For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Matthew 24:27

I’ve seen my light come shining from the west unto the east

Any day now, any day now, I shall be released. Bob Dylan

It’s no secret that the return of Christ was a central, driving force in the Jesus Movement. That was, as much as anything, foreshadowed by pre-Jesus Movement apocalyptic popular songs like, “The Very Last Day” by Peter, Paul and Mary, “Bad Moon Rising” by Creedence Clearwater, “When the Ship Comes in” by Bob Dylan, and, of course, “Eve of Destruction” which we’ve already looked at. All these songs were popular in the mid-sixties. In other words, there was already a sense of unease about the end of the world that was a part of the prevailing culture in America. So when Larry Norman came along with “I Wish We’d All Been Ready” in 1969, followed by Hal Lindsey’s blockbuster book, “Late Great Planet Earth,” in 1970, the soon return of Christ was imbedded in the gospel message for at least a decade. The bottom line was, there’s not much time, better get yourself right with God while you still can. That was the warning part of the message. Of course, the good news was that Christ’s arms were open wide to receive all who came to Him seeking forgiveness, acceptance and love. Those messages went hand in hand.

Let me be perfectly clear. This was no Sunday School lesson — a temporary emphasis just to scare people into accepting Christ. We believed it. I was a Sunday School Christian and I was convinced that I was quite possibly never going to be married, never own a home, never raise kids, never need health or life insurance, I don’t think I even had a credit card at that time. The Lord was going to come back before any of that kicked in. In fact — ask my wife — when we bought our first home in 1977, I went into a fetal position on the floor of the living room wondering what I had just done. Had I made a pact with the devil? What was next, the mark of the beast?

Imagine going from that reality to where we are now? What happened? Why don’t we hear about this anymore? Is the return of Christ no longer important? Actually it’s more important than ever as we see history starting to pick up more signs of the end times predicted in the Bible. So why isn’t it more front and center in our lives. I have some speculations.

Ever since the rise of the Christian subculture in the 1980s and ‘90s, it seems Christians have gotten more involved with life here and now than with the hereafter, which is fine as long as we are concerned mostly with people hearing about the gospel and being saved, but alas that does not appear to be the case. Especially with the emphasis on politics, Christians have gotten sidetracked trying to create a safer environment for themselves and their children. We are spending more time and effort trying to create an environment friendly to our beliefs than to be spreading the good news of the gospel and turning grace outward to everyone. If we were more focused on people’s eternal salvation, we would be more conscious of the limited time we have. This is the day of salvation, but the day could be coming to a close any minute now.

Jesus said that if you knew when a burglar was going to break into your house, you would be there to prevent him. But since we don’t know when the Lord will come back, we must be ready all the time. We definitely need to bring forward to today the urgency we all felt during the Jesus Movement. That was more true to what our convictions need to be than what we are experiencing now. So keep watch; all the time.

So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected. Matthew 24:42-44

Introducing our new podcast, Between the Answers 

Beginning September 18 through mid-October, the daily “Between the Answers” Podcast will look back to the pioneers of a historical phenomenon: the Jesus Movement, examine why it transformed into a broader social and political force over time, and ask questions about the Movement’s original message and its transformative power today. Our premise lies in the questions we need to ask between the answers.

Join John & Marti for today’s podcast, “The Lord is Coming” by clicking on the logo: