I now return after the longest hiatus from blogging since I started this thing last year. The past couple of weeks have been extremely busy with teaching, speaking and preaching engagements, and writing deadlines. I’m thankful to be back…writing about The End.
It is now two days after the false prediction of the return of Christ. I did not keep up with all the media engagement surrounding the eschatological errors of the Camping crisis. I only saw two billboards–both near Camping’s location in Oakland–when speaking in California. I read few articles on the matter, and even fewer blog posts (who reads blogs anyway?).
Now, I do not wish to throw my hat into the ring of insults and rebukes that have been projected toward Camping and his followers. I do, however, want to approach our recent global deception from a different perspective.
Whenever I did craw out from under my rock and read a story or two about Camping’s followers, I found reports of groups of people traveling across the country warning others of the judgment to come. I have no idea what message they were communicating (I am sure some brothers and sisters were sharing the gospel.), but they were concerned for others and had much zeal.
(I doubt the zeal will continue. The date has passed.)
Of course no one knows when Jesus will return. But let’s imagine for a moment that our Lord did not say, “It is not for you to know times or seasons” (Acts 1:7, ESV), but that He said, “I will return on May 24, 2011.” How would such knowledge affect our evangelistic activity?
Or, let’s suppose that He did cloak the date of His return in a complex numerology, that could only be deciphered when holding up the Greek New Testament in front of a mirror, and standing on your head, and reading from right to left, and… well, I think you get my point.
And let’s suppose that someone came along and unlocked this code related to the pending Parousia, and paraded it to the people in 2009. How would that affect our evangelism?
It is sad to write that if such a date was revealed, many of us would suddenly become evangelistic. We would develop a zeal that would surpass anything we have experienced before. . . . a zeal driven mainly by a deadline. Not having shared our faith in a while, we would suddenly realize that the race was almost over and that we needed to kick it into high gear.
Why is it not enough for us to be intentional and zealous for the Lord when He simply extends to us a command to share his gospel in the highways and hedges of the real world? Why must we be driven primarily by a deadline–as if we were trying to accomplish a project–as opposed to reading and heeding the words, “It is not for you to know times or seasons. . . . But you will be my witnesses (Acts 1:7,8, ESV)?
The first century believers lived each day with the expectation of the imminent return of Jesus. They shared the gospel today as if there would be no tomorrow. Yet, a deadline was not their primary motivator.
Why can’t we do the same?