For baseball and sports fans, the victory of the Cubs against the Cleveland Indians in an epic World Series was an emotional roller coaster until the final out, with an outbreak of great joy for probably the greater part of those watching. It provided a vicarious thrill even for those with no personal or vested interest in the club or team. The Cubs finally did it after 108 years of suffering and of becoming a proverb, almost. We are all glad for them, even though the Indians played well, proved themselves worthy competitors, and who are also a long time since their last championship (1948).
There were stories after the game of how the present team kept the former players in mind, some of whom are in the Baseball Hall of Fame, but who never even played a World Series game as a Cub (the last time for the Cubs was in 1945); and if some of them did, they never were victorious as the champions. They won this Series for them, too, and this year’s championship was theirs also. There were even stories of family members among the fans who went to the graves of their relatives who had gone to the grave without experiencing the joy of finally attaining the goal — winning the World Series again since their last victory in 1908. The fans today shared the vicarious victory with all those who had gone before whose hope and love had been in the Cubs.
God has promised all whose faith and hope have been in Him through His Word and promises concerning His Son, Yeshua the Messiah/Jesus Christ, that they would inherit eternal life, even if they died. All who have gone before are awaiting the resurrection from among the dead to inherit that life that is in God. All believers today are living with that hope, and when the time comes, ALL who have suffered in this world in their love for the Lord with their hearts set on the sure hope of His promise will SHARE together that joy of true victory to be experienced.
All who will endure and overcome great tribulation will be doing so for all who have overcome in their own generations, that God will have a pure, spotless, blameless, holy Bride for His Son. We will all rejoice as one together our Owner, who purchased us with His precious blood, and trained us to be champions for His glory, and ours in Him!
“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the Earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland…. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection….And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.”
All the world’s a parable! 🙂