The Urgency of Our Mission

There are many Evangelicals among us who believe that we are living in the last days. Many have cited Jesus' statements about the "days of Noah and the "days of Lot" in support of that thesis. They have also pointed out certain prophecies from Old Testament prophets that have yet to be fulfilled, along with other signs that Jesus indicated as coming shortly before His coming. If their statements are to be believed (and there is a strong credibility there), then evangelism and outreach are at their peak point in urgency.

In the last month, during my blogging sabbatical, God has been increasingly pressing upon my spirit the importance of the last days. Many of those who read The Account can tell you that I've been covering a host of topics like Church History, Christian unity, and Christian doctrines (e.g., Predestination, etc.) and I would love to continue them, and pray that I will receive that opportunity but, as I said, I believe this is what God is telling me to do.

The study of the last days is known in theological circles as eschatology. This is a field in which man has dabbled in for centuries - with very little success. Those who succeeded were the Hebrew prophets, the Apostles of Jesus, and some other early figures in the Christian Church - all of which had significant impact on the study. Jesus himself, however, had quite a few things to say about the Last Days. When one reads about it, a few things stick out:

1. "wars and rumors of wars" We live in a day and age when war is everywhere. The War on Terror, the War in Iraq, the civil instability around the world, and world war a constant threat with the hype about weapons of mass destruction.
2. "pestilences" The word used here refers to epidemics and mass spread of disease - often fatal. AIDS, HIV, cancer and many other diseases have swept whole continents (Africa, for instance) and are spreading further and further every day.
3. "they will hate you because of me" Even in the free countries of the world, Christians are no longer accepted and admired as they once were. Tolerance is preached from every secular forum in the world - tolerance for everyone but Christians, that is. We are not accepted because we are not of this world.

All of these things are becoming increasingly familiar to us as the days pass. After Jesus had told them these things, he said (Luke 21:29-31):

He told them this parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near."

For this reason, all Christians, not just Evangelicals, are on a mission from God to reach the lost of every nation, tribe, and tongue. We have our Lord's promise that His Kingdom shall not come until every nation has been reached. We are steadily nearing that goal thanks to the work of Christian missionaries around the world yet how many are the lost! All Christians must begin the work of evangelism that all may hear the Gospel preached. This is the urgency of our mission.
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For the Kingdom!