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I can understand your hesitation and frustration of end times events. Like you I have seen many come and go over the years....and we are still here. But I have not, and many don't, structure their life around these at all.... Rather, we find it interesting as the nations move into positions which are clearly what things will look like, as they move to align, when that time does comes.

In the 60’s no one would have thought possible the nation of Israel would become just that “in one day”..but that is exactly what happened...and prophecy was 100% accurate on that note...it always is and will be.... Thus that event set the stage for watching as events over the years unfold.

We see Israel once again becoming a “stumbling block” for the nations...and all eyes face there once again....this has happened before of course...but it is still very interesting to see how things just may evolve as the prophecies unfold once more across the world stage.

Additionally, most understand that any of these events can and do slow down and speed up thru the years....this is a speed up time and with it comes a natural anticipation and excitement for Christians who know that their going home may just be on the horizon...maybe not as well....but we are always to look for Christ's return regardless of how things play out on the world stage...and thus we “listen” for the sound of His voice...and the trumpet to sound...that it is time. It IS exciting of course....but most realize this also means a short time left to make know the Gospel of Christ to others...and there are few today willing to listen as time and tide have revealed....that fact alone indicates the time draws near....

So for myself these times we are in today are most interesting and a reminder to make each day count...I think most see it that way as well.

but most realize this also means a short time left to make know the Gospel of Christ to others...

I appreciate the cordial tone of your response, and look forward to comparing notes in the world to come. Look me up in a thousand years or so, and we'll rejoice together in how God worked in our lives.

I have several problems with "prophecy teaching." For one thing, the "prophecy experts" never see brighter days ahead. None of them predicted the fall of the Soviet menace, for example. I spent two weeks in Ukraine in 1992. Those people were devastated when their system of meaning, their apparatus for understanding the universe and their place in it, was discredited. They were also hungry for the gospel. The church I belong to now is post-millennial, Calvinist, charismatic, and passionate about campus ministry. They started planting churches in the former Soviet bloc as soon as the wall came down. You have to wonder. Did any of the churches that regarded Soviet communism as an immovable fixture for the rest of history get in on that open door?

In 1945, Douglas MacArthur begged America to send 10,000 missionaries to Japan. What he got was engineers -- and today, Japan is one of the most materialistic nations on earth. Were God's people ready for victory, and open doors? Apparently not.

Speaking of 1945, when the US State Department engineered the triumph of Mao Zedong's regime, there were perhaps 20,000 Chinese Christians. Today, there are closer to 100 million Chinese Christians. A ministry sponsored by my church has provided training for indigenous leaders who are responsible for maybe 30 million of them.

Would a church that expected nothing from God attempt great things for Him? Our expectations shape our efforts. If we have decades ahead of us, we'll get a doctorate and undertake serious scholarly effort. We'll write books. If we only have days ahead of us, we'll dash off tracts. Serious achievement takes the consecrated effort of decades. A church that scorns the future will not be taken seriously. See my tagline.