Another False Alarm
Well, October 21, 2011 came and went (and the end of the world didn’t happen—at least as far as I can tell). Fascinating—we have heard nothing from our end-times prophet, Harold Camping. Nothing on Google (maybe something today) that I could find. This is the third prediction failure. “Three strikes . . .” (you know the rest of the line).
All this to say—this whole thing is absurdity, and is destructive to the church, the mission of the church, and anything that is called “Christian.” The world mocks, and we as Christians bow our heads in shame, and we do all we can to distance ourselves from such a false representation of our faith, and our precious Lord Jesus.
Jesus made it very clear—the time of his return is none of our business. Try reading Acts 1:7. In fact, it seems that he almost rebukes the disciples for even asking! All that we see on TV, U Tube, books, videos, etc. that deal with signs of the times or predictions of the rapture and second coming of Christ, fall under the rebuke of Acts 1:7. It’s time we stood up and shouted “Stop! Stop the nonsense, and stop violating the clear teaching of Scripture.”
When we read Acts 1:7 we also then read Acts 1:8. This is the mission of the church. It started with the disciples/apostles. Ten days later Pentecost came. The power and person of the Holy Spirit arrived in a unique and new way in fulfillment of all the New Covenant prophesies of the OT. The church was launched with the power and presence of the Holy Spirit (it is now the temple of the Holy Spirit, 1 Cor. 3:16), and we are part of that power and presence in the world.
The church is now on mission. It is empowered for mission, and it is consumed with mission—the mission of the gospel of the kingdom of Jesus Christ—the good news that through faith in Christ anyone can be transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light, the kingdom of God’s dear Son.
Looking for the signs of the times for the end of the world is, in fact, antithetical to our mission. Yes, we are to watch and be ready (Mt. 24-25), but all the time we are to be focused on proclaiming the good news to all who will hear, and even to those who don’t want to hear.
So, let’s lose our curiosities about end times and predictions of the end of the world. Let’s be about the Master’s business while it is “yet day.” Let’s live in light of the imminent return of our Lord, but in a way that redeems the time for the sake of the good news that “Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.”