March 20, 2026

I drive my kids crazy sometimes because they will bring up topics in conversation that they are very passionate about and I don’t have much of an opinion on the matter. The other day the debate about soft serve ice cream vs. hand-dipped came up. I love both. A lot. I literally don’t have a preference. It’s not that I don’t listen or even that I don’t care about someone’s ice cream preference (ok, I probably don’t), but I just don’t dwell on topics that require energy I’d rather place elsewhere.

Christians have been talking a lot over the past few years about the nation of Israel and the political turmoil and horrible wars that have taken place in that area of the world. More recently, some of those conversations re-emerge with the conflict now occurring in Iran and surrounding nations. I have people in my life who want to know my opinions or thoughts on the matter as it relates to the Bible. More specifically there’s curiosity about what these events and the Bible says about the end times.

I’ll be honest with you. I don’t have a strong opinion on the matter of end times. I really don’t. I’d go as far as to say that it doesn’t honestly matter much to me. I don’t think about it. I don’t worry about it. I just don’t. Let me share with you why.

³ As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” -Matthew 24:3

This is one of the most popular (and few) places where Jesus explicitly teaches on this topic. That should tell us something.

We cannot know the exact time the end is coming.

Matthew 24:36 says, ³⁶ “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.’” Jesus said that he doesn’t know. That’s important. If neither Jesus nor the angels in heaven know, there must be something else happening that is more important. Most of what Jesus talks about in chapter 24 has to do with things that will happen within the lifetime of the disciples (not the end of the world). In AD 70, Rome will lay siege to Jerusalem in response to a rebellion. The tactic is used to starve many of the city’s inhabitants and then massacre many more. Rome will utterly destroy the city and Roman general, Titus, will oversee the destruction of the Temple. Jesus’s warning is two-fold: One, beware of those days and get out of the city. Two, don’t distract yourself with end times obsessions. If Jesus didn’t have a date, his followers shouldn’t need one either.

We will know when the end truly comes.

Verses 30-31 say, ³⁰ “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven… they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. ³¹ And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”  Jesus makes it clear that when he returns to earth at the end of time to collect his faithful and re-make the whole world, we won’t miss it! It’ll be obvious.

We must be prepared for Jesus’s return.

“⁴⁴ So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.’”  Jesus spends more time teaching in the Gospels on this one point than he ever does teaching about the end times itself. He consistently teaches his disciples to be trusting, obedient, serving others, meeting the needs of the poor, worshiping, giving, practice good stewardship, and to be faithful in our relationships with others and to God. Jesus was far more concerned with how his apprentices were living in this world as we prepare for the life to come.

One author says it like this, “Ironically, this preparedness does not consist of building bunkers, shoring up supplies, or scouring the news for telltale signs of the end. It is simply a matter of embracing our ‘assigned tasks’: faithfully living out the daily demands and disciplines of the Christian life.”

It’s not that I don’t care about this subject. It’s just that I know God hates war, death, destruction, and the pain of sin. He has provided hope in Jesus! I’d rather focus my energy on meeting needs and praying for our world and for those who suffer in it to know peace and salvation in Jesus Christ.

Wanting to be found obedient,

Nathan

Nathan Hinkle

Lead Pastor

How Can We Pray For You?