When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth . . . Revelation 6:12-13
I’m a sentimental sap. I always have been. As a kid, at the end of every school year, I was excited for summer break, but on that very last day of school I always had this sense of despair that I’d never be at that place in my life again. Third grade was over and as much as I wanted to be a fourth grader, there was a deep sense of loss at knowing that I could never go back. I know it sounds silly, but I still get this sense as I pass certain milestones in life. Time flows inexorably on, and I’m powerless to stop it. Change is inevitable and with change comes growth but also loss. For instance, I want my kids to grow and be healthy – and I’m thankful they’ve grown – but growth also means they’ve left our home. Like I said, with the passing of time, comes change and loss. Everything ends eventually.
Well, not everything. I’ve found great comfort in knowing that no matter what happens in my life, no matter what changes occur, and no matter what comes and goes, my new life in God is eternal. I don’t have to wait until death to experience this eternal life. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent (John 17:3). Through faith, I can know God, here and now, which means my eternal new life begins on this Earth. I may leave my job or move to another state, but if I have a relationship with God, I take that with me. No matter what changes in my life, even when my life comes to an end, my eternal life in God will continue. For someone who’s sentimental and finds despair in change and loss, this is a profoundly comforting thought. No matter what changes and no matter what I lose, nothing can take my relationship with God away.
In today’s passage, Jon described a terrifying, cataclysmic event. His dramatic description serves as a sobering reminder that everything we know will eventually come to an end. Our bodies, and this Earth for that matter, won’t last forever. In the end, when we step into eternity, the most important thing about us will be whether we know God or not. If we have a relationship with him, we can know with certainty that we possess the one thing that will last forever. Everything else ends.