Reply #15: Interesting discussion and my two cents.

[CBHagman]

I remember back in the 1970s I had fellowship with a number of people who were inclined to believe in the end times. There were also Christian novels and films (yes, long before the "Left Behind" series) that dealt with the question of the Rapture, Antichrist, etc.

Even so, there was considerable disagreement about what exactly was going to happen and when. Most people emphasized that only God knew the timing of anything.

What really bothered me, then and now, was how much energy some people expended on the questions of the Rapture, prophecy, etc. It became a distraction from day-to-day discipleship, and it could be divisive within fellowship groups. I think it's understandable that people are interested in such things, but the more you read history, the more you realize that various generations of Christians (perhaps even every generation of Christians?) wonders if they're living in the end times.