So today my grandaughter said...

Talking with my granddaughter Sarah today she made the comment that "all this stuff about Jesus returning doesn't seem real." I know just how she feels. I sit and listen to speakers much more knowledgeable than I - and I look hard at the descriptions in the Bible and I feel like I'm studying science fiction. I mean - watching Jesus travel around the world, on clouds, in the sky, while people fly up to meet Him and stuff like that - how do you deal with ideas like that? I really have been challenged to seriously consider that the Bible means what it says and says what it means, but it's hard once you start wondering exactly what some of this looks like. It's getting me into a lot of trouble, 'cause my pea-sized little brain and some strange reaction inside of me fluctuates between "this is way too weird" and "nobody cares anyway."
The problem is - I care and I care a lot.
I want to be ready for His return and I want my family ready and anyone else I can convince this is real to be ready. I know it sounds crazy to believe that something so mind-blowing is really going to happen, but I guess I'll just have to get used to that. Move over, Noah. Meanwhile - to all of you who may read this - I hope you don't just check out and live life as usual. A radical, worldshaking event demands a radical life response.

Do we REALLY believe Jesus is coming back?

Most believers relegate Jesus' return to some far distant time in the future that doesn't really concern them or their families here and now. I think this is a HUGE mistake, especially in light of the fact that Jesus said we would know the season of His coming. HOW would we know? Well - Jesus said there would be signs that clearly alert us to the end of the age. If we are paying attention [and we should be] - we can see that those signs have already begun.
The most significant sign is the nation of Israel. Jesus told us to watch what happens there as an indication of where we are on God's prophetic calendar. This small country is somehow tied to God's activity in the earth and is a SIGN for everyone to see. After almost 2000 years of non-existence as a nation, Israel was REBORN politically in a day. Prophecies that for hundreds of years were thought to only apply to the church suddenly could apply to Israel again. Just like Jesus prophesied, the fig tree [Israel] has become tender and is putting forth leaves.
You have to be impressed with that! Think about it. NO OTHER PEOPLE has ever lost their nation for hundreds of years and then REGAINED it again. This just doesn't happen. God must be up to something and I believe He is doing things to wake us up to the lateness of the hour.
If we REALLY believe Jesus is coming back - it should make a tremendous impact on our hearts and lives. It should cause us to grapple with the question of what's really important. Like I've said many times, when Jesus returns and our lives are evaluated by Him, He is not going to ask us how nice our house was and how much money we made or how big our ministry was. He is going to evaluate us on how faithful we were and how much our hearts grew in love, righteousness and humility. If we REALLY believe He is coming back we would order our lives so that we could grow in these things - for eternal things like this are the only things we can take with us into the next age. The key is: these qualities only grow in us as we live lives of deep communion with the Holy Spirit. If we REALLY believe He is coming - we would live lives of ever increasing prayer.

What will you do when the end comes?

The world is on the fast track toward an unprecedented upheaval and most of America is not even considering this reality. They're living in some kind of brain-fog that thinks Paris Hilton's 45 day jail trauma or who's the next Am-Idol really matters. It's not like there aren't any warning signs of what's coming. People just aren't paying attention. Even when the entire planet is shaken and the rotation of the earth is changed, like when the tsunami struck Asia, folks continue to live as if nothing is out of the ordinary. They just don't get it.
Right now, in our day, ancient prophecies are coming to pass. Like, God actually-for-real said He would shake the earth. And not just a little bit or one time either. Maybe the earthquake that triggered the tsunami wasn't a fluke after all.
What's it gonna take to wake people up? What should our lives look like in light of the coming shaking? So far God's got a perfect score on fulfilling prophecy. Maybe a little time spent considering what He says will happen will pay off big time in the end. Otherwise, you might get caught with your pants down.
What will YOU do when the end comes?