According to scientific research, a recent extreme heatwave in India and Pakistan is a ‘sign of things to come’. A researcher from Mumbai said that such events were made more likely by climate change and were a harbinger of the region’s future.

This is worrying. And some signs do herald bad events. Others are more optimistic.

The Bible contains lots of signs from God. So much so that the apostle Paul said:

For Jews demand signs.

1 Corinthians 1:22

Jesus despaired of the people asking for signs, when he was already performing miracles among them.

He said:

Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.

John 4:48

But Jesus did give signs to the people. One of the most important was about his death and resurrection: a sign that he was indeed the son of God. They had asked, yet again, for a sign and he said:

An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Matthew 12:39­­–40

He also told his disciples about the signs which would herald his return to earth. He lists wars, famine and describes a world in crisis:

… on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world.

Luke 21:25–26

Bible students believe that there are many signs that Jesus will come back soon. The fears about potential devastation caused by climate change could well be one of these signs.

At the return of Jesus the world will change beyond recognition: for the better. So we do indeed have signs of good things to come. We surely cannot ignore them.

Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay

People are worried about the cost of living. Prices of things we consider essential are rising almost out of control. And this affects many people in many countries. We keep hearing about the poverty trap: a helpless situation. And there is pressure on governments to help; pleas to save people from crisis.

The Law of Moses had provision for the poor. The Jews were commanded to care for them, not exploiting them or making profit from them. Even if a poor person volunteered himself as a hired worker in order to survive, he could be redeemed. And he was only required to serve for a limited period of time. Some of the instructions were:

He shall treat him as a worker hired year by year. He shall not rule ruthlessly over him in your sight. And if he is not redeemed by these means, then he and his children with him shall be released in the year of jubilee

Leviticus 25:53 & 54

Being ‘redeemed’ is a theme in the Bible; the most important example being Jesus Christ. Jesus died a cruel death so that we could be redeemed from the worst possible crisis: the fact that as sinners we naturally die and perish. A situation which, without Jesus, is utterly helpless and hopeless.

Jesus said that he:

 came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Mark 10:45

The apostle Peter wrote to believers:

you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,but with the precious blood of Christ.

1 Peter 1:18 &19

Jesus does not ask for much in return, but he does ask us to follow him and try to obey God in this life. This involves loving and caring for others. In return he offers us eternal life. He has ‘paid the price’ for this, doing much more than we could ever begin to achieve. Surely this is the ultimate cost of living!

Easter time! Spring, new life, and hope of brighter days ahead.

Easter is a major event in many church calendars. But the word ‘Easter’ does not actually appear in the Bible. The translators of the 1611 Authorised Version did use it when defining a time when the apostle Peter was in prison:

…[Herod] intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.

Acts 12:4

However, most English translations say ‘Passover’, because that is what the original Greek word means.  Jesus was crucified at the time of the Jewish annual festival of Passover. And, more importantly, that was when he rose from the dead to live for ever.

We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.

Romans 6:9

The word ‘Easter’ was not used until many years later. And although the dates of Passover and Easter are both worked out using the lunar calendar, they have slightly different rules. So although this year (2022) they coincide, this is not always true.

The resurrection of Jesus is the most important event in our history. Other world-changing events only affect this life. The resurrection of Jesus can affect us for ever.

 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

1 Corinthians 15:19–20

So those people ‘in Christ’, his true followers, also hope to live for ever; in a transformed world, when he comes back. If they die first, then they too can be raised from the dead. This is the most amazing hope of a new life and a future brighter than we can imagine.