This is why I’m delighted that the Bible offers so much relevant information on the topic. So much to discover and to ponder. Yet I offer this word of advice to myself and others who are fascinated about the end times: Don’t ignore the Giver by focusing on the gift. Or, to put it another way:
Don’t ignore the Planner by focusing on the plan.
Yes, the Bible has much to say about the future of our world, the end of history, and the glorious span of eternity that lies beyond. But God didn’t give us those glimpses just so that we could better understand the future. He helps us see the plan to invite us to spend eternity with Him.
Now, to those in the second camp — those who are more hesitant to study the end times for any reason — let me offer this advice: Setting your eyes on the future is good for you. In fact, it’s necessary. Don’t just take my word for it. Listen again to Paul:
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. — Colossians 3:1–2
Set your minds on things above. Your soul needs hourly gazes into the life to come. You need to know what your departed loved ones are doing. You need to envision the rapture and the millennium. You need to picture your eternal home and the face of God. Why? Because Heaven is the green vegetable in the spiritual diet. It makes us whole. It keeps us healthy.
So read on. Study on. Ponder on. And be consumed with the things above.
