Hi -
I think I've sort of figured out why it bothers me so much
that there is so much rank indifference to the Second Coming
among those who self-identify as Christians. Yes, I
know - many of these people may not be Christians in the
Biblical sense. But the fact is, some are. And
we talk with them - or try to - about the signs of the
times, the things Jesus told us specifically to watch for,
and the unmistakable Revelation 12 sign that's nearly upon
us .... and you know as well as I what kind of reaction we
often get.
It bothers me because this is an insult to Jesus Christ of
the highest order. Not just the disobedience to His
explicit command to watch (Mark
13:37), but the inexcusable
indifference to His return.
Here's an illustration: A guy is engaged. He's
in the military and he is being deployed. So he says
to his fiancée, "Sweetheart, troop movements and ship
movements are classified, so I can't tell you when I'll be
back. But check the 'arrivals' page on the base web
site every night. It will announce our return 24 to
48 hours before we get back. You'll have enough
advance notice to be on the pier when I return."
Then he leaves, and six months later he returns. He
gets to the pier and lots of folks are there, but not his
fiancée. He waits around for an hour or so, then gets
on the phone. She tells him she never checked the
arrivals.
You can imagine the excuses she might have offered, but the
bottom-line question is: Does she really love
him? And with that comes another question, does she
deserve him?
I think the answer is "no" on both counts. And sadly,
Jesus is getting the same shabby treatment from people we
know who claim to be Christians. I think it's shameful
and disgusting, and I'm at a loss as to what I can do about
it. But I think the Matthew 7:23 crowd is going to be
a whole lot bigger than we imagine.
See you at the party.
P.S. Feel free to forward this note.
"I will call upon the LORD, who
is worthy to be praised;
so shall I be saved from my enemies." Psalm 18:3