When are the “last days”
Written by Brian Jennings, Posted in Blog
When are the last days? Are they coming? Did they start recently? Did I miss them?
Hysteria sells books. More than a few authors have made a killing by concluding that every newspaper headline means “we’re now entering the last days.” They cram every current event into some sort of prophecy. It doesn’t matter if it twists Scripture, they conclude. What matters is to get everyone ready for the end.
But does sloppy, agenda-driven Bible interpretation really help people trust God? All too often, solid Bible interpretation is, how should I say it, “left behind.”
I heard the street preacher from a block away. “Jesus is coming in October,” he shouted to the New York City crowd. I waited until he took a breath and asked him if he knew that Jesus himself said that no one but the Father knows when he would return. The preacher lowered his voice and admitted, “I’m aware of those words, but we need to get people’s attention.” I replied, “But what will happen to them in November?” He returned to his rant.
“But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe” (Hebrews 1:2).
According to Scripture, the last days began with Jesus. They began 2000 years ago. Time is still ticking, which means we’re getting closer to Jesus’ return, the last day. We should keep one eye horizontal and one eye vertical. We expect His return, but we keep praying, toiling and loving as we wait. If you have both eyes upward, you miss your opportunities on Earth right now.
While this topic deserves fuller discussion (Dr. Robert Lowery’s Revelation Rhapsody is my absolute favorite), I simply want to warn you of one thing that I often see: We can cross a line between eagerly awaiting the coming of Christ and turning into panic-stricken fear mongers who see every shift in politics or the teutonic plates as a sign that we won’t see another Christmas. God doesn’t desire His people to live in such hysteria. Instead, He calls us to a life of patience, contentment, joy and service.
Do you tend to get caught up in hysteria, or do you slide way too far the other way and forget that Jesus is coming? How do you find the Biblical, healthy balance?
