But other than that, we’re supposed to continue bringing God Glory all the way up to the Final Day. So if we can glorify God through a new business, or a mission trip … why give up on that?? Why give up because the End Is Now?? Go for it, keep following that Godly ambition, and persist in it until Jesus returns.
Hello Readers, hope all’s well. Today I present another End Times post.
Do you have a dream that you’ve always wanted to do, but have given up Hope for it because these are the End Times?? Is there any goal you aren’t seriously pursuing anymore because you don’t think there’s time for it before the Second Coming of Christ??
These could be dreams of any major life goal like starting a business, marriage, going on a mission trip, and more. Big dreams that bring God Glory, but also take a lot of time and effort.
Until recently, I also felt like there’s no time left to achieve the Godly dream I have in my heart because we have reached the End of the End Times, and Jesus is returning any time now. The whole world is out of time.
But last month I watched a video from a Christian YouTube channel, and it changed my thinking on this topic. I’m sure many of you also have Godly dreams you have yet to achieve, so I’ll bet this video will be of great interest to you too. It’s linked below.
This topic is one that’s on many Christians’ minds right now. So let’s talk about it. Do we still have time for our dreams, now that we’ve reached The End??
Why Bother now??
There’s a Christian YouTube channel I really enjoy called “AGW: Apply God’s Word.” The channel is run by a pastor named Mark Ballenger; he does all the AGW videos (so far). The channel is laser-focused on the subject of Christian relationships. Christian dating, Christian marriage, what qualities to look for in a Godly spouse, that kind of thing. I watch each video when they come out, and they’re very helpful and insightful. Whether you’re a single Christian like me or not, I definitely recommend the “AGW: Apply God’s Word” channel for great teachings on Christian relationships.
I’m a single Christian man who’s hoping and praying for a Virtuous, Proverbs 31 woman to be my wife one day. I keep on praying while I go about living and enjoying my life, confident in the promise of God’s Word that the LORD hears our prayers, and that He wants to give us blessings that Glorify Him when it’s the right time (if we follow and obey Him, of course). My season of singleness so far has been one of extraordinary personal and Spiritual growth in this area, so I’m Grateful to God for that.
But as I continue hoping and praying for a wife, there is one thing that has been on my mind for some time now. And that would be the question: “If these are the End Times, why bother getting married at all?? The End Is Now, and Jesus is at the door. These are the final days.”
On the surface it’s a good question, right?? Who wants to get married right before the world ends?? Who wants to find true love only to then reach the Great Suffering??
And Scripture seems to back up this viewpoint, for the most part. Look at this very poignant passage from 1 Corinthians 7:
(29) This is what I’m saying, brothers and sisters: The time has drawn short. From now on, those who have wives should be like people who don’t have them. (30) Those who are sad should be like people who aren’t crying. Those who are happy should be like people who aren’t happy. Those who buy something should be like people who don’t have possessions. (31) Those who use the world should be like people who aren’t preoccupied with it, because this world in its present form is passing away.
(32) I want you to be free from concerns. A man who isn’t married is concerned about the Lord’s concerns—how he can please the Lord. (33) But a married man is concerned about the world’s concerns—how he can please his wife. (34) His attention is divided. [….]
1 Corinthians 7:29-34 (CEB)
Well, of course I’m not the only one wondering about this question. Is it actually a bad idea to be getting married these days?? Many Christians are wondering this. And I had my opinion on the matter. But back in May there was a YouTube video on the AGW channel that made me completely rethink my view on this.
The End Changes Nothing
First, I’ll link the video. I recommend you watch it whether you’re thinking about relationships or not, because it’s insightful all the same. Here it is:
If you don’t want to watch the video, I’ll summarize it in two sentences for you. “Do you have a desire for a Christian marriage?? Great—whether these are the End Times or not, follow that Godly desire!!”
Well that’s nice for single Christians who still want to be married, right?? But how can Mark Ballenger say this??
In this video, obviously he takes the stance that we don’t know if these are the End Times. To be honest, that stance is more Scriptural than mine is. As for me, I look in Revelation and the New Testament and I take it on Faith that these are the End Times, right now. I know it in my heart. That’s the stance I take here on 999online.net.
But we all know Jesus made it clear that no one knows the day or the hour when He will return in all His Glory.
