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I recognize we’re an apathetic generation that loves to be entertained rather than think real serious thoughts. At least some feel that way. But there is one form of apathy I don’t get and that is the fact that people are yawning over the return of the King of kings and not yearning for it.

This is the greatest news on earth. Titus calls it our “blessed hope.” The Lord will put an end to all sorrow, sighing, tears, disasters, broken relationships, and more.

The apathy factor has grown since 9/11. America was torn for a few months and then many forgot because it wasn’t in their neighborhood. People went back to sleep while the evil doers in this country continue their plotting.

The tsunami of late 2004 shook some folks up when they saw the carnage and Hurricane Katrina did the same—for a while. But memories are short when it comes to bad news and apathy returned. But why the apathy to the good news that the King is coming? The world is starving for good, uplifting news. It doesn’t make the nightly news because to them only bad news counts! Christians have the best news on earth, and at the top of the list is that God has an end-time plan, and evil will be vanquished with the return of the Lord.

Then I realized that Jesus would return in the generation that wasn’t thinking about it! He says, “…be ready for in such an hour as you think not, the Son of man cometh” (Matt. 24:44). Our Lord said he would intentionally choose a time frame when many believers were indifferent and not waiting and watching.

I have concluded that we are the “think not” generation. As a matter of fact, if the Lord returned today He just might find some churches pretty cozy with a sinful world and some of them majoring in minors when it comes to even preparing people for eternity. The new “seeker-sensitive” church movement doesn’t want anybody to be uncomfortable and the message of Bible prophecy is labeled “doom and gloom.” What is “doom and gloom” about focusing on the eternal Home Jesus has prepared for His believing church? Yet church after church has tossed this wonderful, uplifting theme which is also the major theme of the Bible from beginning to the end.

If believers can get ecstatic about a sports event, why not about the return of the Lord? It doesn’t matter what view of eschatology one holds. Some believe in a Rapture and some in only the Second Coming. Either way, we need to be yearning and not yawning. Jesus rebuked the Jewish spiritual leaders of His day in Matthew 16 for not knowing the signs of the times or recognizing His first coming. I believe He is equally displeased that spiritual leaders and Christians today give little thought to His coming again. Jesus enthusiastically engaged His disciples in a discussion of His return in Matthew 24 – 25. From that I conclude that we can be assured that the quest for an understanding of His return is a worthy pursuit.

Very recently I had 4,000 in attendance at my “Evidences for the End Times” conference with Hal Lindsey. By a show of hands, none, not one, had a church that was preaching the Lord’s return. What a tragedy when the world today needs hope, and Jesus is that “blessed hope.” Focusing on His return can get our eyes off the woes of this world, out of a state of depression, and into a state of expectancy!

This world is not our home. God has prepared a glorious place for us. Life is short this side of Heaven. Sinners are lost and need to know this good news.

It grieves me, but I wonder what God thinks about this? I believe He is yearning for us to join Him in His Heavenly Kingdom, yet many of His followers seem to care less, or at the very least, put no emphasis on this in their thinking or theology.

What will it take to wake them up? What will it take to shake our pulpits up? A national tragedy? I pray it is not so.

(Jan is founder/director of Olive Tree Ministries and a Contributing Editor to The Omega Letter. To learn more, get her e-mail alerts or free, print newsletter, “Understanding the Times,” visit her Web site, www.olivetreeviews.org.)


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