Should I?

hmmm...decisions, decisions...do I write anything about Harold? Seems most every blogger and bulletin missive I’ve seen the last week has been about him. Do I have anything to contribute that has not already been said? Plus, Jeff’s blog yesterday was so excellent TheJenkinsInstitute has already weighed in on it. So, what do you think I’ll do? Yep, you know me, I can’t keep my mouth shut! So get ready...

Most who follow this blog do not accept the whole Calvinian concept of a rapture. So when I Harold Camping, Hal Lindsey, etc come along predicting days, hours, months or years of the Lord’s return we summarily dismiss it (as most of the bloggers have) with Jesus words in Matthew 24:36.  And, if you care to stay and listen we’ll walk you through a verse by verse explanation of what Matthew 24 is actually saying if left in its proper context.

Yet, I must admit Saturday evening as I drove Alabama Highway 129 heading to Goldmine, a community in north Alabama, where I was to begin a meeting the next day.  I did notice when 6:00 came and then gave way to 6:01 and 6:02 and nothing changed.

For some reason my mind ran to 2 Peter 3, “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation” (vss. 3-4).

No, I do not believe that any man will predict the time of the return of Christ. But, I can predict this, HE WILL RETURN!  Is it possible that we are so sure it is not that date we forget there is appointed a day (Acts 17:31) and we do not live in light of it (seeing that all these shall be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness...2 Peter 3:10-12).

May I reframe your thoughts for a moment?  If the Lord had returned yesterday, would you have been ready? If you knew Christ was going to return what would you not do, not say, who would you contact to “get right with them” so you could be right with God? Who would you talk to about Christ?   That may be why God didn’t tell us. He knew we’d live anyway we wanted until the “final exam”, until the paper was due. Side speculative note: In Matthew 24 Jesus says even the Son doesn’t know (try to wrap your mind around the concept of God keeping a secret from God) maybe the Son didn’t because He chose not to because he so loved us that he might tell.

Harold Camping, tt won’t be long till he will be another footnote in the pages of history. BUT, I want you to know, Christ will not be. And I want you to remember - He is coming again!