β¦are closer than they appear.β Thatβs the warning you see on the passenger-side mirror of your car. The convexity of the mirror gives you a more panoramic rear view, but it also makes the cars behind you look smaller, and further away than they actually are. This can give the illusion that there is room to change lanes, when the truth is that the driver in the adjacent lane may have to hit the brakes if you doβand the horn!
This mirror warning always reminds me of Godβs words to Ezekiel:
βSon of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far offβ (Ezek. 12:27).
Youβll notice that the problem wasnβt that Godβs people doubted that Ezekielβs prophecies would come true; they just didnβt think they would come true for a long time. And you know, Godβs people today are no different. When we read Paulβs predictions about the Rapture (I Thes. 4:13-18) and the Judgment Seat of Christ that will follow (Rom. 14:10), we believe these things will happen, but we tend to think they are a long way off. This can lead to complacency in serving the Lord, just as it did in Ezekielβs day. Thus we would do well to read Godβs response:
βTherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; There shall none of My words be prolonged any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be doneβ¦β (Ezek. 12:28).
While we cannot say that the Rapture will be prolonged no longer, we can say with equal assurance that the word which God has spoken to us shall be done. The panoramic view that the mirror of Godβs Word affords us (James 1:22-24) allows us to see everything that is ahead of us, and these things are closer than they appear! If you are not living for the Lord, βboast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forthβ (Prov. 27:1). The Rapture may come today, and you may find yourself standing before your Lord and Judge this evening. Why not heed Paulβs admonition,
ββ¦knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of lightβ (Rom. 13:11,12). source
