Are You Ready?

Please watch this video clip before you read the blog. Ask yourself if you agree with it's message.

This past week the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and the subsequent potential meltdown at the nuclear facility, has dominated the news. Events such as these always bring out the doomsayers and those who suggest that according to Jesus Christ’s own words, the world will soon end. Like the video above, it is tempting to start predicting that the end is near. One person, at the end of a story I recently read on Yahoo! News, felt he should use the comment forum to warn the readers that the world was about to end, and therefore they should repent. He appealed to the Olivet discourse, which can be found in three of the gospels, including Matthew. But is Jesus really teaching that war and natural disasters are signs that the end is near? In Matthew 24: 1-14 Jesus teaches the following:

Matthew 24: 1-14 (NIV)

The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times

 ¹ Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. ² “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

 ³ As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

 ⁴ Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁵ For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. ⁶ You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁷ Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are the beginning of birth pains.

   ⁹ “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. ¹⁰ At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, ¹¹ and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. ¹² Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, ¹³ but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

The first thing you notice, from a close reading of the passage, is that Christ is telling his followers not to be alarmed by war, famines, and earthquakes. In fact, if Christ was telling us that we should expect his return soon after these kinds of events, then we would have to call him a liar. After all, these kinds of events have happened throughout 2000 years of history, but the world has not ended.

Christ is telling us what must happen before the end comes--but it is not wars, famines, earthquakes or other types of disasters. In verse 14 he tells us that he will not return until the gospel has been preached to all who must hear it. Christ will not return until he has gathered in all of his sheep. What a comfort, that we as Christ’s sheep, do not need to be alarmed about his return, but instead are told that God is patient with his sheep, ensuring that they do repent before he returns.

Of course, the call to repentance is still necessary, although I wonder if the comments section of an internet news story is the proper forum? In fact, the call to repentance is much more urgent than those making the apocalypse comments suggest, since each one of us is only a heartbeat away from meeting our maker. The next corner in the road could bring a head on collision, so the need for repentance is much more immediate than concern about when Christ will return, wouldn't you think? Thankfully, God is in control of all the events of our lives, and he will keep his sheep safe in both life and death. And yet, he calls us to repent and be prepared. Are you ready?