“The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay.”
The end of the world was supposed to happen a few weeks ago. Another prediction (with billboards!) had the apocalypse coming a few years ago. I read one article this week (from the people who were wrong about the September date) who said they were “off by a few weeks” and if we wait until mid-October we “will not be disappointed…” Why are we so obsessed with trying to predict the end of the world? If it was “coming soon” almost 2,000 years ago, what does that mean for us today?
Ultimately, we all get focused on unanswerable questions. Our brains circle around in loop after loop chasing down the unknown, while at the same time we are too distracted to do what we are called to do. Be honest. Pray a lot. Love each other. Cheerfully share and open your home to others. That’s our to-do list from Jesus. “Predict the end of the world” doesn’t show up on that list, and in fact Jesus said we would never figure it out anyway. Can’t we just handle being surprised?
Here’s your freedom for today: God’s got the details. He knows when he’s coming back. And in fact, he’s here now. When we live in the Spirit and do the things Jesus told us to do, we don’t really have time to worry about the details of the apocalypse. God can figure all that out. But if my neighbor is going hungry, it seems strange to hole myself up in my house pouring over calendars and numbers in the Bible. There are a whole lot of other unanswerable questions we are focused on as well: How will such-and-such situation turn out? Why did this thing happen to me? What will life be like in 5 years from now? Just rest. Release the questions. Love others. God’s got this.