“A true disciple must recover a ‘walk by faith’ perspective—a way of seeing that trusts the Lord’s promise that He is still holding us fast beyond the waves, rather than focusing on outwardly visible circumstances.”

“A true disciple must recover a ‘walk by faith’ perspective—a way of seeing that trusts the Lord’s promise that He is still holding us fast beyond the waves, rather than focusing on outwardly visible circumstances.”

 

 

 

 

“Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and began to cross the sea to Capernaum.  It was already dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.  Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.  So, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.  But He said to them, ‘It is I; do not be afraid.’  Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going” (John 6:16–21).

 

 

(1)    As I first read in the Greek Bible the passage in John 6:16–21, which is the basis for this meditation entitled “Walking on the Sea,” I became interested when I discovered, in verse 20, that Jesus’ words to the disciples—who were trying to cross the sea by boat to Capernaum (v. 17)—translated as “It is I” are “ἐγώ εἰμι” (egō eimi) (“I am”).  Apart from the seven instances of “ἐγώ εἰμι” (egō eimi) (“I am”) that the Apostle John intentionally recorded in the Gospel of John, I remembered that there might have been an earlier occurrence of the expression “ἐγώ εἰμι” (egō eimi) (“I am”), as in today’s passage, John 6:20.  So I searched again and remembered that, in John 4:26, Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, “I who speak to you am He” [“ἐγώ εἰμι” (egō eimi) (“I am”)].  Thus, Jesus said “ἐγώ εἰμι” (egō eimi) in John 4:26 and 6:20.  As we have already meditated, however, John the Baptist did not say “I am,” as Jesus did. Instead, he said twice, “I am not” [ἐγὼ οὐκ εἰμί (egō ouk eimi)]: “I am not the Christ” [ἐγὼ οὐκ εἰμὶ ὁ χριστός (egō ouk eimi ho Christos)] (1:20); and, “I am not the Christ” [οὐκ εἰμὶ ἐγὼ ὁ χριστός (ouk eimi egō ho Christos)] (3:28).  Here, once again, through Jesus’ words, “ἐγώ εἰμι” (egō eimi) (“I am”) (4:26; 6:20), I am reminded that I must grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 3:18).  At the same time, through John the Baptist’s words, “I am not” [ἐγὼ οὐκ εἰμί (egō ouk eimi)] (1:20; 3:28), I am reminded of the lesson that I must know my own proper place.  In particular, as I meditate on Jesus’ words in John 6:20, “ἐγώ εἰμι” (egō eimi) (“It is I”), I want to learn why the disciples were afraid (and why we are afraid), what Jesus meant when He said, “It is I; do not be afraid” [Ἐγώ εἰμι· μὴ φοβεῖσθε (egō eimi; mē phobeisthe)], and what lessons and practical applications His words offer us.

 

(a)    The absolute form of “egō eimi” (ἐγώ εἰμι), without a predicate, is the divine name used by the LORD God when He revealed Himself in Exodus 3:14.  In the midst of the fierce storm on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus proclaimed this very name of the Creator to His disciples.  The following is a summary prepared by artificial intelligence, from three perspectives, of why the disciples were afraid and of the lessons and practical applications that the Lord’s declaration offers for our lives today (Internet):

 

1.       Why the disciples were afraid: “darkness,” “absence,” and “a reality beyond their control”

 

John 6:17–19 describes in detail the circumstances behind the disciples’ fear.

 

Darkness and the Lord’s absence: It was already dark, but Jesus had not yet come to them (v. 17).  When human beings feel that the Lord is not beside them in the darkness, having lost their sense of direction in life, they instinctively fall into fear.

 

A reality in which they had lost control: A great wind was blowing, and the sea arose. The disciples were struggling as they rowed about three or four miles (vv. 18–19).  Even the disciples, who had been capable fishermen, felt extreme fear when they reached the limits of their ability and experience to control the sea.

 

Spiritual ignorance that remains even after seeing grace: Even when they saw Jesus approaching on the sea in an act of deliverance, the disciples did not recognize the Lord.  They mistook Him for a ghost and became even more afraid (v. 19).  Today, too, when we face storms that we cannot handle with our own strength, we often fail to see the Lord at work and tremble with fear.

