November 26 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

The preaching of the gospel is the beginning of the end. Now the flight of messengers (angels) has begun. Every nation, tribe, tongue, and people must hear that the end has begun because the eternal gospel is being proclaimed.

Now the message has come to all who dwell on earth. Through Christ, God, who formerly spoke to the sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has now reached out to all people and to the whole world. God wants the whole earth back, and he wants all people in his kingdom. "Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come."

The church is the result of the gospel, and it marks the beginning of the end. Ever since Pentecost, we have been in the last days. No really new thing can be expected anymore. Of course the lines of history remain: we still experience good times, bad times, terrible times. Strictly speaking, however, it was all finished on Golgotha. Ever since the resurrection and the proclamation of the eternal gospel, the new world has begun.

The beginning of the end has come. Fear God and give him glory.

The people of God are in the world to proclaim loudly and clearly that the end is at hand, and that the kingdom has come and is coming. Whether it takes a few centuries more or less is of no importance when measured by the counsel of God. The decisions have been made.

The end is near. We don't say that in somber tones. That's the misinterpretation of cults and the misunderstanding of unbelief. When we say that the end is near, we are not announcing death. We are announcing the end of death.

We proclaim the good news that the end is near because we see the daybreak of a new age. Pain will have an end. Sin will have an end. All the certainties are given in the gospel. Thank God! The end is near!

REFLECTIONS

What does "The end is near" mean to you? How does it affect your daily living?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.