Of babies and end times...

Give me a minute... I've got to climb up on my soapbox!

-In 1989 Benny Hinn predicted the end of the nation after a woman is elected president, "within the next few years." Never happened.
-In 2000 Jack VanImpe commented that Christ would return in 2004... then 2007... now 2012 or 2018.
-In 2000 Hal Lindsey said the battle of Armageddon will take place in 2000 - guess I missed it. Was that on TV?
-In 2002 Pat Robertson predicted Detroit and San Francisco would be hit by terrorist attacks.
-John Wesley predicted 1836 as the year Christ would return.
-Harold Camping said it would be 1994.
-Mary Stewart Relfe said it would happen in 1997.
(taken from www.newjerusalemcommunity.net/?c=154&a=1936)

Here's what the Bible says, You may be wondering among yourselves, "How can we tell the difference, whether it was God who spoke or not?" Here's how: If what the prophet spoke in God's name doesn't happen, then obviously God wasn't behind it; the prophet made it up. Forget about him (Deuteronomy 18:21,22 the Message).

I chose the Message because it puts this passage so plainly. And I think that is how Paul was feeling in 2 Thessalonians. Apparently some false prophets or prophet wanna-bee's came to town telling everybody that Jesus had already come back the second time or was about to. So people quit their jobs and sold their homes and waited. And waited. And waited. Paul basically says, get off your butt and get back to work! This is the context for the statement, if a man won't work (because he's waiting for Christ to come back and mooching off his friends) then don't let him eat. Paul then points to his own lifestyle saying that he worked tirelessly while he was with them.

We live in the now and not yet. I believe some day Jesus will come back. But I don't know when it will be. The Dr. gave Andi and I a date for when each of our children would be born. We knew when it was getting close so we packed the hospital bag and made our preparations. But I still went to work. She still went to work. Not one of our children were born on the day the Dr. said - but it didn't matter because we were ready. We'd made the necessary preparations.

Instead of worrying about when Christ will come back we Christians ought to simply get our bags packed and then get to work telling our friends, family, neighbors to be ready too! Go to work and tell them about Jesus. Go to school ready to tell those who ask you about your Savior.

So. If anyone has made a prediction about when Christ will come back and they say they "heard it from God" or had a "revelation" or any other such thing attributed to God and it doesn't come true then DO NOT LISTEN TO THEM ANY LONGER. You heard me right. Turn off Pat Robertson and Jack and anyone else who "got their calculations wrong."

Whew, I'm winded. That was a long climb down...