He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. – Luke 21:8

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 6, 2014): Luke 21

The end is near, but you have probably already heard that. Everything from the reign of President Obama (who has been accused of being the anti-Christ and some believe his name is actually written in the Bible as the name of the anti-Christ, although that line of argument would seem to be a little stretched) to the current political state of the Middle East, and now the current unrest in China (the great army coming in the last days from the east) have been used as evidence for the end being near according to Christian Prophecy fans. And sometimes it seems that if television decides to broadcast a Christian show, the chances are that the show will have something to do with Biblical Prophecy. The internet is overflowing with videos promoting must see prophetic themes. We seem to have this insatiable appetite to know the future. And that just might be the fatal flaw of our culture.  

I have been a, maybe, too vocal opponent of Christian prophetic ministries. I understand the temptation, but the reality is that it is just that – a temptation. I don’t understand why we want to settle for knowing the future rather than being the shapers of the future. And in the end, I believe that it is our duty to be the shapers of the future, I believe that this is the task that the Bible presses onto us.

Luke would seem to make it clear. He records the words of Jesus which seems to speak directly to our modern obsession with the future. According to Luke, Jesus instructs his disciples that a time would come when people will claim to be Jesus. In the future people will walk around with the message that the end is near. And when this happens the followers of Jesus are to ignore them. (Did we miss the message?) The problem is that focussing on the end takes our attention off of the present. And the Bible says that that is something that we just cannot afford to do. We have a job to do; we live in a world that needs to be loved and redeemed. We cannot let anything take our attention off of that task.

Personally, I would much rather be part of an organization dedicated to the restoration of our planet than one that continually predicts and announces that it is over. Jesus will come back. But when he does, I hope he finds us busy at the task that he left for us – committed to the task of being the shapers of the planet - and not sitting around discussing prophecy. That is where I believe that we need to be when the end finally arrives.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Mark 13