Cautions When Studying the End Times
Various Scriptures
February 22, 2009
NOTE: THE ME/WE/GOD/YOU/WE FORMAT IS FROM ANDY STANLEY’S BOOK, "COMMUNICATING FOR A CHANGE."
Me: I’ve mentioned before that I love a good mystery. I like reading them and I like watching them.
A few nights ago I watched The Invasion, which is the third and latest version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
I’ve seen the previous two versions, but this one still had me at the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen.
But one of the greatest mysteries I’ve ever come across is the issue of Christ’s return.
I’ve never been able to figure that one out. Are we in the end times – that period before Jesus returns to judge the earth?
Or are we waiting another 2000 years? Or has He already returned and we just missed it, as the Jehovah’s Witnesses and others claim?
We: The return of Jesus is one of those mysteries that people have been trying to figure out since He went into heaven following His resurrection.
My guess is that many, if not most of you, have at times wondered if we are in the end times before His return, just like I have.
There are tons of things out there in the media and in print that speculate on all of this, and while they claim to be definitive in their conclusions, usually they just add to the confusion, in my opinion.
Anyone else feel that way?
So what do we do with all that? Who do we listen to and who do we ignore? How can we adequately prepare for Jesus’ return?
Well, today’s message is meant to help in some ways to answering those questions.
But let me make a quick disclaimer, because I want to make sure everyone is absolutely clear on where I stand.
I do not know, nor do I want to know, when Jesus will return.
I’ll explain why as we go through the message, but I just want you to know that if you’re hoping that I’ll tell you that He’s coming before your next mortgage payment is due, you’re going to be disappointed.
God/You:
Before we get into the main part of the message, I just want to warn you up front that this topic is a bit frustrating for me, and it’s mainly because of the obsession that I see in so many people regarding this topic.
That obsession is misplaced in a big way. And that’s part of what I want to address today.
And my hope is that you will hear my heart in this, even if it comes out maybe a little harder than what you’re used to hearing from me.
We’re going to look at four cautions that I think we need to keep in mind as we look at this issue of Jesus’ return and the end times.
Usually we work through a passage of Scripture, or bring a few of them together regarding a particular topic, but today’s a little different in that I’ll actually only be referencing a couple passages as we work through this deal today, okay?
Four key cautions to remember:
1. Remember that NO ONE has it all figured out.
As much as some people THINK they’ve got it figured out, they’re simply fooling themselves and anyone willing to listen to them.
At best, it’s all speculation.
There’s really no other way to say it. As we look at the second caution, you’ll see why, but for now I just want you to see that absolutely no one knows when Christ is coming back.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of people study the Scriptures, work through the prophecies, examine the languages and contexts, and try to figure out what is figurative and what isn’t and all that stuff and they come to different conclusions about this.
Even in the Wesleyan Church there is such a diversity of opinions on this that it would make your head spin.
And that’s okay! That doesn’t mean that any of these people are less scholarly or love God any less than the other guy.
So why do people come to these different conclusions? Lemme see if I can guess, here…
Could it be because God purposely made it vague because we’re not supposed to know this?
And if it wasn’t already clear that it was supposed to be not clear, then Jesus cleared it up by saying we’re not supposed to be clear about it!
I personally don’t think that studying the prophecies will ever reveal the time of Jesus’ return, because I don’t think God put it in here in the first place.
And so I think people are wasting their time trying to figure out how long the “weeks” in Daniel are, and the “times” and “days” and all that stuff in Daniel and Revelation.
The emphasis in Scripture about Jesus’ return is that He is coming back and that we need to be ready for that.
So is it wrong to have opinions and convictions about Jesus’ return and the end-times?
No. As long as you remember that you might be wrong – and probably are, at least in some aspects.
The question you have to wrestle with is whether or not you’re mature enough to admit that and to cut some slack to someone who doesn’t see it quite the way you do!
So remember – no one has it all figured out. It’s all speculation.
Here’s the second caution, and I have a feeling that it might catch some of you by surprise:
2. Remember that the day and hour of Christ’s return is none of our business!
Matthew 24:36 –
“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
Boy, I really struggled with putting this verse under the last point, but I think that while it applies to that last point, it applies even better here.
Folks, the time of Jesus’ return wasn’t the business of anybody, including the angels and even JESUS HIMSELF!!!
Hello! If Jesus didn’t know, who are we to think that we can know?
That’s what really floors me about this whole date-guessing thing, and what fuels my cynicism and sarcasm toward the obsession some people have with this.
Jesus said no one knows. So is Jesus lying or just stupid when He said this? Obviously, He’s neither.
Jesus is saying that it’s no one’s business but the Father’s, until that time when the Father chooses to reveal it to the Son so He can return at the Father’s chosen time.
By the way, if Jesus was God, as we believe He is, how could He not know this information?
This is a question that’s been asked a lot over time, and it’s a good one.
In Philippians chapter 2 we learn that Jesus took on the form of a servant. In doing so, He voluntarily limited the use of His divine attributes so that He could experience the full human life. While He did not in any sense give up His deity, Jesus voluntarily limited the use of those divine characteristics so that He could experience human life in its entirety, according to Hebrews chapter 2. It was only at the will of His Father that He could use His divine attributes. (NIVAC)
I hope that made sense. If it didn’t, come see me after the message and I’ll see if I can confuse you some more…
The apostles thought Jesus would return in their lifetimes, but He didn’t. Read through Hebrews, James, and Revelation and see that they thought that He was coming at any moment.
Now back to this idea of people knowing the day of Jesus’ return.
