We didn’t repeat crafty myths when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Quite the contrary, we witnessed his majesty with our own eyes.
Reflection
From doing a little research, I found there is some debate about who wrote Second Peter, but for our purposes we will go with the theory that Simon Peter wrote it. We read that he wanted to clarify that he was witness to what Jesus did and fully believed that Jesus would return because Jesus said he would. In verse 17 it says, “He received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice came to him from the magnificent glory saying, “This is my dearly loved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” This was the message from God when Jesus was baptized, and Peter was in theory there to witness it.
I have never been very interested in the stories about the “end times.” I have never read any of the books or watched the movies and Revelation seems overwhelming to me, even though I have read it. The scripture reminds us that there were myths and apparent conspiracy theories in those times just as we know there are today and have been throughout the course of history. We know that the Romans tried to explain Jesus’s rising from the dead with stories about how the guards fell asleep and that was how his body could be removed from the tomb. As Joe told us on Sunday, there have been over 150 predictions of the world’s end so far, and certainly there are more to come. In this age of fake news, AI generated info, social media, etc., we know how myths and untruths get spread so very quickly all over the world, so we need to use as many resources as we can including our Bible and prayer to weed through those.
We see in Matthew 24:36 and Mark 13:32 that nobody knows when Jesus will return – it says Jesus doesn’t even know. Ecclesiastes 8:7 says, “no one knows what will happen, and no one can say when something might happen.” Not knowing may be harder for some, but more comforting to others. There are many theories about the end times, and every generation has felt they have had evidence to say that the time is near – wars and natural disasters are supposed to be signs, and of course more recently with the war in Israel, people may be thinking that it is even closer.
Of course, we are closer than ever before to the end of time, but will we see it? Who really does know? We can make ourselves crazy worrying about it, we can sit in our bunkers and not participate in life, or we can trust in our God to be with us through trying times and then when either our time on this earth is over, or when the world is over that we will be rewarded for our life lived in service to others because of our faith in Christ Jesus. As Christians, we are expected to participate in this life the best way we know how, using the gifts we are given to work toward a better society while we are here on this earth. Jesus didn’t tell us he would come back to scare us, but to confirm that God is with us, and will be until the end of time.
by Janet Waryck
For Pondering & Prayer
What thoughts do you have about the coming of Jesus? What myths have you felt you had to weed through to get there or are you still processing?
Prayer: In this time of fake news, scams, and uncertainty, help us to be certain of our faith in you and that you will guide us, comfort us, and show us what you want us to do while we are here on earth, living the lives we should live for you. Amen.
P.S. – Today is our Mom’s 87th birthday. Happy birthday, Charlene!
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