The End of the World?

Well, the world didn’t end on Saturday. I saw a post from a friend on Facebook that read: “To Harold Camping, don’t beat yourself up, dude. It’s not the END OF THE WORLD!” I had to LOL.

Can someone say, “False prophet”? If the man had actually read the Bible instead of trying to decipher some hidden code, he would have known that it clearly says no one knows when the end will come. The time of Christ’s return and the Day of God’s judgment are things not revealed to man.

Jesus told His followers that there would be certain signs that would point toward His coming, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven nor the Son, but the Father only” (Matthew 24:36).

And yes, we can look to see that the signs are evident all around us. Read through Matthew 24 for yourself. People who claim to be Christ will come and lead many astray (think David Koresh, the wacko from Waco who claimed to be the Messiah, and who has followers still believing that he’ll return from the dead). Wars and rumors of wars. Nation rising against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

We’re certainly seeing this happen in our day. Don’t you think the escalating tensions in world governments ought to tell us something? Don’t you think the increasing intensity and frequency of floods and tornadoes and earthquakes and famines ought to open our eyes to biblical prophecy?

These, Jesus says, are just the beginning of birth pains. There will be increasing tribulation for God’s people. Christians will be delivered up, put to death and hated by all nations for His name’s sake. Are you reading the reports of persecutions against the church in places like China and Saudi Arabia and Sudan and many others? The United States is hated by many countries because they see us as a Christian nation. Whether we are or not is an article for another day, I suppose.

Jesus also says many so-called believers will fall away during such persecution and betray one another. Many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. Lawlessness will increase and the love of many will grow cold. All these things will happen as the Day of the Lord approaches. We ought to recognize these signs and know that the end is near. But to predict a date is utter foolishnessness.

The point Jesus makes in explaining these things is that we must be ready! Since we don’t know when the end of the world will be, we must live our lives at all times being ready for Christ’s return. “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:44).

After Jesus rose from the dead, just before He ascended into heaven, His disciples wanted to know if this was the time He would restore the kingdom to Israel. Here’s His response: “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority” (Acts 1:7). In other words, He tells them not to be worrying or concerning themselves with the hidden things that belong to God alone. Instead, they needed to get on with the work they were given to do while there still was time. That work means living out the gospel of Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit for all the world to see.

So perhaps the question is: Are you ready for the return of Christ? If the world ended today, do you know that you would be saved from the wages of sin, which is death and hell? Do you have assurance of your eternal salvation? If Jesus came back today would He find you faithfully carrying out the mission He’s given you?

If not, you need to make things right before it’s too late. You can do that now by receiving God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ the Lord. “For by grace you have been saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8). Humble yourself before Him and plead for His mercy. Repent of your sins and receive His forgiveness by the blood of Jesus shed on the cross. Believe in His resurrection victory and yield your life to following after Christ as Savior and Lord.

The end of the world as we know it will come soon enough. “But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:13).