The Winning Team!

My Grandmother read a lot of Mystery Novels. One odd thing though, she always read the last chapter first! Strange perhaps but she said it helped her to understand the book better and to make sense of the important details and over look the less important ones.

Well, fellow Christians I am living out the mystery of my life and I too have read the end of the story. It in the last pages of the Bible, the Book of Revelation and it is very clear, Jesus wins. Jesus and all who are in him conquer overwhelmingly:

When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison ⁸and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. ⁹They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. ¹⁰And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. ¹¹Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. ^….13The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. ¹⁴Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. ¹⁵If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.  And  I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ^… There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”  ⁵He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” (Rev 19:7-20:5)

So there it is, Jesus wins. Don’t let current setbacks and troubling times distract you, Jesus wins. Get with him, stay on the winning team. It may be the end of the 4th Quarter, fourth down on our own 15 yard line,  and we’re down 28-7 but Jesus is the Quarterback! We’re gonna win. Don’t doubt it, just believe.

Here is a wonderful excerpt from a homily that makes this same point. Fr. Bill Casey of the Fathers of Mercy. A lot of good strong priests and fine preachers in this order. You will probably recognize Fr. Casey from EWTN. Enjoy this powerful and brief word of encouragement!