Of the Ending

On a recent summer afternoon my ten year old grandson Liam was using my desktop computer. Since Liam is autistic, I always make sure to look over his shoulder to see what he is up to on my computer. I have no fear that he will go where he should not on the internet, but rather I am always entertained both by his amazing computer skills and curious about just what he is creating. There is also the minor concern of having a forty page document printed in living colour at any given moment. He has no concept of the word “frugal”. On this day I came downstairs in time to see a one page document of three cartoon characters coming out of the printer. I did not recognize the modern day characters, so I asked him to name them. As he did so, I read the title that he had typed in bold letters at the bottom of the sheet. I was frankly very surprised to read the following words:

“All the world of the ending June 2011.”

It took me a moment to realize that he has become aware of the so much discussed “end of the world” theory that suggests that the earth is doomed on Dec. 21, 2012. As I so often do before or during my writing, I did some research and discovered, to my amazement, no less than twenty-nine theories that claim the world will be consumed by an apocalyptic event on Dec. 21, 2012. These vary from the predictions of Roman oracles, the Mayan calendar, the writings of Nostradamus, ancient Egyptian prophecy and even predictions supposedly based on the Book of Revelation in the Bible. I was dumbfounded. It is no wonder that it is easy to overhear young people discussing what a recent movie portrayed may come true. I have even heard reports of otherwise responsible adults who are actually running up excessive debts that they are sure they won’t have to repay after the Winter Solstice of 2012.

My research trip to “end of the world” websites left me exhausted and dizzied by the nonsense I read. The Bible makes it crystal clear what comes next in God’s plan. We are also clearly informed that we cannot and will not know when that event will happen. For the record, references to the end of the earth and the skies above it as we know them are mentioned in Matthew 24: 35, 2Peter 3: 10 -13 and Revelation 20:11. There is absolutely no indication in these verses as to when this dissolution will happen. I share the opinion of most scholars that the dissolution of the heavens and earth will come long after Jesus comes to reign on earth. We find the words that inform us what is to happen next in Matthew 24: 36-42.

36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.

37 "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

38 "For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,

39 "and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

40 "Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left.

41 "Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.

42 "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.

Jesus is referring not to the cataclysmic end of the earth, but to his return to earth in order to take His church (those who believe), both living and dead to Heaven. This is often referred to as The Rapture or The Second Coming. The horrendous descriptions of apocalyptic events in The Book of Revelation take place in the seven years following the return of Jesus. This is referred to as The Tribulation which is indeed not the "end of the world".

I thank God for the grounding that His holy Word provides. As I hold up the nonsense of “end of the world” thinking against the stable template that is the Bible, I can clearly discern the truth. We should indeed prepare for the return of our Lord and Saviour and we can never know when that much awaited event is going to be. The rest of the man made misinformation and hysteria we can ignore, as I am sure that is exactly what my grandson, in his quiet, isolated and non-communicated wisdom, is doing.

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