Prophetic Prudence - Be ready for whatever happens!

Our readers may question, or presume, my stance on the timing of the Rapture, the Tribulation and Christ's return based on the posts. I am writing this post to establish that position in the mind of the readers should there be some questions, or concerns. I believe taking a hard stance on this question is a trap and slippery slope similar those that Pharisees laid for their opponents.

I do have an opinion and interpretation as to what I feel is the order of end-time events. However, wisdom tells me to avoid the trappings of this end-time controversy by taking a position of 'prophetic prudence'. I believe prophetic prudence starts with the central truth Christ gave us in the Gospels. It is driven by a desire to engender unity in the body of Christ by disarming one of the single greatest polarizing topics in the history of the Church.

The central truth for my position

Christ spoke very plainly about the signs of the end of the age when asked by His disciples. In addition, He admonished that the signs were given because they did not and would not know the exact timing of His return.  

  3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 4“Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled? 5Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. 7When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains...32 No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Be on guard! Be alert^f! You do not know when that time will come.  Mark 13:3-8,32-33

  

The problem with promoting one view over the other

The ambiguity around the timing of Christ's return, the Church's rapture, and the other end-time events has been a source of contention and division in the body of Christ for centuries. This argument has been one of the single most polarizing arguments among Christ lovers.

My position is prophetic prudence

This blog will not deliberately perpetuate this disunity by promoting one school of thought and interpretation over the other. We will, however, promote what I call prophetic prudence.

What is prophetic prudence? 

Although the Lord did not tell us the day or hour of His return, He did tell us  what to expect in the last days surrounding His return. In my opinion, a pragmatic and prudent Christ lover should take to heart the facts presented and consider them to be important as Christ must have considered them important to reveal to those of us living in the last days surrounding His return. The admonition to "Be on guard! Be alert!" This admonition is made up of three greek words "Blepo, Agrupneo and Proseuchomai" (click link to definitions, or see below).

I interpret this to mean look around you, open your spiritual eyes as well as your physical eyes, be prudent and prayerfully consider your actions. This admonishment leads me to the conclusion that because we do not know when Christ is returning, but we do know what will be taking place in the days surrounding His return, we are to be ready in all ways - emotionally, geographically, materially, physically and spiritually.

BLEPO

To see, discern, of the bodily eye with the bodily eye: to be possessed of sight, have the power of seeing perceive by the use of the eyes: to see, look descry to turn the eyes to anything: to look at, look upon, gaze at to perceive by the senses, to feel to discover by use, to know by experience metaph. to see with the mind's eye to have (the power of) understanding to discern mentally, observe, perceive, discover, understand to turn the thoughts or direct the mind to a thing, to consider, contemplate, to look at, to weigh carefully, examine in a geographical sense of places, mountains, buildings, etc. turning towards any quarter, as it were, facing it AGRUPNEO to be sleepless, keep awake, watch to be circumspect, attentive, ready PROSEUCHOMAI  to offer prayers, to pray