The World is Going to End Tomorrow: 6.6.6!

I came to Panera expecting to just have a normal day off of reading and working on tracing Galatians, only to read Theologians, Scientists: 6-06-06 Nothing to Worry About. From there I found the link for Rapture Ready, a site devoted to the Pretribulational Rapture view. They indicated that, due to the massive amounts of "Prophetic Activity," the Rapture Index is now at an alarming 156, which is in the "Fasten Your Seatbelts" category (kind of like the threat of terrorist activity index--this would be red)!

Well friends, I'm honestly not convinced that Christ is coming tomorrow either because of the date or because of a large number of appointed "prophetic activities" that are really not a biblically given gauge of when the end will come. I'm personally not into "End Times" hype, I don't believe the book of Revelation and Daniel are scary books designed to tell us all of the things that will occur coming up to the end and to help us calculate Christ's coming. I am in whole-hearted disagreement with the Dispensational system from which this all stems, and I do not believe that the Bible teaches a pretribulational rapture (for instance, the rapture in 1 Thess. 4:16 occurs with the blow of a trumpet and the voice of an archangel--and trumpets and archangels are loud, not secretive).

End Times fascination is unfortunately dangerous. It easily takes people's attention off of what really matters and places it upon something we do not have the greatest control over. We have been in the period of the "last days" since Christ first came and established the kingdom of God and His church (Acts 2:17f., Hebrews 1:2). The last dispensation of this age (this sinful age and the reign of death since the Fall) has been with us since Christ's death, resurrection, ascension, and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon the church at Pentecost. The Pharisees missed this point--they failed to see the signs of the times--that the Christ had come and the inauguration of the kingdom of God and the end of the sinful age was now come to an end (though, we now stand in the time of the Already/Not Yet--cf. George E. Ladd's The Gospel of the Kingdom for further explanation of this concept) (cf. Lk. 12:54-56).

Rather than being concerned with End Times' stuff and pretrib propoganda, we need to be concerned about God and the things of God. We can become far too fascinated with what is going on in the world and trying to interpret obscure passages (or making them to fit into our system of interpretation) that we fail to see the big picture. We then fail to seek to understand more important theologies, we fail to seek God and grow in our relationship with Him, and we fail in our duty to love our neighbors as we ought (and many are suffering). We then also fail to pray for the persecuted church. We also fail to advance the gospel--the one thing that we KNOW will bring about Christ's return and the end (2 Peter 3:11-12, Matthew 24:14, Luke 24:47, etc). Our duty is not to be concerned about times and dates that the Father has set, but we are to be Christ's witnesses when the Holy Spirit has come upon us as the church--and HE HAS (Acts 1:6-8; 2). The Lord will come again, and like a thief in the night (unexpectedly). It is our duty to be ready--not concerned of whether that time is near or far--we are always to act as if it is now! Be ready! (Matt. 24:42-25:13--the point of these parallels is 'be prepared,' not 'be looking for signs.')

Will the world end tomorrow? Will it end tonight? I don't know...and neither do you. The question is, "will you be ready?" not "will you be raptured." After death comes judgment. Christ is returning to judge all for the works done in the body (Romans 1-3, Galatians 6:8-9, etc). There is no chance after the rapture for repentance, because Christ is coming to resurrect and reward His own, destroy the wicked who oppose Him, and to consummate His reign upon the earth (cf. Revelation 19). Today is the day of salvation, for we live in the New Covenant period.

For resources that may be helpful on this topic, Read Anthony Hoekema's The Bible and the Future, the Four Views book on the millenium (with Hoekema, Ladd, etc), and New Covenant Theology by Fred Zaspel and Tom Wells.