I Know When Jesus is Coming Back

I thought the title might make you read this entry. Got you! Enjoy:

"For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever." - Psalm 9.

So some dude, calculator and book of Revelation (and Daniel now) in hand (always a dangerous combo) had it all figured out. I heard on NPR (NPR is the radio station that makes me feel super-intelligent because they're always talking about something I can barely understand. I turn it up when I'm getting out of the car. Well, that and ACDC, just because I feel so bad-good getting out of my car with them playing in the back-ground, even though my car is a broken down Ford Escort and not a flaming chariot from Hades. Perhaps I should stick with NPR.) that someone had crunched the numbers and Jesus was going to return May 21.

At least I think it was May 21, which is a Saturday, and would finally validate the beliefs of 7th Day Adventists everywhere. Who would have thought that the 7th Day guys had been right all along?! Or perhaps Jesus chose Saturday because he didn't want to interrupt any church services (with people worshipping him and all) and knew that everybody was putting off mowing their lawns anyway. This would give everyone something to do.

Well, surprise, surprise, Jesus was a no show. It's kind of sad because this dude and his followers were completely ready. This time they were sure on their numbers (apparently last time they had forgotten to read Daniel. Oops.), had packed their bags and had excitedly spent all their savings (Who wouldn't be excited to do that? I'd buy a Harley!). I packed my dop-kit just in case. But like I said Jesus was a no-show. "Now come on Jesus, when are you finally going to come and beem us up and blast the world to smithereens?"

Some people think Jesus is a crutch for the weak. I agree. But not in the sense people think. Doomsayers want to be rid of this world ASAP. And frankly, sometimes I can't blame them. It's not nice though.

But God seems to have different plans though doesn't he. He's kind of a patient guy. Millenia don't seem to make him age much. And for those who try and determine his plans or put him in a box, He's promised he will never return. It's written in the Bible in a few places, and you'd think people who read their Bibles carefully enough to find out that Jesus was returning May 21, would know where those verses are. I don't by heart. But it's in there somewhere. Am I being lazy? Of course.

Doomsayers do sort of use God as a crutch to escape everything don't they? God's not supposed to be stuck under our arm-pits and leaned on. But I've always taken issue with people who say God's a crutch and thought of this as the ultimate low-blow. "When you're broken you need a crutch," is what I always think. And when you think you're fine you may need to get your head checked.

I read the verse above today and it got me thinking about God and his desire for the poor and needy - those who truly lean on God. Those who truly lean on God don't want everyone to be judged, because they realize how much everyone around them needs God - even those who don't recognize the need, even guys with calculators and Revelation memorized.

For the poor and needy, God is their sole hope for revival, the renewal of all good, the making of all things new. So for the poor and needy I'll close with these words of David, for I can't say them any better myself, "Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail; let the nations be judged before you! Put them in fear, O LORD! Let the nations know that they are but men!" That should straighten out the doomsayers and the nay-sayers alike, as well as me. Happy end-times everyone!