A recent Prophecy in the News
telecast has gone mainstream, as reported in WorldNetDaily today. I’ve
had several readers write and ask, “Is Jesus really coming in 2015?”
Here’s my take on the article and the hype it has generated.
I’m mindful of the fact that
Jesus said no one would know the “day nor the hour” of His return…but He
also said we could tell the signs of the times, using the example of the fig
tree. In Jesus day, the new moon had to be confirmed by 2 or more
witnesses before the last trumpet could sound during the feast of trumpets…and
this could occur within a given 48 hour time frame. If we consider this as
“type and shadow”, we can’t know the exact day or hour of the Lord’s
return (as the priests did not know the exact day nor hour of the new moon’s
rising), but perhaps we could know the “season” of His coming by the signs
he’s provided in Scripture. I believe these are mutually compatible
arguments.
If we can see the fig tree
blooming, we know that it will soon bring forth fruit ready to eat, but we
don’t know the exact time this will actually occur. However, we can
watch the signs that give supporting evidence to the fact that the fruit is
about to come forth. I believe it is from this perspective that we can
view the events of our day…as supporting evidence God’s word is true and it
points to the soon return of Christ. We don’t know the “day nor the
hour” of His return, but we can clearly see the day is drawing closer.
Do I believe THIS specific
event is THE key piece of supporting evidence? Not necessarily.
I did find the article (and research of the author) of interest, as Scripture
says that heaven itself declares the glory of the Lord and the astronomical
signs are of great significance to the Jews and tie into many of their feasts
and festivals. The fact there are going to be some significant “signs in
the heavens” during the year 2015 could indicate that a unique event
may occur that affects Israel in some fashion. The empirical evidence
seems to show this has been a pattern in the past, and may well be a triggering
event that reflects some natural or man-made event on the earth.
Sensational headlines like
this can (and do) give Christians a black eye if they turn out to be false (as
if often the case). We have seen other “blood moons” over Jerusalem in
the past. Some have been followed by significant events, while others have
not. This coming event could mark the return of Christ, the start of
the Tribulation, something else, or nothing at all. The rarity of the
celestial event is of interest (and may be prophetic), but only time will tell
if this is truly of Biblical significance.
Again, I stress this is a
“COULD”, a probability…nothing more. The important thing is that we
all be about the business of the Kingdom, and so much more so as we see the day
of His return approaching. Endless speculation on what “could be” a
significant celestial event often leads to disappointment and distracts us from
the real work we were called to do.
I live my day as if He is
coming at any moment, but at the same time I “occupy until He comes”, making
my plans for the future work of the Kingdom He has called me to do as if His
return is years away.
The last thing I’m going to
do is to become obsessed with what “might be” and forget the mission at
hand: “Go ye into all the world and make disciples!”
And that’s what I’m going
to keep doing.
What are your plans for today?