OK. I have got to get this out of my system. Please, someone, please, show me in the red letter words of Jesus, where he says we should spend time, talents and treasure on worrying about the end of time, and the signs that it is coming. He does tell us some signs, but they are ambiguous. You don’t know. I don’t know. Harold Camping doesn’t know. And we don’t know how exactly either.
What Jesus does say very clearly is this:
“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
Matt. 6:34 (NLT)“But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Matt 20:26-28 (NLT)“However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.”
Matt 24:36 (NLT)“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’….“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’”
Matt. 25:34-36,40 (NLT)
He spends only Chapter 23 telling about end time prophesy, but the whole rest of the Gospel of Matthew tells of Jesus spreading the Gospel, healing people, feeding the hungry, teaching what he expects his disciples to do: the same thing He is doing! He is full of compassion and meeting people where they are at and giving them Good News!
So people, PLEASE, don’t waist any time, talent or treasure trying to figure out when Jesus is coming back. You are to live out everyday as if it were your last. Everyday is a fishing expedition; to be fishers’ of people. The Kingdom is here. Live it. And most importantly-SHARE IT!
And let me ask you one question, and don’t answer quickly. Take a moment.
Do you really TRUST God? I mean, really, really trust Him? If you do, then why would you waste time on this stuff, when you could be doing Kingdom work. Why would you send your money to people who propagate a gospel message that is lacking the real basic but backbone truth of the Gospel: faith without works is dead? Why support that? And are you using your God-given talents to bring people to the Kingdom? Are you doing something, or sitting and watching others?
If you do trust God, and believe all He has to say in Scripture, then you cant wait to see Him, you cant wait for Jesus to come back, BUT at the same time, you want to take as many people as you can with you to Heaven. It doesn’t matter when Jesus returns. Live everyday as it is your last.
And one final thing. Brush up on your history. I get worn out by people telling me how bad things are and how all this bad stuff is a sign of Jesus return. Bad?? More people make more money than ever in history. We are so rich and spoiled it stinks! And I know there have been a lot of natural disasters lately, but we live in an age where we see pictures and reports just moments after they happen.
What do you think people thought during WWII? A second world war within 25 yrs of the first one, and the mass genocide of the Jews, the Atom Bomb, etc. I’m sure most thought that was the end. And what about the great persecution of the Early Church? Nero was nailing them to posts and setting them on fire to light his garden! Thats a great tribulation! And all of the wars, natural disasters, through out history. And things like the black plague. People act like we are the worst because of sex. Not quite. Ask Paul, the apostle. Pretty bad back in his day.
I am sorry if I hurt your feelings. It’s not your fault. Someone got you all worked up over this stuff. But just look at the truth of the Gospel. Look at God’s heart through out all of Scripture. We wants us to love each other and be compassionate…actively. Follow the heart of God. Follow the words and deeds of Jesus. Go make disciples!!
I feel much better. Ahhhh.
