Long for Christ's Return, But Don't Give Up the Fight!
What motivates your longing for Christ's return? Is it a healthy and discerning enthusiasm for Christ's glory to be revealed, or simply a desire for easy resolutions to the numerous problems plaguing humanity? While the latter may seem God honoring it actually contains a pessimism that is self-fulfilling rather than preordained.
A technique sometimes used by ancient Greek playwrights to resolve plots with no natural or easy solution was to drop in a "deus ex machina" (god from the machine). While usually an unconnected and sometimes even an illogical resolution, it was a practice meant to quickly bring order to chaos. More importantly, while bringing the story to a conclusion, it pardoned the actors and playwright from making the difficult decisions for resolving the plot.
I wonder if this kind of thinking is at the root of much contemporary eschatology. And, if so, does it sedate the enthusiasm of many Christians for moving the kingdom forward in the here and now?
Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/jesus-return-waiting-on-a-god-from-the-machine-124948/