One central truth of following Christ is His return. Paul writes, “For we say this to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore, comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:15–18, NASB 2020)
As events heat up again in the Middle East, we may wonder if the time of Christ’s return is now. Many have pointed to one event or another development and declared the fulfillment of prophecy. I don’t think speculating is wrong, but this often distracts us from the here and now. Christ will return when He returns. Nothing we can do will hasten or delay that appointed day. Christ isn’t waiting on us to have it all figured out.
Why do folks get so distracted with the prophetic future? There’s a certain amount of anxiety that comes with trying to match scripture with events. There’s also a certain amount of sharp disagreement because the picture isn’t quite as clear as some maintain. Part of it is that we want to be proven right. Another part is that it scratches some itch in the human psyche. It’s almost like the possible fulfillment of prophecy is most desired when our faith is weak. It’s the proof we want. But this distraction is nothing new. It happened at the turn of the millennium in 1000 AD. It has intensified ever since Israel became a state again. It ramps up as various books about the end times become popular.
The problem is that our anxiety about Christ’s return distracts us from our mission of making disciples. If we believe that we are on the edge of Christ’s return, our budgets, efforts, time expenditures, and resources should multiply greatly to reach as many as possible for Christ before the clock runs out. But that’s not how it seems to play out. Instead, we tend to burn up those resources, trying to figure it all out and arguing with those we disagree with. We shouldn’t be ignorant about the possibilities, nor should they distract us from reaching a lost and dying world.
Listen, Christ is returning. I don’t know when, and neither do you. No one does. And anyone who claims to have it all figured out is a poser, a fake, or deluded. In the meantime, let’s do what we are called and purposed to do – to make disciples of all nations. Let’s glorify Christ! Let’s rejoice in Christ! Let’s show compassion to those lost, broken, hungry, and naked! Let’s love the unlovable! Let’s reach the unreachable! Let’s value the unworthy! Let’s speak the Word of God! Let’s love one another and show the world what love really means! Let’s be caught doing those things when Jesus returns instead of standing on a hill declaring, “I told you so.”
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