A friend of mine told me the other day that he has been studying and reading about the 'end times.' In our conversation he shared about different books, scriptures, and theories that appealed to him and how he believes that the current events in the world suggest that the "end times are upon us."
I will be honest, I do not think, read about, or care about the topic of 'end times' much at all. From time to time, people will ask me what my thoughts are regarding the subject. When I respond with an, "I don't know," or, "I don't really think about it," some people are surprised. Here is the way I see it... Christ calls us to love God and to love others today. There is great work to be done today. Scripture tells us that we serve one who is victorious, and therefore, we have reason to be hope-filled people. When the 'end times' arrive, I guess I will learn about the specifics. How unscholarly of me. Until that time, our greatest responsibility is to be faithful now... To be about God's work and mission in the world now.
Are you someone who concerns yourself greatly with the end times? How much is it our responsibility to be concerned with the 'end times?'
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What?!? Doesn't our eschatology shape our theology? Doesn't the way we think it is going to end shape the way we live? Don't we believe that the "end" has already broken into the here and now? I just have questions...no answers. I do believe that we have hope that God is redeeming all things and he is using us as instruments of his grace and reconciliation.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that our eschatology shapes our theology. What I am more getting at is the 'watchdog' mentality that continually watches the news while reading Revelation trying to figure out if the 'end is near.' For example, I have had two different people in the last two weeks ask me if I think Egypt or Saudi Arabia represent Babylon mentioned in Revelation 18. Is it our responsibility to 'make our guesses' in regards to when the end times will arrive?
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you here, Jay. I don't think being preoccupied with the end times makes for someone who is readily occupied with loving people now. Jesus said the kingdom is upon us. Life doesn't start when he returns, it begins now, with the mission to which he has called us: loving people and preaching the gospel of truth through our lives in order to reach those who need him.
ReplyDeleteCan we not do both? Can we not multi-task when it comes to our faith?
ReplyDeleteI am reminded though of how the book of Revelation starts in verse 3-
"Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near."
If we shouldn't care about end times-why are they explained in the Bible? I don't think they are as complicated a people try to make them and I don't think you have to guess either. So you don't have to give them huge amounts of time, but a healthy understanding and appreciation for them is necessary if we respect the entire Bible and recognize it as God's word.
Hope that doesn't sound harsh. I am just saying that as a pastor-I think you must consider all of the Bible, not just the verses that pertain to this day in time. We should be concerned with the past, the present and the future.