How many times can someone cry wolf before no one reacts anymore? What’s the cutoff? Five times, ten, fifteen, fifty? How often does your neighbor have to come over and ask if you would be so kind as to feed their cats because they’re getting raptured come the weekend, and there’s no one else they can ask before you roll your eyes and think them a tad strange? They’ll likely avoid you for a few days after they were supposed to get caught up, but come the next date, they’ll be ringing your doorbell again because their cats are like their babies, and they need to make sure they’ll be taken care of once they’re off.
I understand that those who send
out imminent rapture alerts every few days view those who don’t automatically
jump on the bandwagon and give away all their earthly possessions as the
scoffers Peter was referring to in his second epistle, but they’re not. It’s
the constant date setting, dates that come and go only to be replaced by new
dates, that is precipitating the increase in scoffers, not those who refuse to
see wishful thinking or cousin Zed’s burrito dream as a revelation.
Fellow believers are not denying
Christ's return. They are simply refuting the idea that Sister Edith knows the
day and the hour. Why? Because Jesus said no one knows the day or the hour, not
even the angels in heaven, but the Father only. We cannot deny the reality of
Jesus' words to appease men or spare their feelings. I’m sure Sister Edith is well-intentioned,
but she is wrong. Not because I want her to be wrong, but because Jesus says
she is wrong.
But back to what Peter wrote,
because the timing of when the scoffers will appear is telling.
2 Peter 3:1-4, “Beloved, I now
write you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by
way of reminder), that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before
by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord
and Savior, knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days,
walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “where is the promise of His
coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were
from the beginning of creation.’”
I used to travel a lot when I
was younger. First as my grandfather’s translator for ten years, then another
decade, and change after he passed. Whether I was driving or flying when I knew
my destination was near, there would be a rush of excitement and a certain
expectation of finality. Whether it was a crew member coming on the audio
system informing the passengers that we had started making our final descent
and they were going through the cabin one last time to collect empty glasses or
seeing my exit was only twenty miles away, there was always that feeling.
It’s human nature to have a
heightened level of expectation and excitement when you are nearing the end of
something. Whether it’s a journey or a goal you’ve set for yourself that you
can see nearing its end, that feeling is hardwired into us. Even though the
anticipation becomes palpable the closer you get, you haven’t really arrived
until the plane touches down on the runway or you pull into the parking lot of Motel
6, relieved to see that they’ve left a light on for you.
If you try to open the cabin
door while the plane is still in flight, someone will stop you, and you will be
greeted at the gate by law enforcement. If you pull off on the side of the road
before you reach the motel, you’ll be sleeping in your car.
We cannot overlook or ignore the
fact that Peter specified the last days as the time when the scoffers would
come and mock believers, querying where the promise of His coming was. Those
who continue to set date after date are not without fault when it comes to the
increase of the scoffers we are seeing currently.
Yes, I believe Jesus is
returning. He said He would. More important than the when biblically speaking,
is making sure that He finds us ready upon His coming. The reason for our hope
is not to escape some event or another but to be with Him in eternity.
2 Peter 3:10-12, “But the day of
the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away
with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the
earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all
these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons out you to be in holy
conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God,
because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements
will melt with fervent heat?”
This isn’t about who’s right or
who’s wrong regarding the timing of Christ’s return. It’s about what Jesus said
regarding the love of many growing cold and the myriad of voices saying here is
the Christ, or there. How many times can someone be crushed by disappointment
before they allow bitterness to worm its way into their heart? How many times
can someone fall from the mountaintop of exaltation, thinking that tomorrow’s
the day we all fly away, to the valley of seeing that day come and go with
nothing happening before their love begins to wane? How many will be taken in
by the false christs and false prophets because they believed the words of men
rather than the words of Jesus?
For many today, the timing of
Christ’s return is a hill they’re willing to die on. They’ll disfellowship with
people they’ve known for decades at the drop of a hat because they disagree on
this point, even though it’s not a salvific issue. No one on either side of the
debate is going to be standing in heaven screaming, “I told you so,” at the top
of their lungs, that I can guarantee.
I love my brothers and sisters in Christ, even those who disagree on this particular topic, and all I can do is echo the words Jesus spoke to Peter when he said, “I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail.” If your faith is in Christ, it will not fail even when you begin to see the things you never thought you would take place upon the earth. If your faith is in a doctrine or a particular worldview rather than Christ, you will likely be counted among those who will be offended, betray one another, and hate one another.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea, Jr.
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