Perhaps you have heard “although I am not really sure how you could have missed it,” that according to an ancient Mexican civilization called the Mayans the world is set to come an end on December the 21st, 2012. Now that we find ourselves using the numbers 2012 on our checks and other documents we sign, many an ear has perked up! The Mayan civilization, which reached its height from 300 A.D. to 900 A.D., are credited with the doomsday theories which stem from a stone tablet discovered in the 1960s at the archaeological site of Tortuguero in the Gulf of Mexico state of Tabasco that describes the return of a Mayan god at the end of a 13th period. What one might be able to predict with an air of certainty is that Mexico’s tourism industry will have a real good year! For some the prospects of this year being the last will cause a clear level of discomfort. There are quite a few unfinished tasks still undone out there! Projects to complete, sock drawers to organize and who knows, this might have just been the year for the Cubs! I would like to say though that if perchance those pesky Mayans are correct in their prediction, it will not be because they figured this out themselves, it will be because God, the Creator, says it’s time! You see, the real question is not whether or not the world will come to and end in 2012; the real question is that if it does, are you ready?
In April 1988 the evening news reported on a photographer who was also a skydiver. He had jumped from a plane along with several other skydivers and filmed the group as they individually dove out of the plane and opened their parachutes. As the video was being shown of each member of the crew jumping out and then pulling their rip chord so that their parachute opened to the wind, the final skydiver opened his chute and then the picture went berserk. The announcer reported that the cameraman had fallen to his death, having jumped out of the plane without a parachute. It wasn’t until he reached for the ripcord that he realized he was free falling without a parachute. Up until then, he was enjoying himself and was absorbed in what he was doing. But tragically, he was unprepared for the jump. It did not matter how many times he had done it before or what skill he had. By forgetting the parachute he made a foolish and deadly mistake. Nothing could save him, because his faith was in a parachute, which he had never taken the trouble to buckle on. It is a story not unlike the parable, which Jesus told about the foolish bridesmaids forgetting to bring something very important and necessary. He was not ready. He was unprepared. It would do no good to try and borrow a parachute of someone else’s on their way to meet the ground. He was not prepared and he passed the point of no return. The story, which is found in Matthew 25, reveals to us a few very relevant points.
The first is: You must be spiritually ready. If there is one thing I could get across to Christians here in America it would be this: Spiritual readiness, preparation and growth does not just happen. It comes as a result of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is interesting that in the parable the bridesmaids all appeared to be alike. They all thought of themselves as bridesmaids. They all dressed alike. They were all expecting the bridegroom. When the bridegroom was delayed they all fell asleep. They all had lamps. All of them trimmed their lamps. They all wanted to be a part of the wedding feast. But not all of them were prepared. The second lesson of the parable is: No one can do it for you. No one can wear a parachute in your place. It doesn’t work that way. You need your own. Don’t try to borrow someone else’s oil, be sure to have some of your own. Character cannot be borrowed. Neither can a relationship with God be borrowed. William Barclay says, “We cannot always be living on the spiritual capital which others have amassed. There are certain things we must acquire for ourselves.” A third point of the parable is: There is a time called “Too Late.” The experience of death is the great hope of the Christian and the great fear of the world — likewise the return to earth of Jesus Christ. The second coming of Christ will be with finality and power.
The Chicago Tribune carried a story titled “Man Electrocuted After Ignoring Warnings .” Jason Grisham shouldn’t be alive. During his attempt to scale an electrical tower, the 22-year-old man received a shock that is usually fatal. Partway up the tower, 69,000 volts of electricity coursed through his body, knocking Grisham to the ground. Despite suffering burns to his chest and having his pants explode, the newspaper said the young man was admitted to the hospital in good condition. (I’m not sure who made that assessment, or if Grisham would agree with it.) How did Grisham get into such a predicament? One thing is for sure: it was no accident. A seven-foot-tall fence, topped with barbed wire, surrounded the electrical tower. Electric company spokeswoman Angeline Protegere said the spot where Grisham climbed over the fence was bracketed by signs saying “Danger/High Voltage. With all that’s happening in the Middle East and in the world in general there are a number of warning signs. Which leads me to say again, the real question is not whether or not the world will come to and end in 2012; the real question is that if it does, are you ready?
Comments