He Ain't Coming

I think it time we address this; Jesus ain't coming back. It isn't as though we haven't been patient. We have. Still, we are fast approaching TWO THOUSAND YEARS of waiting, and at some point, you know, you just have to face the cold, hard, truth.

He ain't coming.

If you're actually familiar with your Bible, Jesus' has a lot to say about the "end of times." Nation rising up against nation, famines, and pestilence, and earthquakes--that sort of thing. He even says, "And many will be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another." (He sure got that one right!) The problem is, my dear Christian friends, later on, in the midst of the very same Mount of Olives discourse, he goes on to say this: "Verily I say unto you, THIS GENERATION shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." (Matthew 24:34)

He ain't coming.

Now, we can read the same in Mark and Luke, 13:30 and 21:32 respectively. [Luke is slightly different in that Jesus passes the Mount of Olives (19:37) but speaks to the crowd at the temple. 20:1] No matter, the point is all three of the Gospels relay pretty much the same words and event. Indeed, that is why they are called the synoptic Gospels. All three follow a recognizable and familiar story line.

He ain't coming.

So, here we have Jesus talking about the end of times, how to recognize that it IS the end of times, and that it is going to happen SOON! The people of THIS GENERATION will not pass (die) before the metaphorical shit hits the spiritual fan. Jesus has been extremely clear; It is going DOWN! Alas, it didn't. And hasn't. And we just have to come to grips with it.

He ain't coming.

Pat! Pat! You've taken it out of context. Pat! Pat! A day is like a thousand years in the eyes of the Lord! (see; 2nd Peter 3:8 and Psalm 90:4) Of course I have. How could it be otherwise? Because it HASN'T happened, I must be wrong, right? Well, go back to 2nd Peter, chapter 3 and see why a "day is like a thousand years in the eye's of the Lord." People have already started to complain: "And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation." (3:4) So Peter does his best to spin what Jesus said. Misdirection at it's finest!

He ain't coming.

Because a day doesn't have a single thing to do with a generation. THIS GENERATION. Jesus was addressing people in front of him. And those peoples' day wasn't a thousand years long. It was 24 hours. And Jesus wasn't talking to the Father about the end of times--one gathers that God probably knows the agenda. In fact, is the only one who does. (see; Matthew 24:36) So who exactly is Jesus talking to? Us? The message was meant for us? Really? That is what you believe? That Jesus was cryptically sending a message to OUR GENERATION one thousand nine hundred and fifty years later--even though he said "this generation" with a life audience in front of him? Boy, that Jesus is sure tricksy!

He ain't coming.

Well, you say, that's depressing as all hell Pat, whats to be done? If our bacon isn't going to be pulled out of the fire by divine intervention, (which it most assuredly isn't) what the heck are we supposed to do? One thing we can do is read the brilliant insight of John Dewy: "Men have never fully used the powers they possess to advance the good in life because they have waited upon some power external to themselves, and to nature, to do the work they are responsible for doing."

Yep, we become accountable. We take responsibility for our own mess. We stand up and say its starts with me. We actually change our...hmmmmm...on second thought...

God help us.