The other day, I was teaching a class with some teens. They had a fascination about the end of times. It seems they have experienced the teachings of the pseudo-religious prophets that manifest themselves in contemporary entertainment genres. The force of Jesus’ warning in Luke 21:7-11 is that disciples of Christ should not be misled by the false prophets who will come claiming authority and saying that the time is near. Such claims are the words of charlatans who prey upon the innocent. Nevertheless, the dangers and hardships that we experience are real. Truth is tested and faith is confirmed not in idle speculation but in the crucible of hard times. In Luke 21:5-19 Jesus foretells the coming destruction of the temple with a warning of the wars, earthquakes, famines, and plagues that will come and a warning to the disciples of the persecutions they must endure. We need to distinguish biblical teachings and sound biblical interpretation from the sensational claims carried by the media and popular religious best-sellers. We are not waiting for a call to ministry, we already have a call to disregard the false prophets; do not be led astray, and do not go after them (Luke 21:8). Those who wish to find a more energetic religious experience, therefore, should look not for signs of the future but for signals that it is time to live by Jesus’ call for obedience and faithfulness here and now.
Posts Tagged ‘Earthquakes’
Day 131: Luke 21:5-19 — Don’t be Fooled!
Tuesday, May 11th, 2010Day 41: Matthew 24:4-31 — The End of the World
Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
All my life, I have heard about the end of the world. From days in elementary school when we had bomb drills to prepare for the possibility of a USSR attack; to military drills in the Marine Corps; there was popular biblical tripe that predicted the end of the world on multiple occasions; and then of course, there is the biblical account. One of the biblical accounts is from our reading in the 24th chapter of Matthew. In Matthew 24:3, the disciples ask Jesus when the “close of the age” will be. Jesus responds that many will come in His name and will lead “you astray” (Matthew 24:4). Jesus is right because in the period between the resurrection and today, we have had many come in Jesus’ name that have led others astray. Part of this deception has created a weariness of predictions and the world distrusts Christians when we speak of the end of the age.
So now, we have the new gospels of the end times. One is better known today as the environmental movement. Man has become so terrible that he holds with in his/her hand the power to take out the world and bring it to the end (so much for God and His plans). We have the Mayan calendar that some interpret as the end of the world. We have media hype in popular movies like 2012, The Letter of Eli, and Superbowl commercials introducing the Green Police.
Jesus goes on to tell us not to be alarmed (Matthew 24:6) because all of these catastrophic events like wars, earthquakes, famines, false prophets, falling astray of believers, increase in lawlessness, betrayals, loss of love, etc. is going to be part of our lives prior to Jesus’ return (Matthew 24:6-12).
So what do we do? Jesus tells us to endure till the end (Matthew 24:14). Oh by the way, where did we get the idea that everything will be over? I think the promise is that we will go to heaven and live our lives with Jesus Christ. The end of the world is not that bad because it is replaced with something better.
Are you ready for the end of the world? To be honest I am not because in Christ there is no end to our lives. The death, burial, resurrection, and glorification of Jesus Christ is Good News. We will rise like Christ not be destroyed in some cataclysmic event that is made popular by computer generated special effects in Hollywood. I am not going to be the wolfman, vampire, zombie, or some reincarnated flesh trying to find peace. I like the song we sing about Jesus, “I am the resurrection, I am the life. He who believes in me shall never die.”
So, when is the end time? Come back tomorrow and I will give you dates, times, and a biblical text.