It's the end of the world...
(I thought that title might get your attention.)
Here's a list of recent "signs of the end times":
1. Earthquake in Japan that damaged nuclear power plants.
2. Tornadoes ripping through the South.
3. Flooding in other parts of the South.
4. Droughts in Texas.
5. Osama Bin Laden was killed with a shot to the head (it's likely he'll be back from the dead soon, so stay tuned to Fox News and TBN (maybe occasional shows on the History Channel) for the latest on the Anti-Christ).
6. Abortion is legal.
7. Rob Bell wrote a book about heaven and hell.
8. Do I need to keep going or have I "scared the hell out of you" yet?
I suppose I could quote all manner of Bible verses backing up each of these "points" to prove that we are indeed living in the "end times," but what would be the point in that? Apocalypse-loving Christians have been shouting from pulpits and soap boxes that we live in the "end times" for generations. They've pointed to all manner of proofs, from complicated mathematical renderings of the calendar, to the existence of evil dictators like Adolf Hitler. However, those generations have come and gone while the world keeps on spinning.
So what do all of these so-called signs mean? Simply, they mean we live in a fallen world. Yeah, the world stinks sometimes, and it really seems to stink when all folks want to talk about is how much it stinks.
But the truth is there is hope. There is hope when these awful things happen and total strangers come together out of love and common compassion. There is hope when people refuse to give up after losing everything. There is hope when, despite the constant stream of fear-driven news, individuals find reason to celebrate the future in graduation ceremonies and baby showers. In the end, all theses so-called "signs of the end of days" point to hope.
In that hope we find the real meaning of Christian eschatology (the study of the end): though sin may send the world spiralling out of control, there is a deeper, truer hope in Christ, and that hope can overcome whatever fear sin and devastation may bring. That hope is what we as believers are called to share, not the fear, not the anguish--the hope.
CPT
Here's a list of recent "signs of the end times":
1. Earthquake in Japan that damaged nuclear power plants.
2. Tornadoes ripping through the South.
3. Flooding in other parts of the South.
4. Droughts in Texas.
5. Osama Bin Laden was killed with a shot to the head (it's likely he'll be back from the dead soon, so stay tuned to Fox News and TBN (maybe occasional shows on the History Channel) for the latest on the Anti-Christ).
6. Abortion is legal.
7. Rob Bell wrote a book about heaven and hell.
8. Do I need to keep going or have I "scared the hell out of you" yet?
I suppose I could quote all manner of Bible verses backing up each of these "points" to prove that we are indeed living in the "end times," but what would be the point in that? Apocalypse-loving Christians have been shouting from pulpits and soap boxes that we live in the "end times" for generations. They've pointed to all manner of proofs, from complicated mathematical renderings of the calendar, to the existence of evil dictators like Adolf Hitler. However, those generations have come and gone while the world keeps on spinning.
So what do all of these so-called signs mean? Simply, they mean we live in a fallen world. Yeah, the world stinks sometimes, and it really seems to stink when all folks want to talk about is how much it stinks.
But the truth is there is hope. There is hope when these awful things happen and total strangers come together out of love and common compassion. There is hope when people refuse to give up after losing everything. There is hope when, despite the constant stream of fear-driven news, individuals find reason to celebrate the future in graduation ceremonies and baby showers. In the end, all theses so-called "signs of the end of days" point to hope.
In that hope we find the real meaning of Christian eschatology (the study of the end): though sin may send the world spiralling out of control, there is a deeper, truer hope in Christ, and that hope can overcome whatever fear sin and devastation may bring. That hope is what we as believers are called to share, not the fear, not the anguish--the hope.
CPT
Comments
Post a Comment