The word of God rightly says, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven… a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4). Today is a time for weeping and mourning.
I write these words as my heart is full of grief. For the past few days, I have grieved the death of a great man of faith and patriotism, a man in the prime of his life, a man who said what he believed, and did what he said—Charlie Kirk.
Though I did not know Charlie personally, I never met him even once, never spoke to him, and did not even follow all of his content on social media and elsewhere, I now grieve him like someone who is grieving the loss of a beloved family member—and, frankly, I do not know why! Perhaps my heart is getting “softer” as I get older; perhaps the Lord is softening my heart even for the loss of those whom I do not know. I am not really sure. One thing I am certain of: God’s word is true, that, as part of Christ’s one body, we’re called to have the same concern for each other. If one of us suffers, we all suffer together; if one of us is honored, we all rejoice together (1 Corinthians 12:25–26). I know that Charlie was a true brother in Christ, to me and to many of you.
But most of all, I am grieved by this act of great evil and pure hatred. I am grieved at the current state of mankind, who was created in the image and likeness of the Almighty God. It saddens me to see the depths of depravity and the extremely low state to which humanity has sunk, far from the knowledge of its creator. No other species on earth has perfected the art of harming one another like humankind! As I reflect on the loss of this great man, I am burdened with these burdens for the church of Christ, for this great country, and for the world at large. As Christ-followers, in times of grief and sorrow, it is crucial not to stray away from the word of God, but rather run to it. Only in the word of our Lord can we discern, listen, and hear what the Spirit of the living God is saying to the church.
God Speaks Through Tribulation
It is without a doubt that, through times of extreme hardships, trials, and tribulations, the LORD speaks to mankind and, more specifically, to his church. In the Old Testament, the LORD spoke to his people Israel through their exile to Assyria and later Babylon. Our Lord Jesus had to suffer so that, through his cross, he can speak to mankind: “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me” (John 8:28). Not only that, but through his being lifted up on the cross he drew all people to himself: “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32). The Bible also teaches us that, through the tribulations that will grip the earth in the last days, the gospel will be preached to all four corners of the earth. Describing these perilous times, our Lord says, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:24).
Present Sufferings and the Future Glory
In the midst of these tribulations, Paul, writing in the Holy Spirit, reminds us that the trials and hardships of this age cannot compare to the joy and majesty of the glory to come. He writes, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18). To grasp the depth of this truth, imagine all the pain and suffering that humanity has gone through since the days of Adam and will continue to go through to the end of time. The glory, which is to be revealed in the age to come to those who believe, will far exceed them all. Paul fails to find the words to articulate that glory, so he is content to state that it “cannot be told, which man may not utter” (2 Corinthians 12:4). Admittedly, it is extremely hard in times of extreme grief, loss, and affliction to even ponder glory and victory, let alone glory that exceeds human thinking and victory that transcends earthly imagination. But as Bible-believing Christians, we must look at the world not through the news and the virtual—and dare I say, fake—world of social media, but rather remain steadfast, looking through the lens of the word of God and its truth.
Persecution Proves That the Bible Is True
We must also remember that, despite common belief, these trials and tribulations only prove the authenticity of the word of God, not detract from it. Many use the argument of pain and suffering to claim that it proves that God does not exist. But the truth is quite the opposite. God’s word has indeed warned us that this world will be ravaged by disease, famine, earthquakes and other natural disasters, wars, hatred, murder, divisions, and many other hardships. In fact, Christianity is the only religion that promises its followers struggles rather than ease, tribulations instead of rest, and trials in place of comfort. Our Lord Jesus is unique in that he has promised those who follow him, saying, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Yet, in the midst of it all, he has also promised that we would have his peace—peace like no other, peace that the world cannot give because it has never known: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).
Even more so, our Lord Jesus has made it clear that the time will indeed come when many would seek to kill us—his followers—thinking they are doing a service to God: “Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God” (John 16:2). Having spent the first 20 or so years of my life as a Christian in Egypt and Libya—both predominantly Muslim countries—I can certainly attest to the truthfulness of this statement. I have seen it firsthand. But as a reporter on Egyptian TV said years ago, “Christians are a special kind of people. The more you bomb their churches, the fuller their churches become”! Now I am witnessing firsthand this persecution come to America!
The Resilient Church: Persecuted Yet Multiplying
The Christians of today are—and will continue to be—sheltered under the protective wing of their God, exactly as were the Israelites of the Old Testament: the more their enemies persecuted them, the more they multiplied and the stronger they became. Remember what the word of God says in Exodus about the Israelites in Egypt: “But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel” (Exodus 1:12). Every harm the enemy of God seeks to do to his church, the LORD turns around and uses for good. Joseph, the son of Jacob, said it rightly to his brothers, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” (Genesis 50:20). The LORD delights in upending the enemy’s plan to hurt his people and turning it into unimaginable victory! Therefore, the more we are ostracised, persecuted, and murdered for the sake of the name of our Lord, the more we should rejoice, holding steadfastly to his word, knowing that the only thing these trials and tribulations can do is to prove that the word of God, which we hold in our hands, is truth. Think about this: if Christians today were not persecuted and rejected, the word of God would be proven false and our Savior a liar, for he said: “Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours” (John 15:20).
A World of Lawlessness
When you look around and see many turning away from the faith and becoming lukewarm Christians, take heart, for the word of God foretold this too. I find the following portrayal of the end-times remarkably accurate and exceptionally descriptive of the time we are living in: “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:9–13, emphasis mine). One would be hard-pressed to deny that we are living in times of absolute lawlessness and utter chaos. As a result, the love of many, who once loved God and neighbor, has grown cold. Their hearts have become hardened, and their ears have stopped.
The Final Hope: Resurrection and Victory
I could not close without sharing this joy-filled news! The Bible is true that our Lord rose from the dead, defeating death and Hades. Likewise, the time will come when we too will be raised from the dead, having victory in our Lord over death and destruction. To everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus and obeys his commandments, death no longer has power over you, for you worship a living God! Jesus’s promise is true: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25–26). He thus spoke to Martha, Lazarus’s sister, before he raised her brother from the dead. He then followed up with this question to her: “Do you believe this?” (John 11:26). He is now asking you, Do you?
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