 

2.       The theological meaning of “It is I; do not be afraid” [Ἐγώ εἰμι· μὴ φοβεῖσθε (egō eimi; mē phobeisthe)]

 

This brief statement by Jesus, who stood upon the storm, contains a perfect formula for overcoming fear.

 

“Egō eimi” (Ἐγώ εἰμι) (“I am”): The Lord was not simply saying, “It is I, Jesus.  Do not worry.”  He was proclaiming His divine presence: “The almighty LORD God, who created and rules over the wind and the sea, is right here with you.”

 

“Do not be afraid” [μὴ φοβεῖσθε (mē phobeisthe)]: In the original Greek, this command is in the present imperative. It means, “Stop right now the fear that is causing you to tremble.”  The only reason fear can cease is not that the waves have become calm, but that “egō eimi”—the Creator God—is beside the boat.

 

3.       Lessons and practical applications for our lives

 

The following are practical applications that we should put into practice in order to overcome the storms of everyday life, as we contrast John the Baptist’s “egō ouk eimi” (ἐγὼ οὐκ εἰμί) (“I am not”) with Jesus’ “egō eimi” (Ἐγώ εἰμι) (“I am”):

 

First, move toward self-denial through “egō ouk eimi” (ἐγὼ οὐκ εἰμί) (“I am not”).

 

Just as John the Baptist declared, “I am not the Christ,” we, too, must recognize our proper place accurately when facing the fierce storms of life and confess, “I am not the master of my life, and I am a weak person who cannot overcome these waves by my own strength.”  When we stop our arrogant struggle to solve our problems by rowing with our own strength, space is finally made for us to welcome the hand of the Lord who comes walking on the sea.

 

Second, welcome “egō eimi” (Ἐγώ εἰμι) (“the Lord”), who is greater than the circumstances, into your boat.

 

John 6:21 says that the disciples willingly received Jesus into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land where they were going.

 

Application to our lives: Do not allow your attention to be captured by the waves themselves—the diseases that overwhelm us, the limitations of our ministry, or conflicts in our relationships. Instead, we must joyfully welcome Jesus Christ, the Creator who is “egō eimi” (Ἐγώ εἰμι), into the boat of our lives, and surrender the helm—the right to direct our lives—completely to Him.  The moment the Lord comes aboard, our tedious and painful rowing comes to an end, and we experience the grace of arriving immediately at the destination the Lord has promised.

 

Third, grow in the knowledge of “egō eimi” (Ἐγώ εἰμι) (“the Lord”) through daily meditation (2 Pet. 3:18).

 

The reason the disciples were afraid even after seeing the Lord walking on the sea was that they did not fully know who He was.  The reason we wrestle with the original languages every day and meditate deeply on the Word is not to show off our knowledge.

 

It is so that, whenever a storm strikes, we may immediately recognize Him and say, “That is the One who is the bread of my life (6:35), the Messiah who saved the Samaritan woman (4:26), and my God, ‘egō eimi’ (Ἐγώ εἰμι) (‘It is I’), who is now standing upon these waves.”  The more deeply we know the Lord, the more the fears of this world lose their power within us (Internet).

 

(i)                 As I meditate on the fact that even the disciples, who had been capable fishermen, felt extreme fear when they reached the limits of their ability and experience to control the sea, and consequently failed to recognize the Lord walking toward them on the sea and mistook Him for a ghost, I begin to consider why we, too, sometimes fail to see the Lord at work when the great winds of life blow and the waves rise (v. 18).  We struggle as we row, become exhausted, and eventually face storms in life that we simply cannot handle with our own abilities and strength. Why does this happen?  The passage that came to mind was 2 Corinthians 5:7: “For we walk by faith, not by sight” [διὰ πίστεως γὰρ περιπατοῦμεν, οὐ διὰ εἴδους (dia pisteōs gar peripatoumen, ou dia eidous)].  I also remembered 1 John 4:18: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment. But the one who fears has not been perfected in love” [φόβος οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ ἀλλ’ ἡ τελεία ἀγάπη ἔξω βάλλει τὸν φόβον (phobos ouk estin en tē agapē, all’ hē teleia agapē exō ballei ton phobon)].  What lessons do these passages teach us?

