“Get on with it.”
Plague, war, famine, and all disasters have this in common: People ask, “Does this mean that Jesus is about to return? This C-19 Lockdown has added yet another layer of speculation to that question. In fact, a multibillion-dollar religious industry has developed that trades on people’s fear over the sudden return of the Christ. Not all questioning is financially motivated, but genuine of otherwise, a dollar is being made somewhere. Jesus’ disciples had a question about timing. It was just before Jesus was about to be taken up to heaven that they asked, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom of Israel?” A question that strongly indicated that they had missed the point of Jesus’ teaching on the church to come (but I can only say that because I know the rest of the story). You would think that Jesus would have used this as a teaching moment, an opportunity to set things straight before departing. Not so. Jesus had said all that he was going to say, the rest was left to the Holy Spirit. But he left them with this message on the subject of sign-seeking: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Jesus teachings emphasised preparedness for his coming. It is to be considered as ever imminent. He states plainly, “No one knows that day or hour” (Mt.24:36). And also warns, “So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Mt.24:44). Those “times and dates” are not for us to know. However, what is for us to know is that the Holy Spirit started the church on the Day of Pentecost, empowered the apostles—the witnesses of the risen Christ who went forth as witnesses for the risen Christ—inspiring them to preach and write, and thus leaving us the knowledge that leads to life and godliness. Jesus was not interested in speculators trading in speculations. The point is: This Jesus “will come back” (Acts 1:11). Between now and then, he has left us the same job that he left the apostles. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). I believe he is telling us to instead… ‘Get on with it!’
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