Who Can Stand?
Who Can Stand?
Early this month, I dreamed that I was standing in the foyer of a packed church, looking outside at a tremendous storm which was lashing our large building. Every time a powerful gust of wind and rain hit us, groups of the people inside the church fell down, like long grass flattened in a gale.
An hour or so after this dream, in the course of attending to my ordinary daily Bible readings, I read the sixth chapter of The Revelation and was particularly struck by verses 12-17,
"When He opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slaves and free hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?'"
Who can stand? This same poignant and potent question is elsewhere reiterated by the ancient prophets of Israel,
"But You, You are to be feared! Who can stand before You once Your anger is roused? From the heavens You uttered judgement; the earth feared and was still, when God arose to establish judgement, to save all the humble of the earth." (Psalm 76.7-9)
"Who can stand before His indignation? Who can endure the heat of His anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by Him. The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge in Him. But with an overflowing flood He will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue His enemies into darkness." (Nahum 1.6-8)
"But who can endure the day of His coming, and who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years." (Malachi 3.2-4)
Who can stand? And who will stand in these few, final, fleeting glorious and furious moments of the Church Age?
"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm." (Psalm 20.7-8)
"If You, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness; therefore You are feared." (Psalm 130.3-4)
"Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man." (Luke 21.36)
"Who are you to pass judgement on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand." (Romans 14.4)
"Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, and set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." (2 Corinthians 1.21-22)
"Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." (Ephesians 6.13)
