Is Jesus Coming Back on May 21?

Harold Camping has been declaring on radio, billboards, newspapers and the internet that the Lord Jesus is going to return to earth on May 21, 2011 at 6:00 pm Pacific time. To be precise, I believe Mr. Camping would call this prediction the rapture. Though I appreciate Mr. Camping's eagerness for the return of the Lord Jesus, I believe it is highly doubtful that he is right in his prediction. Why?

Well, for starters, Mr. Camping's track record on the issue is not good. He predicted the same thing back in 1994, and well, it did not happen. Though some might take offense, I think you could make a case for Mr. Camping being a false prophet. The Bible does not think very highly of false prophets.

A second reason why I do not think Mr. Camping is correct is because the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:42-44 and Matthew 25:13 seems to suggest an unexpectedness to the return of the Lord Jesus. Matthew 24:42 says, "Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming." (ESV). I find it very hard to believe that Mr. Camping has found a hidden code that has allowed him to do some elaborate mathematical analysis to discover something the Lord Jesus stated we do not know. Even more strongly, in Matthew 24:36 the Lord Jesus said, "But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only." It strikes me as the ultimate of arrogance to claim to know something that the Lord Jesus says He does not know.

I do believe the Lord Jesus is coming back, but I do not know when. Because of that I want to be faithfully serving the Lord Jesus. I am preparing for Sunday morning now, I am not going to wait until 6:01 PM Pacific time (8:01 PM Central time) to start preparing. The Lord Jesus is coming back, but not at a time I can figure out. My responsibility right now is to serve Him and seek to point others to Him. That is the only and best way to prepare for His coming.

All I Have Is Christ

Earlier today I saw the video linked below. I am not sure that I was wowed by the stuff I saw on the screen. I am not exactly what you would call artsy or knowledgeable about producing images. But what struck me was both the title of the video and the music. I live in a part of the world in which we often make much of things that really do not matter that much.

Let me give you an example. We make much of sports. Right now we are in the middle of the NHL playoffs. I grew up playing hockey and to a degree I miss not being able to still play it. We are also in the middle of the NBA playoffs. One of my sons really enjoys playing basketball. We are also in the middle of the NFL labor dispute. Those things are happening and many people invest considerable time, energy and money to watch, discuss and debate the various issues involved.

But I feel compelled to ask myself the question: Does that invest matter? In high school I was exposed to the game Trivial Pursuit. Sometimes, when it was played, I actually did okay. But what did that prove or suggest? Maybe only that I had invested my life in stuff that was trivial, stuff that has limited value. The video challenged me to think about verses like Colossians 3:1-4 that reminds me that my life is hidden with Christ in God. The glory of my life is not tied to who wins a championship this spring or whether or not we have NFL games to distracts us in the fall. The glory of my life is tied to Christ and His being revealed.

The video also took me to 2 Corinthians 5:15. This verse grabs me and I pray re-orients me to the ultimate reality. The Lord Jesus died for me. Paul suggests that Jesus did that so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. My life is not really about me. It is about the Lord Jesus and His death and resurrection. The truth of that is rocking me this morning. I should approach my marriage differently because of Jesus. Marriage is not about my wife making me happy. Marriage is about me living out Christ's life so that my wife is reconciled to God and is being transformed into the likeness of Christ. The same can be said of being a parent, a worker, a neighbor.

It is really easy to make life about all kinds of stuff. That is wrong and dangerous. Colossians 1:16 and Romans 11:36 both affirm that the Lord Jesus is the point of life. That means if you and I want to truly live, we need to know that all we have is Christ. The other stuff can be enjoyed, but they are not the source nor the point of life. Thanks for reading. Please watch the video and follow Christ above everything. He is all I have.

All I Have is Christ

What about People Who Have Not Heard?

In the blogs I read and even in the more popular media, like Time magazine, there has been considerable discussion in the last few months about God, His characteristics and people who have not heard about the Lord Jesus. These topics have been something I have wrestled with at different times over the 29 years that I have been a follower of the Lord Jesus. Between college and seminary I worked for an oil company. As I tried to be a witness to people I worked with, or in missional terms of today, a missionary, I can remember conversations in which these issues were a stated issue for people I worked with and for. In seminary I had to wrestle with them in an academic manner. As a pastor these issues have shown up in different ways as well. Over the last 5 years I have been working full time and trying to complete a doctoral degree on the side. These issues have often come up for me as a part of my school reading, assignments or discussions. I recognize it is an emotionally charged issue: we are talking about God and the eternal destinies of people. Both of those should engage us deeply.

Belong is a link to an academic article that I think is helpful for those who are wrestling with in some ways the issues mentioned above. It probably will not bring complete satisfaction to every reader, but maybe it will help you understand more clearly what the Bible teaches on a challenging issue. If you have any thoughts after reading it, please let me know. I would enjoy interacting with you.

The Hopelessness of the Unevangelized

Processing Osama bin Laden

I was surprised early this morning to learn that a group of US Navy Seal had engage Osama bin Laden in a quick battle that ended with bin Laden dying. I was not sure how to feel. Part of me was thankful that a man who  seemed content to kill innocent lives would no longer be able to reign terror. Yet, it was not something that seemed right to celebrate. The ending of human life is not something that should be celebrated. I am still trying to process through my thoughts and feelings on the subject. I found the article linked to below helpful. Hopefully it is helpful to you as well.

Albert Mohler on the Death of Osama bin Laden