When Will It Be?

While he was sitting on the Mount of Olives the disciples came to him by themselves, saying ¨Tell us when this will be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the final time.¨   Matthew 24:3 (Byington)

There seems to be growing within the body of so-called believers, a sensation of vagueness towards the end of the age.  Short generations ago men and women were proud to stand out on the fact that they believed Jesus would return and that there would be drastic changes to the world we live in.  So vivid and actual would these changes be, that it could be called the ¨End of the World.¨

However this new age we live in seems to be softening those lines considerably.  It is more and more common for good people to be unsure of their ideas about the future.  Now people are more wary about taking a stand.  Perhaps it is because media is gaining momentum and reaching more and more people.  Evolution is so widely taught that one needs to be willing to go against the accepted norm, to hold a different idea.  Turn on any TV channel and it seems there is some new news on biblical theories that are being challenged.

So while the world turns consistently more embedded in driving out the possibility of God´s promised future for mankind, will there still remain some who hold to the word?  The questioning soul should take heart.  Jesus Himself warned us of this very thing.  In fact He begins His response to the questioning Disciples by saying; ¨Look out, that nobody misleads you.¨

The Christian that has made up his or her mind to give Jesus the right to declare what is or what isn´t going to be has this encouragement.  The Disciples went to ask about this time of the end and Jesus had a sure reply.  He guarded us against the force that the world would now have and its power to influence us.

It is also a sign of these times that each denomination holds their own general view of what exactly it means to have our current world end.  Jesus promised to set up a new kingdom and many are happy to agree, but just how and when this will occur is greatly disputed.  But our confusion is merely another symptom and we would do well to use it to our advantage.

What do you do when the lines begin to gray?  Where do you go when you see the world gaining power?  Who do you turn to when your own faith is put to the test?

The Disciples went to Jesus.  They found a moment when they were alone with Him.  They wanted to know from the source, that He had these things under control and that He knew what He was doing.  Jesus must have felt good to know that they were genuine enough to hold these things up to Him.  For sure the Lord likes to have the final say.

Dear Jesus, we sense that the times are changing.  We see the world around us going through difficult times and heading on a path towards destruction. We head Your word that this time would come.  We know from what You tell us, that the lines will become foggy and that many would try to confuse us.  But we would come to You.  We would put our faith in You.  We do not have to see all the details of just how these things will come to pass.  But we do need You.  Our eternal fate will not hinge on whether we have the date correct or a concept of what it will look like.  But we do know that our fate does depend on where we have placed our faith.  So we would like to come to You.  We would like to be guarded against attack.  Therefore we draw closer to You.  Pull us in.  Wrap us up in Your embrace and let us be like little children who hear their parents voice and take comfort when we hear, ¨It´s going to be all right!¨

For You we pray dear Lord,

Amen