Jesus said to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many. – Mark 13:6-7

Today's Scripture Reading (February 5, 2024): Mark 13

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 in the Middle East and the war in Gaza, and now the conflict between China and the United States (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. Of course, the presence of the anti-Christ is nothing without an appearance from the Messiah, which the American Evangelical Church seems to be convinced is Donald Trump, or "Jesus with Orange Hair." And, sometimes, it appears that if television decides to broadcast a Christian show, 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 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 our duty as Christians is that we will be the shapers of what is to come. I believe that this is the task that the Bible presses onto us.

The words of Jesus seem to speak directly to our modern obsession with the future. Jesus instructed his disciples that a time would come when people would either claim to be Jesus or point toward a new Messiah. 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 memo?) The problem is that focusing on the end takes our attention off the present. And the Bible is clear that that is something that we cannot afford to let happen. 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 that it is over. I know that Jesus will come back. But when he does, I hope he finds us busy with the task that he left for us, committed to the work of being the shapers of the planet and not sitting around discussing prophecy. That is where I believe we need to be and what we need to be doing when the end finally arrives.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Luke 20

See Also Luke 21:8