Don’t Sell Your Carabaos Just Yet

The 12-21-12 scare of the Mayan calendar is one practical reason why we need to pay attention to eschatology. I am not kidding.

As Christians, we can not afford to ignore these things while many misguided teachings fly around. Many of us have seen the tragedy of people believing erroneous teachings about end times. Some have even sold their properties and stopped pursuing the advancement of their careers in anticipation of the coming of Christ. It shouldn’t be that way. The coming of Christ is supposed to be our blessed hope, not something that causes us to stop being reasonable.

When I was in college, I personally know of a well-meaning Christian family who sold their properties (and carabaos!) because of a prediction that the world will end in the midnight between December 31, 1999 and January 1, 2000. The disappointment (and embarrassment) that dawned with the morning of the year 2000 was too painful to watch. While the neighbors sneered at their misplaced faith, I was struck with a sobering truth: wrong eschatology is no laughing matter.