TL;DR

The end of the world is coming… just don’t let anyone convince you when.

Love the Smell of Rapture in the Morning

I hear a commonly repeated refrain about the heightened state of desperation and “craziness” in the world. Political riots, social media obsessions, pandemics, and economic downturns give many in my circles an anxious sense of doom ahead. Perhaps, you’ve felt it too. What should Christians make of all of this upheaval?

Media like to report on American Christians’ end-time fascinations. Unfortunately, harm is done by messengers making their inaccurate public estimates of an impending apocalypse. To the unsaved sinner, such bold and incorrect proclamations delegitimize the Gospel’s accuracy. Further, such bold predictions only intend to elevate the “superior wisdom” of the supposed prophet. This self-aggrandizing movement is an abuse of the Word.

To be clear, it does feel as though all of Creation is in labor pains, as biblically predicted.

But I stop myself short of proclaiming when Christ will return. Even Jesus himself did not know.

We must be diligent in protecting our hearts and thoughts. In the closing verses of John, Jesus prophesies about Peter’s crucifixion. Peter turns to John and asks about his fate. Jesus’ reply—included in today’s verse—clearly led to whispered speculation on His return timetable. Those first Christian guesses were inaccurate, like every other guess throughout the millennia.

We have good reason to good “forward” to the end of the world: we are promised a new kingdom with Jesus on the throne and a new heaven and new earth. Mix that with our fear of the unknown series of events leading up to it, and speculation is rife. Much of this speculation leverages biblical text in an attempt to prove its validity but serves only to "affirm" the growing apprehension in our Christian community. If a sense of urgency propelled us to braver evangelism, that would carry a benefit; however, as it typically stands today, it only incites paralyzation and trepidation. Therefore, this apocalyptic prophesying is utterly useless and detrimental to our work in the spiritual harvest. 

Apply It.

Keep our eye on the prize(s)

Our purpose is not to know the day or hour of Christ’s return; our commission is to tell everyone about the love of Jesus. Today. It matters not if the Apocalypse is tomorrow or in 1,000 years; our task remains the same.

Hoping to “sneak” someone in last minute is not a viable form of evangelism—their hearts will still be for themselves and fear of their eternal destination, and NOT inclined towards Jesus, which is our ultimate goal. Eternal salvation is not a punch-card ticket with Jesus’ name which we can show at Heaven’s pearly gates. Salvation requires a relationship with Christ.

Farewell

Americans are not bold enough in our confessions of faith. We are exceptional at condemnation and judgment, but those are most unfortunate traits. As you go throughout your day, I encourage you to wear your faith proudly through your deeds, words, and even your clothing, if necessary. Be Bold. Be Brave.