We need to be very careful about how we talk about these things, especially to young people who have major life decisions ahead of them. I was in high school in 1973, and yes, there was a lot of that kind of talk going around then. I remember the leader of the Bible study group I was in saying that the end would come before his infant son entered kindergarten. Well, that kid's long grown up and so are his kids, and we are still here.
I was going through a rather rough patch in my teenage years, I wasn't popular, in fact I was one of the kids you either ignored or made fun of. I was constantly being told by my family that there wasn't any money for extracurricular activities, and after a while I quit asking and pretty much withdrew to my room. SO, when the Bible study leaders and other influential Christians started talking about these are the last days, I perked up my ears. If Jesus was coming soon, then I would have nothing to worry about. I wouldn't have to worry about how I was going to finance a college education when my parents "made too much money" for financial aid, yet not enough to send me; I did not qualify for scholarships and loans really weren't available then. No money for school, but I had to go, I had no choice in the matter. Getting a job is not easy when you live in the suburbs where there are no close jobs, have no car of your own, have no public transportation, and cannot rely on your parents because "we have other children to think about not just you." But now all of this didn't matter anymore! Praise the Lord! I didn't have to worry about my lack of practical job skills. It didn't really matter what major I chose because it was all going to end fairly soon anyway.
That's what that kind of talk did to me as a teenager. It focused attention away from the problems I should have been focused on solving. It made me passive. And all it did was kick the can down the road, as the years and then decades went by and Jesus still hadn't returned. My lack of preparation for the future, especially in the light of all the obstacles I had to overcome, really handicapped me. If I could go back and talk to my teenage self I would tell her to quit hanging around that Bible study group, start learning how to dress and act professionally, start learning about personal finance, maybe stand up to her parents a little more and find allies to help her grow, not hold her back. Because what I did back then impacted my future in ways I could not have forseen at the time. It impacted my ability to earn a decent living, not a "just getting by" living, and it probably also had a negative effect on my ability to find a spouse. But nobody in that Bible study group was concerned about any of this; instead, it was my walk with Jesus, my spiritual life, that was of primary importance. Well, that was 50 years ago, and here I am alone--my spiritual guardians nowhere in sight.
So what I am saying is maybe this time is for real; but maybe it is not; and perhaps we shouldn't be encouraging people to look or a rescue that maybe isn't coming. I for one am not holding my breath.
Exactly. But I had a hard working dad and was never taught to neglect my intellect at the expense of my spiritual. I always had a close personal relationship with God. Some times it was closer than others. Luckily I heard things but never based my actions upon the fact that a rapture was imminent, consequences be damned. I think we will have to live through all the coming events and deal with it and make ourselves ready. Spiritually, physically and in all ways. There is no human coming to our rescue. This world is falling apart and we will just have to deal with it. "Lack of preparation for the future"! No kidding...I was 9, so it wasn't as impactful on my future as it would have been if I heard it as a teenager. But I was a rebellious brat and did my own thing and "church" faded in the light of boys, high school and my car. We all have our own journey and we are who we are because of it...Family dynamics play a huge role in who we become too.
We need to be very careful about how we talk about these things, especially to young people who have major life decisions ahead of them. I was in high school in 1973, and yes, there was a lot of that kind of talk going around then. I remember the leader of the Bible study group I was in saying that the end would come before his infant son entered kindergarten. Well, that kid's long grown up and so are his kids, and we are still here.
I was going through a rather rough patch in my teenage years, I wasn't popular, in fact I was one of the kids you either ignored or made fun of. I was constantly being told by my family that there wasn't any money for extracurricular activities, and after a while I quit asking and pretty much withdrew to my room. SO, when the Bible study leaders and other influential Christians started talking about these are the last days, I perked up my ears. If Jesus was coming soon, then I would have nothing to worry about. I wouldn't have to worry about how I was going to finance a college education when my parents "made too much money" for financial aid, yet not enough to send me; I did not qualify for scholarships and loans really weren't available then. No money for school, but I had to go, I had no choice in the matter. Getting a job is not easy when you live in the suburbs where there are no close jobs, have no car of your own, have no public transportation, and cannot rely on your parents because "we have other children to think about not just you." But now all of this didn't matter anymore! Praise the Lord! I didn't have to worry about my lack of practical job skills. It didn't really matter what major I chose because it was all going to end fairly soon anyway.
That's what that kind of talk did to me as a teenager. It focused attention away from the problems I should have been focused on solving. It made me passive. And all it did was kick the can down the road, as the years and then decades went by and Jesus still hadn't returned. My lack of preparation for the future, especially in the light of all the obstacles I had to overcome, really handicapped me. If I could go back and talk to my teenage self I would tell her to quit hanging around that Bible study group, start learning how to dress and act professionally, start learning about personal finance, maybe stand up to her parents a little more and find allies to help her grow, not hold her back. Because what I did back then impacted my future in ways I could not have forseen at the time. It impacted my ability to earn a decent living, not a "just getting by" living, and it probably also had a negative effect on my ability to find a spouse. But nobody in that Bible study group was concerned about any of this; instead, it was my walk with Jesus, my spiritual life, that was of primary importance. Well, that was 50 years ago, and here I am alone--my spiritual guardians nowhere in sight.
So what I am saying is maybe this time is for real; but maybe it is not; and perhaps we shouldn't be encouraging people to look or a rescue that maybe isn't coming. I for one am not holding my breath.
Exactly. But I had a hard working dad and was never taught to neglect my intellect at the expense of my spiritual. I always had a close personal relationship with God. Some times it was closer than others. Luckily I heard things but never based my actions upon the fact that a rapture was imminent, consequences be damned. I think we will have to live through all the coming events and deal with it and make ourselves ready. Spiritually, physically and in all ways. There is no human coming to our rescue. This world is falling apart and we will just have to deal with it. "Lack of preparation for the future"! No kidding...I was 9, so it wasn't as impactful on my future as it would have been if I heard it as a teenager. But I was a rebellious brat and did my own thing and "church" faded in the light of boys, high school and my car. We all have our own journey and we are who we are because of it...Family dynamics play a huge role in who we become too.