Posted by James Charles
Why aren’t more Christians talking about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and end time prophecies? In a period of time that has so much visible evidence, an overwhelming majority of Christians do not discuss it at all. Many do not even tie current world events and figures to anything biblically prophetic. They don’t put the thought in their overall world perspective and future that the world will be very different when Jesus comes back again. This article covers the 3 top reasons why Christians are ignoring end time prophecies. It also clears up the misconceptions of the reasons.
Do any of these views remind you of yourself?
Reason #1
No one knows the day and hour
“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” (Matthew 24:36 NKJV)
This is the view that we are not to pay attention to Bible Prophecy at all because Jesus said “no one knows that day and hour”. Overall interpreting this scripture to mean that no one will ever know when Jesus is coming back.
Yes, Jesus did say this. Yes no one knows the day and hour of Jesus’s Second Coming! This point by itself should never be challenged. If any man or woman tells you they know the day and/or time that Jesus is coming back, they are lying and attempting to deceive you, whether they know it consciously or not. But yes, holding this point when reviewing Bible Prophecy and the Second Coming of our Lord is a correct position.
However, this does not mean that we will not be able to know when He is coming back. It simply means that no one will know exactly when He will come. But He did go into detail about the end times in that same chapter of Matthew 24 and Luke 21. When the disciples asked what would be the signs of the end of age, he explained in-depth. The whole chapter is devoted to us knowing what the times would be like and what were the things to come. If He did not want us to know what to look for, He would have told the disciples that they do not need to know. He would have told us through His Word that we do not need to know and there will be no signs. It is in fact the complete opposite.
Jesus told us about the things to come at the time of the end. He also told us there would be signs. A sign is something you look for to show you where you are going. Are you looking for His Signs? No one knows when He is coming back, but based on what He has told us about what the end will look like and the signs He will show, it’s fair to say that we will be able to identify when He’s close. He wouldn’t tell us what the times would be like if He didn’t want us to be warned that the end is near.
Reason #2
Jesus Will Come Like a Thief in the Night
This view says that Jesus will come like a thief inside of the night, so we will never be ready for Him. The common theme with this thought is to just live your life & get what you want out of it. When Jesus comes back, they feel he’ll just surprise them. They feel they’ll definitely be ready. They don’t believe they are to watch and wait expectantly.
The truth is Jesus will come as thief in the night, but there are at least 3 references in Scripture that tells us that His day should not come upon us, the church, unexpectedly because we are not in darkness. Because we are not looking at the world through the eyes of the devil. Because of this we are able to see that He is closer than anyone thinks.
We are to wait expectantly for His return. His day should not come upon us as a thief. Those that are not ready for Him while He gives us all the signs & warnings are making one of the worst decisions of their life. We are to watch for Him expectedly. Any view to the contrary is not biblically based. It’s a view that needs to be addressed and corrected.
For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. (I Thessalonians 5:2-6 NKJV)
Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. (Revelation 3:3 NKJV)
Reason #3
Bible Prophecy is just too symbolic
The view that Bible Prophecy (and the Bible for that matter) is just too symbolic for anyone to really understand. That view normally develops to questioning and disbelieving anyone who believes they have properly interpreted end time symbolism. They believe all the symbolism can be interpreted to fit anyone’s own view. It makes it difficult for them to even consider whether or not Jesus really is close to coming back. Many feel that because so many have been wrong before, it’s not logical that anyone would be right about it now. This a lot of times removes faith and belief that Jesus really is coming back.
Yes, there are many end time prophecies told about through symbolism. The 7 lampstands, the 4 headed Beast, the dragon, and a whole lot of other symbols make it difficult to know exactly what God is telling us. But this excuse is not a valid one. There are countless scriptures that refer to Bible Prophecy without using symbolism. A lot of end times prophecies are clear and straightforward. In Revelations 2 & 3, Jesus is quite clear on His message to the Seven Churches. He is also very clear when he spoke to the disciples in Matthew 24 & Luke 21.
It has been shown that false teachers and false prophets are claiming to know the time & date of the end. When their prediction obviously doesn’t happen, they are then looked at as crazy. Now when others that are not false want to talk about end time prophecy they’re automatically discredited because of the overall stigma of the false ones. Just because the Bible does contain symbolism that can be unclear does not mean we are justified by ignoring and not reading it. He gave it to us so that we may know. It’s imperative that we do. Study to show yourself approved.
If you hold any of these views it is important to take a step back and really make sure your view is not merely carnal or flesh, rather than biblically steered. We are commanded to watch and wait expectantly. We are not to ignore prophecy (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21 NKJV). We are to understand it and expect God’s Word to be fulfilled. The days are looking very close to what Jesus foretold in Matthew 24 & Luke 21. The moral and spiritual temperature of society has grown very cold and Godless. The world is on track to accept a false god and reject our True God.
Before this all comes to pass, Jesus will come back for His Church. Please take the time to understand what God says about these times. And be ready!! Please send this to any believers you know and ask them to review and examine if they hold on to any of these views. God Bless!