I’ve been hearing a lot of talk recently about how many Christians believe we are living in the last days.
This talk is not new, though it has been provoked by recent events which people say have been prophesied in the Bible and are "coming true in our time." They are saying this means Jesus will be back soon.
I’m not saying that they’re wrong. They might very well be right.
But I do find myself... skeptical.
And concerned.
Skeptical because Christians in nearly every generation have believed they are in the last days. Even the disciples and the apostle Paul believed they were living in the last days and that Jesus would return during their lifetime. Two thousand years later, that seems a little ridiculous to us, but, of course, hindsight is 20/20.
The belief in the last days is so strong that churches have split because of disagreements on when it'll happen. Entire denominations have been started based on the belief in the last days, as well, such as the Seventh-day Adventists and the Latter-day Saints. Jesus' words about "wars and rumors of wars" led many during WW1 and WW2 to think those were the last days. Some of what leads the fury today is because of the many earthquakes and fires and floods we are seeing. Which most scientists agree are a predictable result of the many ways we are killing the earth, as opposed to supernatural intervention.
What does this mean? Does this mean we’re always wrong? Does this mean perhaps we don’t understand what the prophecies are even referring to? Because we have often found ways to make Biblical prophecies align with one event or another in the world but then come to find out that we’re still here. The planet is still turning. Suffering is still happening.
Could it be that God's definition of time is so different from ours that we’ve been in the last days now for 2000 years? And it could be another 2000, assuming we don’t destroy the Earth first, before He returns.
Or he could return tomorrow.
The point is: no one truly knows. Even Jesus didn’t know. So, I get a little skeptical when people say they think they see all these prophecies being fulfilled, and certainly Jesus will be here soon. Again, they could be right, but it could still be a while.
The reason why this concerns me is because I've seen how some Christians use the belief in the last days to justify not investing in the world around us. In other words, the logic is, well, if we might all be caught up in the rapture tomorrow, what does it matter if children are dying of hunger today, or brown bodies are being profiled and thrown into detention camps and prisons, or women are having all their rights stolen away, or we're destroying the world through drilling and pollution? This world is only temporary anyway, they argue. We should focus on the eternal.
But what if He's not coming tomorrow? What if it is another 20 years? Or 200 years? Or 2000? What are we doing to make sure we leave the world a better place? What are we doing to bring about His Kingdom come here on Earth - as Jesus Himself told us to do multiple times? What are we doing to leave a world for future generations to live in?
This world is only temporary, that is true. But two things will last forever: God, and people. We should be making decisions and choices and living in a way that honors what will last forever.
We have not been called to merely sit and wait. We have been called for a plan and a purpose. We have work to do. If we truly believe and have the Spirit within us, we are to be salt and light in the world. We are to carry the light of Christ into the dark corners of the world. There is evil abounding in our world today - what are we doing about that? Or are we just burying our heads in the sand and waiting for it to be over?
Yes, Jesus could come any minute - even before I press "publish" on this post. But He may not be. We don't know. I prefer therefore to operate with the idea that we need to spend the time we have here on Earth not sitting on our hands but in serving others and being the change. Bringing His kingdom here on earth, as He told us to do.
Remember the Parable of the 10 Virgins? Five had plenty of oil for their lamps as they waited for the bridegroom, but the other five did not. When the bridegroom showed up, those who had run out of oil were left behind. Perhaps they hadn't expected to be waiting for as long as they did and that’s why their lamps were empty. The five who were prepared, who had sufficient oil to keep the lamps burning, were able to go with the bridegroom to the bridal feast.
We had to keep our lamps burning. Whether we are in the last days or not, it is not time to be lazy or unwise. The world needs us too much.
Keep going.
Keep doing the work He has given you.
Be faithful.
And be thankful - for every day, for every breath.
May His kingdom come and His will be done. Amen.
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