“The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.” 1 Peter 4:7
When I was growing up in church, there seemed to be an emphasis on end times teaching. It was the height of the cold war, and the Soviet Union was the greatest threat to our nation. Things, for a while, looked bleak and scary so many turned to Scripture to find hope, and for some reason, that hope was in the prophetic words of Scripture.
Unfortunately, this led to some really bad teaching and a gross misinterpretation of the purpose of prophecy and its components. Many were saying that America was the new Israel, and that Gorbachev was the Antichrist because of the birthmark on his head. Books were written like “88 reasons Christ is coming back in 1988” and “The Late Great Planet Earth”. Everyone just knew the rapture was right around the corner and so we huddled up and waited. Some are still waiting 40+ years later.
Now, I am not saying we shouldn’t study prophecy or talk about end times. What I am saying is that it can’t be an excuse for us to sit back and wait for it to happen. It ought to fill us with an urgency to seek the Lord and then tell others about Christ and His sacrifice and Resurrection. It should compel us to action, not to complacency.
And when it comes to prophetic teaching in Scripture, anyone who tells you they know when, how, and where all these things are going to happen, remember something, Jesus said He didn’t know when these things were going to happen when He was on the Earth. So, what makes us think other people are going to know more than Jesus?
As this verse tells us, end times are near so, figure out what is most important, have a clear mind, a calm spirit, and seek the Lord. Keep your eyes on Jesus, not on this world, not on the distractions all around us and seek to simply KNOW Him and make HIM known!
Following Him,
Jeff