How Will You Respond to God's Power and Glory?

By Samantha Rodriguez

“At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead of time. So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. Immediately after the distress of those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”—Matthew 24:23–31 (NIV)

Today’s Scripture continues to cover Jesus’ instructions regarding the end of the age. We must remember at this point He’s having a personal conversation with His closest disciples. The documentation of this conversation helps us to receive the same insight Jesus shared with His disciples in the same manner.

With this information, the disciples were able to walk with purpose and confidence that though the coming of the end would not be pleasant, the actual end would be a victorious celebration of Christ and all His glory! What He tells them in today’s Scripture both warns and encourages us with a glimpse into this promise.

The passage starts with Jesus repeating the same warning against false prophets who claim to be the Messiah. This is something that would happen repeatedly, and it would be deceiving, manipulative, and sneaky. It’s easy to forget that the word Messiah means Savior and many things and people in this world try to convince us they can save us. We must stand firm in recognizing Christ alone as our Savior and Messiah!

The language Jesus uses here for when the Son of Man does come references some Scriptures in Isaiah and the prophecy of Daniel who saw the coming of the Son of Man in a dream. In Daniel’s vision, he sees the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven and approaching the presence of God where He was given “authority, glory, and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13–14 NIV). Jesus makes this reference, which leaves His disciples with strengthened confidence in Daniel’s prophecy coming to pass. Because of the glory and power the Son of Man is due, everyone will worship Him forever!

In Jesus’ conversation; however, another side of this scene is depicted as He says people will mourn when they see Him coming in power and glory. Why? Because these are the people who chose to turn away from Christ and reject Him. This reminds me of the Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. In the last book, The Last Battle, there’s a scene representing the end of the age where all creatures stand face-to-face with Aslan who represents God. Before reflecting on today’s passage, let’s read from that scene:

“But as they came right up to Aslan one of two things happened to each of them. They all looked straight in his face; I don't think they had any choice about that. And when some looked, the expression of their faces changed terribly—it was fear and hatred. . . . And all the creatures who looked at Aslan in that way swerved to their right, his left, and disappeared into his huge black shadow. . . . But the others looked in the face of Aslan and loved him, though some of them were very frightened at the same time. And all these came in at the Door, in on Aslan's right” (The Last Battle C.S. Lewis).

Those who look to God and have fear and hatred are those who choose to live in defiance of God’s authority and love. Those who look to God with gratitude, wonder, love, and awe are those who choose to surrender to God’s will, repent, receive His forgiveness, and submit to their good Creator and Father. Which are you?

Pause: Have you considered your heart's posture when you look to God? Evaluate it now and ask yourself what needs to change so you will look at Him with love, awe, and wonder.

Practice: Reflect on the power and glory of God today to get your heart in the right place. The end may be near, but what is most important is our hearts.

Pray: Father God, You are glorious and grand! Thank You for giving us Your Word full of prophecies and promises to encourage us as we live for You on the earth. You will come and secure Your rightful place as King of kings and Lord of lords in Your timing, and until then, I ask You to help me to continue looking on You with love and wonder. Grow my awe for You, Lord! May I live in light of Your promised return and eternal victory! Amen.