Pass the Flame

When my kids were little I used to love to listen to their giggles as we would wrestle and play. They would scrunch up into a tight little ball to protect their tummies and ribs from being tickled. I used to raise my left hand in the air and make waving motions and goofy gestures with it and all the while my right hand was down low moving in for the tickle attack. If they forgot that tactic from last time, they would reach out for my left hand to keep it from attacking and forget the danger coming from a different direction entirely.

Harold Camping’s end of the world prediction was just such a left-handed goofy gesture, distracting Christians from their true purpose. But fortunately, it has been Left Behind. Or has it? According to Jack Van Impe, the end of the Mayan calendar on December 31, 2012 might signal the end. But he has also mentioned 2021. And do you remember Hal Lindsey’s book The Late Great Planet Earth? Or Tim LaHaye and the Left Behind Series? Who can forget the year 2000 seeming a likely candidate, as did the year 1000 when it rolled around. And nearly every people group who has experienced the horror of war felt the end must be near. And in this country, a struggling economy qualifies! What, oh what are we to do?

Jesus tells a parable in Mark 13:34 about a man who goes away and leaves his servants in charge, each with his own task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. Only one is told to watch, the others are to do their assigned tasks. And that guy at the door? Is it his job to watch for the master’s return so he can warn the crew to close FaceBook and put away the video games before the master comes in from the parking lot? No, his job is to watch for danger, to sound the alarm when a thief or a whole gang of thieves are lurking about.

Let’s look at this a different way.

The current population of the world is nearly 7 Billion.

Of these, how many do you think have heard the Gospel? And if we were to reach all of these people right now with the gospel, would our work be done? Would Christ then return? Is that our goal? To reach these 7 Billion people? Only these 7 Billion people?

Let’s try a different perspective. How many people from all time have actually lived on this planet? One estimate places that number at around 115 Billion. That means that approximately 108 Billion people have lived and died before this day.  How many of those people were reached for the Gospel? How many followed The Creator, God?

Today’s living are about 6% of the total so far. About 70,000 people die each day. Nearly a half million people are born each day. In about 100 years today’s living will be exchanged through births and deaths for about 18 Billion new humans… 18 Billion new souls. In 1000 years, the current living will equal only about 2% of the total number of people who will have ever existed on this planet.

2 Peter 3:9 says: The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Anyone? Everyone? Who are they? Are they just our current 7 billion? Or have we been looking at this through a microscope instead of a telescope?

Think of a timeline that stretches from 4000 years in the past to 40,000 years into the future. If Christ’s return is 40,000 years in the future, our spot on the timeline is much nearer the beginning than it is to the end, isn’t it? Think of it this way: That timeline is like a fuse. Those among the living are the lit part of the fuse, those who have died are the blackened, spent part of the fuse, those souls not yet born are waiting to be ignited. Who ignites them? Who ignited you?

Jesus said: “I am the light of the world.” In Matthew, we are instructed to shine our light, to put our lamp on a hill. Timothy is instructed by Paul to fan into flame the gift God has given him. The disciples on the road to Emmaeus said “how our hearts burned within us as we walked with Him, and the AWANA song says: “We are sparks for Jesus.”

When we talk about going out into all the world to preach the gospel, let’s remember which group has the greatest number of people who have not yet heard the Gospel…those not yet born.

Pay no more attention to the goofy gestures of the left hand.

Our task is ahead of us.

Burn brightly and pass the flame.