There is a recurring pattern I've seen among my fellow Christians here in the United States that greatly disturbs me. I see all the time, even within my own church, and I have a hard time trying to convince people otherwise.
This is the false belief that man controls his ultimate fate. You know, the end of the world, the rapture, or whatever else you may believe in about the end times. There are many false beliefs in this particular area that are shared by many Christians and I can't address them all in one pitiful blog. So I'll just focus on a few.
First of all, we have the belief that by spreading God's Word and sharing the Good News to all people, that we will bring about the end of the world and the second coming. I have heard this belief a few times and I am quite shocked that even some of the most pious people cannot grasp the simple concept that we cannot control God's Will.
That is what this heresy amounts to. You think that by spreading God's Word, you will bring about the end of the Second Coming. Such things could not be further from the truth. And, yes, I know that 2 Peter 3:12 that alludes to this. But if you look at the NIV, there is a footnote that says something completely different. It basically says that we are eagerly awaiting His coming. I don't know why the NIV chose that translation method, because it's misleading and implies that we have some control over what God does or doesn't do.
A fundamental principle of following God is understanding that you cannot control His Will. My youth pastor, an avid Star Wars fan, would explain that God is not like the Force, something that can be manipulated to do your bidding. God does not work that way. You can pray all you want, but if God doesn't answer our prayer, than that means it isn't in His Will.
Remember when God killed King David's son whom he had through an adultrous affair? David spent days fasting and praying for the life of his baby, but the baby died anyway. Does that sound like magic to you?
Now, there are cases where God bestows His power on people and they use it differently from how they were suppose to. Moses was suppose to shout at a rock to bring forth water, but instead he hit it with a stick. But in this case, Moses was determined to be responsible and faithful enough to use the power correctly. And the consequences for his actions were not pleasant. As a result, Moses died a bitter old man who blamed Israel for the trouble he brought on himself.
But that was where men were given power and used it of their own free will. Often times, it would have to be used to bring glory to God. This is why Jesus didn't turn stones into bread when Satan tempted him to do so, because such a thing would not bring glory to God. After all, I'm certain that turning stones into bread was not against Mosaic Law.
The bottom line here is that people are constantly trying to place God in a box and control Him like some kind of magical fairie. The truth is that God works His Will through you, not our will through Him. It is patently impossible for anyone to bring about the end of the world for this simple reason.
So please, continue to pray but be ever mindful that God may just not answer any prayer you do have because He has His own agenda to fulfill and it does not coincide with yours. Anyone who believes otherwise is nothing more than a fool, in the Bible sense of the word.