Thirteen years into the twenty-first century, twenty-five years removed from what was supposed to be the prophetically significant year of 1988, it would seem logical that the charlatans and faux prognosticators who profit from "end times" speculation would have long since packed their bags and gone home As Gary DeMar observed in an article posted yesterday, however, there are still plenty of ostensibly Christian teachers on the "end of the world kick" and there is still a substantial market for doomsday soothsaying.
Contrary to popular misconception, living with the imminent expectation of the "end of the world" is not a tenet of orthodox Christian belief. Yes, Christians do live in expectation of the coming of Christ in glory -- the parousia -- and the consummation of the kingdom of God. The difference between expecting the end of the world and expecting the coming of Christ, however, is somewhat akin to the difference between expecting to lose your job and expecting to find a more fulfilling expression of your vocation. Christians look for "new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells" (2 Peter 3:13), not just the end of the present order, for that "end" is but the beginning of something far more glorious and far more lasting ; an age already begun in the death, resurrection, ascension of Jesus Christ, to be fully consummated with his return in glory.
What perspective marks your daily walk with Christ? Is it one of gloom and morbid expectation of the end of the world; or is it one of joyful anticipation of our Lord's coming in glory, to make real the new heavens and the new earth? If it is the former, you will be of little use to the Savior you claim to serve. If it is the latter, you will be a witness, every day, toe the coming of God's kingdom and a signpost to the new creation in the midst of a fallen world that is already fading away under the in-breaking light of the glory that is and shall be the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ.
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