During the past 2000 years there has been a considerable captivation with the coming of the end of the world, and throughout the centuries, many people have obsessed their souls on predicting when it will come. Here are a few of my favorite false predictions:

• In the year AD 44, a man by the name of Theudas declared himself the Messiah, taking 400 people with him into the desert to greet the end of the world. I guess the world did end in a way, they were all beheaded by Roman soldiers.
• A Roman priest and theologian in the second and third centuries, predicted Christ would return in A.D. 500, based on the dimensions of Noah’s ark. I guess his measurements were off!
• The year 1000 goes down as one of the most pronounced states of excitement over the end of the world. All members of society seemed affected by the prediction that Jesus was coming back on Jan 1, 1000 AD. During December 999, everyone was on their best behavior; worldly goods were sold and given to the poor, swarms of pilgrims headed east to meet the Lord at Jerusalem, buildings went unrepaired, crops were left unplanted, and criminals were set free from jails. But, of course, nothing happened! (And for those of you who are wondering—no—Prince didn’t sing “We’re gonna party like it 999!)
• In 1526, Muntzer, a leader of German peasants, announced that the end of the world was near. After he and his men destroyed the high and mighty, the Lord would return. This belief led to an uneven battle with government troops where he was strategically out-numbered. Muntzer claimed to have a vision from God where the Lord promised that He would catch the cannon balls of the enemy in the sleeves of his cloak. The vision turned out to be false when Muntzer and his followers were mowed down by cannon fire.
• In 1809, Mary Bateman, who specialized in fortune telling, had a magic chicken that laid eggs with end time messages on them. One message said that Christ was coming. The uproar she created ended when she was caught forcing an egg into the hen’s oviduct by an unannounced visitor. Mary later was hanged for poisoning a wealthy client.
• The leaders of Jehovah’s Witnesses have falsely predicted the end of the world in 1914, 1918, 1920, 1925, 1941, 1975, and 1994. At this rate, one of these years they are bound to get it right.
• My all-time favorite false prediction is Edgar Whisenant’s bestselling book 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Could Be in 1988 (over 3 million copies were sold.) The following year he came out with another book called 89 Reasons Why the Rapture Could Be in 1989. He didn’t sell nearly as many of these!
• And don’t forget about the Left Behind hysteria of the late 1990’s, the Y2K frenzy in 2000, the Harold Camping debacle in 2011, and the Mayan Calendar malaise back in 2012!

 

            You are probably wondering what will be next? Well, I have to tell you, just last evening I was sitting on my back porch watching the rain and listening to Neil Young’s “After the Goldrush” when all of the sudden the wind split the clouds in front of me and a red shooting star darted across the sky and spelled “November 19, 2016” in cursive. (I sure am glad that they still taught cursive when I was in school or I would have missed God’s message.) Now God either gave me this apocalyptic vision to announce the exact day of the end of the world or to tell me that this will be the day when I shoot a 12-point buck in Vermont! The only thing I can say for sure is: “Get ready folks, this is going to be a big November!”

            But seriously, have you ever wondered about the end of the world? I suspect that we have all spent some time contemplating the coming of God’s kingdom! And the people of Jesus’ day we no different!

As Jesus continued his journey toward Jerusalem, the Pharisees asked him when the kingdom of God would come. Jesus responded to their question and then went on to explain one of the great spiritual paradoxes of all time: The kingdom of God has already come and it has not yet come!

 

Thy Kingdom Has Already Come (20-21)

Jesus answers the Pharisees question with the shocking statement that the kingdom of God is already in their midst. But how can this be? If the kingdom of God was had already come, why was Israel still occupied and oppressed by the Romans? If the kingdom of God was already at hand, why was there still evil and suffering in the world? If the kingdom of God was already in their midst, then why didn’t it seem like it? Maybe you have asked some of these same questions!

The problem was not with the kingdom of God; rather, the problem was with the Pharisees’ expectations about the kingdom of God. Jesus explains that the kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom that cannot be seen by the human eye. The Pharisees were anticipating a physical kingdom with political, social, and military initiatives. They wanted God to send them a messiah who would liberate Israel from roman occupation and oppression and establish a new Jewish kingdom. But Jesus is not a political messiah and he did not come to establish a political kingdom. He is a spiritual messiah who came to deliver the human race from sin and its consequences. He came to suffer and die for society’s sins and offer us eternal life! But contrary to popular belief, eternal life doesn’t begin when we die; it begins now!

Since Jesus is the king of kings and God in human flesh, the initial manifestation of the kingdom has come with his ministry. His point is that kingdom hope is present with his presence!

