Should We Ponder the End of the World?
Is too much time spent trying to determine when the end will come ? Even in the time of Jesus this was on their minds and they even asked Jesus about it. I'm not saying we should sit back in total ignorance and just wait for it to come upon us. The scriptures talk of it. But there are untold numbers of people living today who will perish when that end does come. Can we, as believers in the teachings of Jesus, dwell on the end of the world or should we spend every precious moment we can telling a friend who is lost, telling a neighbor who is lost, telling strangers who are lost, telling them about the hope there is in Jesus, telling them of the joy in our own hearts because of Jesus. Should we tell them these things at every possible opportunity or should we take some of that very precious time and debate among ourselves. " when will the world end?" Knowing when the end will come is knowledge which is not attainable according to Scripture. No one can know. So why, as our lives tick away, spend that time pursuing that which is not attainable?
Hello Timelessone,
Why can't we do all of it? Why should we pick one issue over another?
"This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon come to pass. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John, who testifies to everything he saw."
Being that God the Father revealed to His Son the events leading up to the end of the age and who sent His angel to reveal it to John and therefore to all believers, then we can conclude that it is information that God wants us know and look forward to. Regarding the appearing of the Lord, Peter said that we ought to "live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming." We also have the following:
"Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near."
As revealed above, there is a blessing to those who read the words of the prophesies contained in Revelation and to those who hear it and keep watch, guard, protect, take to heart that information.
We may not know the exact time of the Lord's appearing to gather His church, as He has made that perfectly clear. However, we can know the that it is close. The very fact that we have been seeing the stage being set for events which are to take place after the church has been gathered demonstrates how close we are. Events taking place with Israel and the fact that we have had the technology for the mark of the beast, as well as a number of other signs, demonstrates the nearness of the Lord.