expectant or at rest?

[RandyPNW]

Are we supposed to keep our eyes to the sky, expecting the Lord to come at any moment? Or are we supposed to be busy preparing ourselves and others for the Kingdom of God? Should we expect some time to lapse, not as an excuse to be idle and to waste time, but rather, to prepare, to praise, and to thank?

I don't think that life is all work and no play. And I don't think "play" is synonymous with living a profligate life. But Mary showed Martha what was needful, and that was not always work, but simply spending time in the Lord's presence. That way, we will know when it's wise to work and when it's wise to rest.

Acts 1.10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky?

We're often told by "imminency" advocates that we need to keep our eyes peeled to the sky, just in case the Lord might come, and we have to be ready. It's as if focusing our attention on the sky somehow keeps us ready for that event!

But you know and I know that being ready for Christ's coming requires that we always be walking with the Lord, staying humble, doing our jobs, witnessing, working, loving, etc. True preparation is moral readiness, and not keeping our eyes trained on the sky!

Have you ever gone whale watching? I have, and it's fun. But you just don't know where or when they're going to leap up out of the water. So you have to keep your eyes trained in a general area where they may appear.

But it isn't this way with the Lord's coming. He merely asks us to always be doing what we're supposed to be doing. It isn't even as though he may just suddenly appear at any moment, either. It's just that he wants us to always be clothed in righteousness, and thus ready for the Kingdom.

The passage above indicates that the Disciples kept their eyes on the sky in vain. That wasn't what Jesus wanted them to do. He wanted them to be about their business of preaching the gospel to the nations. They certainly weren't supposed to expect Jesus to reappear at any moment! They had a job to do. And he wanted them to always be doing that, not just to get others ready for the Kingdom, but so that they would keep themselves ready for the Kingdom too.

We are told to be watchful, ready, and vigilant. Much of this exhortation has to do with remaining aware of possible deceptions and misdirections. Since this age is characterized by satanic opposition and human error, we have to remain vigilant all the time. None of this has a thing with expecting Jesus to come from the sky at any moment.

We are also called upon to set our minds on things above. This is simply so that we maintain our gaze on Jesus' righteousness so that we do not be moved away from it. We are to remain firm and to stand in Christ. Hope this helps?

[keraz]

What would be the best help to allay the fears of people who see disaster ahead, as populations burgeon, as ungodly  practices increase, as the intractable situation in the Middle East; which must eventually explode; is to know and understand what God does actually Plan for His people during the tough times ahead.

God HAS told us thru His prophets. Why not believe them?

[RandyPNW]

I do believe the Prophets. I just endured a heat wave here in the Pacific NW--a few hours ago it was 106 degrees. Plants are wilted. It may not have made any difference if the prophets are warned me in advance. The meteorologists knew it was coming. I tried to water my plants well in advance. They still burned and wilted.

We know disasters are going to befall us. We're going to go through them whether we know in advance or not. What I don't like is trying to get people all hyped up--they'll just go into survivalist mode.

It's far more important just to preach the Gospel. It concerns not just troubles in this life, but more importantly, it involves our eternal future.

[keraz]

Did I say we Christians will experience disasters?
No; but we will have to stand firm in our faith and trust in the Lord to protect us thru al that must come.
Psalms 91 and Isaiah 43:2, are a good examples of this promised protection.

It will be a big help to know what it is that the Lord intends to do. What the prophets comprehensively have informed us about.

[RandyPNW]

We Christians will indeed go through disasters. The righteous are always a limited amount of the collateral damage that comes when God judges the wicked. Call it "friendly fire."

Who gets out of this life unscathed? Nobody. Everybody has a sin nature, and sins. But even when we're not sinning, we will suffer from the effects of a fallen world.

You cannot say that Christians will not suffer from that! Of all of the volcanoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, etc. that have hit this world, what Christians were able to completely escape from them?

I do think that God sometimes gives us a way out in advance, or even in the midst of it. But prophetic warnings seem to be rare. The best way to be prepared for these things  is simply by walking in righteousness all the time. That way, if we die,  we're ready spiritually.

[RabbiKnife]

If we live our lives differently based on either (1) our wish for an imminent return or (2) our subjective understanding of what we believe to be prophetic foretellings than the way we would live our lives in the absence of either, does not that indicate that we are focused on the wrong thing?

Expectancy and rest are not mutually exclusive, as, in reality, both are commanded.  If I knew for an absolute fact that Jesus was returning this afternoon at 2:24 EDT, or if I knew for an absolute fact that Jesus was returning at 2:24 EDT 16,284 years from now, I am to live my life in exactly the same way, and if I'm not, there is something wrong with the way I am living.

We do not need to fear, nor lose hope, nor create false hopes based on our latest spinning of the prophetic dreidel.

[RandyPNW]

If we live our lives differently based on either (1) our wish for an imminent return or (2) our subjective understanding of what we believe to be prophetic foretellings than the way we would live our lives in the absence of either, does not that indicate that we are focused on the wrong thing?

Expectancy and rest are not mutually exclusive, as, in reality, both are commanded.  If I knew for an absolute fact that Jesus was returning this afternoon at 2:24 EDT, or if I knew for an absolute fact that Jesus was returning at 2:24 EDT 16,284 years from now, I am to live my life in exactly the same way, and if I'm not, there is something wrong with the way I am living.

We do not need to fear, nor lose hope, nor create false hopes based on our latest spinning of the prophetic dreidel.

Well actually, brother, I think that the way we look at things, expectently, determines whether we will rest the way we should. If we are concerned about what will happen and how we can change things, we will stress. But if we just let God do what He does, and trust Him to show us how to play our part, we can properly rest.

I think there's way too much interest on when Christ will come. The Bible says he's coming on the last day, but God can judge us at any time. So I agree with you. What happens when should not determine how we live today. That's my whole point. We shouldn't be prognosticating about the future, but rather, focus on what we're supposed to be doing today. That could be either working or resting.

And no, it isn't always working and ministering. God doesn't need our help. But when He does want our help, it's quite a privilege. We're talking about the Creator here!