In Matthew 24 Jesus talks about the End Times. Then, near the very end of the chapter, he gives a short parable:
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eats and drinks with the drunken, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will punish him, and put him with the hypocrites; there men will weep and gnash their teeth."
That sounds like clear enough teaching. God puts people in our lives that we are responsible for. If we take good care of those people, God will reward us. If we don't take care of them, but instead abuse them, we will be punished. So it sounds like Jesus is telling us that the way to prepare for the End Times is to take care of the people that we are responsible for. But who are those people? And how do we take care of them?
I agree. The end times is a complex subject that fascinates some and bewilders others. It can be an obsessive topic. T.J. used to obsess over the end times, which I see nothing wrong with, so long as you remember that the essential preparation for the end times is very easy. Be ready for Jesus return, be obedient to God, and love your neighbor. If you want to store up water and canned goods too - fine, but that's extra. Most preppers remind me of a scene from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy where Ford Prefect finds Arthur Dent in a bar. He buys everyone a round of drinks and overpays the bartender because the world is going to end. "You only have 5 minutes to spend it." He says. "Do you really think the world is going to end?" asks the bartender. "Yes." Says Ford. "Well, shouldn't we lie down, put bags on our heads or something?"
ReplyDelete"If you like." "Will it help?" "Not at all."
I don't get comments here often, Mike, so I didn't see yours until today. Let's hope the end of our world has more meaning than Hitchhiker's.
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