I can utterly understand what many people are saying about the multitudes of posts and web pages about the end times and current events on Facebook and other places. It certainly does seem that many people have taken it upon themselves to scream at the top of their lungs, “Repent! The End Is Near!”, like one of those sandwich-board preachers you sometimes see on the streets in big cities, or in movies. You see and hear that enough times, you just want to shout, “Enough already! I heard you the first thousand times you said it!”
However, being as I am one of those "resounding gongs" - maybe if I speak of my reasons, it may help clarify things. As my husband said elsewhere, there are many out there who, though they may say they are followers of Christ, in reality, aren't - they don't "walk the walk". Then there are those who simply don't know any of these things despite being Christians, for whatever reason and, lastly, the many who aren't disciples of Jesus.
Yes, I agree - NO man (or woman!) knows the day nor the hour when the Lord will return - Jesus Himself said this. In fact, He told us we are to ALWAYS be ready for His return, whether or not these, in fact, are the end times or not. This cannot be ignored or sidestepped. This has been true of every Christian for two thousand years. We are no different than our brothers and sisters of the Acts-era Church in our need to be ready.
Yet, because of many of the things happening in the world today, there is increased discussion and increased interest in end times studies, prophecy, etc. Many of us who write about these things receive private messages and e-mails requesting more information, or, during the course of discussions of these matters on various groups’ and people's Facebook walls, we find a need for deeper teaching and/or understanding of issues raised and are led to delve deeper into these things. Much is debated, back and forth. And, I agree, there is a certain amount of it that just seemingly gets to a point of it being more or less "noise" after awhile, because you've heard it all too often. And, yes, there are some out there who seek the attention and the spotlight.
BUT - I think of that one person, that individual who has NOT been taught these things, who - because I or a brother or sister have followed the prompting of the Holy Spirit and written about these matters - has their heart opened to God and repents and accepts the Lord Jesus as their Savior. Even if it's just ONE person who is saved from the flames of hell - even a billion words posted on Facebook would be more than worth it!!
I also think of a brother or sister who, for whatever reason, has not been taught about these things and is hearing them for the first time, or is able to grasp and understand these things for the first time – whose walk with God is deepened, strengthened or their heart is spoken to – that, too is well worth the avalanche of words. It is no less efficaious for those who do know fo these things - for, as my husband Tim says, sometimes we forget or let slide by things we know we ought not to, but have done anyhow - and these remiders serve to prompt us to "stay on top of" these matters.
The other part of this is that there certainly seems to be a movement of the Holy Spirit amongst Christians all over the world in regards to these matters. It isn't just the current spate of protests and unrest in Egypt or Libya or the earthquakes last year in Haiti, Chile' and now in Japan that is causing discussion or and teaching about these matters – it is truly a genuine movement of God.
In the long view of human history, we see events unfolding according to scripture when we look at what has been happening over the course of the past hundred to a hundred-fifty years up until now. We see things happening that have NEVER before been seen in the entire history of mankind - things that even the most erudite of scholars have, for even hundreds of years, long considered to be purely "symbolic scripture"(ie: much of Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and Revelation, amongst others). We see it is coming to life in headlines all over the world, every day. That fact can’t be ignored. I often speak with dozens of people from all over the world, every day, and people from all walks of life, and all levels of belief, understanding and even those who are in opposition to Christianity also. I carefully research, checking facts, and making sure that what I am seeing and reading isn't simply reactionary or political opinion. I read and re-read Scripture, I pray for the guidance and wisdom of the Holy Spirit. And when I do write, I follow the leading of that same Holy Spirit.
Yes, there are some who are seemingly going to extremes. I’ve seen some folks screaming, “God is coming back tonight!” I agree that those types of things are not correct, because we do NOT know when the Lord is coming back. In fact, Jesus told us that only God the Father alone would know that day and time. So, when someone says that a certain date or hour is “set” for the Second Coming – that is not correct, it is a false teaching.
YET – Jesus also told His disciples that we would know the approximate time. He said that just as when we see a tree put forth it’s leaves we know that springtime is near, so then would we, too, know when the time of His return was nigh by certain signs and happenings. So, we are left with a seeming dilemma. On the one hand, we are told that no one but God the Father knows when Jesus will return. Yet, Jesus said we would have an idea of that time being here by those signs. So, a great deal of the mountain of discussions and posts is basically a discussion of the question, “Are these the times Jesus spoke of? What facts do we have that do support this conclusion? What facts do we have that do not?
The internet, and Facebook in particular, is like a giant public square, filled with millions of people, all milling about and talking, either to one another or just speaking out for anyone that wishes to listen. If you’ve ever been to a large outdoor event with thousands of people, you know what I refer to when I speak of the crowd noise - it’s thunderous! And, how many of those people are all having the same discussions, in various different ways? They could all be talking about the food stands, or the music, or the weather, or what-have-you. You have thousands of people – and as a result - a lot of repetition going on.
Some of what we are seeing on Facebook (and all over the web!) is just that. And, actually, even though some of us may have read the same things, over and over again, we have to remember it isn’t directed at us, specifically. Each person who posts about a particular event or subject thinks they have a unique perspective on it, or a unique commentary, or even that it’s something that they have come up with before anyone else. Though a thousand other people may have posted about it already – maybe that person just hasn’t seen those posts and thinks that because THEY haven’t seen anything about it, then it’s brand-new. In some cases, people just pass along things they feel others should know, or that are important for them to say about themselves, or that they find uplifting, educational, funny or infuriating. We see this in posts like virus warnings and the like that seem to be everywhere for a day or two, die down, and then reappear again some weeks or months later. We also have to keep in mind that new people are joining Facebok all the time, and, in fact, all of this IS news to them, they really haven't heard it before.
Remember the Super Bowl (or World Cup)? Facebook experienced a HUGE surge of simultaneous postings for every play of the game, ever referee call, even for the commercials. I know – I participated. (Super Bowl - Green Bay fan, here!!)
So, when there is an event in the world like an earthquake, a revolution, a celebrity dying, etc. – people are interested in that and post about it. It’s no different with things of God. You may get one person posting a snippet from, say, A.W. Tozer – and fifty people “share” that, and then those fifty people each share it... well, remember the “bra color for breast cancer awareness” hoorah on Facebook from 2010?
Exactly. This is no different.
I hope that this helps to clarify some of this.
In His service,
Heidi R.
February 21, 2011
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