38.8 F
Spokane
Wednesday, April 2, 2025
spot_img
HomeCommentaryAsk An Evangelical: Is this the End Times?

Ask An Evangelical: Is this the End Times?

Date:

spot_img

Related stories

A call to national unity: ‘Try to love one another. Right now.’

Classism and inequality are real, but the focus should be on national unity, not dividing by party. We need to work together to address economic struggles.

Multiple cultures clash over the future of the American dream

If the future of the American dream is to survive, her people need to reaquaint themselves with the culture of civility and honesty. Then, they need to clash against disinformation, social media influencers, and more.

Ask an Evangelical: Why did God send Jesus Christ to die for us?

In this Ask an Evangelical column, the reader asks why did God send his son, Jesus, to die for us. This answer centers on blood, perfect sacrifices and the need for atonement.

How to be religious without being spiritual

Read this counter guide to Sam Harris' mindfulness-based spirituality, emphasizing the value being religious, living for others without requiring spirituality.

When someone cares enough to embrace your imperfections

Celebrating imperfection, this piece reflects on how when we care others, despite flaws, grace shines, much like God's grace does in our weakness.

Our Sponsors

spot_img

What do you want to know about Evangelicalism? Pastor Rob Bryceson, of The Gathering House Church, and Elizabeth Backstrom, a member of The Gathering House, co-author this column. Submit your question here.

By Elizabeth Backstrom

Are we living in the End Times?

Hi, thanks for your question.

 

It seems like whenever we get into a particularly gnarly time in history or culture, someone asks this. I’ve contemplated it myself. I always refer back to Matthew 24:36 in these moments: “But about that day or hour, no one knows, not the angels in Heaven, not the Son, but only the Father.”

 
This could easily be one of those ‘duck the question and say God is in control’ moments, but in this situation it’s actually fair. It’s pretty much impossible to predict when something like the end of the world will be, no matter what religion you’re from, so here’s my take — why spend a lot of time worrying about it? People have incorrectly predicted the end times in many funny ways (although I’m not sure they were funny to them at the time) for centuries. Remember Y2K? Unless we all decide to become survivalists, there’s not a lot we can do, and a close reading of the Bible would show that wouldn’t help much anyway. All the canned beans in the world won’t prevent the actual end of the world if or when it happens.

I prefer to focus on what I can do something about  — advocating for those who need help and living out, to the best of my ability, what I believe God has called us to do in the world.

Elizabeth Backstrom
Elizabeth Backstrom
Elizabeth Backstrom majored in journalism at Western Washington University and currently works as remotely as a grant writer. Her background is in news writing and features, but if an overabundance of caffeine is consumed, she has been known to write a humor piece or two. Backstrom attended various Christian churches growing up in Washington State and in her free time enjoys reading about history, religion and politics.

Our Sponsors

spot_img
spot_img
spot_img
0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest


0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
spot_img
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x