(36) “But nobody knows when that day or hour will come, not the heavenly angels and not the Son. Only the Father knows. (37) As it was in the time of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Human One. (38) In those days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark. (39) They didn’t know what was happening until the flood came and swept them all away. The coming of the Human One will be like that.
Matthew 24:36-39 (CEB)
Up until I saw the video above, Matthew 24:36 was my main argument in favor of Christians (including myself) continuing to get married these days. I would say, “Yeah, things are bad right now. We can look through the New Testament and see a whole bunch of signs coming into place now. But at the end of the day, Matthew 24:36 says that we just don’t know.” And this will always be true. Instead of it being the End Times, we may only be watching history repeat itself these days. I’ve written about this in Part 75 and Part 96, check out those posts for more info.
But now I have more arguments in favor of Christians continuing to marry. And they seem so obvious to me now, so obvious I can’t believe I missed them before.
Mark Ballenger makes a great point that the New Testament instructions on Christian marriage were written when the Disciples thought Jesus would return any day. They already said time was short back in the first and second centuries, yet they still gave instructions for Christian marriage. The earliest Christians lived in a constant state of believing Jesus would return at any time, but they still got married anyway. This is significant.
But even more significant than that is the fact that the New Testament doesn’t tell us to live any differently when the End is coming (as long as we’ve turned to Christ and are living a Christian life). In fact, it quite clearly tells us to keep living the same Christian life until the Final Day and the Second Coming of Christ.
This means we need to continue following Jesus’ teachings until the Final Day. Nothing changes about that. Shouldn’t we then continue following the teachings of the New Testament too? Why would we change those or do something different when the End is near?? This includes the teachings on Christian marriage. First Corinthians 7 lays out the reasons for Christian marriage vs. singleness. As Mark Ballenger says in his video, for people called to marriage, marriage helps them live a holy life. The same holy life that we’re supposed to be living all the way until the day Jesus returns. Why would we change this or stop getting married because the End is near?? That doesn’t make sense in light of Scripture and history.
We need to always be ready for Christ’s return. We need to always be following the Gospel, and living a Christian life. When the Master returns, we want Him to find us performing our duties rather than neglecting them. This is the lesson of Luke 12, and one of the earliest topics I wrote about on this blog. You can find that all the way back in Part 6.
For those who are called to marriage, a Christian marriage is a part of these duties and something that helps to live that holy life. The fact that Jesus is returning soon doesn’t change this directive.
Gahh!! It’s so obvious, isn’t it?!?! I can’t believe I didn’t see this before!!
Go for it
I’ll be honest with you: I was very happy after watching the AGW video linked above, because a Christian marriage is a desire in my heart. My argument in favor of Christian marriage during the End Times used to only be Matthew 24:36 (which is enough). But now I have more arguments in favor, and they make sense.
This video backs up a viewpoint I already had, and want to have, so am I a little biased here?? Probably. But I do urge you to watch the video because Mark Ballenger makes some great points.
It feels somewhat like I’m getting to have my cake and eat it too. I still take it on Faith that these are the End Times, and Jesus is at the door. But I can still pursue Christian marriage, because if marriage is a calling on my life then I should pursue that calling and endure in it until the day Jesus returns.
Think about it. I hope you get the point.
I’m sure we all have something we dream of doing, but haven’t achieved yet. For me it’s Christian marriage, for others its things like starting a business or going on a mission trip. It’s very understandable to say, “these are the End Times now, so I don’t have time for that.” But how can we say that??
First, never forget Matthew 24:36. We don’t know when the End is, and that comes straight from Jesus Himself. But other than that, we’re supposed to continue bringing God Glory all the way up to the Final Day. So if we can glorify God through a new business, or a mission trip … why give up on that?? Why give up because the End Is Now?? Go for it, keep following that Godly ambition, and persist in it until Jesus returns. The fact that The End Is Now doesn’t change our Christian mission.
Keep living like we’re always supposed to. Stay prayed up, follow the LORD, and live a life that Glorifies God. Chances are good that, right up until the very end, our Godly dreams are a vital part of God’s plan for a life that brings Him glory!!
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Until next time, be strong and do good!
Your new best friend in Christ,
99:9
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2 comments on “Do Not Fear the End Times Part 102: I’ll Never Have Time for that now ….”