Are we there yet?

For many years, even centuries, some sincere students of the Bible have been eager for the return of Christ, and willing to lay down odds on the timing of that event. In some cases, denominations have been started by the followers of those who attempted to predict Christ's coming. Though the predictions have fallen flat time and again, there are still some who are willing to take up the challenge to "do the math" on biblical timing; balancing out the dates of Daniel with the images of Revelation and so forth.

I came to know Jesus Christ in the early '70's, a time of great prophetic enthusiasm, filled with words of Hal Lindsey and images of "Thief in the Night". The eighties seemed to many a time ripe with end-time implications. Indeed, one student of the subject published a book entitled, "88 reasons Why the Rapture Could Be in 1988." Full of dates, numbers and other evidence, it was, if nothing else, an interesting study in date-setting. And it turned out to be, indeed, nothing else. The author attempted to tweak his numbers the next year with a sequel that promised "89 Reasons" for the same prediction. When that failed, he faded back into obscurity.

The whole subject then quieted down for the most part, aside from a few folks waiting to be taken up in a spaceship or that sort of thing. Even the "Left Behind" series, while selling a lot of books, didn't attempt to sell a date for its predictions. But now, with the whole Middle East scene and the militant Islamic threats and the European Union, etc., not to mention our nation's apparent descent into moral relativism and post-modern rejection of absolute truth, there's more than a little temptation to speculate about emerging Anti-Christs and approaching tribulation for the world.

Many, many efforts to "read the signs" and add up the numbers have failed, enough to discourage all but the hardiest of date-setters. I'm not denying that are some very "interesting" things happening, events and trends and movements that could well be the run-up to a scenario of the end. But "times and epochs" are still not in our job description while awaiting Christ's return. We have a commission which is far from completed. We have a calling, with still more than enough to keep us busy as we wait.

It's understandable that those who love the Lord Jesus would be glad to be rid of this sin-sick world and settle into the heavenly mansions as promised. And I fully appreciate the longing of Paul "to depart and be with Christ", for that is very much better. But, to paraphrase a comment I once read from an African church, "We'll have eternity to rest; now it's time to work!"