Well, Jesus didn't return. Now what?

Last summer I was driving in rural, southwestern Ohio when I stopped to get gas . This was not unusual. I tend to do this when my gauge nears that ominous "E." But when I swiped my credit card at the pump, I thought I was only buying gas. Little did I know, I was also paying for a lesson in (professed) Bible prophecy.

(Enter Greg Gault.)

A man in a red truck pulled up beside me and made eye contact. I had never met this man before, but his eye contact was so intentional that I felt I needed to smile or nod or somehow show that I know how to interact with human beings.

"How are ya?" he asked as soon as he got out to pump his own gas.

"Not too bad. You?"

"Oh, I'm doing well." Then, with absolutely no transition, "Do you know our Lord, Jesus Christ?"

I nodded, not quite willing to share a full smile with him, and said, "Yeah, I do."

I think I expected him to say something simple, something like, "Good." But no, not Greg Gault. Instead, he said, "He's coming back soon, you know?"

Very hesitantly I said, "yeahhh," agreeing and leery at the same time.

"I think it will be in 7 months."

Oh, well of course. I didn't say anything. I was no longer making eye contact. I was just thinking, "How does one address this?"

He must have discerned my doubt. "What do you think about that?" he wanted to know.

"Well, I think the Bible says we can't know the time or the place." (I mentally kicked myself for not being able to quote exactly, or even refer to the right book.)

This man went on to tell me that God does want us to try and figure it out. God wants us to know. I never agreed with his interpretation of the Bible, and I didn't show much interest in talking to him any more (If I remember correctly, it was nearly time for the kickoff of an OSU football game.) But my lack of interest didn't stop this man from giving me his business card.

It said:

Greg Gault
Teacher of Bible Prophecy

A church was mentioned on the card, but I won't risk discrediting the church by associating it with a man who, from the look of things, printed his own business cards to distribute while proselytizing at gas stations.

We said our goodbyes, maybe a "God bless you" or a "nice to meet you," the former I would have meant and the latter would have just been a formality. Then I got in my car and drove away to watch my Buckeyes.

But I kept that business card. For a long time.

***

That conversation with Greg Gault took place in August. It's now April. It's been 8 months and still no glorious reappearing of Christ.

In short, Greg Gault was wrong.

***

I probably held on to that business card for two months, rubbing my forefinger against it in the left front pocket of my favorite jeans, using it as a bookmark, putting it in a pile of things I wanted to get to...but, at least in this case, never did.

You see, I wanted to talk to Greg Gault again. I wanted to say the things I didn't think to say when I was surprised at the gas pump on Saturday morning.

And there was one element of our talk that I specifically wanted to discuss. And this related to the one thing he said that I really appreciated, the one aspect I truly admired about Greg Gault, gas station missionary.

I had told him that I didn't think we needed to know exactly when Christ returned, because we should just know that He will and live our lives as if it might be today. His response was, "Ah, but knowing when does one thing: It turns people into evangelists."

He went on to say that was the reason he brought the conversation up with me, because he knows there isn't much time left.

And I respect that attitude, to an extent. Evangelizing, sharing the Truth with people, is crucial. But what happens when our version of the Truth is based upon an event that doesn't come true?

That's what I wanted to ask Greg Gault. I wanted to say, "But what if you're wrong? If you're basing your belief on the fear of judgment, because you know he's coming back in March of 2007, what happens if you're wrong? Why not challenge people, evangelizing your heart out without trying to enlighten them with information the Bible says no one will possess?"

To me, it seemed a little pompous. A "look what I figured out" attitude. One that might scare a few people into a life change, and one that will most likely lead them back to their old ways when they realize the message was fraudulent, or at least misguided.

Why not evangelize without prophecies (or ungrounded predictions, if you prefer), sharing only the Truth?

That's what I wanted to ask Greg Gault, Teacher of Bible Prophecy.

And I think my desire was devoid of malice and pretension. I wasn't anxious to tell him he was wrong. I love that he cares about people enough to ask difficult questions at a gas pump on Saturday morning, to strike up friendly conversations with strangers. I admire that.

But it's April now. March was a month ago. The fear factor is probably gone.

And I still remember Y2K: the hype, the fear, the preparations. People thought the computers were going to crash and prompt the Apocalypse. Groceries were bought in bulk, newly constructed storm/bomb/Apocalypse shelters were constructed and filled with enough food and water to last years. And what happened? Basically nothing. A month later, how do you think those people felt when they thought about their Apocalypse shelter filled with food items? I don't know, but I'll bet they felt foolish.

What about anyone who came to Christ because they knew, thanks to the words (and business cards) of Teacher of Bible Prophecy, Greg Gault, that Jesus was returning in March?

I don't know, but I'll be they feel foolish, too.

And they'll probably abandon their new "faith" like those unneeded Apocalypse shelters, sheepishly hoping no one will remember that they had lived anticipating the end.

And it's tragic, because Christ is returning...sometime. And it's tragic because a relationship with Him can be more real than anything we'll ever experience, but only if it's founded on Truth. Only if we turn to Him with a desire to know Him and serve Him, and not because we're afraid his return is imminent and we don't think we can risk putting it off longer.

Because when the rain doesn't come, people abandon their umbrellas. It's just how it works.

And I wonder what Greg Gault thinks now. Does he think he miscalculated? Is he still prophesying, still distributing cards, foretelling Jesus's return in May or September?

Who knows?

I hope he hasn't lost his faith (if his faith is in fact real, and not an "Emergency Exit" plan), and I hope he continues to evangelize. I just hope he revamps his strategy, realizing that he doesn't need to know when Jesus plans to return.

Instead, he should spend more time telling people why.

And, come to think of it, so should I.

--Thanks for reading.