Click for audio: The False Prophet
False Christs and false prophets will arise and show signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect (Mark 13:22).
With all of the turmoil that we currently see in the world today, I was asked to comment on whether or not we might be in the end times as predicted in the Bible. Though it is commonly done, it is a mistake to use the Bible to support the notion of the end of the world and to think of it as a prophetic guide to the discernment of events leading to this disastrous conclusion. Respected theologians have been doing this for centuries, all without success. In every case, dire predictions of doom and end times are to be taken as historically contextual, usually a message of hope for a people under persecution at the time the writing was produced.
I think it is safe to say, however, that each one of us inhabits a world that we are hoping will come to an end. It is a world where we are not quite at peace, where we are struggling with meaning, where our concerns for the future often hinder our ability to enjoy the present. There is a kind of prophet in us that rises up and predicts that someday this world will come to an end. But before it does, certain things must happen.
What things? You can make your list by finishing this sentence: I will be at peace when ________. You may say you’ll be at peace when your soul is mature enough to experience God all the time, or when your money issues are all resolved, or when you get a better paying job that you love, or when you find the right person, or when you improve or regain your health, or when some present crisis is brought to a successful conclusion. Let’s say in six months all of your stated conditions come to pass. What you will find is that peace still eludes you. Chances are good that the only thing that will change is the content of your list.
The false prophet in us is always telling us that the peace we crave is futuristic and stromectol sicher kaufen ohne rezept conditional; something must change before we can experience it. But notice that when this something changes, something else takes its place. Like a hamster running on a wheel, we’re going through the motions but we get off this wheel in the same cage.
We silence the false prophet by entering quiet times with the full intention of opening our mind to our completed soul. There will always be issues to resolve, but doing so does not bring the peace that is ours at the spiritual level. Contrary to the insistence of our false prophet, nothing in our external world has to change to access this peace.
Take time daily to let go of all appearances in your life, turn your attention to the inner, natural radiance of your completed soul. As you consciously touch this spiritual wholeness, you will experience the peace you seek and you will carry it into every aspect of your life. Your tumultuous world will indeed come to an end, but it will do so in a very gentle and pleasing way.