Imminent Front

O.K., I'll just come out and admit it. I've read the Left Behind series, and I don't find it outlandish. While I don't think anyone would call the writing style "high art," the sophistication of the writer's style is NOT what drew me to the series. I read the book of Revelation when I was 13, and was fascinated. When I got "saved," twenty-three years later, I determined to read the entire Bible. The book of Revelation is no less fascinating to me now, and I count myself as part of the group that the book of Revelation says receives a blessing just for having read it.
Despite my fascination, I've quickly learned that this book has an amazing ability to divide people due to it's many symbols. Even amongst Christians, there is formidable debate on what it all means.
Now I'm not going to go so far as get out my huge signs and say "the end is coming by Tuesday," but I do see that many of today's events align quite nicely with the Bible's end-times prophecies. Of course, in my pre-saved days, my biggest challenge to that statement was: "Well what period of time has NOT had such elements?"
For all I know, the end of days may not happen for thousands of years. However, the more I read the Bible, AND pay attention to world events, the harder it is to ignore the signs of the times. Of course, only God himself knows the exact time of his Son's second coming, but we are encouraged to watch, and be aware of the season.
On occassion, I'll come across an article that does a good job summarizing the possibility that we are now in the era that will see the tribulation. This one (Boiling Point) by Jack Kinsella is one such article.
I would be more than happy to find that decades have passed, and this article turns out to be a false alarm. However, such a possibility would not take away from the importance of EVERYONE getting ready for Christ's return before it's too late. By getting ready, I don't mean selling all your worldly possessions, and sitting on a mountain top. Some people tried that in Paul's day, and in essence, he told them to get back to the real business of life. Getting ready means getting right with Jesus. Ask him to come in to your life today. He may not return to Earth for millions of years, but your last chance to accept Christ's love is gone when you are.
As for me, I remain excited about seeing Christ on that day. That doesn't mean that this world is unimportant, but I know it won't compare to what is to come.