Thursday, October 24, 2024

Matthew 4:17 -- On Repentance and Eternity

"From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Matthew 4:17


Christ here is talking about the Kingdome of Heaven being "at hand" ... perhaps because of his presence, perhaps because all of our lives are short and in the eternal scheme of things, it is soon, perhaps because we should always act as though the kingdom of God is imminent.

Isaiah, a long time before this, quoted God saying "Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come," (Isaiah 56:1). Though this nearness seems to us, comparatively, far away, God never lies, so there is definitely truth here, and probably on many levels. One may be that the timescale that God is working with is vast, as with other events in the scriptures, and God is encouraging us to realize that no matter how the hours seem to drag on in certain moments, that objectively our lives are an eyeblink, and that we need to "seize the day" as it were.

Today, let's take advantage of the short time we have in mortality and repent, and do justice, and prepare for eternity, which is always nearer than we realize.

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