If I were to believe the billboard a couple of miles from my house, I would be very surprised to be here today. The billboard held Harold Camping’s claim of Christ return on May 21, 2011. He’d discovered this day though some formula he put together having to do with the many dates mentioned in the Bible, based off the verse in 2 Peter that says, “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” While Camping’s argument may have convinced thousands of people around the world that the end was near, all I could think about was the verses that he seemed to have overlooked, Matthew 24:36 and 42 and 44: “No one knows about the day or hour, not even the angels in Heaven, not the Son, but only the Father…Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come…So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.”
(Photo taken May 22, 2011)
Aren’t we cocky? That we can even speculate to figure out something that Jesus Himself doesn’t even know?
And besides, the message of the Bible is simple, and the truth is, God doesn’t work with complicated words and math problems. The Bible isn’t one big puzzle He has just been waiting for us to work out. And seems to me, if God were going to put a secret message in His word, just waiting for some one to crack the code, more than one man would have figured it out, and long ago. I refuse to believe that God would weave secret codes and complicated math problems into His message.
However, while I don’t place any belief in this theory, I have to admit, the idea that Friday, May 20th could be my last day on earth did give me a sense of excitement. I was filled with thoughts of how, and if, I would live that day differently supposing I knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was the last day before Jesus returned. Well, turns out I didn’t live it any differently. I still slept in as late as my schedule would allow. I still snapped at my family. I still sped down the freeway going to work. I still didn’t put my full heart into everything I did. I still put off talking with God and reading His word. I still remained in a comfort zone. I still found ways to please myself above all others. Silly girl.
Friday I spent the night at a house I’m house sitting for some friends while they are away. This was my first night there, and I was alone. Before I left my sister and I were teasing about calling each other in the middle of the night to make sure we’d still be there, and when my mom called to tell me something, she jokingly informed me that “we’re still here”. Now, at this house I have no internet connection, and no TV. So, realistically, if Christ did return in the middle of the night, I’d have no way of knowing it. (And, truthfully, I wasn’t comforted by the too many sirens passing on the busy street behind the house!). But what did I have to be afraid of? I have no doubt of my Christianity, I fully believe that faith in Jesus is the only way to Heaven and life forever, so why was I afraid that He could be coming that night? Quite simply, because I’m not ready. Yes, of course Heaven will be wonderful, and I know once I’m there I’ll laugh at myself for ever thinking I would want to prolong my time here. But when I think of standing before God, and remembering all the countless times I told Him “later”, “not right now”, “I don’t feel like it” and all the other excuses, that’s what scares me. I have no promise of “later”, none of us do. We are only promised now. We can’t know what tomorrow holds. (Proverbs 27:1 “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.” James 4:14 “You do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”)
And besides that, I have things I want to do, (ya hear that? “I want”, still working on that selfishness) I want to experience life, I want to get married, I want to raise a family, I, I, I. I wonder what God wants? But even then, the promise of “right now” is still something I ignore. I say “God, someday I want to do such and such.” I just imagine Him, listening to me go on and on, shaking His head and laughing, saying, “Ashley, look around. What are you doing right now? Look at the wonderful gift of time I have given you today, what have you done with it?” To which I shamefully hang my head and whisper, “well, I guess I haven’t done anything really, maybe I’ll do better tomorrow?” Tomorrow, always tomorrow.
We don’t know the day or the hour of His coming. Not even Harold Camping, but every time someone says, “Jesus could come next week, it could be tomorrow, it could even be right…now!” I always hold my breath, because it could be right NOW! God is not going to ask my permission whenever the time comes; He’s not going to cater to my status of readiness. All He asks of me, and of ALL of us, is that we live everyday as if it were May 20th, 2011, always looking for His return, and living as if tomorrow we will see His face, and be welcomed to His open arms.
Jesus is coming…are you ready now?
“Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come…So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.” – Matthew 24:42 & 44
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