How long do you think that the world is going to last? Is that something you’ve ever wondered about? You’ve probably heard the ‘gloom and doomers’ giving their dire predictions about the precarious position the earth finds itself in because of global warming, nuclear weapons in the hands of rogue nations, meteorites from outer space zooming close by, pandemics of infectious viruses mutating, natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, droughts and volcanic eruptions on the increase and brutal terrorism exacted by ideologues without conscience, to name a few.
Wow….that’s depressing, isn’t it? All of those things are really happening. And people are generally paying attention to this stuff but don’t know what to do about it and where it’s all headed. The average person you know often hopes that things will get better but deep down are somewhat unnerved by it all. What are the answers? Does anybody have a clue how to turn all of this around? Are these isolated catastrophic events or is there a connection to what’s taking place? The questions on people’s minds are endless and the answers are elusive for those who see the world as the centre of the universe with the capacity to eventually make everything better.
For those of us who follow Jesus, we actually do know the answer to these questions. We know that as bad as things are now, they are only going to get worse until the world as we know it will end. Only then will things begin to get better because a whole new order will be set in place that will never fade away and will thrive for eternity.
How do we know this? The Bible tells us that what’s happening now is all part of God’s plan. The unprecedented and catastrophic global occurrences are signs that the end of all things is near (1 Peter 4:7). These things have been predicted to happen during the days leading up to the second coming of Jesus Christ to earth. The eternal clock is ticking, the countdown is on. We are being warned to be ready for the Lord to return at any moment and to make every moment count until he does. We have important work to do for Christ and there are countless people all around us who still need to meet Jesus and put their trust in him.
This Sunday I will be talking about all of this reality and we will continue to discuss it the following Wednesday at CP1. To get prepared read 1 Peter 4:1-11 and think about how God instructs us to live practically as we watch the end time events unfold. Remember, we are ‘Transformed – Decidedly Different’. We are troubled by the way the world is falling to pieces but we don’t fear because we know Jesus and he is our foundation and hope and one day soon he is coming back to take us to be with him for good.
Let all of this encourage you so that you can encourage others. See you Sunday….
Pastor Del