It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over

Major League Baseball’s All-Star summer classic at Yankee Stadium was a wave goodbye to such games played there, and the hometown cheering was consistent with its finality. It set the record for length and tied for innings played. After 15 innings, the American League prevailed for the 12th straight time. Adding insult to injury, the All-Star Game determines home field advantage in the World Series, and the National League has come up short again for the forthcoming October series.

Former Yankee catcher, Hall of Famer and beneficiary of an honorary degree from Montclair State University, Yogi Berra shone in his usual ungrammatical way during a break interview. Yogi, who lives near the church I pastored in Montclair, NJ, has a local museum and stadium named after him at Montclair State. He’s famous for convoluted syntax and grammar such as, “You can observe a lot by watching.” Last evening’s wrenching game brought to mind his most famous, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” And it wasn’t over ‘til it was over after 15 hair-raising innings.

Only God knows the future, and He did not reveal his prescience on Tuesday. But spiritually, our game is won even though we don’t know how many innings there will be. We are not the American League; we are the Heavenly League with superior management and assured victory. How can this be with all the seeming setbacks, obstacles, frustrations, scandals and seeming losses in the Kingdom? 1 Corinthians 15:57-58 is upbeat in a downhill world: “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” The innings may be weird, but the outcome is foregone supremacy.

An example is Luke 21:16-18: “But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, and you will be hated by all because of My Name. Yet not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives.” Life’s worst—death—parallels the promise of protection. Indeed, physical death is merely running the bases toward home plate.

More is going on than mortal eyes behold. The Church Age, the purpose of which is to complete the Body of Christ, ends its final inning only after the final “outing.” By believers reaching out in evangelism, sinners hear the Word, respond in receiving Christ and are added to Christ’s Body known as the New Testament Church.

Romans 10:14-15 asks the ultimate witnessing questions. “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!’”

Christ’s Rapture return (I Thessalonians 4:17) only follows the global evangelism of Acts 1:8. Acts 15:14 describes our present witness so Christ can “take out a people for His Name.” Verse 16 says, “After this he will return….”

In the Father’s house are those many dwelling places. When they are finished and match the number of redeemed occupants, Christ will come again and receive us to Himself (John 14:1–3).

Yogi has it right even if awkwardly stated, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” And now, for us, it’s nearly over. Global evangelism is accelerating; millions are coming to Christ. The Body is nearing completion, and we’re almost home. Any day now the game’s over.

And we win!

Dave Virkler