I was just told the other day that some guy on one of the FM Christian stations in this area has picked out a specific date in 2012 for Jesus to return.
Can I make you a guarantee? He’s not coming back that day! How do I know? Because Jesus says NO ONE knows the day He’s coming back!
This guy says He knows. So I think I can guarantee that Jesus will prove him wrong. Then what’s he going to do?
Folks, how much more plain can it be? Jesus says it, and that ought to be enough for people, especially Christians who claim to be Bible scholars!
I just want to go up to those guys and put my hands on the side of their head and shout, “Space for rent!”
Can you tell I get just a little frustrated with these people?
Calm down, Brian, the veins in your neck are starting to pop out…
Here’s the second passage I want us to look at under this second point:
Acts 1:7-8 –
He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
I memorized verse 8 many years ago, but I hadn’t really connected it with verse 7 until recently.
And I’m glad I did, because it puts both of these verses in a clearer context regarding our part in taking the good news of Jesus to the world.
Jesus said: “This here ‘return’ stuff is the Father’s business. Leave it to Him. He knows what He’s doing. He’s pretty smart about all of this, so trust Him.
“Your business is to tell the world about Me.”
How many of you here have a boss you work for?
Does your boss let you look at the books to see what everyone else is getting paid, or how much he or she is paid, or the minutes of meetings regarding hiring decisions?
Probably not. Why not? Because it’s none of your business.
That’s the scoop when it concerns the timing of Jesus’ return. It’s simply none of our business.
If the Father wanted us to know about this, He would have spelled it out more clearly for us.
But as we’ve already seen, He has chosen to hide that from us.
And that leads me to the third caution I want you to have, and that is to…
3. Remember that we are not to become obsessed with the end times.
Have you ever met someone who’s so caught up in the end times that it’s all they can talk about?
You could be talking about how your street’s getting worked on, and they’ll say something like, “Yeah, and that’ll mean more taxes taken from us and more government control over our lives. That’s what’s supposed to happen now that we’re in the end times.”
Or you could be talking about baseball and they’ll say, “Yeah, but the time’s coming when you’ll have to wear the mark of the beast to buy a baseball ticket.”
You know what I’m talking about?
They schedule their whole day around their favorite end-times teacher on TBN and have bought copies of the Left Behind series for their loved ones so they don’t miss out.
Go ahead and study the end times if you want. But don’t let it consume you.
A lot of the cults that are out there today got started because someone got obsessed with the end times and then became convinced they were the only ones who really knew the truth.
You want to know what we’re supposed to be obsessed with?
We are to be obsessed with loving God and loving others.
What are the Greatest Commandments? To love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
It doesn’t say anything about knowing when Jesus is coming back.
Maybe that’s because, as I said before, that’s really none of our business. Our business is to be about Christ’s business.
If you’re more concerned with Jesus’ coming in the future than you are with loving God and living for Him now, then I gotta tell you – you’re priorities are misplaced.
4. Remember that the goal is not knowledge, but preparation.
If I had to summarize all of chapters 24 and 25 into one sentence, it would be this:
“Be wise and be ready.”
There are people, maybe people you know, who can tell you all you might want to know about the end times and Christ’s return.
They’ve got charts, books, videos, and all sorts of things to show you how they’ve got this thing all figured out.
That might be fine, but if they’re not ready to meet Christ when He comes, then it’s all wasted, isn’t it?
If they’ve spent all their time preparing their brains but not their hearts, it’s all in vain.
We need to be wise and be ready.
We become wise by being in the Word of God so we can recognize truth from error.
Jesus discusses this in chapter 24. There will all sorts of rumor, all sorts of deception, and even all sorts of people claiming to be Jesus coming back.
Wisdom gained through the Scriptures can keep you from that error and deception.
By the way, knowledge is not necessarily wisdom. Wisdom comes when we apply what we know.
In this case, knowledge about the end times needs to be used to prepare our hearts to meet Christ.
We become ready by living for Christ and helping others live for Him.
Jesus describes this a bit more in chapter 25 when He describes what it means to be working for Him and helping others.
We’ll talk more about some specifics in the next few weeks. In the meantime, just understand that the end-goal of studying the end-times is to make us prepared for His return, in case it comes during our lifetime.
A young woman was expecting a date. She was dressed up and waiting patiently. However, by the time he was an hour late she figured she’d been stood up. So, she took off her makeup, put on her pajamas, gathered all the junk food in the house and sat down to watch TV with the dog. As her favorite show was just coming on, the doorbell rang. It was her date. He stared at her wide-eyed: “I’m two hours late, and you’re still not ready?” (SermonCentral.com. Contributed by Davon Huss)
We don’t want to be caught like that when Jesus comes!
We: You know what? The end times can be a fascinating topic. There’s no question about it.
And if your study of this helps you develop a greater love for Christ and helps you live for Him better, then I’m all for it.
But remember what I said earlier about the goal not being knowledge, but preparation?
Listen to this quote (unfortunately, the source I found it in couldn’t tell me who said it):
“The best way to prepare for the coming of Christ is never to forget the presence of Christ.” (1001 Illustrations that Connect, Larson, ten Elshof, eds., Zondervan)
And that’s what I hope will become real over these next few weeks as we discuss this.
I want you to be aware of the presence of Christ in the here and now so when He returns physically you’ll be prepared, if indeed He comes during our lifetime.
So as we look at these next two chapters in Matthew, keep in mind these cautions, and ask the Lord to prepare your heart so you can be ready.
And ask Him to give you the opportunity to help other people become ready as well.
Let’s pray.
