The Future is indeterminate, indeterminable. Not even the angels in heaven know when it will be(Mt 24:35).
We would be wise to treat each moment as our last and live our lives as if that was so.
We should make the most of each minute for "now" is all the time that we have.
We would be wise not to squander the gift of life that God has given us,
the talents we have been given, the skills.
Opportunity does not knock twice.

We should love our dear ones, even our neighbour, at every moment, for we may never see them again;
to be prepared for the next moment to be the last of our lives,so that we are left with no regrets,
and that we are remembered with love and gratitude.

This seems to be a case where Jesus has used an example to make a specific point
(be prepared for the end to come, or, more credibly, for your end to come)
but his theme is often taken and used in quite another context.


We need to deny three extrapolations of this parable that can be made by those with specific agenda
We are neither deserted by an absentee God, nor puppets in His hands,
nor is there a time set for Creation to come to an end.

The concept of God as an absentee landlord is not something supported by experience.
Scripture is rife with examples of God's active involvement in current events,
though perhaps not so directly as some Christians would like to imagine.
Jesus spoke to and of his Father as a present reality in his life.
Christians witness to experiences of the presence of God.

Divinity is a reality, though neither material nor tangible.
We can not experience or know God as we might know a neighbour.
God does not affect us through human mechanisms or thought,
but as the still small voice that drives us in the night,
the impulse that causes us to act or speak
before any decision has really been made.



The concept of God as Love denies divine control of our every move.
Such love could not conceive the ways that we may act.
We are free to decide our own ways and actions.
That freedom denies Divine foreknowledge
For the future does not in fact exist.
until it arrives.

The end of Creation is vividly portrayed in scripture
and many see this as a time when judgement falls upon us.
In every generation it has been the same, but never happened.
Today we can see the probability of the greenhouse effect
could mirror the descriptions of the book of Revelation.
The earth will end, but for very natural reasons
derived from our selfishness and greed
judgement for our behaviour, maybe.

We need to challenge and confront the Pharisees of our time
living each moment as if it were our last, thankfully
and in open relationship with those around us
and with the God that Jesus called Father
and told us that we should do the same.
We may die at any moment.
We must be ready!