As we near the end of the Church year we discover that the Bible readings tend to focus on end time prophecies. Over the years, many people have speculated about the end of the world and the end of time. The Jehovah’s Witnesses did it on 3 occasions and we are still here. Questions arise about – Will there be a great holy war in Armageddon? Will there be a sudden rapture where faithful Christians suddenly vanish as some denominations and doomsday cults predict? It produced a series of books and movies called Left Behind. Many predicted the end would come in 2012 when the Mayan calendar ran out. Global alarmists predicted some years ago that the world only had 12 years of sustainability left. With the rise in tensions in the middle east and the Holy Land, end time prophecies have increased. End times has been a curiosity that has spellbound many Christians and filled shelves in Christian bookstores. They have created a proverbial rabbit hole to fall into on the internet.
Even Jesus’ first disciples were curious about end times and God’s judgment. One day as they were leaving the temple, one of the disciples remarked on the great stones of the temple buildings. The original temple built by King Solomon had been destroyed centuries ago. A second temple had been re-built which Herod expanded to the temple Jesus had just left. It was massive, but Jesus replied, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.” That was enough to arouse the curiosity of Peter, James, John, and Andrew. When will this be and what will be the sign?
Jesus says there will be wars, rumours of war, earthquakes, false prophets, false messiahs — but he said that all these things are only birth pains – the beginning of the end. Later on Jesus will go on to say 2 things that are extremely important which appear later in the chapter but not in our bible reading: First – Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. And secondly, about about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Jesus is concerned that it is our curiosity that will distract us and make us vulnerable to be led astray. But Jesus did say that there will be a day of reckoning – a day of Judgment. And until that day there is only one foundation to keep ourselves firmly secure – Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. People have always felt that we are living in the end times. Somehow it excites them – to some it even gives them hope.
But the reality is that from the first day Adam and Eve disobeyed God we have been in the last days. Despite climate alarmists saying that what we are experiencing is unprecedented we have always had earthquakes and catastrophic weather events. Remember Elijah when he was summoned to hear the word of God – The Lord said to Elijah, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 1After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
Christians faced much persecution after Jesus’ death but the greatest attack that his disciples had to understand was that the temple was destroyed – in 70AD – just as Jesus had predicted. As Jews, the temple was seen as their home for God. It was a devastating loss for the people, and for many it must have seemed like the end of the world. The temple gave them hope of God’s presence being with them. But Jesus reminds them that their hope of God’s presence is not in the physical: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away,”
The temple may have been destroyed but God was not. So Jesus kept his disciples focusing on the solid foundation – God’s Word – like the wise and foolish builders: Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” So Jesus warns: “Beware that no one leads you astray” from my Word.
Today, we’re still waiting. There has been endless speculation and searching for signs. People still seem to be asking, “Are we there yet?” Sadly, many have given up waiting and left the church. We blame the church for having become irrelevant to the world and being the reason church attendance has dropped.
Many are looking at ways to make the church more relevant and are being distracted away from God’s word. But the reality is that it is not the church that has become irrelevant but people’s desire for Christ to return has become irrelevant to them. If a person truly believed in a coming Judgment Day and that Jesus was returning then the church would never become irrelevant while it focused on God’s word.
The coming day of the Lord is a call to keep alert. There may be those who doubt that Jesus is coming again. He did not come at the many other times throughout history that his arrival has been predicted. So some may wonder, will he ever come? Will the world just keep on keeping on as it has for centuries? Why keep waiting when nothing seems to be happening? That’s the biggest concern.
On the night of his arrest, Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, and asked Peter, James, and John to remain alert and keep awake,” Three times he returned to them and found them sleeping. Perhaps it was the lateness of the hour, or sheer fatigue from the events of the day — whatever the reason, they could not keep awake. Today, there are many things that bring complacency and distract us. Just as Jesus’ first disciples had trouble staying awake physically, we too may have trouble staying awake in a spiritual sense. The Lord is coming, and we live in expectation of that day. We are urged to focus on things that matter and let go of the rest.
Judgment Day is not a fearful thing for those who know Jesus is returning and have a personal relationship with him. So we are urged to reach out to those who have found church irrelevant in their lives and remind them that Jesus will one day return, as our reading in Hebrews reminds us: Let us provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching. That Day could come when we least expect it. James 5:7-8 said: Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. St Peter says – But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.
So, we are called to strengthen our hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. As we wait for the coming of the Lord we need to be patient, to wait, to place our confidence in God. We’re not there yet, but the Day is coming and we know that God goes before us and will sustain us to the end.
