If Only We Knew When

 

 

If only we knew when he was coming

There are so many things we would change,

Like a lot of things that matter now:

All these priorities would be rearranged.

 

Some would wait till the day before

And put a lot of things in place

Just like we do at Christmas time

As though running a short distance race.

 

Top priority would be his coming

I am sure it’s not the top priority now,

Maybe those unbelievers who paid him no mind

Would be practising how to bow.

 

But let’s be practical and let’s be real

More than two thousand years have passed,

And the longer it is before his return

The longer ‘twill be our task.

 

But what if he were coming tomorrow?

And what if we only knew today?

I could just imagine the frantic rush-

It would be all serious business and no play.

 

You see, our belief about eschatology

Should influence how we live today,

If we believe he could return tomorrow

We would be acting without delay.

 

 

But maybe we really don’t believe that

Hence, why we’re just coasting along,

And just putting a few things in place

Just in case our thinking is wrong.

 

The Thessalonians in the early Church

Felt Jesus would return in their time

And in such anticipation refused to work

But they had to change their mind.

 

If they refuse to work they should not eat

This was the Apostle Paul’s command,

That may seem harsh in a Christian church

But it really was the better plan.

 

You maybe wondering what I am getting at

Based on this title I have chosen,

It is that we too have neglected the work

That our Saviour, the Lord has given.

 

 

This is the time for the Gospel to spread:

With this we should be occupied,

Instead we are caught up with frivolous things

And this anomaly should not be denied.

 

It is true we can’t keep a frenetic pace,

That is not humanly possible

But we must keep in mind the Great Commission

And ensure we preach the Gospel.

 

The fact that he died for our sins

And the sins of the whole wide world,

The fact that he rose again from the dead

As recorded in his Holy Word.

 

The fact that he is coming again

And none of us knows the time,

The fact that he is the only pardon for sin

Regardless of what others may opine.

 

If only we knew when, I repeat again,

Why should that be the significance?

The fact of the matter that he is coming again

Should be the fact that makes the difference.

 

Stewart Russell © October 2019

 

Nothing to Tell Us How Near

When the end is, I do not know

Though some seem to know the time,

Times predicted have passed and gone

But that doesn’t change their mind.

Still bent on predicting the time

They just continue to adjust the date

And use the news in today’s tabloids

To vindicate themselves here of late.

With eyes set on the Middle East

They determine that Israel is the key,

Therefore, whatever Israel does is critical

And they are convinced this is no maybe.

Oblivious to what Jesus had said

They continue to unashamedly predict,

“No man knows the day or the hour”

But in these times, that no longer fits.

Jesus was referring to way back then

That was just before his departure,

But with the signs around us everywhere

We have a much clearer picture.

Knowledge is definitely on the increase

And people are moving to and fro,

President Trump is a modern day Cyrus

These are signs the Bible shows.

There is increasing wickedness

Abominations are definitely on the rise,

And the Antichrist is probably here

But for the moment he’s in disguise.

Nature is certainly acting up

And there are phenomena in the heavens

And we were told to keep looking up

When these things begin to happen.

Israel that is likened to the fig tree,

Attained its nationhood in 1948

And this event had been used

To calculate a very probable date.

 

This generation shall not pass said Jesus

In reference to this fig tree event

And since a generation is forty years

1988 became their extent.

And when that did not come to pass

To a generation was added more years,

From forty to sixty to one hundred

And all like now, Christ has not appeared.

Other dates go much further back

When will people begin to learn?

“No man knows the day or the hour”

And that is what Jesus affirmed.

 Jesus said, “the day or the hour”

But we can know the season or year,

If we align Bible prophecy with today’s events

We can tell the year he will appear.

Our view was shaped in light of the Word

But now, that is rearranged,

With the advent of CNN, Fox News and others

There has been a needed change.

When you are studying Bible prophecy

Ensure that to one of the above you are tuned,

The international news and the daily tabloids

Confirm that Jesus is coming soon.

Another case of the cart before the horse

As we continue to get the order wrong,

God’s word first, all others follow

But I guess we have become headstrong.

I am not making light of Christ’s return

I would be a fool to do such,

But these failing prophecies and their prophets

Are really becoming too much.

It is critical, yes, to be ready

And in view of that, to be prepared,

And while the coming of the Lord is inevitable

There is nothing to tell us how near.

Stewart Russell © October 2019