 

·         The reason even the disciples, who were capable fishermen, became terrified in the pitch-black darkness and before the waves, mistaking the Lord for a ghost, was that their spiritual vision had become impaired. The following is an explanation prepared by artificial intelligence, using the original languages of these two passages (2 Cor. 5:7; 1 John 4:18), of why we fail to recognize the Lord in the midst of storms and of three key lessons we must hold on to (Internet):

 

a.       Cause 1: Because they fixed their eyes on “what is seen” (Εἶδος, eidos), rather than on “faith” (Πίστις, pistis) (2 Cor. 5:7)

 

The first reason the disciples failed to recognize the Lord was that their eyes were fixed on the visible circumstances: the height of the waves and the darkness.

 

Meaning of the original Greek (διὰ εἴδους, dia eidous): The Greek word eidos (εἶδος), translated here as “sight,” means “visible appearance” or “outwardly manifested phenomenon.”  Because the disciples judged the situation through their own experience and physical eyes (eidos), they misunderstood Jesus, who was breaking the laws of nature and walking on the water, and regarded Him not as their Deliverer but as a strange ghost.

 

The lesson for us: When storms arise in our lives, if we look only at what is immediately visible—the balance in our bank accounts, our health indicators, or the magnitude of our problems—we will inevitably fall into despair and fail to recognize the Lord’s work.  A true disciple must recover a “walk by faith” perspective—a way of seeing that trusts the Lord’s promise that He is still holding us fast beyond the waves, rather than focusing on outwardly visible circumstances.

 

b.       Cause 2: Because they were not fully experiencing the Lord’s “perfect love” [Τελεία Ἀγάπη (teleia agapē)] (1 Jn. 4:18)

 

The second reason was that their confidence in the Lord’s love for them had been shaken, allowing fear to take its place in their hearts.

 

Meaning of the original Greek (ἔξω βάλλει, exō ballei): In 1 John 4:18, the Greek verb used to say that perfect love “casts out” fear (exō ballei) is a very dynamic word meaning “to throw forcefully outside the door” or “to drive out.”  When fear enters the heart, spiritual vision becomes blurred, and we begin to see even the Lord who has drawn near to us as someone frightening.

 

The lesson for us: The more violent the storm becomes, the more we need to confirm—not the solution to the problem—but “how perfectly the Lord loves me” (teleia agapē).  When we remain in that perfect love that led Him even to give Himself on the cross to save us, that love drives all fear and doubt out of us at once.  When our assurance of His love is restored, we finally begin to see clearly the face of the Lord who comes walking upon the waves.

 

c.       Practical application: Stop rowing and train ourselves to open “the eyes of faith and love”

 

The two passages connected with today’s text teach us the specific attitudes we should put into practice when we encounter the fierce winds of life.

 

First, stop interpreting everything solely by what you see.

When we reach the limits of what we can handle even with our own experience and knowledge, we must immediately stop analyzing the situation in a way that leads us into fear.  Instead, we must reinterpret the situation by faith, saying, “This very place where my strength comes to an end is the stage upon which the almighty ‘egō eimi’ (the Lord) comes walking on the water.”

 

Second, whenever fear overwhelms you, proclaim the Lord’s love.

 

Whenever anxiety and terror seep into your heart, proclaim with your lips the love of the Holy Spirit poured out toward you (Rom. 5:5) and the perfect love demonstrated on the cross.  When the Lord’s love drives fear out of your heart, you will hear the Lord’s gentle voice speaking from the very midst of the suffering that once appeared only frightening, like a ghost: “It is I; do not be afraid.”

 

Conclusion: The Lord of love whom we encounter upon the waves

 

That night, when the disciples struggled as they rowed, was not a night of failure.  It was a great turning point in which they closed their physical eyes and opened the eyes of faith.

 

When fierce winds and waves that we cannot handle arise in our lives today, I hope that we will not be deceived by visible circumstances and tremble with fear.  Rather, I pray that we will walk by faith, trusting in the Lord whom we cannot see, and dwell deeply in His perfect love, which casts out fear at once. May we be blessed to recognize with joy the Lord who comes walking upon the storm and welcome Him into our boat (Internet).

 

(2)  Secondly, as I meditated with the help of artificial intelligence on a comprehensive summary of the parallel passages—Matthew 14:22–27 and Mark 6:45–52—in comparison with today’s passage, John 6:16–21, two questions came to mind.  My first question was: Why did the Apostle John record this event selectively in John 6:16–21, unlike Matthew and Mark?  My second question was: Why did Luke not record the account of Jesus walking on the sea in his Gospel?

