By
Allen White
“So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out
in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not
believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the
west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass,
there the vultures will gather.
“Immediately after the distress of those days ‘the
sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall
from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
“Then
will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of
the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of
heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud
trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end
of the heavens to the other.
“Now
learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its
leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these
things, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this
generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. Matthew 24:26-35
Some Christian teachers have built entire careers on trying to
predict when Christ will return. Others have set exact dates only to be met
with great embarrassment at their false prediction. As Jesus Himself said, “No
man knows the times or the seasons…”
Over the years, whether well meaning or shady, a few preachers
have proclaimed exact times and dates. I remember at summer youth camp one
year, a speaker went on and on about how 666, the mark of the beast, was
appearing on more bank account numbers. Surely, this was a sign of the last
days.
I always wondered about the occurrence of other numbers like 777
or 333. These thoughts tended to keep me in trouble at youth camp.
I’ve heard of people selling all of their earthly possessions in
preparation for the rapture. After all, if they were truly all-in, why would
they need all of that stuff? The reality is I’m also all-in for Christ. When
the rapture takes place, I plan to go. I’m not worried about my stuff. Somebody
else can hold the garage sale.
As a kid, occasionally on a Sunday night, when the pastor needed a
break from preaching, the church would run one of those movies about being left
behind. It didn’t matter how many times I had been to the altar before, those
films scared the hell out of me, and I would always go again.
Any preacher who has ever set a date for the return of Christ,
most recently Harold Camping, has always been wrong. So far, they’re all
batting .000
But, what if we did know exactly when Jesus would return? Would
that motivate us to draw closer to God and to win more for Christ? Or, would it
have the opposite effect? Would we party like it was 1999, then enter into
massive repentance for our last hurrah?
Now, here’s the interesting thing. I schedule these posts in
advance. I know some of you honestly thought I got up and wrote at 3 am every
morning. Sorry to burst your bubble. But, what if this post is schedule on
Saturday, then between Saturday and Monday morning Jesus returns? I suppose the
left behind dispensationalists would have something to read during the first
week of the great tribulation.
But, I’m not making that prediction. Watch out for those who do.
In the meantime, be ready and do what you can to win one more for Christ.
More from Allen
White: allenwhite.org
Facebook: Galatians419 Group
Twitter: @galatians419 @allenwhite
Allen, your humor never ceases to make me laugh and it's what draws me to your teaching, although its what Kath never appreciated. None-the-less, I can still hear you chuckle after the punch lines.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your faithfulness and may God continue to give you insight and humor in your delivery of His truth. I enjoy it.
Well, I've heard that I'm an acquired taste! Great to hear from you. Hope you and all of your girls are doing well.
ReplyDelete