Non-emergency preparation for the Second Coming

Some of you may be noticing news stories that make you feel like we are getting closer to Christ's return, though that in itself has been going on for a while.

It is possible this is making you nervous, and that's understandable. I'm more in the space where that seems like the only possible solution for many of my present concerns. Even so, I am not actively praying for it because that feels presumptuous. I don't control the timeline, and I don't have the kind of wisdom needed for that.

This isn't so much about being scared or hopeful, but there are some people who seem to get downright gleeful when terrible things happen, taking it as a sign of apocalyptic approach.

I won't even criticize the glee, exactly, though there are certainly ways to do it wrong. What I am sure about is that you should not be doing terrible things to accelerate the timeline.

For example, you might have people in the executive branch who are destabilizing the Middle East, in an effort to bring about Biblical prophecy, where it seems to be a matter of religious conviction. I feel very comfortable condemning this.

Let's say that some of our country's actions contribute to greater production of nuclear waste, greater threat of nuclear attacks, and deaths of civilians by starvation and violence. Yes, it may go along with the circumstances that eventually lead to Israel being surrounded by many other armies and staying under siege until two men who have been holding off the enemy are killed, and then IT happens - I get it - but there are several important problems with that.

First of all, there is all of that human suffering along the way. Yes, that happens, but that is never a reason to be causing it to happen. I think a relevant scripture here is Luke 17: 1-2

Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!
It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

That almost sounds like it could relate to our immigration policy too, don't you think?

Secondly, there's that presumption issue again; do you really think the Lord needs you to create havoc to give Him permission to return? That almost seems like the thought of someone who completely misses the point of Christ's teachings (and hold on to that thought).

Finally, you know, a lot of the Bible is metaphorical. Not all of it is, but we don't always know. There are a lot of scriptures that we won't fully understand until after the fact.

This is what I take from the book of Revelation: bad things will happen, but God is in charge, and good will eventually win. It is comfort, but not more important comfort than the personal relationship that comes with prayer and study.

If I take an additional message from it, it is that I want to be on the side of good. That's logical. Everything in the gospels tells me that this is about serving others, kindness, forgiveness. Yes, other people get other things from the scriptures - I remember James Watt (under Reagan) not worrying about the environment because everything was going to burn up. Well, it is; but that doesn't make pollution right. One way my comfort works is that I believe this will all be healed; it does not make me want to be the source of injury.

So if we were going to look for appropriate methods of preparing for the Second Coming - beyond collecting your emergency supplies - what would we do?

Repentance seems like a good one. How am I wrong? How can I fix that? What can I do better? Have I hurt anyone? These are good questions to ask yourself. The answers will generally relate to kindness and having greater love for people, including those you might deem enemies. (Which I strongly believe relates more to protecting people who are threatened by others rather than coddling the people who like giving the threats.)

Missionary work seems like a good one, though I worry about many people's ability to share the gospel without making it repellent to others. It shouldn't be that way, but it is. That is just something to think about.

I think the most relevant scripture for pre-Millennial preparation might be Moses 7:18...

And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.

You can't be of one heart with everyone in the world right now, but you can try and make your heart more like Christ's, and that will work. We can work more toward a world where there are no poor by not allowing the exploitation of labor or making necessities like food, shelter, and medical care unobtainable for people. If you can root the greed out of your heart, and the bigotry that supports the greed of the top economic tiers, that is the kind of work that will have you ready for the Millennium.

It's weird how Jesus spent so much time condemning the wealthy and how little that seems to come up in modern Christian conversation. That might be a reason to refer back to the Book.