I have an acquaintance who I have to say is a bit crazy. (Am I allowed to say that?) He’s not dangerous just obsessively preoccupied with the end of the world or I guess I should say the second coming of Jesus. Daily he scans the news in search of signs of the end. When I ask him about it he is quick to quote Jesus in Matthew 24 where Jesus speaks of earthquakes and wars and rumors of wars. I’m intrigued that he does this because in that context Jesus said, “But see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. . . .All these are the beginning of birth pains.”
Then there is Luke 17 where Jesus says, “”The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; . . .” Paul says in I Thessalonians 5, “You know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” Peter says the same thing. “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.” II Peter 3
But my acquaintance asks, “How then will I know when to be ready?” The answer seems obvious. Always be ready. What does that mean? Make Jesus your savior, spend time with Him as you would a friend, enjoy being in His kingdom which is. (Please note the present tense.) Trust and obey. Trust because He is trustworthy and obey because obedience is the smart way to live. It is true the world is in a mess but WWI and WWII were not picnics!
Written by Roger Bothwell on April 9, 2015
Spring of Life, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
rogerbothwell.org