Matthew 24:42 Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what day the Lord is coming. ~HCSB
Matthew 24:46 That slave whose master finds him working when comes will be rewarded. 47I assure you: He will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48But if that wicked slave says in his heart, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49and starts to beat his fellow slave, and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50that slave’s master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. ~HCSB
I have heard it argued that the “End Times” have been preached since Jesus ascended into Heaven and that Christians should not spend too much time worrying about the return of Jesus and “End Times Prophecy” because every generation believed he would return in their generation and that it has never come to pass. Even Paul and Jesus’ disciples believed, no, knew in their hearts that He would return in their lifetime and they were proven incorrect in their belief.
It is true they were convinced He would return in their lifetimes as have many generations of believers been convinced our Lord would return in their lifetimes. And I know in my heart that He will return to claim His church in my lifetime. I believe it could happen before I am able to get this paper finished and posted to my blog.
The questions are:
- Is it wrong to have a strong belief in the immediacy of the return of Jesus?
- Were Paul and His disciples foolish for believing and preaching His immanent return?
- Should pastors and Christians place prophecy on the back burner and only refer to it when we want to have intellectual discussions with our fellow believers?
- Should we scorn believers for their ferverent belief in Jesus’ teachings?
Or:
· Should we continually be watchful and pray that we and our loved-ones are found watching and ready at the time of His return?
· Should we make it a point to frequently, with enthusiasm share the glorious news of the return of our Lord?
First off, as shown is Matthew 24:42 above, Jesus tell us to “be alert”, therefore everyone should be alert and ready for His imminent return. This is a teaching of Jesus who is the Son of the living God and His word is infallible.
Secondly, Paul and Jesus’ disciples had pure faith in the Lord and therefore followed His teachings in every way. They were not foolish; to the contrary, they were wise men that believed as Jesus would have had them believe.
Third, pastors and other Christians should not put any of the gospels on the back burner. Discussions of the end times are important, but all of the gospels are important and should be preached and taught as led by the Holy Spirit.
Finally, following the teachings of Jesus is never foolish!
Matthew 16:2 He answered them: "When evening comes you say, 'It will be good weather because the sky is red.' 3 And in the morning, 'Today will be stormy because the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to read the appearance of the sky, but you can't read the signs of the times. ~HCSB
In Matthew 16:2-3 above, Jesus is chastising the Pharisees and Sadducees for their unwillingness to believe. I believe it is also a warning to us today. It is a warning to know the signs of the times and to believe them. Many Christians know the signs but are unwilling to acknowledge them and many do not even want to know what the signs of the end time are because of fear. End-times prophecy is nothing to fear for Christians. It is God’s loving way of letting us know of things to come. Much of the Bible’s prophecy has already been fulfilled; therefore, we know His Word is true and we need to know as much as we can about what the end times will look like and be willing to believe as we see these things happen and are being fulfilled around us so we are not caught off guard and so we won’t be fooled by false prophets and false teachings. If it were not necessary for us to know and to be aware of, God and Jesus would not have told us what was to be.
We have nothing to fear when Jesus returns for His bride and it will be a glorious day for in an instant, we will be in the presence of God and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I can only hope that I am able to be here when that glorious day arrives. Come Lord Jesus, come.
