This is a response to E-watchman, and it is written from a Jehovah's Witness perspective. Feel free to copy it and send it around to anyone you know who is perhaps falling under our latest Apocalypto Prophet's spell.
CZAR
"The end is not yet..."
Righteous ones are longing for the Kingdom of God. All Creation groans for it, says Paul, because the entire natural order is being thrown out of alignment due to the presence of sin. So, while we of course long for the return of Christ and the establishment of a just world order, the Christian must also take note of strong scriptural warning against jumping to conclusions that the end of the world is imminent.
Are we not urged to act "because the time left is reduced?" True, there is a need for zeal in the Christian life, because there are so many good deeds that need to be done before we can claim that our work is finished before the Lord. But Christ himself warned against following those who claimed special authority because of His return.
The Christian's head is Christ himself, not any other man on earth. Christ sends forth his Helper, the Holy Spirit, upon each and every Christian, to help that Christian present himself a worker acceptable to God. At one time, such Holy Spirit wrought forth miracles, but those miraculous abilities were done away with as the spirit of Love, Faith, and Hope became firmly established.
The Christian stands as a grain of wheat amid a field of growing weeds. True believers at this point in time are hard to distinguish from those who merely "fake it" or go through the motions. This tells us that the end is not yet, for when Christ returns, "The righteous will blaze forth as the sun." At the time of the return, Christ will mark his followers and clearly show which of the multitude of Christian sects has produced true Christians. Probably true Christians will emerge from every corner of Christendom, and perhaps even beyond, for "in every land the man who fears God and works righteousness is acceptable to Him."
But until the harvest is conducted by the angels, the Christ's warning stands, "If anyone says that Christ is in the fields, do not go out, and if they say He is in the inner rooms, do not listen to them." Strange cults like David Koresh and the Reverend Moon claim that Christ is in the "field" and demand that followers devote themselves to a separatist lifestyle. Others, like the Watchtower Society, claim that Christ is in their "inner rooms" and only they can serve as a channel to guide the flock. Jesus likens such ones who try to claim that He has returned in order to gain authority as "spiritual vultures" who gather wherever the tasty carrion is, or the easy pickings of those who are willing to follow men.
But what about the wars, the famines, the plagues, and the earthquakes that are so often presented as evidence that we are living in the end times? Oddly enough, the presence of such things indicates, according to Christ, that the end is not yet. He urges us not to get alarmed or terrified when we hear of this things, because they must occur. Why must they occur? Because a world devoted to sin will never be completely at rest, and upheavals in various ways will always occur and affect humans in a negative way. Rather, our faith must be that God will help us through any crisis we may encounter, including our own eventual deaths.
What will the return of Christ be like? Like a flash of lightning! It will suddenly sweep the entire earth, be beyond the ability of any human to control or predict, and will instantly identify the "sheep" from the "goats." At that time, true knowledge will become abundant, says Daniel, as the understanding of all the prophecies in the Bible will be poured upon the true children of God, wherever they may be in the earth.
Daniel also says the very nature of the prophecies in the Bible is meant to be concealed until the end of time. Hence, while perusing these prophetic passages will keep our minds fresh and our thinking abilities keen, too much emphasis on their possible meanings will lead us into fruitless endeavors and away from the path of Love.
So, in light of the fact that "no man knows the day or the hour" and that the sheer inability of man to decipher the prophetic meanings at this time means that the end is not yet, "What kind of persons ought we to be, in deeds of holy conduct and godly devotion?"
We must follow our Master and await his good time. He labored among the poor, the sick, the depressed, the spiritually abused. He sought not his own glory or his own financial well-being, but the upbuilding of families and the creation of Christian communities. He emphasized charity, forgiveness, and the preaching of the hope of the Kingdom of God to those who needed to hear it. He taught the basics of good citizenship, and the Christian's role as a light in dark places. He gave the Christian a path to follow, whether He returns tomorrow or in another two thousand years.
The world is still in the grip of a spiritual Dark Age, but as the old saying goes, "It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness." Wicked vultures will seek to put heavy, unnecessary burdens upon humble folk, and will abuse those who seek help - even as the wicked Pharisees mocked Judas' distress. There will be false sheep as well as false shepherds; perhaps you have heard of some who conceal their monstrous crimes and unrepentantly act as a wolf among the flocks. Therefore, instead of putting all our hopes in the words of men that Christ is "in the field" or in the "inner rooms," would it not be wiser to follow the words of the prophet?
"What is Jehovah asking of you but that you seek justice, and that you be humble in walking before your God?" It may seem frightening that we are not yet in the presence of Christ, it may even seem overwhelming. But that is why Christ is sending us the Holy Spirit until he returns. And remember, he also urged us to "take courage, for I have conquered the world."