NOW!

Nope, that’s not a fine exemplar of the Aberdeen-Angus variety of the genus Bos, subfamily Bovinae, family Bovidae, a.k.a. “cattle”. This beast with the beady eye and baleful glance, bearing those bent things on its brow, was betraying a less-than-benign bias against me, and so, before it began to behave in bellicose fashion, and before I was beset by bane, I put distance between us. Beware! This is a Texas Longhorn!

All this to say, in other words, and to make a long story short, I was home this past week. One last chance to soak in some of the blazing North Texas summer heat before facing the frigid onslaught of another North Atlantic winter.

Of the martyrs that came out of the great tribulation and were now before the throne of God serving Him, John tells us in Revelation what an “elder” reported to him:

“He who sits on the throne
will spread His tabernacle over them.
They will hunger no longer,
nor thirst anymore;
nor will the sun
beat down on them,
nor any heat ….”
Revelation 7:15–16

“Any” heat? I sure hope it ain’t cold out there; hyperbole, I hope it is, on the part of the elder. And does no more hunger mean no more food, water, and other culinary concoctions? Of which, needless to say, I had my fill and more on my recent trip, thanks to the exquisite epicurean enchantments in the homes of family and friends. Believe it or not, it wasn’t hard to keep off JIF for a few days!

I like the following bit though.

“… for the Lamb
in the center of the throne
will be their shepherd,
and will guide them
to springs of the water of life;
and God will wipe
every tear from their eyes."
Revelation 7:17

That’s good stuff. No more sad tones. Except for those who like beaches. To them, my condolences!

And I saw [John writes]
a new heaven and a new earth …
and there is no longer any sea.
Revelation 21:1

It’s interesting, but other than generalities like this—and how much of that is figure of speech?—God has chosen to leave us mostly in the dark about the afterlife. Enough to make us yearn. Enough holes in our souls to enable us to realize there is wholeness only sometime later, somewhere there, with Someone. But hardly enough to whet our appetites or sate our curiosities. And I suppose, there is good reason for this divine reticence.

Though the future should spur us on, we must not forget we live in the present, here on this planet, with our brothers and sisters in Christ, amongst our fellow-humans. We live in the “now,” not in the “then.”

In a letter intended to correct the misunderstandings of the Thessalonians regarding the “end”, Paul wrote about this “now.”

… we command and exhort [you]
in the Lord Jesus Christ
to work in quiet fashion and
eat [your] own bread .... [and]
do not grow weary of doing good.
2 Thessalonians 3:12–13

So let our lives now be characterized by sobriety, hard work, and well-doing.

Therefore be careful
how you walk,
not as unwise men but as wise,
making the most of your time,
because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:15–16

Short days. Brief days. Transient days. Let’s be wise in their expenditure, utilizing them maximally to serve God with all He has given us, for His glory, for the furtherance of His kingdom, for the edification of His people.