The End of Times - Rebuilding the Christian Temple
Wouldn’t it be cool to own a time machine? Or maybe just rent one - but either way, think about the possibilities! Of course, if I had one, I don’t think I’d go backwards. Just way too much potential disaster with the whole time/space continuum thingy. I might come back as my own third cousin twice removed…or something like that.
But I would definitely go forward. Checking out the future winning lottery numbers would be high on my priority list - so that I could give the cash to my church of course. I’d also like to know who will be winning the next decade of Super Bowls and World Series, that way I could be hailed as the greatest sports analyst of all-time by friends and family.
And there are other things as well. What will my kids grow up to be? If they are in therapy because of my sometimes-inept parenting, maybe I could figure out where I went wrong?
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No doubt about it. Knowing the future would definitely have a dramatic impact on my day-to-day life in the present.
When you think about it, we actually do have a time machine of sorts. It’s called the Bible, and several of its authors got beamed into the future and took copious notes. Daniel foresaw the course of the nations through a golden-headed statue. David laid out the plight of our Savior in astonishing detail. Perhaps the most fascinating to me is what happened to the Apostle John. While stuck on the less-than-resort like island of Patmos, God took him back to the future where he witnessed the end of the world as we know it. His descriptions read like Lewis Carroll, J.R.R. Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis combined with just a twist of George Orwell on the side…except this is not fantasy, this is reality.
Or perhaps we should say future reality, which is what makes the book of Revelation so time machine-like. If this book mentions something happening, you can bank on it coming true more than a lock on some lottery numbers.
Of course not everyone believes this. For example, the book of Revelation talks about Israel as a nation during the end times, just as Ezekiel had predicted. Before 1948, skeptics pointed out the laughable probability that this would ever happen.
They’re not laughing now. And neither should we when it comes to the readouts from our Biblical “time machine”. No matter how strange or unlikely a prediction may seem, just think about the odds of 300+ prophecies about Jesus being perfectly fulfilled to the letter.
Why do I mention this? Because in case you haven’t checked the back to the future news lately, there’s a series of unlikely events brewing in the Middle East that should send shivers down your spine. The ancient ruling body of Rabbis called the Sanhedrin has been reformed, and in a recent meeting they have issued a call for specific plans to rebuild the Temple. The Temple Institute in Jerusalem has already reconstructed the instruments for Jewish Temple worship; and Jewish men determined to be descendants of Aaron, known as the Kohanim, are being trained in ritual practices to serve as Temple priests. These are all things that need to take place before several events in Revelation can happen - the most important being the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple.
Wait, wait, wait…did you say “the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple?” Again, a laughable proposition from a present point of view. The piece of ground where the Temple would be rebuilt isn’t exactly up for grabs on www.holyrealestate.com, and even if it was rebuilt, aren’t we talking about the sacrifice of goats and sheep and doves oh my?
Oh my yes…because if God said it, you can believe it. And this future knowledge should challenge you to go way beyond believing it to letting it affect your day to day life. Developments like these are like steam coming off the water that’s heating up, and believe me - this watched pot is going to boil.
In light of this, we should be highly motivated to be “in the light”. Here’s the way the Apostle Paul put it over 2000 years ago:
But you aren't in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won't be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don't belong to darkness and night. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be sober. Night is the time for sleep and the time when people get drunk. But let us who live in the light think clearly, protected by the body armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation. For God decided to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. He died for us so that we can live with him forever, whether we are dead or alive at the time of his return. So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. (I Thessalonians 5:4-11).
Put simply - be a “Rapture Ready Believer”. This doesn’t mean hide all the gold and whip out your unused Y2K survival kit. It means to make every minute count for Christ. Share your faith, kick some Kingdom tail, and take some names for the book of life! Seize the day, because the days are numbered.
Lane Palmer is the Youth Ministries Specialist for Dare 2 Share Ministries in Arvada, Colo., where he works with youth leaders and students, equipping them to be effective in sharing the gospel. For more information on Dare 2 Share Ministries, please visit www.dare2share.org. Find out how Dare 2 Share Ministries and Focus on the Family® are working together to capture the hearts of this generation of teenagers, visit www.capturetheirhearts.com Send feedback to lane@dare2share.org.