 

1.       First question: Why did the Apostle John, unlike Matthew and Mark, record this event selectively and in a condensed form?

 

The Gospel of Matthew (14:22–33) includes the account of Peter walking on the water and then sinking, as well as the disciples in the boat worshiping the Lord.  The Gospel of Mark (6:45–52) mentions that the disciples’ hearts were hardened because they had not understood the miracle of the loaves.  In contrast, the Apostle John boldly omitted all these secondary narratives and condensed the account into only six verses (John 6:16–21).

 

First, it was to focus the spotlight entirely on Jesus Christ alone (Christology).

 

The purpose of the Gospel of John is solely “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (Jn. 20:31).  If John had included the story of Peter walking on the water and then sinking, the readers’ attention might have been diverted toward the faith and failure of the human being, Peter. John thoroughly excluded the human-centered narrative and clearly highlighted only the divine majesty of “egō eimi” (“It is I; do not be afraid”), who is God the Creator.

 

Second, it was to serve as a bridge leading to the teaching about the “bread of life,” the central theme of the entire sixth chapter of John.

 

For John, this event was not an independent episode.  Rather, it was a theological bridge intended to prepare for Jesus’ revelation of Himself as “the bread of life that came down from heaven” (vv. 22–59), immediately following the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand (vv. 1–15).  By briefly and powerfully demonstrating the Lord’s divinity—His transcendence over the laws of nature, including gravity and the sea—John intended to establish the authority of Jesus’ extraordinary teaching that follows: “Eat My flesh and drink My blood.”

 

2.       Second question: Why did Luke not record this event in his Gospel?

 

Immediately after the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand (Lk. 9:10–17), the Gospel of Luke skips the event of Jesus walking on the sea and proceeds directly to Peter’s confession of faith: “You are the Christ of God” (vv. 18–20).  Scholars refer to this as Luke’s “Great Omission” (the omission of Mark 6:45–8:26), and they explain it primarily in terms of two theological and literary reasons.

 

First, to prevent theological misunderstanding among Gentile readers, especially Theophilus.

 

Luke wrote his Gospel with Gentile readers in the Greek cultural world in mind.  At that time, Greek and Roman mythology contained many stories about sea gods, such as Poseidon, and heroes who walked on water.  Luke omitted this event in order to avoid the possibility that Jesus might be misunderstood as a mythical superhero or a “Divine Man.”  Instead, Luke sought to reveal clearly Jesus as the “Son of Man,” who suffers in order to atone for the sins of humanity.

 

Second, because of the redemptive-historical structure that moves from Galilee toward Jerusalem and the cross.

 

The overall structure of the Gospel of Luke focuses on Jesus’ journey after completing His ministry in Galilee, when He firmly resolved to go to Jerusalem to suffer on the cross (Lk. 9:51).  Therefore, rather than including detailed accounts of various miracles involving travel across the Sea of Galilee to Gentile regions on the other side, such as the Decapolis, Luke developed the central message of the Gospel more directly and rapidly by connecting the question of “who Jesus is” (Peter’s confession) with “the way of the cross that He would walk” (the prediction of His suffering).

 

Summary of meditation and lessons

 

Ultimately, the Gospel writers’ choices about what to include and what to omit are not contradictions in the Bible. Rather, they demonstrate the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, who reveals the multifaceted glory of Jesus Christ through the distinctive perspectives of each writer.

 

·      By condensing this event, John clearly revealed Jesus as God the Creator (egō eimi).

·      By omitting this event, Luke directed our full attention to Jesus as the suffering Savior, the Messiah of the cross.

I hope that our meditation today will also become a holy act of choosing and focusing: in the many large and small events of our lives, may we leave out unnecessary human distractions and fix our eyes solely on Jesus Christ, the Creator and Savior who is with us (Internet).

 

(3) Third and last, I have this question: Why did the Apostle John place today’s passage, John 6:16–21, in which Jesus walked on the sea—the fifth sign performed by Jesus—between the account of the feeding of the five thousand, the fourth sign performed by Jesus (Jn. 6:1–15), and the passage concerning Jesus as “the bread of life” (v. 35; vv. 22–59)?  To put the question more broadly, I became curious about the significance of John 6:16–21 within the entire sixth chapter of the Gospel of John.

