Today's New York Times carries the saddest picture I've seen in a long time: a ten-year-old boy in Africa breaking rocks to help his family survive. The headline: "Africa adds to miserable ranks of child workers." When will Jesus return to end such injustice?

We have surveyed nine ways to read Revelation. As they relate to the "end times," they basically fall into two categories. Some, "dispensationalists" among them, believe that the creation of the modern state of Israel in 1948 is a fulfillment of biblical prophecy. They expect a war beginning in the Middle East to end history. Whenever a conflict occurs such as the present struggle between Israel and Lebanon, those in this view wonder if this is the beginning of the end.

Other interpreters do not relate the state of Israel to biblical prophecy. They differ in their approach to the "millennium" and other issues, but most do not connect the Revelation to particular events in history prior to Jesus' return.

They note that the Jews divided history into the "former times" before Messiah came and the "latter" or "end times" after his coming. For 2,000 years we've been living in the "end times." The present conflict in the Middle East may be used by God to bring history to its close, or Jesus may delay his return for another thousand years. He may come today, and we must be ready.

The issue we're exploring is not new. After Jesus' resurrection, he appeared to his disciples "over a period of forty days and spoke to them about the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3). He then promised them the Holy Spirit (v. 5). They knew that the coming of the Spirit and the coming of the Kingdom were related. So in response, they asked the question Christians have been asking ever since: "Are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" (v. 6).

Their question was logical, but wrong. Jesus replied, "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority" (v. 7). "Times or dates" refers to specific dates as well as years. "Not for you" relates to Jesus' first and closest disciples--Peter, James, John, the others, and even Mary and his brothers. If Jesus wouldn't tell them when he would return, will he tell you and me? If discovering the time of his return was possible by scriptural exegesis or spiritual commitment, would they not have determined it? I'm unwilling to claim knowledge which Peter, James, John, and Mary could not. So why does this issue matter? We'll conclude our series tomorrow.

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