Do you see it? The kingdom of God is not just the future hope of heaven, but it is a present hope for all who put their faith in Jesus. It is a better life on earth right now! Many of the benefits and blessings of the kingdom are available to us right now. When we submit ourselves to the king, we can enjoy forgiveness from all of our sins, freedom from the guilt and shame of our pasts, and a great measure of joy, peace, and hope despite our present circumstances. We have the presence of the Holy Spirit to lead our lives, guide our decisions, and comfort our souls through times of difficulty.

            Now notice what I am not saying: I am not saying that you will never face physical frustrations or bear financial burdens or experience emotional anguish. As long as we live in this world, we are subject to the effects of the fall. But when we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we receive a down payment of the benefits of the kingdom right now! And the degree to which we participate in the life of the kingdom determines the level of benefit we receive!

            Therefore, friends, if you have not yet realized that Jesus is the King of Kings and he is sovereign over the whole earth, do it right now! The kingdom of God already in your midst—it is within your grasp! Come, follow Jesus, and enjoy the benefits of the kingdom right now!

 

Thy Kingdom Has Not Yet Come (21-37)

Well, after Jesus told the Pharisees that the kingdom of God was already among them, he turned to his disciples and announced that the fullness of the kingdom of God has not yet arrived. Although Jesus inaugurated his kingdom at his first coming, it won’t be consummated until his second coming. After he suffers, is rejected, dies, is resurrected, and goes back to heaven, he will appear a second time. And when he returns, it will be universally obvious that we will not need anyone to tell us where he is. It will strike like a bolt of lightning that flashes across the sky: sudden in appearance, obvious in it brightness, and powerful in its display of the glory of God. (Ryken 235).

But it will also come at an unexpected time, just like in the days of Noah and Lot. Do you remember these stories from the Old Testament? In the days of Noah, people were doing every day activities such as eating, drinking, and marrying, and then the flood came and destroyed them all because they were not prepared.

Likewise, in the days of Lot, people were going through all of the ordinary motions of life: eating, drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. It was business as usual until fire and sulfur fell from heaven and destroyed them all. They were consumed because their souls were not prepared for the judgment of God. They just went about their lives, never stopping to think that judgment was coming.

            The same thing happened on September 11, 2001, when Muslim terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center in New York City. It was just an ordinary September morning, with people doing all of the things that people usually do: dropping off their children at school, riding the subway to work, checking their e-mail, getting a cup of coffee, and heading into a meeting. No one knew what terror was about to strike, or that many of them would lose their lives.

Jesus said that the exact same thing will happen at the second coming. People will be doing business as usual. They will be sitting down for dinner, walking the dog, mowing the lawn, watching television, and putting the children in bed. They will be loving, fighting, serving, and sinning, and doing all of the things that people do? (Ryken 238)

            Have you ever wondered what you will be doing when Jesus returns? Are you prepared for Jesus’ Second Coming? Are you spiritually ready for his return? Most people are so preoccupied with what is happening today that they hardly ever think about the kingdom to come! I hope that we won’t be among them!

So, what does one need to do to make sure he or she is prepared for Christ’s return? Jesus answers that question in verses 30-36. In essence, he is saying that we should follow him with reckless abandon. We should follow him and never look back for anything! He even uses Lot’s wife as an example of this. Do you remember what happened to Lot’s wife when she looked back at Sodom and Gomorrah? She turned into a pillar of salt! She was looking back toward her old ways! She hadn’t fully let go of her former life! And she suffered the consequences!

Jesus reiterates another great kingdom paradox in verse 33 when he says: “Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it.” If we try to save our lives—in other words, if we hold onto our position in the world, with all of the possessions it has to offer—we will end up losing life itself, as well as everything we have worked so hard to gain. On the other hand, if we give ourselves away—if we commit our whole lives to Jesus Christ, we will keep them forever. If we let go of what earth has to offer, we gain only what heaven has to give!

Have you been holding onto the things of this world? Are you obsessed with getting ahead in this life? Are you trying to preserve your present existence? If so, stop it! Give yourself completely to Jesus before it is too late! A day is coming when two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left! A night is coming when two people will be lying in a bed; one will be taken and the other left. Vultures will gather around the bodies of those who do not survive the final judgment! Don’t be one of them!

 

               So, when will the world come to an end? Will it be November 2016? I have no idea! But I do know that the kingdom of God has already come and its benefits are available to us right now! And I also know that the kingdom is coming in the future, and some will enter it and some won’t! Where will you be?