A few days ago, I heard a prominent Christian woman leader on the radio talk about this generation (within 40 years) being the time when Jesus comes. This is because of the frequent natural disasters that is happening upon the earth, and the geo-political events (widespread recession, falls of rulers, etc). Many people rejoice at this thought, because the Lord will come and take us away from this hard world. I understand the feeling of joy and I have a few thoughts on this.

     First, this destroys the idea of the imminence of Christ's coming. He can come at any time and if we obsess about reading the signs, we may be caught unprepared, not putting effort into making sure the Lord will see us doing his work when he comes again. The world probably has always been inundated with natural calamities and political turmoil, but in this time when our technology easily allows us to become acquainted with what is happening around the world, it seems like calamities are becoming more rampant.

     Regardless of our escathological position (how we believe the end times will pan out), we should not forget the background to Jesus' proclamation about the end times. Jesus proclaimed that the temple will be destroyed. What is the significance of the temple? It was the pride and heart of the Jewish nation. It was their source of hope and the symbol of their identity as God's chosen people. Therefore, its destruction is a symbol of God's bringing down the source of their hope. This was because they have rejected their salvation, Jesus who is the true temple whom they must come to find forgiveness and restoration.  

     Just like all the sufferings in the world (like the destruction of the twin towers on 9/11), the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem is God's sign that if we don't repent and turn to God, who has revealed himself in Jesus, judgment will also befall us. Whoever we are and despite our apparent righteousness or religiosity, we are not immune from this great judgment, when God will destroy all our hopes and dreams, unless we come to the true temple Jesus, where salvation can be found. This does not mean that those who trust in Jesus will not suffer, but that after the suffering they will experience there is resurrection, when hopes and dreams will find its fulfillment.

      As for Christians, we must not put our hopes in political power, our righteousness, or our orthodoxy, to keep us safe from evil. We must renew our hearts, getting rid of all idolatry, and putting our hopes and dreams in the hands of Christ alone.