The Eve of Destruction ∙

The Eve of Destruction ∙

But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. – 1 Thessalonians 5:4

1 Thessalonians 5:2-9

 2 For you know quite well that the day of the Lord will come in the same way as a thief in the night.

 3 Now when they are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction comes on them, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will surely not escape.

 4 But you, brothers, and sisters, are not in the darkness for the day to overtake you like a thief would.

 5 For you all are sons of the light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of the darkness.

 6 So then we must not sleep like the rest, but stay alert and sober.

 8 But since we are of the day, we must stay sober by putting on the breastplate of faith and love and as a helmet our hope for salvation.

 9 For God did not destine us for wrath but for gaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

“Eve of Destruction” was written by P. F. Sloan in 1964 during very turbulent times in America. It was one of the bluntest and most taunting protest songs of the time. The most well-known recording was done by Barry McGuire, which has echoed down through the decades. It has somehow been associated with Bob Dylan, whose songs became anthems of both the civil rights and anti-war movements of the times. Dylan has profoundly impacted American culture and popular music for 60 years. In 2020, Bob Dylan released his first album in 8 years, “Rough and Rowdy Ways.”

Dylan granted a rare interview. It was published in the New York Times in June 2020. He was asked, “Do you think of this pandemic in almost biblical terms? A plague that has swept the land?”

Dylan responded, “I think it’s a forerunner of something else to come. It’s an invasion for sure, and it’s widespread, but biblical? You mean like some kind of warning sign for people to repent of their wrongdoings? That would imply that the world is in line for some sort of divine punishment. Extreme arrogance can have some disastrous penalties.”

“Maybe we are on the eve of destruction. There are numerous ways you can think about this virus. I think you just have to let it run its course.”

Are we on the eve of destruction? Can life in America ever return to “normal?” Only the Father knows for sure! The children of the King should be alert and aware. We should walk in light, not darkness, and view things in light of biblical truth.

The Scriptures are clear, the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back, and He will set up His kingdom on earth as predicted. This is the blessed hope of each of the Father’s children.

Matthew 24:30 The sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

REFLECT & PRAY

No one knows when the Lord Jesus Christ will return, but we should not leave things that the Father has for us to do left undone until the last moment.

Father You have invited each of Your children to participate in Your kingdom work. Encourage our hearts and minds to say “yes.”

INSIGHT

We are to be expectant but not set dates. About 2000 years have passed since the Lord Jesus Christ promised to return. He is right on schedule, just not on our schedule. He is on the Father’s schedule.

People of the world walk in darkness and ridicule the idea of the Lord Jesus Christ coming back to the earth (2 Peter 3:3-4).

The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is compared to the labor pains of a pregnant woman (Matthew 24:8, 1 Thessalonians 5:3). It will be a time of suffering and travail. At the end of which, the Lord Jesus Christ will come in judgment and make things right. The travail will give birth to the kingdom of God on earth.

Paul presents us with an odd paradox. “He repeats that the coming of the day will be sudden. It will come like a thief in the night. But he also insists that there is no reason why anyone should be caught unawares. It is only the person who lives in the dark and whose deeds are evil who will be caught unprepared. Christians live in the light – and, no matter when that day comes if they are watchful and sober, it will make them ready. Waking or sleeping, Christians are already living with Christ and are therefore always prepared” (Barclay).

Ezekiel 33:10-11

 10 Our rebellious acts and our sins have caught up with us, and we are wasting away because of them. How shall we then live?

 11 I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but prefer that the wicked change his behavior and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil deeds!

Bad choices lead to bad outcomes. As people reflect on what is happening right before their eyes, perhaps a teachable moment has arrived for our culture.

The Father’s children are to live in the light of the inevitable return of the Lord Jesus Christ. We must live “with eternity’s values in view” (Wiersbe). We are to use the time that remains wisely. We are to make the most of the opportunities for service the Father provides. We will not finish before He returns! So it was for the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, and so it will be for us. Our mission will not be accomplished when He returns.

Matthew 10:23 I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

Are we on Eve of Destruction? The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind.

Eve of Destruction

The eastern world it is explodin’

Violence flarin’, bullets loadin’

You’re old enough to kill but not for votin’

You don’t believe in war, what’s that gun you’re totin’

And even the Jordan river has bodies floatin’

But you tell me over and over and over again my friend

Ah, you don’t believe we’re on the eve of destruction

Don’t you understand, what I’m trying to say?

Can’t you feel the fears that I’m feeling today?

If the button is pushed, there’s no running away

There’ll be no one to save with the world in a grave

Take a look around you, boy, it’s bound to scare you, boy

And you tell me over and over and over again my friend

Ah, you don’t believe we’re on the eve of destruction

Yeah, my blood’s so mad, feels like coagulatin’

I’m sittin’ here, just contemplatin’

I can’t twist the truth, it knows no regulation

Handful of Senators don’t pass legislation

And marches alone can’t bring integration

When human respect is disintegratin’

This whole crazy world is just too frustratin’

And you tell me over and over and over again my friend

Ah, you don’t believe we’re on the eve of destruction

Think of all the hate there is in Red China

Then take a look around to Selma, Alabama

Ah, you may leave here, for four days in space

But when your return, it’s the same old place

The poundin’ of the drums, the pride and disgrace

You can bury your dead, but don’t leave a trace

Hate your next-door-neighbor, but don’t forget to say grace

And you tell me over and over and over and over again my friend

You don’t believe we’re on the eve of destruction

You don’t believe we’re on the eve of destruction

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 7-28-2

© Dr. H 2022