Keep your eyes open!...

Be Watchful

"Excuse me ," said an ocean fish.
"You are older than I, so
can you tell me where to find
this thing they call the ocean?"

"The ocean," said the older fish, "is the thing you are in now."

"Oh, this? But this is water.  What I'm seeking
is the ocean," said the disappointed fish
as he swam away to search elsewhere.
 

At the time of Jesus' first coming there was a high level of Messianic expectation.  The scribes and Pharisees had studied the law and prophets and felt confident that when the Messiah would arrive that they would easily recognize him.  When Herod asked about the birthplace of Messiah, the teachers of the law were quick to respond:

(Mat 2:4-6)  When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"

These teachers however, were later unable to recognize Jesus, who sternly rebuked them.

(John 5:39-40)  You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

(Mat 16:1-4)  The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. He replied, "When evening comes, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,' and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah." Jesus then left them and went away.

The scribes and Pharisees did not recognize Jesus because He did not fulfill their preconceived notion of the Messiah.  Their extensive study of the scriptures had placed an  impenetrable barrier between their perceptions and their prior expectations.

(John 1:46)  "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," said Philip.

(John 7:52)  They replied, "Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee."

Even John the Baptist was momentarily filled with doubt.

(Mat 11:2-6)  When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."

My concern is that there are many Christians who have formed dogmatic ideas about the circumstances surrounding the second coming of Our Lord.  Carefully crafted graphs, timelines and charts delineate precisely what we should shortly expect.  Students of Bible prophecy should realize that the very existence of such numerous theories pertaining to the second coming point to the fact that scripture is unclear as to the exact timing.  Certainly each of us is entitled to his own opinion but we should realize that our stance is only an educated guess and not dogma.

Most importantly, we should watch world events with an open heart and mind and attempt to fit unfolding events into the framework of our prophetic studies.  Let us remain watchful as scripture repeatedly enjoins us and not commit the same error of the Pharisees.

(Mat 24:42)  "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.

(Mat 25:13)  "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

(Col 4:2)  Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

(1 Th 5:6)  So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.

I freely admit the speculative nature of the some of the material found on this site.  I am not a prophet nor do I assert that any of the information contained herein is directly derived from God.  It is the result of prayerful study and meditation on current events as they relate to Biblical eschatology.  It may become necessary to revise the following conclusions as current events dictate and I hereby announce not just a willingness but a duty to do so.

Pope John Paul II and the Second Coming

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