In Matthew 24, perhaps Jesus' most well known eschatological passage (or passage concerning the end of days), we find an interesting verse in light of the coming prediction of the Earth's destruction scheduled for this Saturday.
Matthew 24:20
"But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath."
Sorry Jesus, turns out that our flight will be on the Sabbath.
Just a little joke, but I'd like to examine the entirety of this weekend's situation in how it relates to the church, and those outside the church. And while it may sound crazy, I'd like to examine the possibility of Mr. Camping's predictions for this weekend actually being true.
Jesus has promised to return to this world. (Matt. 24:30) He's promised that His return will undoubtedly be in the light of VERY uncomfortable times. Times marked by tribulation, floods, famine and war. All of which seem to be assembling now. It's hard to ignore. Our time has been bookmarked by a huge tsunami, followed by a mile wide tornado, being concluded by the Mississippi flooding at record-breaking levels. The middle-east is in mayhem (which is barely news, I'd honestly be more interested if Her Majesty's Royal Navy was involved in some struggle) but the presence of world violence is among us. If anything, this is a sample situation of the end times at best.
The most pressing question I have received over and over from friends, coworkers etc. has been whether I really believe that the end of the world will occur. They haven't asked about Harold Camping, they haven't asked about what my church believes, or inquired about scholarly positions on Mr. Camping, but they have mostly asked for my personal thoughts on the matter. They've asked what I'm convinced of. Most times, I have suspected a question beneath the question, which is probably something like this; "How much time do I have before I'm reckoned with the King of the Universe?"
At the very least, Harold Camping has stirred the general awareness of most everyone around me, that they are mortal, that they are certainly NOT the masters of their own fate, and that the possibility exists that all may not be right with God.
Allow me to break away from the feeling of anxiety creeping up your throat. I'd like to say that I'm most wary of the preachers and religious leaders who deliver a consistent and streamlined message of comfort. And I will say this unapologetically:
If you are not reconciled with God, through the person of Jesus Christ, by the faith in your heart testifying that He is Lord and God, then the last thing on this God-given earth I would like to give you is a message of comfort. I maintain, no matter how unpopular it makes me, that you should be very uncomfortable.
Why you ask?
Because all these few events have done -- the tsunami, floods, war, tornadoes and earthquakes-- all they have done is remind you of your mortality. And I will remind you of this; Were you less mortal before these events than you are right now? Do you understand what I mean?
There has been a few disasters that have ravaged this country, a prediction of a direct act of God pointed toward a sinful and evil mankind, and now, all of the sudden, death is knocking at our door as if we were fine and safe in our sheltered American lives before. I promise you, nothing has changed about your sinful condition, and your condition of judgment before God, besides what can be changed by His Son Jesus.
Think about how you would feel if you needed to face God on Saturday. How would your condition suit you? Would you be able to confidently say, I belong in Heaven, because my sins were forgiven, or would you be enslaved to the burdens of your own choice to serve yourself and man here in this earth, and then to be bound to do so in the afterlife.
We do not serve an angry God.
His wrath has been satisfied.
But what happened to that wrath that He had for sin at the cross?
It was scattered and made its abode among those who don't believe in Jesus.
John 3:36 says "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
I don't believe the Father sends people to hell. I believe people make firm and committed decisions to go there. I believe people become faced with the truth, but love their lives too much to even open a dialog with Jesus.
I know I may sound totally fire and brimstone, but this is a sincere plea to anyone who is wondering what their fate will be like the day Jesus comes back.
If you believe in justice, if you believe in any plausibility of an existing right or wrong, if you believe that God can do more than forgive you, but change your life, now is the time. Not tomorrow, because tomorrow is promised to NO ONE. That's not a scare tactic. It's a truth. And as a preacher, called by the Lord Himself, I am not called to only comfort, or only tell of wrath, but above all else I am committed to one thing and one thing only; the truth.
To conclude....
It may not be this Saturday. It may not be this summer. But one day we will all stand before God and give an account of our lives. Whether we were united to His life, by the death of His Son, or whether we were alien to Him, by our willingness to depart from Him in sin. Our first resort is to shut Him out of our lives and be the masters of our own ships. I would plea, in light of the ever-imminent truth of Jesus return; be made right to God.
Most importantly, be honest with yourself. If you know deep down inside that something wrong in your heart needs to be made right. Make it right. It's as easy as saying I'm sorry to an all forgiving God who is waiting to restore to you the life you were meant to live; a life determined by Him, not sin.
My message to the church is simply this. Why have we only considered the return of Jesus for this Saturday? Why have we ceased living in total anticipation of Jesus' return. As I talked with someone in the store today, he claimed that Jesus coming back would be inconvenient because he was getting married on Saturday.
Now I understand marriage may be the most anticipated event of someone's life, but a human marriage in all it's glory can in no way be realistically compared to the church's marriage ceremony with the Lamb.
Have we forgotten the glory that awaits us?
Have we feared men and chosen the easy path of Jesus' ambiguous return, holding off on it's message as a distant and immaterial future event, rather than counting on it the next day.
One thing Harold Camping has missed, is that Jesus imminent return shouldn't strike fear in to the hearts of believers as he trembles with the prospect of Jesus' return, but that it is to be, without question or doubt, the most glorious day of our existences. To see our King face to face. To see the fulfillments of promises made thousands of years ago.
To live in an eternal kingdom, where glory and beauty and rest abound. Where sin can not enter into, and where humans can dwell with God as they were meant to in the garden of Eden. To be in an environment, where it is not possible to cry, simply because no suffering or anxiety exists to cause it.
To live in the Kingdom of God, in its eternal splendor and to reign with God. To do what we were meant to do. And to see the tormentor of our souls defeated at last, never to disturb us again.
This is the gospel, the reason for the Bible, the reason for this blog and the reason for my life. No exceptions and no apologies.
