There is a flavor of Christianity which relies heavily on doomsday prophecies and promises of the immanent coming of Christ. Is Christ going to come back next year? Next month? Next week? Tomorrow? None of us know and none of us ever will until that time when it happens. The truth is that some of these Christians, believe it or not, actually suffer from a weakness in their faiths. The promises of immanent destruction and judgment on earth give them something tangible to "hold on to" because the idea of a God they may never touch during their earthly lifetime is just too much to bear. It's almost like they really need to believe that they will be able to physically see or touch God prior to passing away or they're afraid their faith may not be strong enough to endure.
None of us know the timing of the end-times, no matter how many studies, theories, or seminars someone attends. It's not unlike the other facets of our lives. We may think we can plan out major milestones in our lives, but there is always something that can throw that entire plan out the window.
When Meredith and I were expecting our second child, we had a due date, a schedule, and everything had gone as predictably as you could hope. Ezra appeared to be coming into the world much the same way Phoebe did: predictably and easy to plan around. However... God had other plans. The due-date came and went. Even when we finally had an appointment at the hospital, weather started threatening whether we could even get to the hospital! It taught us the lesson that no matter how ready WE may be for something, God has his own plans. If we were going to have faith in this God to handle the events of our lives, we must be ready to live on faith that goes beyond our understanding of "perfect timing".
Dear friends, don’t overlook this one fact: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:8-9)
If I had more time, I could go into a long explanation of how God's prophecies and scriptures imply that he exists beyond our concept of time, but I don't want to bore anyone. Suffice it to say, to follow this God we must be willing to put our own ideas of "perfect timing" on the backburner, and embrace the unpredictability of God's master plan. What is unknown to us is already determined by God. This can seem terrifying at first blush, but incredibly freeing once you realize the burden it lifts from your shoulders.
In our world, we are pressed for every form of timeline. We must graduate school by a certain age. We must be married by a certain age. We must have kids at a certain age. We must have retirement investments by a certain age. We must retire by a certain age. The list goes on and on. What we learn in the Bible is that God has his own plan that comes with it's own timing. The goal for us is not to try "playing the timeline" so that we are found worthy at just the right time for God to notice. Instead, we should live our lives as if we exist in a timeline not of our choosing. Don't let an opportunity slip by to reach out to that friend, to show compassion to that stranger, or to reconcile with that wayward sibling. Live each day like it is your last because you never know if it might be. Chances are it's not, so give thanks to God for the opportunity to continue your worldly work, but don't squander that opportunity by saying, "maybe I'll live for God tomorrow."
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