on Wall Street or in Washington. The real news is what God has already revealed. The real headlines were written in eternity, preserved in the scriptures and unveiled through the prophetic scriptures.

Now, I still watch and I still read the news, seeking to understand our world and so should you. But do so while standing on the firm foundation of the Bible and a life led by God's Spirit.

So what does that mean for you? Well, it means that if you feel like something is off in this world, if you feel the news no longer makes sense, and if you're wondering what's real and what matters, understand you're not alone, that you are sensing the spiritual reality behind the illusion.

And that's where the gospel begins to break through. Because the gospel tells us, this world is not as it seems. There is a purpose behind the madness. History is not random. It's God-directed. The gospel tells us there is a kingdom coming that will replace all other kingdoms. And the gospel tells you that you were born at this moment in this age for a reason. Your life has meaning. Your choices matter. And your ability to discern your time will determine how you walk through this world with fear or with faith.

And so for more on this topic, go to ucg.org/bt491, Tools for Spiritual Growth. A great study aid right there. That's Beyond Today. Join us next time.