I was visiting with a friend who told me that there was a time in her life when she felt that the end of the world was coming soon. During a period of her teenage years, she lived with a great sense of urgency. She expected that the world would see Jesus in a week, or maybe in a day or an hour. She thought every day about the second coming of Christ. She dreamed about what it would be like, and tried to imagine how it would feel to see Christ, the bridegroom, coming in the clouds from heaven.

My friend also told me how she used to share her expectation with her mother. Her mother wasn't as excited about the imminent return of Jesus -- in fact, she seemed a little concerned about her daughter's interest. She seemed to think that there was some unnatural anxiety, some deep-seated fear in her …