A few weeks ago I asked the question, “What is your view of the End Times?” In seeking to answer this popular question, we saw that many professing Christians today have bought into the common newspaper-exegesis type-of-thinking (or interpreting the Scripture by current events), rather than by seeing the events of our day through the lens of Scripture.
We saw that if you follow the latter approach, you will quickly learn that the Bible is not as clear as the well-known, end-times prognosticators, teach us. In fact, even our Lord willed, while upon earth, to not know when His final return would be (Philippians 2:5-11; Matthew 24:36)! Further, we learned that the Bible warns us to steer-away from trying to figure out the details of the end-times, while it calls us to live in the power of the Holy Spirit through testifying of Christ to a lost world (Acts 1:6-8; 20:24).
We also understood that doomsday-forecasters have always been legion and their embarrassing testimonies have repeatedly brought untold reproach upon the name of Christ! Now we are starting to hear rumblings about the year 2012. There’s even a movie entitled “2012” coming out this December. It’s based upon the ancient “Mayan Calendar” prophecy which supposedly says that the end-of-the-world will occur in 2012 (I have already read one end-times expert’s piggy-back affirmation of this coming event!).
This brings me to ask you, how near is “the End” in your thinking? My prayer is that your thinking will not become consumed with this supposed coming meltdown of planet Earth (even though that will eventually happen – 2 Peter 3:7, 10).
In other words, my aim is to call you to live as Peter said in 2 Peter 3:11, “Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness?” God’s more concerned about “how” we live, than about our ability to see if “the End” is on the horizon. Our earthly demise is very near (Ecclesiastes 9:12; Psalm 90:10), but “the End” is not near! Just read the following passages: Matthew 13:31-33; 16:18; 28:19-20; 1 Corinthians 15:20-25, Psalm 22:27-31, et al.
Even if my interpretation is wrong about how soon “the End” actually is from us today; if you are clothed in Christ’s righteousness, then you are ready for that great day (2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 4:24)! Beloved, our attitudes need to reflect that of the following two great preachers from Church History: “If Christ were coming back tomorrow, I would plant a tree today” (Martin Luther); “If I knew that Christ were coming back tonight, I don’t think that I would change any of my plans” (John Wesley). Therefore, possessing Christ’s righteousness and pressing on in your daily walk with Christ, demonstrates that you are prepared for “the End!” Knowing this, let’s ready our hearts for tomorrow’s worship.
Jerry Marcellino is pastor of Audubon Drive Bible Church in Laurel. He can be reached by e-mail at pastorjerry@audubonchurch.org
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How near is the End?
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