From the very beginning, the Church has lived with an expectation of the imminent return of Jesus, in the end times. This is evident throughout their inspired writings, collected in the New Testament. Being watchful and ready are central themes of several of the parables Jesus told as well.
God could have inspired these writers to caution His church that the end times wouldn’t come to fulfillment for a few thousand years, but He didn’t! Instead, He cultivated and allowed a healthy sense of expectation and He continues to do so. He tells us clearly to be ready; to observe the signs of the end times, and not to be caught unawares. Above all, He warns against complacency.
Jesus and the early church clearly believed in the coming ‘end of the age’. Despite unexpected delays, the passing of time will most certainly take us there. We will eventually find ourselves in a time such as this, when the ‘end’ is truly nigh. Will we recognize the signs of the times? No-one knows the day or the hour but so many mature Christians around the world are convinced that we really are in a unique phase of history, with the ‘end times’ truly upon us. Jesus told us, “My sheep hear my voice”. Some have had dreams and visions, consistent with Joel 2:28; others have had personal revelation.
Remember the boy who cried ‘wolf’? There are lessons in that story for all of us. Of course, crying wolf prematurely can be detrimental. Yes, there have been mistakes and deceptions about the end in the past. Scripture warns us clearly about these as well. But we mustn’t be deterred by those false alarms; the wolf eventually came. More importantly, Jesus IS coming! – just as He said He would.
Whether Jesus returns soon or beyond our lifetimes does not matter. In the context of history, and of our own individual lives, the time is short for each one of us.
Are you Ready?
