It’s November of 2023 and at this point I have probably heard about a dozen end times prophesies. It seems like every month someone somewhere is saying that they have unlocked the secretes of Revelation, and knows when the rapture is or when Jesus is coming back.
to “be ready” is to continue to do what Jesus taught in the Gospel of Matthew.
Luther Seminary
They always claim a specific day or month and spend the rest of the time screaming to high heaven telling people their gospel. Silence ensues when they are found to be wrong. Sometimes they try again or they might just fad back into the ethos of the internet.
This is nothing new, but it feels like it is worse than usual. A direct relationship appears to exist between the degradation of our political system and the number of end time prophesies. The more our country divides the more Christians look for Christ’s return. This is problematic for two reasons.
No One Knows the Hour
36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
Matthew 24:36 NASB
Anyone who claims to have any special revelation from God is lying to you. There has been no revelation from God since the New Testament was canonized. Years have come and gone, prophesies have come and gone. Not one has come to fruition. We do not know when Christ is returning. We are told to treat this awaited moment as a houseowner awaits a thief. Thieves do not announce themselves nor do they come when expected. They appear suddenly with no regard for our desires. Christ may come back soon, but no one will have predicted it.
We have become so numb to that idea that we are now wishing for the immediate return of our savior which will condemn those outside the fold.
We also need to be readying ourselves for His coming. Not with stores of food, ammunition or land, but with love, charity, and the gospel. When Jesus commanded His apostles upon His ascension He did not tell them to bunker down until the appointed day. No, He told them to go baptize and make disciples. This leads to point number two.
Disciple Making
It feels like too many Christians have become OK with the notion that some people will not go to heaven. We have become so numb to that idea that we are now wishing for the immediate return of our savior which will condemn those outside the fold. We are fine with this damnation as long as our earthly suffering is relieved. When did we become so cold? When did the “City upon a hill” close its gates? Why is our light shielded by a basket? There are many out there still fighting the good fight and readying themselves, but too many workers have left the fields.
Christ may be coming soon, that is always a possibility. That does not change His directive. We are to prepare for Him todays as if it was the day that He ascended.
Matthew 24:37-44 reinforces the idea that the community must “be ready.” In this context, to “be ready” is to continue to do what Jesus taught in the Gospel of Matthew.
(“Commentary on Matthew 24:36-44 – Working Preacher from Luther Seminary”)
Matthew was very clear in telling us what Jesus taught. The Beatitudes contains three chapters worth of teachings that, when applied, will radically change any person. Again, we are not to hide because the world is becoming less “Christian.” We are to engage the world even if it leads us to our pyre. If you truly thought that Jesus was coming back soon; if you really thought that the workday was almost through or that the end of the race was only a few yards away you would preach more, work faster, or run harder.
Bibliography
“Commentary on Matthew 24:36-44 – Working Preacher from Luther Seminary.” Working Preacher from Luther Seminary, 11 Nov. 2020, http://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/first-sunday-of-advent/commentary-on-matthew-2436-44-5#:~:text=According%20to%20Matthew%2024%3A36,in%20the%20Gospel%20of%20Matthew. Accessed 8 Nov. 2023.
Bible, NASB
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