Ready for the end? .......... Parables 660

March 21, 2000

Someone tipped the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms about terrorists making bombs. Whoever made the call was suspicious of an assortment of boxes and cartons being moved into the house next door, even sneaked in during the night. So the government raided this Washington, D.C. home, only to find an innocent family stockpiling supplies in fear of the millennium bug!

Fear causes strange reactions. Fear of computer glitches and the end of the world led many to overspending their budgets. Fear of unusual activities resulted in one neighbor calling the authorities. Fear of bombs and terrorists brought a reaction from a government agency who neglected to do their homework.

For now, fear of Y2K and worldwide catastrophes seems passe. We have been there and done that— but fear about the end of the world is another matter. Some people wonder if they will live out their lives before it happens or fear the worst for their children and grandchildren.

Dire predictions, fueled by crystal balls, doomsayers, Nostrademas and the Jeannie Dixon crowd, adorn the tabloids. For some, this puts this event into the realm of rumor and foolishness. If these questionable sources think the end is a real threat, it is easy to assume it is not.

Oddly, the Bible (hardly a tabloid) agrees that the world will end. Unlike those magazines though, it offers no spectacular date-setting, only a few clues about what to expect. For instance, it will come without warning like a thief and will be totally devastating: “The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.”

Rather than give dates, Scripture urges us to believe the end will definitely come. It challenges us not to be afraid, but rather to do something in preparation. If the end amounted to only a few power outages and supply shortages, a generator and extra food might be a good idea, but when everything is destroyed, what good is food or electricity? A full pantry and bomb shelter will not help us when this last event happens.

Neither will laughing it off. The Bible says some will do that as they mock end-time prophecies. Instead, we need to remember that God “is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

The only way to prepare for the end of the world is by turning to God, away from our own ideas and schemes. God offers to rescue us through faith, not food or hiding. He says, “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God. . . .”

People of faith live the way God wants them to live because they know that the end of this world is really not the end. All creation can be laid bare yet they know God will preserve them for eternity. They are trusting all His promises, including John 3:16.

People of faith and righteousness also know that God will create “a new heaven and a new earth” which He describes as “the home of righteousness.” They also know that without righteousness, it is impossible to please Him or enter His home.

Whatever other preparations a person might make for a calamity as great as the end of the world, the only ones that carry God’s guarantee of survival are repentance, faith, and righteousness.