Wars and Rumors of Wars

I think I am tired of living in the "End Times." Granted, I think the end times began as soon as Jesus left this earth, so I guess I am going to have to get over it. When I was growing up as a fundy, we talked about the end times and the rapture and Jesus' return a lot. Well, mostly we talked about the great tribulation and how we definitely did not want to be here on earth when the tribulation began or we might get our heads cut off for our faith--if we found faith again during that time. I remember watching with horror those movies from the 70s about the rapture. It is ironic now that the type of church they portrayed in the first movie looks a whole lot like a Methodist church. Since I work in a Methodist church now, it is both offensive and exhilarating at the same time. I digress.

I guess what bothers me the most is that every time a war breaks out, any where, or at least any place that involves the United States, people immediately start saying that the end is near. Now, I can't refute that completely, because I do not know when He will return, but, then again, neither does anyone else. I will hear people quote the verse about wars and rumors of wars and suggest that this alone indicates the end is near. What bothers me about this is they forget the rest of the verse. In Matthew 24, the disciples ask Jesus about the signs of the end times. Now, I believe they thought it would happen in their own day, just like we do, so they were especially interested in when the kingdom would come. So, Jesus says: "See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains." (Matthew 24:4-8 ESV) We like to major on the minor points of wars and earthquakes, but forget the more significant indicator which comes a few verses later: "And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." (v. 14)


For those of you who have been watching the news lately, here are some pictures I took last year in a fairly peaceful Israel. The top picture is taken from Safed, one of the first Israeli cities to be targeted by Hezbollah. I did not realize at the time I was there that Safed was only 12 miles from the Lebanese border. Safed is a center for study of the Kabbalah. This picture is taken facing south towards Tiberias and shows the ruins of a synagogue. The next picture is a shot of the northern portion of the Sea of Galilee taken from the Golan Heights, the disputed area of land that used to belong to Syria.

The top picture is a shot of the Sea of Galilee from the northwestern side taken on the traditional mount of Beatitudes. Galilee was very lush when I visited in March of 2005. The last picture is for the End Times fans. This is the valley of Jezreel or the valley of Armageddon if you prefer. It was taken from Megiddo looking to the east. Of course, while I was there, I could hear the Israeli air force jets flying overhead.

Now, don't get me wrong, I think it is important that we are all ready for the end to come. But I think we sometimes put much more emphasis on the end of the world than we do on saving the world before that time comes. One great thing about the Methodist church is that they really do not take a strong stand on eschatological issues, rather, they spend most of their time trying to make a difference in this present age. Jesus taught His disciples: "We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." (John 9:4-5 ESV)

Let's get to work!