Looks like a sports analogy to be made here—
—If you’re a sports fan, you think everybody must be (ought to be) a sports fan.
Obviously any conversation starts with,
“What’s your favorite team ?”
No, “What’s ‘your team’?”
You’ll talk about ‘your team’, hope ‘your team’ wins, stay loyal to ‘your team’.
You know there are other teams out there, but you don’t really like to talk much about how they might win, because ‘your team’ is ‘your team’.
It’s all about the future, next year—talking about ‘your team’ is it.
If you’re not a sports fan, you know how emphatically, fanatically, sports fans follow ‘their team’ and talk about it (and talk about it . . .).
They may ask you what’s ‘your team’.
You may even be prepared to answer with one, just to humor them, or so they’ll think you’re at least in the group.
That’s how it is in the sports world.
Sports has become phenomenally all-consuming in our country and culture.
It is big entertainment, big business, and big worship.
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Is it fair to make the analogy between sports and end times teaching, talking about sacred teachings from the Bible in the same article with secular sports ?
Or is it sacrilegious ?
Here is where I find myself, on both subjects, prompted to write.
One is far more important, and the other has become far too important.
One matters in the end, and the other is fleeting just like the ‘longevity’ of career and fame.
The assorted views of sacred teachings has become like secular competition between interpretations.
The debate even gets heated like competition.
If you’re right—if you’re the best—you’re obligated to prove how obviously you must come out on top.
A test for end times teaching getting into sports-like competition—
—Does time and emphasis on end times teaching in any way draw away from the Gospel message of urging people to confess their sin and turn to Jesus for salvation ?
Even the teachers that graciously offer the various interpretations of the end times must be careful how much time is spent—and more important, how listeners might feel pressure to pick one.
Conviction for my sin, to make me want to get saved from the fires of hell, must not be compromised by fear of tribulation, to make me want to avoid suffering here. (And that is, if their interpretation is right)
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SPORTS
I used to have ‘my team’—America’s Team—The Dallas Cowboys.
I greatly admired Tom Landry !
I even quote him, after he won two Superbowls in a row, and someone asked what he was going to work on for the next year.
“Consistency.”
Sounds like what’s required of all Christians as stewards.
“Faithfulness.”
You see, I know what it’s like to be inspired by sports—just ask my kids, when they were in it ! ! !
But now . . .
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END TIMES TEACHING
I believe everything in the Bible is for us to read and study.
I’m working on it—want to do better.
I do not believe anyone has a corner on explaining everything the Bible says.
I do not have enough intelligence or claim enough wisdom or feel enough devotion to any teacher to guarantee how things will go down at the end.
The most important things are clear, settled.
As Ed Vitagliano said on afr:
“. . . I know two things—He’s coming, and I’m going.”
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