Are end-times issues really none of our business??-PART TWO

Since my post yesterday, I had a friend write me and ask me (in a nutshell), if we're not supposed to worry about end-time prophecy, then what do you do with Matthew 24?

Well, here's what I found in Matthew 24:36-44

³⁶"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³⁷As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; ³⁹and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. ⁴¹Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

⁴²"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. ⁴³But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

This is very similar to what's being said in Acts 1:7

⁷He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.

Now, let's re-visit something Warren says in "The Purpose Driven Life":

Speculating on the exact timing of Christ's return is futile, because Jesus said, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Since Jesus said he didn't know the day or hour, why should you try to figure it out" What we do know for sure is this: Jesus will not return until everyone God wants to hear the Good New has heard it. Jesus said, "The Good News about God's kingdom will be preached in all the world, to every nation. Then the end will come." If you want Jesus to come back sooner, focus on fulfilling your mission, not figuring out prophecy.

I really don't think Warren is telling people not to talk about the end times. I don't think he's telling people not to stay alert and look for warning signs. I think what he's trying to say is if we get so hung up on trying to figure out the exact date of Jesus' return, we are being distracted from our purposes here on earth...one of them being Evangelism. We need to tell other people about Jesus so they're not going to Hell.

I do believe that we need to pay attention to the signs and the events going on in the world, such as the earthquake in Haiti or the recent flooding in the U.S. They are not PUNISHMENT from God. They're just a sign that this world isn't getting any better, the end is coming, and we need to be ready.

However, I don't think Warren ever says, "just ignore all these things." He's saying despite these things, do not try and pinpoint when Christ's return will be. It's so easy for Christians to see this bad stuff happening, give up their mission on Earth, and just sit there and do nothing while waiting for Christ's return.

Warren is simply telling us that Christians need to continue our mission on Earth, which will bring more people to Jesus and more people to Heaven when he does return.

Thanks for reading.