It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
“ It is more important to prepare your heart for Jesus’ return than to prepare your pantry for the end times.”
I have friends who would describe themselves as “preppers.” Some of them are Christians, some are not, and they are on both ends of the political spectrum. Wanting to be prepared for cataclysmic local or global events isn’t a new phenomenon. During the height of the Cold War, an estimated three percent of Americans built their own fallout shelters. Thankfully, no one has needed to use them.
As a Gen X-er, I remember being scared out of my skin by the all too realistic made-for-TV Cold War nuclear fallout film The Day After, which was watched by more than 100 million Americans. I also remember Weekly Reader articles that convinced me I would one day be incinerated by the USSR while sitting in my 6th grade classroom.
Human beings are good at envisioning worst-case scenarios, and we are sometimes even entertained by them. What else could explain the popularity of so-called zombie apocalypse movies, television shows, and games?
War, famine, plague, genocide, natural disaster, economic collapse…none of these things are new. But these days, our awareness of such events seems especially heightened. In part, we can blame the modern media. The 24-hour news cycle has allowed us to partake in a perpetual diet of global chaos and dread. But I also don’t think it’s a stretch to say that the world seems to have gone a bit mad.
Jesus tells his followers:
You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. (Mt 24:6-8)
Lately, it seems that talking about the end times isn’t a topic reserved for the conspiracy theory crowd. Neither is it only being discussed in a detached, academic manner. More and more of my Christian friends are comfortable saying, “Oh yes, Jesus is coming soon.”
The birth pains are evident. But just as when contractions started in both of my pregnancies, I could not have predicted the exact hour my babies would arrive, so we cannot know the hour of Jesus’ arrival. Even so, scripture tells us Jesus’ return should not catch believers completely by surprise.
But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. (1 Th 5:4-6)
This passage, like the Parable of the Ten Virgins in Matthew 25, reminds us to be alert and prepared for the arrival of the Bridegroom. We must prepare our hearts for this joyous union, lest we be like the foolish virgins who miss the wedding banquet because they have no oil for their lamps. (v. 1-13)
It is more important to prepare your heart for Jesus’ return than to prepare your pantry for the end times.
I think it is easy to mistakenly prioritize the wrong type of preparations. I’m not saying we should never practice disaster preparedness. Our family has lived through natural disasters. Hurricane Isabel left us without power and water for over a week, and we know many who have experienced much worse. Our family still keeps a reasonable supply of fresh water and staple provisions on hand. It's wise to prepare for such things.
When my husband pastored a church in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, we always kept a supply of rice, beans, canned goods, and toiletries in the church cellar—not out of fear, but in anticipation of being able to help someone in need. That day came when a couple from a homeless camp just outside of town approached us with some urgent needs within their community. This sort of preparation is never a waste.
But we must not forget there is a more important sort of preparation that God calls us to do, and this can only be done in our own hearts. Jesus isn’t returning to assess how well-stocked your pantry is or to evaluate your sustainable agriculture. He’s coming to fulfill a heart covenant.
When we think of preparing for Jesus’ return, there are really two types of preparation. One is based in serious, but joyful, anticipation. The other is rooted in fear. Without exception, every believer should check their own heart.
As believers, we are never called to live in fear.
Living in love should be our highest priority. We are reminded in 1 John 4:18 that “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”
Friends, we are not under punishment. Whatever becomes of this world, we know that we have a heavenly home. Even now, we can experience what it means to be truly at home in the heart of God. There is nothing to fear.
But where fear remains, we would be wise to allow God to shine his light into our hearts, revealing the areas where we still need more of his healing love.
Whether you meet Jesus at his return or upon your own departure from this life, what sort of heart will he find? Hardened and bitter? Soft and loving? Cold and indifferent? The condition of your heart matters more than any other aspect of your being.
When the Bridegroom comes, what sort of Bride will he find? Is she ready for the banquet or is she caught unaware? You and I (the Church) are to be his Bride, and above all else, we must be able to give him our wholehearted love.
Join me in praying today…
A Prayer for Heart Preparation
Father, thank you for your vast love that is available to all of your children.
Help me to live in the reality of that love as you show me where my heart has grown hard.
Help me to surrender the parts of myself that are not aligned with your love.
Help me to forgive all those who have wronged me in any way.
Show me how to walk the path of love, which is the most excellent way.
Soften my heart and make me a vessel for your perfect love.
Draw my heart to yours as you fill me with your love.
May I not store up treasures in barns, but rather, love in my heart.
You alone are my heart’s desire.
‘Sometimes healing comes by waving the white flag of surrender when everyone else is telling you to stay in the fight.’
