That ‘End Times’ feeling

I am a now-retired seminary professor. One of the occupational hazards of my tribe is getting asked theological questions at unexpected times and in all kinds of places. For a Reformed theologian these include the usual touchy points of the Reformed faith – Why do we baptize babies? Is God fair when he chooses some and not others? Do our prayers change God’s mind? – and my training and experience usually equip me to respond with a relatively high degree of confidence.

And then there are questions that make me hesitate and answer more tentatively. In recent years one such question that has come up again and again is some version of “Do you feel we are living in the last days?” It would be very wrong to respond to such a question by quoting Matthew 24:36: “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (NIV). Indeed, Jesus discouraged speculation about timetables and chronology, but when asked by his disciples “when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming,” he did not dismiss their question but told them (and us) to be alert to the “signs of the times” (Matthew 24 and parallels). Among the indicators of the “last days” are: false Christs (v.5), wars and rumors of wars (v. 6), conflicts among nations (v. 7), famines, pestilences, and earthquakes (v. 7), persecutions of Christians (v. 9), falling away of the faithful and betrayal within the body of Christ (v. 10), false prophets and many led astray (vs. 11), lawlessness and a loss of spiritual ardor (v. 12), gospel preached to the whole world (v. 14).  

That list sounds a lot like our times, doesn’t it? So where does this leave us?  On the one hand, we must pay careful attention to what is happening in our world and, on the other, not get caught up in speculation about God’s timetable. That is a delicate balance, and it is an easy mistake to play these two responsibilities against each other. Some Christians are inclined to pay too much attention to the newspaper as the instrument by which we read the Bible – “televangelist X has definitely proved that the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel is the beginning of the fulfillment of the prophecy in Ezekiel 38:14”; other Christians enjoy life far too much to think of the bad stuff happening in the world as a direct message from our Lord.

Thus has it ever been

Part of our response could be to relativize the current world’s turmoil with a reminder that ever since our Lord’s ascension, there have been wars and rumors of wars, famines, plagues and earthquakes, false Christs, persecution of Christians and loss of faith in the church. That is true and cautions us against thinking in terms of precise timetables; the “signs” are then appropriately taken as permanent reminders to Christians to be watchful and ready. When we become overwhelmed by the signs today, perhaps this is only the fruit of modern communication – our ancestors knew about tragedy and misery in their own village, whereas today we are informed about every bad thing that happens to people all over the world. At any rate, one thing remains constant: we need to absorb the same message God has given to his people in times of crisis since the days of Old Testament Israel: “Do not be afraid, for I am with you” (Isa. 41:10). 

As the scope and intensity of negative signs we noted above seem to grow – wars, disasters, famines, false Christs – and the one positive sign of the gospel reaching every nation on earth seems nearer than ever before, it is appropriate now to wonder more about the nearness of our Lord’s return. The most important “end of the world” fact about the year 2025 is that it is 2025 anno domini, “in the year of our Lord.” He does want us to be watchful and ready for his return, pray for it, and remain unafraid. Maranatha.