Quinquagesima
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
This past Sunday, we finished our Revelation study in the adult Bible Study. Revelation is a challenging book, and our goal was to give a 30,000-foot overview of this great book of the Bible. One of the challenges of Revelation is the events leading to Jesus Christ’s return on the Last Day.
One of these events is the period called Satan’s “Little Season.” On the cross, Jesus defeated Satan, sin, and death itself. Satan has been bound, so what’s with this “little season?”
The excerpt below is from a doctrinal pamphlet of The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. Here, Satan’s “little season” is explained more fully,
This is Satan’s “little season,” when he gathers the antiChristian world in an attempt to destroy the church and prevent it from freely preaching the Gospel to all nations (Rev. 20:7-9;
Ezekiel 38-39). Satan’s final assault is symbolically called the battle of Armageddon, the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew har megiddo- “hill of Megiddo,” an expression that may
allude to the famous battles which took place there in the Old Testament. But in view of the nature of apocalyptic language, these verses should not be interpreted literally as if they
referred to a world war in the Middle East. Nor is this great tribulation to be understood as lasting 3-1/2 or 7 years, since the numbers in Daniel and Revelation are also symbolic.
When Satan’s “little season” has begun or is to begin cannot be computed exactly. Since opposition to the Christian church is widespread in our day, however, there is every reason to
believe that we are already in this period of time.
The purpose of the sign of tribulation, too, is to exhort Christians to “look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21 :28; d. Matt. 24:33; Mark
13:29). Tribulation is also God’s means of refining the church and “proving” the Christian (1 Pet. 1 :6-7; 4:12; Zech. 13:9; Dan. 12:10). This judgment which overtakes the church is
the last preliminary to Judgment Day (1 Pet. 4: 17), and as such “it warns the members of the church that to seek to escape suffering by renouncing the faith is fatally senseless;
they will escape present suffering only to find certain doom.”
Yes, the Devil has been bound and defeated upon the cross, as the third stanza of the great hymn “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” brilliantly confesses. But the devil can still tempt and desire to lead you away from Christ in these gray and latter days. So, take up the greatest weapon of God’s Word, pray, confess your faith in Christ, and permit His cross to be your refuge!
Though devils all the world should fill,
All eager to devour us,
We tremble not, we fear no ill;
They shall not overpow’r us.
This world’s prince may still
Scowl fierce as he will,
He can harm us none.
He’s judged; the deed is done;
One little word can fell him.
~A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, Stanza 3
And that “Word” is Jesus!
God be with you,
Pastor Rogness
P.S. You can learn more about the End Times and Christ’s final return by reading this official document of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.
