Last days

I missed a few days of my 1 Timothy study, so today I'm trying to get caught up. I'm on day 32 right now, which is reading 1 Timothy 4, and using Holman's New Testament commentary as a resource.

1 Timothy 4.1 says, "But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons," based on the title, you can probably guess that I want to focus on the words, "later times".

According to my source, this phrase does not refer to some coming event, but the whole time from Christ's ascension to His second coming. It covers every moment for the last 1,982 years. (I get this number from the traditional thought that Jesus was born around 4 BC, and then adding 33, His age at the time of His death, resurrection, and ascension, putting those events in 29 AD, and then subtracting 29 from 2011, the current year)

A few weeks ago there was a prediction that the world would end, May 21, 2011 was supposed to be the end of the world. The man, Harold Camping, has now said that May 21 was a spiritual coming which has ushered in the last five months of time and now says that October 21, 2011 will be the final day. If any are concerned, I simply point you to Scripture, "But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone." (Mark 13.32).

I'll be honest, I felt strange May 22. I didn't believe the world was going to end because of the verse from Mark 13, but it suddenly hit me, "Jesus could have come back." It put it in a fresh light, almost as if the reality of the situation was finally sinking in. Jesus is coming back some day.

As I said, we have been in the last days for almost 2,000 years. How close we are to the second coming I don't know. I'll illustrate with the line below.

Ascension--*--------------------*--------------------*--Return

The * represent where we could be on this line. We could be anywhere. It could happen in a few hours, or a few millennium. All we can know for sure is that today we are one day closer. So how should we live? For this I turn to the words of Billy Graham. "Live every day like Christ will return today, but live everyday like we have to plan for the next thousand years." I think that's the way God would have it. Be ready, Jesus could come back any moment. So be ready, make sure your life is righteous before God. Confess your sin, and be redeemed by God. Let Him take over as the Lord of your life.

But at the same time live your life to the fullest. Don't put your life on hold. St. Irenaeus said, "The glory of God is man fully alive." Live your life, don't wait in fear for His returning, this isn't how we were created to live. Build relationships with people, do things as a family, discover who you are, have adventures, find your passions and exercise them, live life. As you live, become more like Christ, and through relationships help others become like Christ. Prepare the next generation to take over the leadership of the world. Let's work to make it a place where people can live together in peace.

Jesus could return today, and He might not be returning for a thousand years. Live both ways. Become like Christ, help others become like Christ, live fully alive.

Peace be with you