By: Didi Bacon
I don’t know about you, but there seems to be a collective dread going around these days. Everyone seems to be on edge. I was talking to a friend who owns a lawn mowing business, and he told me that his clients are just so stressed. Everyone is anxious about the future, and they are taking it out on him about the look of their lawns! A lot of people just don’t have optimistic outlooks because of the economy, or the war in Ukraine, or the next coming pandemic, or an impending environmental disaster, or the next mass shooting, or out-of-control government debt. There is a lot of anxiety, fear, and hopelessness.
So, it is no surprise that many Christians are openly speculating about the end times. In talking about the end times, Jesus did instruct his followers to be on watch for the signs.
“Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.” Mark 13:5-8 (NIV)
The signs are definitely there, and with so much going on in the world, many are asking, “Is this the end?” “Is Jesus coming back?”
While the Bible tells us that no one knows the day and the time of the end except God the Father, what we do know is that today is one day closer to the end. Be it the end personally at our death or the end universally with the coming of Judgment Day, there is one thing that the Bible tells us we are to do – BE READY!
In June and July, we are going to work through the teaching found in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians. This letter was written to Christians who needed guidance on how to be ready for the end times. I hope you will be able to journey with us in person or online.
Here is an overview of the messages:
June 4: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10. These are times to remember God’s grace.
June 11: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16. These are times to be confident in what we believe.
June 18: 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:5. These are times that the faithful in Christ will face opposition.
June 25: 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13. These are times to remember God’s promise to deliver the faithful.
July 2: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12. We need to be ready by being holy to God.
July 9: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. We need to be ready by not worrying about death.
July 16: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11. We need to be ready by living with the hope of Jesus’ return.
July 25: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28. We need to be ready by being faithful.
