WHY THE GOOD GUYS WIN
When I was growing up, we watched a lot of westerns on television, and you always knew who the good guy was because he always wore a white hat. And, of course, the bad guy wore a black hat. In the end, the good guy always won and the bad guy always lost. Pretty simple, huh?
You may say that much has changed since then, but I don’t really think so. Sure, the good guys don’t always wear white hats. These days it seems like black is often the choice of color for the hero as much as the villain. And the plots of most tv shows and movies have many twists and turns and are not at all the simple stories we used to watch. But if you really think about it, don’t the good guys still usually win in the end?
Oh, I know, it can be difficult these days to distinguish the good from the bad, but don’t we root for the good guys? I mean, isn’t there something in most of us that hopes for justice and fairness to prevail? In the end, we really do want what’s “right” to come out on top! But why do we feel that way?
I think the reason for this is because we are all born with an innate understanding of what is right and what is wrong. These standards have been imprinted on our hearts, and we just can’t help but want to see them realized. Of course, much of the time we don’t live up to them ourselves, and that is why we get so frustrated and unhappy in this world. We know we so often fail to follow the ideals in our own hearts. But at least when it comes to our entertainment, we really want to see the truth win out – don’t we? How many of us truly want Darth Vader to kill Luke Skywalker? How many of us really wish our heroes would be defeated and killed off? What kind of person would want that?
So what am I trying to say? Just that we all root for the good guys because we all want truth and everything that is right to win because God has given us a conscience and put those desires in our hearts. This life that we are all sharing together is a metaphor for creation. God created everything good, but sin came on the scene and ruined it all. And we know in our hearts that everything has been ruined and we long for everything to be set straight – we long for creation to be restored. Most of us may not realize why we long for it, but we know in our hearts that we do. And the greatest story that has ever been told is that God has not only promised that one day He would restore our fallen world, but also that He has already begun to accomplish this through the victory of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, over sin. And from the time that Christ came to this earth and died for our sins and rose from the dead to conquer death, He has been proclaiming His victory and offering eternal salvation to all who will believe and receive it.
So here we are – a couple thousand years later, and now the wagon wheels are just about to come off on this stagecoach we call our world. The steam locomotive is barreling out of control down the tracks, and up ahead the bridge is out – and everyone knows it! Some say that when our proverbial train plunges into the river, global warming will be the cause, or terrorists will start a nuclear war, or maybe even the vampires or the zombies will get us. But either way, the skies are falling fast!
But the truth is, the Real Hero is about to make the appearance He has been promising for two thousand years. Jesus Christ has promised He would return to this earth to reward those who have put their faith in Him and are waiting hopefully and faithfully for His return. This world has recently been trying to hijack the end of the world story. But God has already written the script (short for Scriptures), and everything will happen just as He has said. Listen to these words from the prophet Isaiah. They were written approximately 2800 years ago and yet they foretell what is going to happen in the last days of planet earth.
“The day is coming when your pride will be brought low and the Lord alone will be exalted.” “The arrogance of all people will be brought low.” “When the Lord rises to shake the earth, his enemies will crawl with fear into holes in the ground. They will hide in caves in the rocks from the terror of the Lord and the glory of his majesty.”
“Look! The Lord is about to destroy the earth and make it a vast wasteland.” “The earth will be completely emptied and looted. The Lord has spoken! The earth dries up, the crops wither, the skies refuse to rain. The earth suffers for the sins of its people, for they have twisted the instructions of God, violated his laws, and broken his everlasting covenant. Therefore, a curse consumes the earth and its people. They are left desolate, destroyed by fire. Few will be left alive.”
“All the joys of life will be gone. The grape harvest will fail, and there will be no wine. The merry-makers will sigh and mourn.” “The city writhes in chaos; every home is locked to keep out looters.” The earth has broken down and has utterly collapsed. Everything is lost, abandoned, and confused. The earth staggers like a drunkard. It totters like a hut. It falls and will not rise again, for its sins are very great.”
“Then the Lord Almighty will mount his throne on Mount Zion. He will rule gloriously in Jerusalem, in the sight of all the leaders of his people. There will be such glory that the brightness of the sun and moon will seem to fade away.” “In that day he will remove the cloud of gloom, the shadow of death that hangs over the earth. He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears. He will remove forever all insults and mockery against his land and people. The Lord has spoken! In that day the people will proclaim, ‘This is our God. We trusted in Him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, in whom we trusted. Let us rejoice in the salvation He brings!'”
(Isaiah 2:11,17-19; 24:1,3-6,7,10,19,20,23; 25:7-9;)
There are literally hundreds more verses about the end of time sprinkled throughout the Old and New Testaments. If you choose to disregard the authority of God’s Word and believe that you are not accountable to it, then that is your choice. It is my sincere desire that all of my family members and friends, as well as everyone else, would take the warnings of the Bible seriously and personally. But whether everyone responds, or no one, I am committed to spreading the message of God’s hope and love through Jesus Christ as far and wide as I can.
Jesus Christ is the ultimate Super-Hero – the only truly “good guy.” Even if Hollywood’s Superman was a real person, he could never compete with the “universe-creating,” “star-breathing”[1] Son of God! There never has been a movie, book, or tv show written that could ever compare to the story that God has revealed in His Word. God created a perfect world that humans then corrupted by choosing to sin. But because of God the Father’s great love for all of us, He provided a way to restore fellowship with Him – and even eternal life!
For those who are interested to know what God is saying to the people of this world today, in the 21st century, along with the many other scriptures I have cited, the book of Revelation gives us a preview of the events that will one day take place on planet earth (maybe very soon). Some say that it is a little difficult to understand, but as far as I know it is the only book that promises a blessing for reading it and taking heed to the message and warnings contained therein (Revelation 1:3).
Revelation, chapter 19, verses 11-16, reveal a picture of Christ’s return on a white horse that offers a very different perspective than the “Gentle Jesus” that many may have become accustomed to. When He appears in the clouds, the Bible says that every eye will see Him, and those who have placed their faith in Him will be following behind. Will you be in that crowd, or in the one on earth who have either rejected Him or simply neglected and ignored His pleas? At that moment, it will be too late to accept God’s offer of salvation because then it will be time for every knee to bow before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Those who are His will do so with joy, but the rest will also bow, yet in fear and terror.
Today, right now, you have the choice to choose. I cannot honestly tell you how much longer you will have that opportunity.
“And the angel showed me a pure river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb,…” ” Let the thirsty ones come – anyone who wants to . Let them come and drink the water of lifewithout charge.”
Revelation 22:1,17
1 – I have borrowed these descriptive references from Louie Giglio’s presentation, How Great Is Our
God, and want to make sure that I not only give him credit, but encourage everyone to check it out on Youtube, or whatever. It is very educational and inspirational!
*All Scriptures references are from the New Living Translation, Tyndale House Publications, 1996.
*Special thanks to Dr. David Jeremiah, whose daily devotional booklet, Turning Points (July 25), helped to inspire the writing of this article.
*Special thanks also to my friend, Rob Dolby, for his inspiration on this article as well.
