Many people are fascinated by the “end times” – the events that will lead up to Christ’s return - and not all of them are Christians. For your information…
-Over 1 million books in the fictionalized apocalyptic Left Behind series have now been sold.
-Hollywood movies like The Omen, End of Days and The Prophecy have been blockbuster hits.
-Surf” the net and you’ll find websites selling Bible Prophecy related items, including an End-Times Roadmap!
Many who spend a lot of time in this area of study are honestly interested in what God is trying to tell them and this lost world about His plans and our destiny. For some prophecy buffs though, end times are an interesting whimsy – a fiction, or a fantasy, or even entertainment.
In a way, how teens deal with their mortality is similar. Most of the youth I’ve met have a strong belief of their invincibility. That’s why when a teen dies a tragic unexpected death; others in their circle are so shaken. At a distance, they might acknowledge that death exists, but for them, it is only other people who die. It’s a fiction, or a fantasy, or even entertainment.
So, what’s my point?
The end times may be immanent, or they may be centuries away. But death is not. As a matter of fact, teens are only 70 or 80 years away from their end time, but still they do their best to deny it.
I feel a greater urgency today than I ever have as I see my grandchildren growing up in a world where there are fewer and fewer opportunities to hear the Good News… and they are being raised in a home and a church where the Gospel is shared repeatedly.
More and more of the youth that we are reaching through YFC don’t have parents who can tell them, don’t have teachers who share with them and don’t attend any church with regularity - let alone a church where Christ is proclaimed clearly.
So please, pray with me for the youth within the reach of Western Illinois Youth for Christ… and for the 175 other chapters we have across the U.S. and the 98 other countries around the world where YFC is reaching out to over 11 million young people.
After all, there is only so much time left.
Greg Monaco is the Regional Field Specialist for the Great Lakes Region of Youth for Christ. Greg is working closely with the Board as we search for a new Executive Director and Macomb Ministry Director. Greg can be contacted at yfcmonaco@yahoo.com.
