Intro

It seems everywhere I look I am seeing signs of the end times.  Even the secular media has predicted world-ending events, and I can’t count the number of fictional books, movies, and television programs produced in the last year that are set in some sort of post-apocalyptic world.  To me this just goes to show that everyone, Believer or otherwise, knows in their heart that God is on the move.

How should we live our lives, if we believe our time here is short?  I’ve been praying and meditating on this for a while, and have arrived at “ten rules to live by in the end times” that summarize what I think the Lord would want us to do.  We will cover the first 5 of the 10 rules this week, and conclude with the remaining 5 next week.

Scripture and Commentary

Rule #1: Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord

I Corinthians 15:51-58:

51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

We all have a mission field, whether afar or in our back yards, and we want the Lord to find us doing His work when He returns.  Our daily focus should be on the Kingdom of Heaven.  This does not mean abandon our worldly responsibilities, but rather that our motivations and goals are consistent with Romans 12:2

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

 

I put this rule at the top of my list, because that is precisely what the Apostle Paul instructed us to do immediately after introducing the idea of the Lord’s return- stand firm, and always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord.

Rule #2: Practice good earthly citizenship, including praying for our nation and our leaders

This grows challenging as the world around us grows in wickedness and political rhetoric gets ever more heated, but there is a strong Scriptural basis for continuing to be an obedient, faithful citizen while we are sojourning here on earth.  Refer to God’s command when He sent Israel into exile in Babylon:

Jeremiah 29:4-7

4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

Philippians 3:20 assures us:

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ

Meanwhile, during our “exile” we are instructed to conduct ourselves in a manner consistent with representing Christ in our nations, as described in 1 Peter 2:11-17

11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. 13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. 16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.

Rule #3: Stay watchful and ready

The next 2 rules both come from parables as recounted in Matthew 25.  The first is found in verses 1-10:

“At that time, the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

We know that in the Bible oil is used as a metaphor for the Holy Spirit, and that since Pentecost the Holy Spirit dwells within those that accept Christ; however, this is a relationship and requires our communion and participation.  We should be spending time in prayer, being led by the Spirit as instructed in Romans 8.  Then the bridegroom will not catch us unawares.

Rule #4 Stay Engaged

Jesus continues in Matthew 25:14-30 with another parable:

14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.  19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ 22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So, you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Clearly the main point of this story is that God expects us to bear fruit, and to use the gifts He has given to increase His kingdom; however, my personal belief is that the Lord also mentions banking and commerce in this parable to indicate that we are to remain engaged in these things.  We are not to retreat into seclusion and bury our talents in the ground, awaiting His return.  This is consistent with the passage from 1 Peter that we viewed earlier, where we are “living good lives among the pagans”.  Note this does not say form Christian communities, and cut yourselves off, nor does it say pass laws that force the pagans to live as you see fit.  Rather, we are to remain engaged and be the “light of the world” as described in Matthew 5:14.

Rule #5 Walk by faith, not by sight

2 Corinthians 5:6-10 tells us:

6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

I believe applying this rule will be both more difficult, and ever more important, as we progress thru the end times.  We know from passages we’ve studied previously that the world will grow ever more wicked, that persecution of Christians will increase, and that calamities and disasters will arise round about us.  Keeping “Our Eyes on Him” through all of this, and walking by faith and not by sight, is the challenge the Lord has set before us.  And we must remember to remain in love and pray for the wicked around us, recalling from the example of the Apostle Paul that we never know who God may save and then use for His good work.

Next week we will conclude our list with the remaining 5 rules.  Until then, I look forward to hearing your thoughts, please share.

Be blessed.

K