This Lord’s day is the last day of the year on our calendar for 2023. What will be the last Sunday in your life and mine? We don’t know. I do not know when my last day on earth will be (Ecc. 7:14; 8:6-8; 9:2-10). However, I do know there will be a last day for the earth and all the works in it. There will be a last day of all time. I do not know when it will be, nor do you (Mt. 24:35, 36). I don’t know if it will be a Sunday, but I do know it will be the “day of the Lord” and will come unexpectedly “as a thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Pet. 3:10).

Sometimes in the Bible the day of the Lord refers to a judgment on a particular nation (Isa. 13:6, 9), but, looking at the context of the “day of the Lord” in 1 Thessalonians, it becomes apparent that this final day will be the day when the dead in Christ are raised (1 Thess. 4:16). Jesus spoke of resurrection on the last day. He said, “This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day” (Jn. 6:39-40). He further explained that imbibing of His instructions and following them would lead to eternal life including resurrection on the last day: “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (Jn. 6:54). In the previous chapter, Jesus had spoken of giving life and said, “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation” (Jn. 5:28, 29).

Martha believed her brother Lazarus would rise again in the resurrection on the last day (Jn. 11:24). In reply to Martha, Jesus said just before He raised Lazarus from the grave, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (Jn. 11:25). The apostle Paul believed in the resurrection on the final day even after he became a Christian, a truth the Pharisees recognized but the Sadducees rejected (Acts 23:8; Lk. 20:27-40). His upbringing as a Pharisee taught him of the hope of the resurrection of the dead (Acts 23:6; Phil. 3:5). He then met the resurrected Lord Jesus (Acts 9:3-6; 22:6-10; 26:13-231 Cor. 9:1; 15:8).

Paul spent the rest of his days looking forward to the victory Christians will have over death on that final day of resurrection (1 Cor. 15). Paul by inspiration expressed his confidence that he will receive a reward in the final judgment on that day when Jesus judges the living and the dead (2 Tim. 4:1, 8). He wrote his epistles preparing people to meet the Lord in judgment on the final day and give an account of the deeds done in their bodies (Rom. 14:8-12; 2 Cor. 5:10). He instructed Corinth to withdraw from the fornicator in their midst so that he would repent and his spirit would be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus (1 Cor. 5:5). He further instructed that “the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power” (1 Cor. 6:13, 14). To the persecuted Thessalonians, he assured them that the Lord Jesus would be revealed from heaven would repay their persecutors in flaming fire on that final day, the day when the Lord would be glorified and admired among them who believe (2 Thess. 1:6-10). We should likewise live in view of that final day.

Jesus is the eternal Word; He was in the beginning and created all things (Jn. 1:1-3; Col. 1:16). He came to earth in the likeness of men (Phil. 2:7). He became flesh to dwell among men to declare the glory of God (Jn. 1:14). Those who saw Him and His miracles in this sense saw the Father (Jn. 14:8-11).

A virgin, named Mary, who was betrothed to Joseph gave birth to Him. She was told, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God” (Lk. 1:35). He was named Jesus, meaning savior, for He came to earth to save His people from their sins (Mt. 1:21). Matthew by inspiration goes on to explain, “So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us’” (Mt. 1:22, 23). For a third of a century while He “dwelt among us” (Jn. 1:14), Jesus was God in the flesh. He fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” Joseph followed the command from the angel of the Lord and took Mary as his wife, but he “did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS” (Mt. 1:25).

The birth of Jesus also fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 9:6, “ For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Jesus came to earth to establish the kingdom. He preached of the kingdom’s imminent establishment (Mt. 4:17; Mk. 9:1). While all people are born of flesh, Jesus explained that to be part of the kingdom of God, one must be born again, a new birth of water and Spirit (Jn. 3:3-5). In water baptism, one is regenerated, born anew to become part of the kingdom (Titus 3:5; Col. 1:13, 14; 2:11-13). Jesus refused to be forced into man’s ideals regarding kingship (Jn. 6:15). This kingdom of His is spiritual, not earthly (Jn. 18:36, 37); it is within the hearts of those who follow Him (Lk. 17:20, 21).

Jesus came to earth to drink of the cup of God’s wrath for man’s sin (Mt. 26:39, 42; Lk. 22:42; Jn. 12:27) to taste death for everyone (Heb. 2:9). He came to experience temptation but never succumb so that He could be the only payment for sin (Heb. 2:14-18). He came and lived on earth to die on the cross (Phil. 2:8). Then He arose and sat down as king in heaven at the right hand of the Father (Acts 2:23-33; Eph. 1:20-22; Phil. 2:9-11). Jesus is the eternal God who came in the flesh, “who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,” (Heb. 1:3).

Are you a part of His kingdom? Have you been born again and had your sins purged? Is Jesus the king of your life? Or has all of this had no effect in changing your life?

