The topic of "end times" is not one that should be addressed lightly, yet in social media, on the internet, and in our television shows and movies...the apocalypse sells. Why? Because it doesn't take a Biblical scholar to read the signs around us and see that we are at the precipice of a changing and challenging season in our world--earthquakes, wars, disease, famine, disruptive technology. And because fear is a major human motivator. It helps politicians, agendas, and ultimately, sales. Whether you are speaking with them about it or not, your children are most likely already learning about these things from social media and Hollywood.
In our house, raising our kids, we talked about Jesus, about his birth at Christmas, about his death at Easter, and how to live with him in our hearts daily. We didn't, however, spend much time in the book of Revelation, disussing end times and the imminent return of Christ. Perhaps your Christian family is a bit like mine. To be fair, I was once afraid of the imagery in the book of Revelation and talk of the end times. The world, as we know it, will end. Not the most uplifting and encouraging concept. However, I've come to study eschatological matters in the past decade and realize that if we don't teach our kids about how to live in the end times, perhaps these end times, we miss what God is asking us to do. Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. - Proverbs 22:6
But my family, you say, will be spared from the end times when Jesus returns in the rapture. Really? Every single one? When I look at my family and friends, I see people who follow Christ and those who do not. As an amateur genealogist, I realize that these people will multiply, have children, grandchildren, greats, and on and on, until we each resemble a small nation. How many of these people will be followers of Christ when he returns? According to the Bible, chances are that percentage goes down dramatically over time. 2 Peter 3:2 states that we should "remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and savior...knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires." What does this mean? It means that some of our descendants, yes, yours and mine, will ultimately miss the rapture, when Jesus returns to remove his church from the world at the commencement of God's wrath and tribulation. So even if you think Jesus is coming very soon and you and your loved ones will be raptured away and you won't have to deal with what is coming, we should care about those who will be left. People will be left who do not know, love and follow Jesus Christ.
We should care about those who do not know, love and follow Jesus Christ. That's the first thing our children should know about the end times. Regardless of whether we are in them or not, there are people on earth who are far away from God, and if they die, they will live an eternity separated from God and anything remotely good. We should work to share the gospel with others and care about their souls.
Our faith should not buckle when we face troubles, nor should we turn on one another within the church. It's easy to say we have faith when times are good. But true faith is belief even in the absence of sight. When you're having a stressful day or season, how do you treat people? The Bible says that we will have trouble, and that even in it, Jesus is with us to the end of the age.
We do not have to be afraid. Over and over in the Bible, revelations from angels or Jesus begin with "Do not be afraid." I believe that is because laying one's eyes on the supernatural, on that which we cannot full comprehend, can be scary. And yet, Jesus gives us our response to that fear. Fear not. Do not be anxious.
Jesus has overcome. He is the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end. He was there when the earth was formed and he will be there at the end of it. Our God is not bound by time, yet we are. We were created to dwell within time. We have a past, present and future. However, God sees us all at once, all versions of ourselves at once. He sees and knows and loves our true selves. He sent his only son, Jesus, to die for our sins, those we've committed and those yet to come. And yet, he has given us His spirit, his Holy Spirit, if we truly trust in him, that will transform us from the inside out. He's given us something that is not bound by time. There is nothing to truly fear in this world, nothing that man can do to us, when the soul of the believer is protected in Christ.
There is much to do, much living to do, and many ways to use our gifts for God's glory while living abundantly through Him. There is no reason to despair! Psalm 23:4 reads, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me." Anyone over the age of four lived through 2020, a time when the world stood still, when banks and schools and businesses closed. We lived through a time when we were afraid to get a virus that might take our lives or that of someone we loved. Our children are well aware that things can change on a dime, that this world is not the most stable place. Our stability, our security, our foundation is built on Christ. Heaven and earth will pass away but the word of God will not (Matthew 24:35). We have a firm foundation in Jesus.
We do not have to be alarmed, surpised, amazed, disappointed, or fearful when terrible things happen in our world. In Mark 13:7, Jesus says, "And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet." In times of trouble, our response should be to pray and seek God's will and wisdom. We should let go of our expectations that we should be happy and comfortable all the time. Yes, we may have sweet seasons, but ultimately, the trials we face here on earth are meant to produce endurance, perseverance and increase our faith.
The good news is that Jesus is coming again and will establish his kingdom here on earth. This is our hope and our joy. No trials in life, no matter how dire, can compete with this amazing truth. Those whose names are written in the Book of Life, who believe in the saving grace of Jesus, will spend eternity with him. No more tears, no more sorrow. Praise Him!
So, have you spoken to your children about the end times? Have you shared with them the promises that come from remaining faithful when times get tough? They are found in the book of Revelation. Have you discussed prophets and prophecy and how the Old Testament prophets and psalms pointed to our savior, Jesus Christ? Have you prepared your chidren to learn to discern false prophets who will come and are, indeed, already here?
I'd like to offer this House of Heaventree fictional young adult series as a way to engage your young readers and believers. Read the books along with them and keep a Bible nearby. Let the discussions begin. Search the scriptures for answers together. Let us rehearse how to live a life of faith in a troubled world. Jesus says in Revelation 22:20, "Surely I am coming soon." My desire is that we can each, as in the end of the book of Revelation, say with all confidence and no fear, "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!"
You are a true inspiration, your words speak truth! Thank you Nicole! Much love to you and your family!