In C.S. Lewis’ book, Mere Christianity, he addresses a common question that people may have about Christianity: if Christianity is true and the God described in the Bible is real, why is He not more “obvious”? That is to say, why has He not made Himself more evident to us? There are several possible responses to this question, but look at what Lewis says:
“Why is God landing in this enemy-occupied world in disguise and starting a sort of secret society to undermine the devil? Why is He not landing in force, invading it? Is it that He is not strong enough? Well, Christians think He is going to land in force; we do not know when. But we can guess why He is delaying. He wants to give us the chance of joining His side freely…But I wonder whether people who ask God to interfere openly and directly in our world quite realise what it will be like when He does. When that happens, it is the end of the world. When the author walks on to the stage, the play is over. God is going to invade, all right: but what is the good of saying you are on His side then, when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream and something else…comes crashing in; something so beautiful to some of us and so terrible to others that none of us will have any choice left? For this time it will be God without disguise…That will not be the time for choosing: it will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realized it before or not. Now, today this moment, is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It will not last for ever. We must take it or leave it.”
In this quote, Lewis almost directly echoes and expounds on 2 Peter 3:9-13, where Peter explains what the Day of the Lord will look like: “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”
There are many lessons to learn from this passage, but as it relates to our initial question, think about this: God has revealed enough of Himself for us to believe in Him in four primary ways: Nature (Psalm 19:1), Our minds (Ecclesiastes 3:11), Direct revelation (2 Timothy 3:16-17), and His Son (Hebrews 1:1-4). Each one of these could take up quite a bit of time, but the point is this: God has made Himself abundantly evident for the time and circumstances He created us to inhabit. In the times of the patriarchs and prophets, God communicated with His people in a certain way. In the New Testament, He sent His Son Jesus. After Jesus ascended, He poured out His Spirit on the apostles, who spread it to early Christians as the Bible was recorded, and now we have His inspired Word. To put it more concretely: God has communicated Himself to us quite explicitly throughout history. The only next step, as Lewis puts it, is for the Author of Life to “walk on to the stage” in all His glory, so to speak. That, as Peter describes it, will be the end of the world.
While it can be intimidating and overwhelming to think about the Day of the Lord, it helps us quickly put life into perspective. We make decisions every day about whether or not we are going to choose God. Whether we are going to choose right now or eternity. Whether we are ready for God Himself to “land in force.”
As Christians, I hope we want that to happen. “Lord come quickly,” as we often say. However, until He does, we must make sure we live with God’s revealed will for us in mind, and put it into practice every day. Remember, that Day will not be a time to decide, but the time when God makes clear to us what we already decided for ourselves…
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