Well, time flies when you are having fun. Sometimes it flies even when you aren't! This week is a mix of some great times such as the prom on Monday. It also included so far two days of push mowing my enormous yard. We thought the riding mower was repaired but it didn't quite make it. So it was again my chore to push away over the last two days to get this fast growing grass cut. It really isn't too bad over all. But there are moments when it feels like a never ending need. With the help of lots of water etc the recovery time is going much better. Perhaps my body will be back ready to push again soon.

Time just keeps going. Even with proms and mowing, time just relentlessly continues to move. It waits for no one. We all have the same amount of time in a day, week, or year. We all get to choose what we do with that time. It may seem that the clock moves slower when we are bored or in anxiety inducing conditions. Reality is the second hand moves at the same rate no matter what is happening in our world. Time marches on to fulfill its destiny even if we don't.

People a lot smarter than me debate on the process of time. Is it a cycle that loops back every so often? Or is it on a linear path toward a destination? No doubt that on occasion time seems to repeat itself. Many of the current events in the news now remind me of events back in the 1960s. But, the christian view of time is that it marches onward toward a definite conclusion. Some refer to that event as the apocalypse. Some use the term the second coming. Whatever phrase you choose to use works as long as you grasp that a day is approaching where Jesus will return.

Far too many believers tend to miss the meaning of this time. We read our books or listen to the prophecy preachers to glean more insight. Unfortunately, we may end up confused, distracted, or focused on something other than the reality of Jesus' return. Herein lies one of biggest pet peeves of "prophetic" teachers. Sure it is cool to see all the time lines or charts up for display. Yes, it can be exciting when you hear someone put today's news and make it fit in a biblical reference. We can even be all tingly when you hear or read some new discovery that sets a date on the second coming. But is this what the biblical message is really about?

The focus of both Old Testament and New Testament writing is less about calculating the times and more about living ready until it arrives. Sure there are questions that the biblical writers answer along the way but the emphasis remains on readiness. We do not get extra points for getting the answer right on the date. Even Jesus spends most of His time in Matthew 24-25 talking about preparation more than calculation. The entire book of Revelation includes repeated encouragement on living in difficult times. The writer reminds us of a God who sits enthroned beyond the whims of human nature. The emotion of the book is more of awe and amazement than confusion. Yet, we tend to either avoid all mention of prophetic ideas or we get off track in our attempt to unravel a date in time.

My perspective is always to start with the biblical text itself. You cannot begin to decipher what a verse may mean until you know what it meant. This involves our entire approach to reading the Bible. We also cannot just jump into the theology of the second coming as a stand alone idea. Who Jesus is and how we become new creations is essential to understanding the second coming. This forces us to face the entirety of scripture and not just a few select portions. Last, remember that only God knows when time comes to an end. He never once said we would know the date. Yes, we can notice events swirling around us that match up with scripture but that still isn't the point. Return to Matthew 24-25 to see how often we are told to be ready. We can become like travelers that know all about the travel plans yet never pack or show up for the trip. We can know some things about the issues of the second coming. We can know for sure the one who is coming.

Bro. Trey