| Cross Words: Ready and Waiting |
Richard Prow ~ rpcrosswords@gmail.com
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Unrest in the Middle East. Again. A major earthquake in Chile. Another of many. Famine, pestilences and plagues, despite all our advances in science. On the rise. Wars. Virtually covering the globe. Is our planet’s existence winding down to it’s last few decades? Or days?
Many folks inside the Christian community would say yes. They point to passages in the Bible, such as Matthew 24, where Jesus said that the last days of the ‘Late Great Planet Earth’ would be marked by an escalation in military battles, seismic shifts, incurable sicknesses and intense persecution of Christians. Without question all these predictions are coming to pass. But, before we attempt to purchase a ticket on the next space shuttle or pack a knapsack full of Spam and head for the mountains, we must consider a few truths.
First off, Jesus said that all these signs were just the “beginning of birth pains” (Matt. 24:8). We have no idea how long this labor will last nor do we have any idea just how ugly events will turn before we see Christ come back. Every generation thinks they’ve seen the worst of mankind. John, the author of Revelation, and all the other apostles were looking for the end of earth in their lifetime, just as we are now. It didn’t come then and it may not come during our lifetime. No one knows for certain. Jesus made that perfectly clear (Matt. 24:36).
The second important truth is that knowing or predicting the end of all things is not important. What is important is that we are prepared for that event to take place - be it today, tomorrow, ten years, or ten decades from now. Jesus did not tell us to check the alignment of the stars or to interject the daily news into Bible prophecy. He said simply and often to “be ready” and to “keep watch.”
So here’s the million dollar question. Are you ready? Right now? “Confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, and you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Saved from the threat of the end of the world (whenever that may be) and saved when you take your last breath. Whichever comes first.
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