Hello and welcome. The Bible clearly teaches that there will be an end of the world. This teaching is found in many parts of the Bible. For instance, it says in 2 Peter 3:10-13:
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
This is typical of many statements in the Bible. God has not tried to hide this information. He has made it abundantly clear and plain that due to man’s sin and his fallen corrupt nature, the Lord will bring judgment on man and also on the whole creation by destroying it. Then God will speak and create a new heaven and a new earth where He, the Lord God, will dwell with His people forevermore.
This is what the Bible teaches. As a result, God commands mankind not to love the world, not to get too attached to the things of this world; but rather, have our hearts, our desires, and our affections on things above. May our treasure be in Heaven and not on this earth.
The reason for this is because the earth will not last forever. Mankind only spends a few short years here on this earth as it is. During the best of circumstances, a man may live seventy or eighty years. Of course, there are some who live more and some who live less. But generally, a man may live this length of time and then that will be it and anything he enjoyed in this life will be taken from him.
This is why God tells us to go to Him and to beseech Him for mercy that we might find grace and that we might be given the gift of eternal life, which is life that is real life, genuine life, a life that is not but for a short moment. It is a life that is forever and ever.
The Bible has always told its reader, mankind, that this day would come. This has always been a promise of God’s, and all of God’s promises do come to pass. They are fulfilled; therefore, there must be a time when this would be fulfilled. There must be a time when there would be a last generation upon this earth. There must be a people who would be born during a time when they would not be able to experience a life like the life of their fathers or their fathers before them. This is because in their time, it would be the end.
After hearing information from the Bible that May 21, 2011 will be the date of the Rapture and Judgment Day itself, some people say, “Well, it is not fair! Why now? Why during my lifetime? Why during this generation?”
We have to realize, of course, that, first of all, God does not owe any person anything. We are not owed anything in this world by God. However, God does give us wonderful blessings. Whether we are saved or unsaved, He sends the rain on both. People enjoy the good things of this life, whether they are saved or unsaved. Yet God is not obligated. It is not His duty to provide these things. God is under no duty to grant a long and joyous life, full of riches and comforts, to anyone. God does not owe any man or woman or child this kind of a life.
As we look at the history of the world, we actually need to keep in mind that there have been many people, untold millions or tens of millions or more, who have lived on this earth. Throughout the generations of the history of this world, they have died at a young age for different reasons. In many cases, it was due to a disease of some sort, especially if a plague overtook a city or a land. Sometimes it was due to poverty and starvation, which is still continuing today. Or it could be due to war. Man’s inhumanity to his fellowman still exists. All sorts of people have had their lives cut short for one of these reasons, as well as others.
This being so, did God unfairly treat them? We know that all things are according to the will of God. He is the One who allows certain events to take place. We know that He is the God who is in control of all circumstances. So were they shortchanged in any way because they died as a child or because they died as a young man in battle? Did God do wrong?
Of course not! No, God did not do wrong. We could never say that a person has been wronged by God, no matter what the circumstances. We have to keep in mind that God does not owe you or me or anybody else anything. We have to remember that we have all fallen into sin and that we have all rebelled against God. Therefore, is God obligated in any way to ensure that each rebel lives a long and pleasurable and prosperous life, even though they are in sin? No! Absolutely not!
Just think of a kingdom wherein some of the subjects to the king rebelled against the king and did not want to serve him or to obey him or to do his bidding. Instead, they violently rebel. It would be ridiculous for us to think that the king needs to keep them comfortable during their rebellion. Of course not! This would not be reasonable. There is not a king on earth who would feel any obligation to such subjects who are so rebellious against him.
Once again, the Bible has always warned mankind that there would come an end to this world. Therefore, there must be an end-time generation, a generation who never reach their completion, mothers whose children are never able to grow up, teenagers who are never able to enter college, college students who are never able to enter their desired profession, and elderly people who are never able to enjoy their retirement.
This is the way that it must be for the last generations of man upon this earth, and it so happens that we are that last generation. If we read what the Bible says, we will see that we do qualify. The Bible tells us that before God destroyed the world of Noah’s day, He took account and saw that the thought of man’s heart “was only evil continually.” Also, before He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, the Lord saw the wickedness of those cities.
What about our generation? Can we say to God, “Oh God, it is not fair for You to destroy us. Look at how faithful we are. Look at how we desire to obey You. Look at how we lift up the Bible and want to do all that is found therein.”
No. This certainly does not describe our generation. In our generation, there are nearly seven billion people upon this earth, all in sin. Much of the world is going their own way and desiring sinful and evil things like never before in the history of the world. We definitely qualify as the end-time generation.
Well, it is upon us. The time is now. There will be no more generations of man. Therefore, may each one of us look at our own lives. If we need to mourn for days that will never come for our families and our children, then let us mourn and get it out of the way. Go as Jephthah’s daughter went. For a couple of months, she went up and down the mountain bewailing her virginity because she heard the news that her father had to offer her as a sacrifice. Her life was coming to an end.
We also can mourn because it is as though we have gone to the doctor and the doctor has confirmed that, yes, we have but a short time to live. Therefore, may you and may I and may each one of us look at ourselves and our lives and not continue to feel sorry for ourselves that we cannot continue to live in this world. Instead, may we go to God and beseech Him for eternal life, for that life that goes on into eternity future without end and is the greatest of all things imaginable. May we go to the Lord that He might have mercy upon us at this time.