 

(a) The Apostle John’s placement of John 6:16–21, the fifth sign in which Jesus walked on the sea, between the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand (vv. 1–15) and the teaching about the bread of life (vv. 22–59), was not simply an arrangement of events in chronological order.  Rather, it was a carefully designed connecting device that completes the theological message of the entire sixth chapter of John.  The following is a summary prepared by artificial intelligence of three key meanings this event has within the overall structure of John 6 (Internet):

 

1.       A device for breaking down worldly expectations of the Messiah and confirming His divine identity: “ἐγώ εἰμι” (egō eimi) (“I am”)

 

Immediately after the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand, the crowd tried to seize Jesus by force and make Him a “political king” who would satisfy the world’s physical hunger (v. 15).  Even the disciples were in danger of being swept up in the enthusiasm of the crowd.

 

The significance of this transition: After withdrawing to the mountain to avoid the crowd, Jesus came to His disciples alone in the darkness and storm.  By walking on the sea, transcending the laws of nature, He revealed His true identity: “I am not a political king who merely fills your boats with food; I am God (egō eimi), who created and rules over all things.”

 

By placing this event in the middle of the chapter, the focus of John 6 shifts dramatically from “earthly bread” (political and material satisfaction) to “the spiritual bread of life that came down from heaven.”

2.       The fulfillment of the Exodus event: A reenactment of “the manna in the wilderness” and “the crossing of the Red Sea”

 

The entire sixth chapter of John unfolds against the background of the Old Testament history of the Exodus (the word “Passover” is mentioned in verse 4).

 

Redemptive-historical correspondence: If the preceding miracle of the feeding of the five thousand (vv. 1–15) fulfilled the miracle of the manna by which God fed Israel in the wilderness, then the event of Jesus walking on the sea (vv. 16–21) was an event in which Jesus Himself reenacted the salvation of the Exodus, when Moses parted the Red Sea and led the people across it.

 

By placing these two events side by side, the Apostle John proclaims that Jesus is not merely a second Moses, but the true God who personally directed all the acts of salvation during the time of Moses.  John thereby lays the perfect theological foundation for Jesus’ declaration in verses 22–59 that He Himself is the “true manna,” the bread of life.

 

3.       A spiritual dividing point between “believing disciples” and “unbelieving crowds”

 

In the latter part of John 6 (vv. 60–71), many people leave the Lord because of Jesus’ difficult teaching: “Eat My flesh and drink My blood.” Only the twelve disciples remain.  Through Peter, they confess, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (v. 68).

 

The secret of discipleship: The crowds saw only the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand, but the disciples experienced the grace of welcoming the Lord, who walked on the sea, into their boat (v. 21).

 

Because this private event, in which they experienced the Lord’s divine presence (egō eimi) in the midst of the storm, took place in the middle of the chapter, the disciples gained the inner strength to remain with the Lord later, even when faced with the difficult teaching about the bread of life, rather than abandoning Him as the crowds did.

 

Conclusion: A bridge connecting earthly miracles with heavenly truth

Ultimately, John 6:16–21 is a holy stepping-stone that draws our eyes away from the visible miracle of the feeding of the five thousand and prepares our souls to receive the invisible, eternal truth of the bread of life.

 

In our own Christian lives, we sometimes seek only the “feeding of the five thousand”—the solution to the problems of our lives—and then stumble when we face trials.  At such times, the Lord comes walking upon the night sea of our lives and says, “It is I; do not be afraid.”  By leading us to welcome Jesus Christ Himself, rather than earthly bread, He guides us into the place of true discipleship, where we will not be shaken (Internet).

 

(i)                 Here, I find it very interesting that, if the preceding miracle of the feeding of the five thousand (vv. 1–15) fulfilled the miracle of the manna by which God fed Israel in the wilderness, then the event of Jesus walking on the sea (vv. 16–21) was an event in which Jesus Himself reenacted the salvation of the Exodus, when Moses parted the Red Sea and crossed the sea.  I look forward to seeing how Jesus, who personally reenacted the Old Testament miracle of the manna and the salvation of the Exodus through the signs of the feeding of the five thousand and walking on the sea, will bring about the future, eschatological fulfillment of the sign of the feeding of the five thousand, like the manna, and the salvation of the Exodus, like His walking on the sea, when He returns in the future.  How, indeed, will the Lord accomplish these things at His Second Coming?  What does the Bible say?

