From:  (Andrew Bromage)
Newsgroups: aus.religion.christian
Subject: Re: Pestilence - A Sign of the End?
Date: 2 Dec 1998 12:12:37 GMT

G'day all.

In <>, " Untruth.."
<> wrote:

>> >DO THE pestilences of our day suggest that the end of the world is near?

Nigel B. Mitchell, helpfully wrote:

>> No.

"Rowland C. Croucher" <>, cryptically replied:

>Maybe. 

Not content with a one-word answer...

Nigel's answer is correct if you take the question literally.  "The
pestilences of our day" (whatever that means) _suggest_ nothing.

On the other hand...


Do Christians in fact eagerly long for Christ's return?  The

more Christians are caught up enjoying the good things of

this life, and the more they neglect genuine Christian

fellowship and their personal relationship with Christ, the

less they will long for his return.  On the other hand, many

Christians who are experiencing suffering or persecution, or

who are more elderly and infirm, and those whose daily walk

with Christ is vital and depp, will have a more intense

longing for his return.  To some extent, then, the degree to

which we actually long for Christ's return is a measure of

the spirital condition of our own lives at the moment.


[...] It is precisely for this reason that Jesus does not allow

us to know the actual time of his return: he wants us to be

engaged in obedience to him, no matter what our walk of life,

up until the moment of his return.  To "be ready" for Christ's

return (Matt 24:44) is to be faithfully obeying him in the

present, actively engaged in whatever work he has called us to

do.




-- Wayne Grudem

Marantha!

Cheers,
Andrew Bromage