Before The WrathSample

Asking the Wrong Questions

DEVOTIONAL:

If you want to grab the world’s attention, just make a prediction about the apocalypse. Those who have attempted to put a date to the Day of Judgement continue to make headlines and seize the attention of many. One of the more highly publicized predictions came from radio host Harold Camping, who gained national notoriety by warning that the Rapture and judgement day would occur on May 21, 2011. Of course, the Rapture didn’t happen on that day. Still, doomsday prognosticators from Nostradomas to the Mayan calendar have all attempted to name the day in which Jesus will return to the earth. But in the midst of all the wrangling over the date of His return, are we missing the more important question of why He is returning?

The return of Christ and the resurrection of believers are part of God’s redemptive plan to restore what was lost when Adam and Eve committed the first sin in the garden. These events make it possible for mankind to be in a sinless relationship with Him. So, while we will never know the specific date of the rapture, we do know it plays a significant role in the redemptive process God has established.

TALK IT OVER:

1. Why do you think people get so caught up in knowing “when” Jesus will return rather than “why” He will return? What are the implications in each of these questions?
2. How does not knowing the time or day of Christ’s return create an attitude of expectancy for living out your faith every day? What does it mean to “be ready” (Luke 12:40)?
3. What does Jesus’s return mean for believers? For unbelievers?