“Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come.” Mark 13:33

The season of Advent has traditionally been set aside to meditate on the last things. In Advent we await the coming of the King. We wait, therefore, for the end. So we tend to think about that end, what it’ll be like, what it’ll look like. Many of our scripture readings assigned for advent concern the last days when Jesus will come again. They prophesy the day of the Lord, the sky turning dark, the moon turning to blood, and council us to be alert and ready for the day Jesus will return.

We have had a lot of end times expectation the past how many years. Whether it be The Late Great Planet Earth or Left Behind, many Christians have speculated on when the end will come, what it’ll look like, and whether Jesus’ return is immanent. How ironic, then, that the Bible itself, Jesus himself, is so adamant that we will never know the day or the hour. Jesus is to interested in imparting to us a blueprint for history. As if we could relax until the final few days and really get ourselves prepared. Jesus wants us to stay alert all days. We do not know the time. We may see the signs of the times, but those signs are often with us. So we may always be warned that the day is near.

Speculation can be fun, but we shouldn’t let it interfere with our walk with God. Who cares if you’re right about the events surrounding Jesus’ return if you spend your time obsessing over the events surrounding Jesus’ return and not being a disciple of Jesus Christ? There is one thing needful, as Jesus says, and that is to cling to Jesus in faith. What matters is staying alert, staying in prayer, and serving God and others.