Life's Inanities and Ironies

Beloved, the birth pains described in Matthew 24 are real, and the streets of Europe (and other places) are showing us their intensity. Yet the same Jesus who warned of wars, unrest, and increasing lawlessness also gave us a clear command and a certain promise: “See that you are not alarmed… the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:6, 13). And Paul reminds us that we are “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). The riots, the economic frustration, the breakdown of order, and the spirit of lawlessness are not the end of the story. They are temporary birth pains. Creation itself is groaning (Romans 8:22), and the nations are raging (Psalm 2), but the King who sits in the heavens will have the final word. Every headline that troubles the heart should also lift the eyes. The same Lord who walked through the streets of Jerusalem and promised to return is the One who will one day make all things new (Re...

  Jesus did not only warn us about birth pains; He told us how to live in the midst of them: “See that you are not alarmed… the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:6, 13–14). The proper response to global unrest is not panic, political obsession, or withdrawal. It is faithful endurance and bold witness. First, refuse fear. The command “see that you are not alarmed” is not a suggestion. Our Lord sits at the right hand of the Father and holds every event in His hand. The same God who numbers the hairs on our heads is not surprised by riots in Europe or anywhere else. Second, practice self-control and peacemaking. Romans 12:18 says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” That does not mean silence in the face of evil, but it does mean we do not join the world’s rage or excuse lawlessness. Third, keep pro...

Scripture warns that “the mystery of lawlessness is already at work” (2 Thessalonians 2:7). That mystery is not confined to some future Antichrist; it is the spirit of rebellion against God’s order that has been active since the Fall and is intensifying in our day. The riots across Europe are one more visible manifestation of that lawlessness. When large numbers of people decide that the rules of civil society no longer apply to them—when they burn public buildings, loot stores, and attack police—they are acting out the same spirit that rejects the authority of God Himself. Jesus predicted that nation would rise against nation and that lawlessness would increase (Matthew 24:7, 12). The economic pressures, housing crises, and government failures that sparked the protests are real. Yet the Bible never presents human government as the ultimate solution. Romans 13 teaches that governing authorities are God’s servants to punish evil and praise good, but those authorities themselves are made...

Beloved, the fires in Paris, Tirana, Milan, and other cities did not start with a match. They began in the human heart. The Apostle Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, described exactly the kind of society we are watching unfold: “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people” (2 Timothy 3:1–5). Read that list slowly. Lovers of self. Without self-control. Brutal. Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. These are not abstract theological terms; they are the spiritual soil in which riots grow. When a generation is taught to love itself above God and neighb...

  Beloved in Christ, open your eyes to the headlines. Streets in Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Tirana, Milan, and other cities have burned. Peaceful marches over the cost of living and failing schools were overtaken by firebombs, arson of city halls and tourist offices, looting of shops, and clashes that left hundreds of police injured and thousands arrested. Similar unrest has flared in Italy, Albania, Portugal, and beyond. This is not merely politics or economics. It is a symptom of a deeper spiritual reality. Jesus prepared His people for exactly this kind of world. In the Olivet Discourse He said these things “must take place,” yet He commanded, “See that you are not alarmed.” Wars, rumors of wars, and the rising of nation against nation are the beginning of birth pains—not the delivery itself. The same pattern appears in the increasing lawlessness Jesus warned would cause the love of many to grow cold (Matthew 24:12). Economic hardship, frustration with governments, and the readines...