In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon approaches wisdom from a different perspective than he does in the book of Proverbs. Proverbs provides practical wisdom whereby anyone can take these stated principles, live them out, and be wise in their courses of action throughout life. Ecclesiastes, however, is a consideration of ultimate meaning in life. It is more questioning and philosophic about what is worthwhile.

In order to make his point, Solomon pursues a secular line of thinking in portions of Ecclesiastes. This reasoning, which builds up faulty conclusions because it leaves out consideration of the divine, results in a very pessimistic view of life. We must understand this when we approach the book lest we take one statement out of context and miss the overall point. Consider an example:

In Ecclesiastes 2:17, Solomon concludes: “Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind.” Why was his work distressing? Had he not said just a few verses earlier that, “my heart rejoiced in all my labor” (Ecc. 2:10).  Yet, now he hates his life and work. Why? While he enjoyed the labor itself, he recognized the fruits of that labor are going to dissipate soon in the next generation, as he expounds: “Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me. And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will rule over all my labor in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity” (Ecc. 2:18, 19). Indeed, in Solomon’s own life this was the case. He had more wealth than any other (1 Kings 10:23-29; 2 Chron. 1:11-17; 9:22-31), yet he left it to Rehoboam who had ten tribes succeed from him due to his foolish insistence on being a harsh ruler (1 Kings 12). Then soon after the treasures of Solomon were taken away by foreigners (1 Kings 14:25-26).  All the fruit of his labor under the sun would vanish. That would be distressing. This is still true even today; the wealthiest people who have given their entire lives making money cannot take it with them nor will their descendants be likely to maintain it wisely.

Focusing only on the material wealth of this life, this conclusion is depressing.

But then Solomon presents the turning point in Ecclesiastes 2:24: God, “Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God.” With God the outlook changes drastically.

Instead of hating life, Solomon concludes that life is a good gift from God, stating, “I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God” (Ecc. 3:12-13). God makes all the pursuits of life worth it, “Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage. As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God. For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart” (Ecc. 5:18-20). Life is full of simple pleasures that are the gift of God: “Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun” (Ecc. 9:9). Instead of hating our work, we recognize that our labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Cor. 15:58). God makes all the difference, and that is the point of Ecclesiastes.

God gave a covenant to Israel when He had delivered them from Egyptian bondage, but through their unfaithfulness they broke the covenant (Jer. 31:32). However, God in His mercy and forbearance made a new covenant (Heb. 8:6-12 cf. Jer. 31:31). Though sins were remembered every year in the Levitical sacrifices of the old covenant (Heb. 10:3), under the new covenant God no more remembers sins (Jer. 31:34; Heb. 8:12; 10:17). What is remembered now is Christ’s death. This remembrance is made by means of the Lord’s Supper every week (Mt. 26:26; 1 Cor. 11:24, 25). Here are some reasons that this death, which brought our deliverance, should be remembered as a focal point in the entire history of God’s dealings with man:

The blood of Christ shed on the cross cleanses the conscience in a complete way that could not be achieved merely through old covenant rituals (Heb. 9:9, 14). The sacrifices under the old covenant were an illustration of the cost of sin that pointed toward the perfect sacrifice of Christ for the remission of sins (Heb. 9:22, 23). The blood of Christ not only cleanses us today who live after His death, but also covered those who lived before His death. Hebrews 9:15 speaks of Jesus as the Mediator of the new covenant; however, it also acknowledges His death was for “the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant.” In the mind of God—Who sees all human history at once—forgiveness and salvation could be extended in every age based upon the death of Christ. Even though Jesus lived and died in a particular historical moment that occurred after centuries of human history had already transpired, Jesus is the one “whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed” (Rom. 3:25). While the particulars of obedience varied from the old covenant to the new, God’s grace—extended through Christ’s death on the cross to those who would respond in faith and obedience—has always been the means of salvation.

Not only should the cross be a focal point of human existence collectively, it also should be the focal point of the life of each individual. Life is often tragic. Suffering comes our way. If we are not prepared for it in our mindset, then we can really be thrown off course. Peter was a witness of the sufferings of Christ (1 Pet. 5:1); moreover, he was with the Lord when the Supper was established. Consider the inspired reminders the apostle Peter had for those who are suffering. Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example, that we should follow in His steps (1 Pet. 2:21). Christ suffered for our sins; He suffered even though He is just and we are unjust. Why? To bring us to God (1 Pet. 3:18). Remember this when you are suffering. And when you are tempted to sin, remember since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, we should arm ourselves with the same mind and cease from sinning (1 Pet. 4:1). Remembering Christ’s suffering gives meaning to my life, helps me to be grateful, and deters me from sin. This is why I should continually remember Christ’s death on the cross.