2020
is a year we will never forget.
Covid-19
has changed our world. Deaths from this virus are on the rise around the world
even though for a time it seemed we were dealing with it.
Climate
change has meant more and more powerful natural disasters such as tornadoes,
hurricanes, fires, floods.
Racial
tensions have boiled over after yet again another black person was killed by
police under circumstances that reveal racial bias and inadequate training in law enforcement. Those
same police officers involved in those shootings for the most part do not
suffer any consequences. That tension has led to protest marches and in a small
number of cases violence and destruction.
The
political divide in our country seems deeper than ever before and perhaps not
fixable. People cannot talk about politics with one another since there is so much distrust and out right hatred. Our current leadership in Washington only makes things worse.
There
seems to be so much anger, uncertainty and pessimism about the future.
So
I believe it is only natural that the question “ ARE WE IN THE END TIMES the
Bible talks about? is being asked. I’ve been asked that question more than once.
I
honestly have not thought much about it until now. After reacquainting myself
with what scripture says and what teaching I retained from seminary I believe
the answer to this question is NO and MAYBE. I know this seems to be a cop-out
but whole seminary courses teach about this subject and so I am a bit hesitant
about dealing with this very complex topic with this blog.
Having
said that there are a few things I will say.
Throughout
history some people have claimed to know exactly when the world was going to
come to an end. I’m sure you have even read of those predictions. Only a few
years ago another prediction made headlines. All of those predictions were
obviously wrong. In the gospel of Matthew Jesus said, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven,
nor the Son, but only the Father”. This is the passage we need to remember.
No one knows when the end will come.
Here are some other scripture passages:
Matthew 24:42-44
42 “Therefore
keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But
understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the
thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be
broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of
Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
2 Peter 3:10-13
10 But the
day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar;
the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it
will be laid bare. 11 Since everything will be destroyed in
this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly
lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its
coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and
the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his
promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where
righteousness dwells.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
1 But mark
this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People
will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient
to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love,
unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the
good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure
rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying
its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
Mark 13:5-23
5 Jesus
said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6 Many will
come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. 7 When
you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must
happen, but the end is still to come. 8 Nation will rise
against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in
various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains. 9 “You
must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and
flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and
kings as witnesses to them. 10 And the gospel must first be
preached to all nations. 11 Whenever you are arrested and
brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever
is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy
Spirit. 12 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father
his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to
death. 13 Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one
who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 “When you see
‘the abomination that causes desolation’standing where it does not belong—let
the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the
mountains. 15 Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the
house to take anything out. 16 Let no one in the field go back
to get their cloak. 17 How dreadful it will be in those days
for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 18 Pray that this will
not take place in winter, 19 because those will be days of
distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and
never to be equaled again. 20 “If the Lord had not cut short
those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has
chosen, he has shortened them. 21 At that time if anyone says
to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe
it. 22 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and
perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 23 So
be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.
Probably the most important thing to remember is that the world’s future is in God’s hands, and the world as we know it will
only pass away when God intervenes to bring it to an end.
Jesus said, “Such things must happen, but the end is still to
come” (Matthew 24:6).
What will the end be like? For one thing, it will be sudden and
unexpected—and most people will be unprepared. Just as in the days of Noah’s
flood, a catastrophe will suddenly overtake the earth—and then it will be too
late to turn to God.
The good news is, we need not need fear that day if we know
Christ.
And when Jesus does come again, all the evils of this world will
be destroyed and Jesus Christ will rule over a new world in perfect peace and
justice. We can barely imagine this, but it gives us hope for a better world.
If
we knew for certain exactly when Christ was going to come again we might be
tempted to stop doing the work God wants us to do.
Christ’s promise is clear: Some day He will come again in glory
and power, and all the evil and rebellion and injustice of this present world
will come to an end. That day is closer now than it has ever been before.
