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Handwriting on the Wall
Tracy M. Schellhorn
09-10-05
Whenever God is going to do something, He is faithful to
proclaim it to mankind beforehand. Before the foundations of the
earth were laid, the Lamb was slain. He proclaimed His plan
beforehand, and so He still does today. However, it was an "act"
of proclamation, and those (acts of proclamation) we sometimes
miss.
Does everyone see the handwriting when it is written on the
wall? Does everyone understand it? No, but it is the glory of
the Lord to conceal a matter and the glory of the king to search
it out.
So it was when Solomon penned those words, and so it is today.
The handwriting is on the wall, but maybe we have turned a deaf
ear to it.
What is this handwriting, and what does it say?
It reveals the fate of mankind. Now, some will read this and
say, "Uh, oh, here it comes – another doomsday message," but it
is just that kind of thinking that keeps our minds and ears
closed to the truth of the Gospel.
Our God is a God of hope. His message is a message of hope. He
began with hope when He hovered over the waters bringing order
out of the chaos. He sent Hope in the form of a person when He
sent His only Son to save the world rather than condemn it. And
He ends His canonized book with hope. The hope of a glorious
future where there is no more sorrow or death. No mourning or
pain. The lion lies down with the lamb.
So, whatever this handwriting on the wall is, you can be assured
it is a message of hope.
Actually, the handwriting is written on many walls. With eyes to
see, we can see the proclamation of the future wherever we turn.
In the book of Daniel, chapter 5, the handwriting on the wall
proclaimed a glorious new future for the people in the kingdom
of Babylon. Some would say that it was a fateful message to the
king of that nation, but nonetheless it was a message of hope.
Things would not remain the same. God will not leave you in the
same state He found you. God was actually preparing the way for
the captives of Israel to be released back to their homeland and
for the city of Jerusalem to be rebuilt.
When we are trying to understand the ways of God, we cannot
perceive them through the ways of man. The two are not the same.
Just as the amoeba cannot possibly understand the human, so we
cannot possibly understand God. BUT, He can bring understanding,
if we allow Him.
All around us are wars and rumors of wars. Death and devastation
is present not just along the Mississippi-Louisiana coast but
also in the cities and expanses around the globe. There is
indeed chaos again upon the earth, and the "kings" of the earth
continue to drink their wine, boast in their own accomplishments
and revel in the sensual pleasures of the world – as did
Belshazzar on that fateful night in Daniel chapter five.
Should we be dismayed? Alarmed? Heavens, no! These things should
not catch us by surprise. Have they not been foretold of old? In
the days of Noah, the people were continuing on with their
idolatries and everyday life when the rains came. When Jesus
returns to the earth, so it will be.
So, here we are, somewhere between the two points in history,
and what are we to think? That Jesus is coming soon? Oh, yes, He
is -- to be sure! But not until His Bride has been made ready.
He's coming for a glorious Church without spot or wrinkle, and
that just isn't how we look today. However, there is still hope.
In the midst of her wrinkles, the bride of Abraham still
conceived and gave birth to the promise of God. In the midst of
our existing wrinkles, as a Body, we can still conceive and give
birth to the promise of God.
What is that promise? Hope.
God is still hovering over the waters. Still hovering over the
chaos. Still bringing forth beauty from ashes, gladness from
sorrow.
God has promised that His Church would be glorious. He has
promised that Jesus will return for His bride. He has promised
that He will not leave the earth the way He found it. He has
promised that there will be new heavens and a new earth. For
that to happen, then the old must pass away. It's the only way
for the new to enter in.
So, it was with Noah. So, it was with Babylon. So, it will be at
the end. So, it is with us.
The handwriting on the wall restores our hope in Someone that is
greater than all the calamity that we face. There is calamity of
varying proportions all over the globe at any given moment.
Every person has their own battles – not just nations.
If all we had was what we see before us, then indeed things
would be dismal, but we don't. We have hope, and we have a
promise. That promise WAS fulfilled in the person of Jesus, the
Christ, and everything that He has ever said will come to pass.
The Lord is not through with us yet. He's not going to leave us
the same way He found us. He plans to cleanse, heal and restore
– individuals, families, relationships, churches, The Church,
cities, nations and the earth. And then the end comes.
So, the doomsday message is superseded by a greater message. One
of hope. There is a bright tomorrow for you. Arise and shine.
As the sun arises each day to cast its light on the world, so
must we. If we do not arise from our slumber, our depression,
our heartache – we cannot shine. How else will the darkness be
overcome but by the Light shining from the lanterns that we are?
Our hope is in Christ, and He is the Light of the world.
Maybe you are suffering your own personal torment, or maybe you
are caught up in a regional calamity or a national war, but no
matter what your circumstances, the Lord has written a message
of hope for you today.
Jeremiah 29:11 - 14
"'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord,
'plans for welfare -- to prosper you -- and not plans for
calamity, or to harm you. I have plans to give you a future and
a hope.
"'Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will
listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search
for Me with all your heart.
"'And I will be found by you,' declares the Lord, 'and I will
restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations
and from all the places where I have driven you,' declares the
Lord, 'and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent
you into exile.'"
Now, that's a word, and I pray that the Lord will open the eyes
of your heart to see the handwriting on the wall!
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