The End is Near. Or not.

Last week the blogsphere, Facebook, Twitter, etc were abuzz about the predicted end of the world as we know it on May 21st.  Most posts were tongue-in-cheek, poking fun at the people who actually believed they would be raptured last Saturday.  I admit I had some fun posting silly pictures and whatnot myself.  I mean, come on, they made it so easy.  Anyone who has ever read a bible knows that it clearly states that even Jesus himself didn't know when the time would come for him to return.  It makes me wonder why people believe a clear chalitain like Harold Camping and why some seem to be preoccupied with the so called End Times.

I myself have never been particularly interest in studying end-of-times prophecy because it seems a futile endeavor to predict a date, time, or even an era for an event which we have already been told we will never be able to predict.  Seems like a waste of time to my way of thinking.  I have heard many people state that they are sure we are living in the End Times now because of certain prophecy they've read, or heard interpreted, from scripture.  They state their belief with such certainty that I admit it does give me pause, but then after a moment of reflection, I shake away the thought.

I believe every generation has seen 'signs' of the End Times going on around them; even the Apostle Paul thought Jesus would come back in his lifetime.  No, these times in which we live, while distressing to our sensibilities, are certainly not the worst the world has ever seen in terms of war, famine, pestilence, weather phenomenon or human behavior.  Every generation of people have their own ebb and flow of life to contend with, that is just how life is, it doesn't mean Jesus is coming back at any given time.

Don't we need to study prophecy so we will be ready for Jesus' coming? you ask.  I would answer that question with a no. We were put here on earth to live, not to prepare for the end.  I believe this is one reason we weren't told when the end will come.  God wants us to live every day to its fullest; come what may  He didn't want his people to wait until the end was near before they started living an obedient Christian life.  We should live every day, no matter whether we have one day or millenia left to life in a way that reflects our savior in a positive way, not with a sense of mass hysteria that makes us look to the world as if we are kooks. All we can do is take Jesus' lead and meet every day with grace and live the day to its fullest, treating everyone who crosses our path with love and mercy.