 

·         Just as the Old Testament Exodus—the event in which the Israelites safely crossed the Red Sea—and the manna in the wilderness were fulfilled at Jesus’ first coming through the miracle of His walking on the sea and the sign of the feeding of the five thousand, the Bible promises that this redemptive-historical pattern will be fulfilled in its most complete and glorious eschatological reality at the Second Coming of Jesus and in the new heaven and the new earth.  The following is a summary prepared by artificial intelligence of what the “future manna (the feeding of the five thousand)” and the “final Exodus (the conquest of the sea)” will look like when they are completed at the Second Coming, as testified to in the Bible, particularly the Book of Revelation and the Book of Isaiah (Internet):

 

a.       The completion of the eschatological manna and the feeding of the five thousand: “The Marriage Supper of the Lamb and the spring of the water of life”

 

The manna in the wilderness had to be gathered every day, and even after people ate the bread provided in the feeding of the five thousand, they became hungry again.  But the feast that the Lord will provide when He returns will be the fulfillment of eternal satisfaction and complete fullness.

 

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:9): The Lord, upon His return, will invite the redeemed saints to the eternal banquet in heaven.  As Isaiah 25:6 prophesied, a feast of perfect abundance will be prepared for all peoples, a feast of rich food and well-aged wine.

 

The tree of life and the water of life (Rev. 7:16–17; 22:1–2): In the new heaven and the new earth, we will never again hunger or thirst.  The Lamb, who is in the midst of the throne, will be our Shepherd and will guide us to springs of the water of life.  Through the abundance of the tree of life, which bears twelve kinds of fruit every month, He will nourish our souls and bodies forever.

 

b.       The eschatological Exodus and the conquest of the sea: “The new heaven and the new earth in which there is no longer any sea”

 

In the Bible, the “sea” often symbolizes chaos, the forces of evil, and the depths of death and fear that swallow up humanity.  Moses parted the Red Sea, and Jesus walked upon the Sea of Galilee. But on the day of His return, the very source of fear and chaos will be completely destroyed.

 

“There was no longer any sea” (Rev. 21:1): The most remarkable characteristic of the new heaven and the new earth seen by the Apostle John is that “there was no longer any sea.”  This declares that we will arrive forever at the harbor of perfect peace (Jn. 6:21), where there will no longer be fierce winds or storms threatening the saints, nor the darkness and terror that they experienced while crossing the sea at night.

 

The song of victory beside the sea of glass (Rev. 15:2–3): At the time of the judgment at the Second Coming, the saints who have overcome the power of the beast will stand beside the sea of glass mixed with fire, holding the harps of God, and sing together “the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb.”  The song of praise for the salvation of the Exodus, which was sung after the people had crossed the Red Sea in the past, will now resound throughout all creation as the victory song of the final, eschatological Exodus—the complete deliverance from the power of sin and death.

 

c.       Hope and expectation for our lives today

 

The feeding of the five thousand and the crossing of the sea in John 6 were a “preview” that allowed us to taste in advance the glorious future we will enjoy when we welcome the Lord at His return.

 

Patient endurance in hope: The world in which we live today is still like a night sea where fierce winds and waves are rising, and like a wilderness where there seems to be insufficient bread.

 

A sure promise: However, on the day the Lord returns, all our lack and sighing will be transformed into eternal joy at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.  Furthermore, the sea of death and suffering that once threatened to overwhelm us will disappear completely, and the day of perfect deliverance, when we praise the Lamb upon the sea of glass, will surely come.

 

Conclusion: Waiting with “Maranatha” (“Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”)

 

The Lord’s provision—from the manna in the wilderness to the feeding of the five thousand and then to the eternal banquet in heaven—and His deliverance—from the Red Sea to the Sea of Galilee and then to the peace of the new heaven and the new earth—will be brought to completion without the slightest error.

As you hold this majestic eschatological hope in your heart, I pray that even in the face of the great and small storms and shortages that weigh upon our daily lives, you will become blessed pilgrims who can smile with confidence and wait for the Lord’s return (Internet).