“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” – Matthew 23:37-39 KJV
I have noticed a growing trend in people placing greater emphasis on looking for signs of the times than in looking to Jesus Christ. As a result of this, some have arrogantly assumed that those who are less adept in understanding prophecy are not as close to Jesus as they should be. Listen, you can know prophecy and not know Jesus at the same time, thus having an intellectual assent to the truth, but not a meaningful relationship with The Way, The Truth, and The Life.
I’m reminded of the time when Jesus had said,
“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” – John 5:39 KJV
The people whom Jesus had addressed were adept in their knowledge of the Scriptures, yet not discerning enough to know that the Author and Finisher of their faith was standing in front of them! Indeed, it’s interesting how people can know so much about something and miss the point of why it’s even there to begin with.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to lessen the importance of studying prophecy. I’m simply trying to emphasize the importance of lifting Jesus up. You can get so caught up in looking for signs of the times that you end up missing the mark completely. To put it another way, it’s like placing greater emphasis on the box than on its contents, and thereby failing to see what makes the box meaningful. Granted, knowing how prophecy is meant to unfold is very important, and there is a time to delve into these things, but if you don’t know Jesus Christ then what good will your understanding of prophecy do you in the end (Matt. 7:21-23)?
Moreover, it is foolish to assume that God can’t reveal what needs to be known by means other than what we’re accustomed to using to disclose His will. We need to take caution in how we think about these things!
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” – Isaiah 55:8-11 KJV
It isn’t for us to assume that because someone hasn’t read a particular book written by some Christian celebrity or hasn’t recited a certain kind of prayer that they’ll end up being eternally lost. How much did the thief on the cross know before Jesus assured him that he would be with Him in paradise? That example of grace should be a lesson to us all! It wasn’t how much he knew that made his life right with God in the end, but in Whom he exercised faith that made all the difference in enabling him to become a recipient of the gift of salvation. In other words, he wasn’t given the gift of salvation because he was a scholar of the Scriptures, but because he recognized his need for, and gave his heart to, Jesus Christ.
Listen, let’s leave the judgment to God. He knows what He’s doing, and He’s far better at reaching souls than we’ll ever be! It’s not our work to fix people, but to make sure our lives are right with Jesus Christ. And if God so chooses to use us to bring others to a knowledge of Him along the way, then praise Him for it! But let’s not assume that we know so much that we would consider others to be less spiritual because they don’t know what we know. Let God be the reader of hearts; and let us be His humble and faithful children!