We all know how it feels to be disappointed in the wake of an election. But as a Christian, how should we handle that disappointment? This week, Pastor Lutzer reorients us to an eternal perspective.
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Transcript: Welcome to Five Minutes With Pastor Lutzer. I’m so glad that you joined us today as we have a final discussion on the topic of Christians, politics, and the cross. And I want to begin with a question. What do you do when your favorite politician loses? Someone has been elected whom you believe will do harm to the Christian faith. Some politician who stands against your morals and your deeply-held beliefs. What do you?
Well today, what we’re going to do is we’re gonna step back, take a deep breath, and remind ourselves about how it’s all going to end.
As all of us know, Jesus ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives. And today He is in heaven, waiting, the Bible says—waiting until His enemies become a footstool for His feet. But make no mistake. Jesus is just as much a King when He is waiting, than when He turns and begins winning. He is King of kings and Lord of lords, and there is a day coming when Jesus is going to step back onto this earth and finally justice will be done. And by the way, all the kings of the earth, the prime ministers, the presidents, all the leaders will step aside when Jesus comes.
What’s He going to do? First of all, He’s going to bring judgment on the wicked. And that actually should be an encouragement to us, when we think of the great evils that are being done, that no human being can begin to assess or to address—Jesus will. The Scripture tells us that martyrs, for example, are crying aloud, saying “How long, oh Lord, until You avenge us for the evil that was done against us?” And vengeance is coming to the enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ—also Antichrist.
Now Antichrist is the super politician. He combines all of the political power and the religious power. It says in Revelation chapter 13 that all who dwell upon the face of the earth shall worship him, except those whose names were written in the Lamb’s book of life from before the foundation of the world.
But at last Satan has what he has always wanted—the universal worship of the world. But let me tell you, it’s not gonna last very long. Read a couple of chapters later in the book of Revelation, and what you discover is that Antichrist is thrown into the lake of fire.
So when Jesus returns, He’s going to address all the issues of injustice; so that throughout all of eternity, we will be able to sing, “Just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints.” But also, I want to encourage you by reminding you that Jesus is going to invite us to sit with Him on His throne. Not making that up. It says, “He who overcomes, to him I shall grant to sit with me on my throne, even as I overcame and sat with my Father on his throne.” That which Jesus has by divine right becomes ours by divine glorious mercy.
I don’t know, by the way, how big the throne of Jesus is, but apparently it’s big enough for the saints to sit with Him on that throne, and to rejoice. And the story of Stephen reminds us that Jesus welcomes us into heaven. Jesus, standing on the right hand of God the Father, and encouraging Stephen, who is able to look up and to see the glories of heaven even before he died.
So your politician has lost. It seems as if all the things that you worked for have come to naught. What do you do? You remember that Jesus is going to come. All the politicians of the world will step aside. The King has arrived. The Lord has arrived. And in the end, always remember that believers in Christ win. Be encouraged. God is with us. When we win, when we lose, let’s always remember how it’s going to end.
Thanks so much for joining us, and I hope that you are with us next time as we discuss various issues. But as for today, just go with God.