After observing only portions of the 2024 Olympic Ceremonies, I am more convinced than ever that we are living in a very dark and confusing day. One of the celebrated figures was a mysterious cloaked figure riding a mechanical horse. Another was what appeared to be a reenactment of Da Vinci’s painting of The Last Supper; only it featured men dressed as women (drag queens). To my knowledge, no explanation was offered to the audience for either artistic expression, which left me disconcerted by both.
First the shadowy, cloaked figure riding on a horse followed by the flags of all the nations of the world sounds somewhat familiar to Biblical prophecy in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Revelation chapter six offers up four horsemen, each symbolizing devastation and death. Were the Olympic producers attempting to draw a parallel to this mysterious rider?
The drag queen’s portrayal of the last supper was not veiled in the least. The open aspersion of Christianity has become widely commonplace in the 21st century. No other religions are mocked or belittled as are the followers of Christ. Christianity is scoffed and persecuted the whole world over. There were no unflattering presentations of Islam or Buddhism. Only Christianity was despised.
Lest we forget, these things were prophesied by Jesus.
John 15:18-21 (REV)
“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would befriend you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his lord.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name because they do not know the one who sent me.”
Christians are called to be lights amid a crooked and perverse world (Phil 2:15). The shining light of our lives exposes the darkness because we make known him who is the light of the world, Jesus Christ. Let us not be fearful of the future or troubled by this present darkness. Jesus didn’t ask us to defeat the world, but to be witnesses to the world. We pray for the lost, live uprightly, and speak the truth to them in love. Our duty is to live humbly toward God, just as Jesus lived; for which God’s Word declares the following:
Phillippians 2:9-11
“And therefore God raised him to the highest place of honor and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth—and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
The world will mock him; it will scoff at his teachings, belittle his sacrifice, and dismiss his unparalleled love. The voices of dissent will rise, and the critics will take their place, casting shadows over the unwavering truth that he represents. The world will despise us, labeling us as outcasts and fanatics for our unwavering faith and commitment to the ways of the One we follow. In its eyes, we may seem foolish, misguided, or even dangerous. Yet, we must remember that in the end, every mocking laugh and every deriding comment will be silenced. The whole world will bow the knee to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ, acknowledging his supreme authority and embracing his righteous judgement. Every heart will ultimately recognize his lordship, and the truth of his name will echo through the heavens and the earth as the whole world confesses that HE is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
Let us stay resilient, dear brothers and sisters. Let us hold fast to our faith, even when the tide of public opinion seems to be surging against us. In times of adversity, we must find strength in our unity and in our shared purpose. Together, we can face the challenges that lie ahead, fortified by the knowledge that our Savior reigns supreme. No matter the difficulties we encounter, we can cling to the truth that in the end, every knee will bow, and every voice will proclaim his greatness. May our hearts be filled with courage, and may we rise in hope, knowing that the glory of God the Father is our ultimate destination.
Your Faithful Brother,