February 24, 1999

Y2K Christians must
focus on duty, not dates
___FORT WORTH (BP)--As the millennial clock prepares to roll over another thousand, Christians should focus on duty rather than dates, suggests church historian Timothy Weber.
___Not even Jesus knows the day and time of his return, Weber said during the annual Day-Higginbotham Lectures at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Feb. 4-5. He is dean at Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in Lombard, Ill.
___"If we knew for sure, do you think we'd do our duty?" Weber asked in one of his lectures on eschatology, or end-times. "If Jesus doesn't know, you can't know either, and you shouldn't worry about it."
___The task for Christians, he said, is to keep on doing "the regular stuff. You carry out your calling. The question is not when, but how you are living up to your calling. Are you redeeming your time?"
___Weber cited Matthew 24:36 to support his position. That passage quotes Jesus as saying, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."
___Some Christians believe the end of the millennium will mean the end of the world, Weber said, while others try to figure out the date of Christ's return by "millennial arithmetic."
___While giving his disciples a general picture of events that must occur before the end comes, "Jesus gave orders to the disciples not to set dates, but to do their duty," Weber said.

___More on Weber's lectures on the end-times.

---

Frontpage / Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!