A Descended God预览

He Will Return Victorious

“Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne” by Emily Elliot

Verse 5:

When the heavens shall ring, and the angels sing,
At Thy coming to victory,
Let Thy voice call me home, saying "Yet there is room,
There is room at My side for thee."

That scene in Lord of the Rings when Frodo, Sam, Aragorn, and all the others celebrate victory over the dark lord Sauron…

That scene in Return of the Jedi when Luke, Leia, and Han celebrate with their allies as they exult in the destruction of the Death Star…

That scene in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves when Robin Hood and Maid Marion are wed, knowing that the wicked Sheriff of Nottingham has been vanquished…

These are all celebratory endings to the great conflicts that the protagonists had to face. The depth of the struggle only enhanced the heights of the victory!

There has been no greater struggle than the one that our Lord Jesus endured. He came down to earth to battle all the dark forces of hell and even Satan himself. One single man against every ounce of evil in the entire universe.

No one else could do anything to stop the raging onslaught of the devil’s forces. But Jesus was up to the challenge.

He came and struck blow after blow, rescuing men and women and children from the grip of Satan’s clutches. But it was when He hung on that cross, when He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30), when He died, and when He rose again, that He absolutely conquered all the powers of death and hell.

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)

Prayer: Lord Jesus, let me never forget how the story ends. You are coming back one day. And on that day, every evil will be utterly destroyed, every wrong will be made right, and every tear will be wiped away. Help me to live with that view of eternity in my mind. Help me endure the struggles of this life with greater endurance and grace, knowing that it will all be over soon. Amen.

Reflection: Are you ready for Christ’s return? Are you living each moment of your life in such a way that if He were to come back today, you would have nothing to fear?