Endtimes and Meantimes: Luke 21:5-19 - 23rd Sunday after Pentecost

⁵When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, [Jesus] said, ⁶“As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.”
  ⁷They asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” ⁸And he said, “Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is near!’ Do not go after them.
  ⁹“When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.” ¹⁰Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; ¹¹there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.
  ¹²“But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. ¹³This will give you an opportunity to testify. ¹⁴So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; ¹⁵for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. ¹⁶You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. ¹⁷You will be hated by all because of my name. ¹⁸But not a hair of your head will perish. ¹⁹By your endurance you will gain your souls.” (NRSV)

The Milky Way by Diana Robinson on Flickr. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

What would you do if today if tomorrow is the end of the world?

Twenty years ago, it felt like the end was near—because of Y2K.

The fear was that the computers of our computerized world would fail, because they were unable to process the calendar dates in the new millennium. This would unleash apocalyptic chaos upon the world: jet planes would drop out of the sky; nuclear weapons would explode, and the world would end as we knew it.

My dad, who was a computer programmer, put in unspeakable amounts of overtime to make sure he and his company were prepared—what the industry called Y2K compliant.

While he was doing that, some people were stockpiling canned foods, bottled water, batteries, gasoline, and even weapons and ammunition.

We laugh at this now, but our infatuation with the end times has hardly subsided. The sixteen volumes of the Left Behind series have sold eighty million copies worldwide, spawning four feature-length films, forty children’s books, two video games, and even two spinoff series. A nearby congregation blanketed the community with mailers about its prophecy ministry, to help you to know the signs and get yourself ready.

Then, you consider the chaotic state of the world—and you wonder, how can we NOT be in the end times?

Think about what Jesus says: There will be false prophets, wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, famines and persecutions. Christians will be handed over for imprisonment, torture, and execution—often by their own families.

But before we try and draw the lines between Jesus’ teaching and current events, let’s try and put ourselves in the shoes of Jesus’ followers, hearing these things for the first time…

Jesus warns that the great Jerusalem temple will be destroyed. Given its size and splendor, it would’ve been impossible to imagine it being destroyed. This was God’s dwelling place. Wouldn’t God protect it from destruction?

What’s even worse than that is the betrayal of your own kin because of Jesus. We all know how divisive partisan politics can be within families. That’s nothing compared to how divisive Jesus will be. There are worldly loyalties powerful enough to break apart even the closest of relationships—and abandon all reason.

But then, Jesus really pulls the rug out from under you: he says, “make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; for I will give you words and wisdom.” Imagine that: the doomsday prophets tell you how to interpret the signs and what you need to do to get ready; Jesus says, “don’t prepare your defense in advance.”

That point is fundamental when considering the end times—because planning and preparation give you a sense of control. I believe that to be the number-one reason why we’re so fascinated with the end-times: we want to gain inside knowledge so that we can be in control of our destiny. Self-preservation is the objective; survival, the ultimate goal. The problem with this mindset is that you become inwardly focused.

It’s no accident that people in doomsday cults become isolated and cut themselves off from their families and the outside world. That’s the power of fear and the natural human instinct of self-preservation.

But Jesus’ reason for speaking these things is to warn you that you will see things and experience things that will cast serious doubt on everything you’ve ever believed about God. But when the unthinkable happens, Jesus will be there. By his faithfulness you will endure. By his grace, you will overcome—even if you die. Not a hair of your head will perish.  What is the most important thing you can do to prepare for the end times? Trust God!

In light of these promises, our focus should not be on the end times but the mean times.

Self-preservation turns you inward; hope turns you outward.

“Do not grow weary in doing good,” the Apostle Paul writes to the Thessalonian Christians. What good comes out of combing the bible for clues to connect dots between prophecies and current events; or trying to convince someone that the politician you don’t like is the Antichrist? You can’t control the future—but you can help to make the future more promising for others. You can bear God’s love, mercy, and grace into the tragic realities people find themselves. Through words and actions, you can help bring someone into a relationship with Jesus Christ. What is hope, but a confidence that no matter what trials or calamities the future brings, that you are a child of God?

Truth is, we don’t know when the end of the world is—and that’s for the best, because we’ve clearly shown we can’t handle that truth. Living in fear for the future, you forfeit the gift of the present. Focus too much on heaven, and you cease to be any earthly good.

In Christ, you need not fear the end times. His faithfulness will carry you through. What matters is the mean time. And you have the power of the Holy Spirit to make the love, peace, and justice of God’s kingdom a reality today.

Will Jesus be returning today? I pray that it is so. But whether he returns today or a thousand years from now, his call is the same:

Let every thought, word, and deed proclaim that God is love and Jesus is Lord. Trust Jesus. And do not weary in doing good, no matter how hard it gets.