Matthew 24- End of the World

It's funny how God works things out.  I got to Matthew 24 and was pretty well confused and thought, "how can I write about something I don't hardly understand?"  Then Harold Camping came along to help me out.

Harold Camping is the 89 year-old president of Family Radio who has announced today as the end of the world.  Which is a great excuse to listen to R.E.M. and a great way to talk about Matthew 24.

In Matthew 24 Jesus is talking both about the End Times and the destruction of the temple (A.D. 70).  It's very confusing to understand when Jesus is talking about the End Times and the destruction of the temple.

However, I do understand one thing clearly about the Second Coming in this chapter.

Verse 36 "No one knows about the day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

If Jesus didn't know when the Second Coming was scheduled, then I seriously doubt Harold Camping knows.  This chapter is not for the Harold Campings of the world to put a date on their calendar to expect the Second Coming.

However, I do admire Camping and his misguided followers in one way.  They are living right now as if Jesus is coming back today.  Friends we need to live like this.  Living like Jesus is coming back today does not mean that we quit our jobs and rent an RV to travel around putting up billboards scaring folks.  Living like Jesus is coming back today means not procrastinating.  Don't wait to share the Good News with your friends.  Don't wait to tell your family you love them.  Don't wait to feed the hungry.  Don't wait until later to do good.  Friends, He could come back right now... act like it.

Is what your are doing now what you want to be doing when the Master returns?

I want to leave you with Jesus' final warning in chapter 24.

Verses 45-51 "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the Master has put in charge of the servants in His household to give them their food at the proper time?  It will be good for that servant whose Master finds him doing so when He returns.  I tell you the truth, He will put him in charge of all His possessions.  But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My Master is staying away a long time,' and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.  The Master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect Him and at an hour he is not aware of.  He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Don't try to predict when the world will end.  Rather, be ready for your Master's return today.