"The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.
But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies.
What do ye imagine against the Lord? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time."
Nahum 1:7-9
This chapter talks about the burning of the earth at the Second Coming (this part talks about a flood, but before this the hills are melting, etc.), and what struck me about this selection is the idea that "affliction shall not rise up the second time."
As mortals we get pretty used to the cycles in life... ups and downs, joy and sorrow, gain and loss, etc. That helps us a lot with our overall hope when things are bad, because we know that "joy cometh in the morning" (Psalm 30:5). The coming joy becomes part of that sorrow, ameliorating it somewhat and helping us to cope. By the same token though, our joys may also be blunted when we know that sorrow will come again, especially if it is soon. That day without pain is a blessed day, but it is hard to believe that it will last. :)
Here, God tells us that affliction shall not rise up a second time. Just the way that God healed completely and permanently when he was on earth (no rehabilitation or recovery necessary), when he solves problems at the Second Coming, they are going to be *permanently* solved. ... That's why we're asked to repent now, because this is the time when there are second chances and good and evil and tolerance for sin and pain and affliction... but that won't last. When God makes things right they are going to *stay* right. No more people sliding back into bad habits or being tempted by things that really don't matter in the end. There will be an "utter end" to all the corruption, and we'll learn with joy what life is like without all that.
From our perspective, that sounds both scary and beautiful. Scary because... will we be ready for it?, and scary because wow, cleansing the earth is a lot of destruction. But beautiful because that's exactly what has to happen before this earth can become permanently good... and we can live in a society without hatred and pain.
Today, let's look forward to the time when God will "God shall wipe away all tears" (Revelation 21:4), and things will never be bad again.
But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies.
What do ye imagine against the Lord? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time."
Nahum 1:7-9
This chapter talks about the burning of the earth at the Second Coming (this part talks about a flood, but before this the hills are melting, etc.), and what struck me about this selection is the idea that "affliction shall not rise up the second time."
As mortals we get pretty used to the cycles in life... ups and downs, joy and sorrow, gain and loss, etc. That helps us a lot with our overall hope when things are bad, because we know that "joy cometh in the morning" (Psalm 30:5). The coming joy becomes part of that sorrow, ameliorating it somewhat and helping us to cope. By the same token though, our joys may also be blunted when we know that sorrow will come again, especially if it is soon. That day without pain is a blessed day, but it is hard to believe that it will last. :)
Here, God tells us that affliction shall not rise up a second time. Just the way that God healed completely and permanently when he was on earth (no rehabilitation or recovery necessary), when he solves problems at the Second Coming, they are going to be *permanently* solved. ... That's why we're asked to repent now, because this is the time when there are second chances and good and evil and tolerance for sin and pain and affliction... but that won't last. When God makes things right they are going to *stay* right. No more people sliding back into bad habits or being tempted by things that really don't matter in the end. There will be an "utter end" to all the corruption, and we'll learn with joy what life is like without all that.
From our perspective, that sounds both scary and beautiful. Scary because... will we be ready for it?, and scary because wow, cleansing the earth is a lot of destruction. But beautiful because that's exactly what has to happen before this earth can become permanently good... and we can live in a society without hatred and pain.
Today, let's look forward to the time when God will "God shall wipe away all tears" (Revelation 21:4), and things will never be bad again.
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