How Much Longer?

Have you ever asked yourself the question, how much longer can God put up with all of the ungodliness in our land? This is the same question we found being asked by the saints who were martyred for their faith (Rev. 6:10). How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt Thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth? (vs. 10). The answer, And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, should be completed also (vs. 11). No wonder then when the apostle Paul uses imagery to depict the atrocities of the Roman Empire, who uses terms like Sodom, Egypt, Babylon the Great, and the Mother of Harlots. In other words, the Roman Empire had become the spawn of Satan. Jesus said of some of His own, You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of our father (John 8:44). Has America become as bad as what John depicts in Revelation? In some ways, no, but in other ways, perhaps yes! Any society who desires mirror those of the devil are children of the devil, plain and simple. Jesus said some in His day were children of Satan like Christians are supposed to be children of God. Judgment of fire awaits those who do not know God and who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus (2 Thess. 1:7-9). Should we be surprised that the early Christians longed for the return of Christ? In 1 Corinthians 16:22, the apostle Paul says, Maranatha. This is an Aramaic expression, literally, Maran Tha or Mara na Tha (meaning, Lord, please come). The real question is this, do we long for the return of the Lord as the early church did? They were in the midst of persecution constantly. They knew what it was like to suffer (1 Peter 4:12-19). While we might not know when the Lord will return, we can ensure that we are ready by being prepared (Matthew 24:42-51). When the desire for the Lord to return is in our heart, then we are ready for His return.