The End of the World Part 1
Dear Friends,
The biblical signs are of the end of the world are being fulfilled worldwide. Israel is in heir land once again; the church is experiencing an apostasy that it has never previously known. The world itself is hardened strongly in its sin; and evil is done commonly that would not have been conceivable just a few short years ago. Certainly there is little doubt that one day very soon this world will end. This study is going to look at the Scriptures and see what they have to say regarding that terrible day.
EATING, DRINKING, AND MARRYING
The Bible is very clear that this world is going to continue on with business as normal up until the day that the Lord Jesus Christ returns. God tells us about this day in the gospel of Matthew, chapter 24:
37) But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. 38) For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the Ark. 39) And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.
The day of the Lord is going to shock unsaved mankind. The world is going to enter into the last day of its existence in much the same way that the world of Noah's day behaved before the flood came and "took them all away". The word "away" is an interesting word: we find it used a couple of chapters earlier in Matthew, chapter 22:
12) Then he saith unto him, friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
13) Then said the king to the servants, bind him hand and foot, and TAKE HIM AWAY, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
We see here that to be taken away is language that is actually describing being cast off into hell. Also, the same word is used in the crucifixition account of Christ in the 19th chapter of the gospel of John:
15) But they cried out, AWAY WITH HIM, AWAY WITH HIM, crucify Him.
Christ was taken away. He was taken away into the lower parts of the earth in order that He might pay the penalty of eternal damnation in its fullness.
The amazing thing about God is that He sees the final day of this earth's existence as though it had already happened. God looks into the not too distant future and sees billions of people busy about the things of this world. Children will be occupied with their learning: parents will be occupied with their jobs: all our deeply concerned about their own personal pleasure. Solomon declared vanity of vanities all is vanity. The fact that this
world has an end is what makes the pursuits of this life vain. How vain and empty it is to watch TV or to spend countless hours on the internet; but on that final and last day of a life at ease---how terribly vain will it be to be found sitting on your couch with the remote control in your hand as the world is destroyed around you. Vanity of vanities: how vain it will be to be looking at the stock market page and planning on how you intend to spend your retirement income 5, or 10, or 15 years in the future. On that most awful of days the truth of the parable of the rich man in Luke 12 will be realized the world over:
18) And he said, this will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
19) And I will say to my soul, soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, EAT, DRINK, AND BE MERRY.
20) But God said unto him, thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
21) So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
O vanity of vanities: the great day of the Lord has come; and who shall abide His wrath? How vain it will be to be found having your mind ON the things of the world on that day. Your thoughts on sports, on movies, on video games: what will they profit on the day of Christ's return and the end of the world?
May the Lord richly bless you before that day,
Chris McCann
End of the World Study #2
Dear Friends,
The day is fast approaching when the detailed descriptions of the world's end that we read about in the Bible will be a reality. The visible things of this world will be destroyed and mankind will suffer the loss of all things.
THE DAY WHEN THE WORLD LOSES ALL THINGS
Let's turn to the Bible and hear the words of God as He gives us His first hand account of what will transpire at the end of the world. Go to the gospel of Mark, chapter 13:
24) But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
25) and the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
26) And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
The wonderful universe that God has designed is gone. It will be rolled up as a scroll. An even more frightening description is given in the epistle of 2 Peter: there we read in chapter 3:
10) 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.
11) Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved,........
Mankind has been often reproved. And on the last day he will suddenly be destroyed; and that without remedy. Picture yourself as an unsaved person: there you are washing your
clothes: or taking a nap: or driving to church; and then suddenly somewhere in this world God graciously saves the last one of His elect; and now the end comes. The end is entirely independent of your wants and wishes. The end comes even though you are currently studying in school. The end of the world comes even though you are about to finally marry after years of engagement. The end comes even though you have not yet repented of that nagging on-going sin problem that has bothered you for years. The end comes even though you feel that you are not quite ready for the end.
O how terrible it will be as the world itself is taken away from you. The world that you have loved; the world that you have lusted after for countless days: the world where you stockpiled all your treasures has now been destroyed. God warned you that gaining the whole world was nothing when compared with losing your own soul:
MK 8:36 "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
Now the time has come when you must suffer the loss of all things: we read about the sadness of mankind in Revelation, chapter 18, as he watches God remove his possessions from out of his hands:
11) And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
13) And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots,and slaves, and souls of men.
14) And THE FRUITS THAT THY SOUL LUSTED AFTER ARE DEPARTED FROM THEE, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them NO MORE AT ALL.
19) And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! For in one hour is she made desolate.
Christ has returned! Man is now stripped of everything that this world had to offer. Picture it if you can: the world and universe is destroyed with intense heat. The very ground under your feet is consumed with fervent fire and melted. The sky above you, as deep as the universe went itself is no more. The sun is darkened. The moon is not giving her light. The stars have fallen from the heaven; and the heaven itself has been rolled up as a scroll.
But you still exist. The world is destroyed; but there you are sinner: with soul and body still intact. Somehow, God is suspending your very being and the being of countless others in a timeless, spaceless temporary existence. It is only temporary because you are now in that awkward intermediate state of waiting for God to pronounce the final judgment and cast you into hell forevermore. There you are sinner with all of your sins naked and open before Him with whom you now have to do. You are also physically naked; since your clothing was also part of the things of the world; and it is guaranteed that we can take nothing out of this world.
No doubt in a maddening frenzy, your mind will be working quickly as you prepare yourself now to meet your God. The fear that has always been present deep down in your heart as you lived your life will burst to the surface as you tremble in the presence of God Almighty. Any excuses or poorly contrived reasons will vanish away as you find yourself in the presence of a being you had only heard about before; but now your own eyes will see Him in all HIs brilliant splendor. The brightness and glory of His being will silence your mouth: see Romans, chapter 3:
19b)....that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
Do you see yourself dear friend? Naked spiritually, naked physically, silent, and awaiting the judgment that is sure to be pronounced against you without mercy. What an awful awful judgment it will be! You are going to be judged to spend an eternity in hell: your judgement will be final. There will be never forgiveness. No, not to the eternity.
Do yo see yourself there? God does. Turn to the 20th chapter of Revelation:
12) And I SAW THE DEAD, SMALL AND GREAT, STAND BEFORE GOD; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
God knows who will be there. But we at this point do not. Therefore, it is with great urgency that God through the Bible beseeches you: "...be ye reconciled to God."
"...behold, NOW is the accepted time; behold, NOW IS THE DAY OF SALVATION."
May the Lord richly bless you before that day come,
Chris McCann
The End of the World #3
Dear Friends,
THE EXPERIENCE OF JUDGMENT
Your time has come my friend. The longsuffering patience of God towards mankind and their sinful rebellion has run out: God's longsuffering patience to you in particular has also run its full course. The Lord Jesus Christ shall sit on the judgment throne of God in all of His glory. God will no longer hide any part of His glory as He did with Moses. See Revelation, chapter 20:
12) And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: AND THE DEAD WERE JUDGED out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
There you are in the presence of Almighty, everlasting God. How awful it must be for a sinner who loves the darkness of his sins to be exposed to the Light of the world in Person. How horrible it must be for ones who loveth and maketh a lie to be forced to appear in the face of God: in order that absolute truth be revealed about their rebellious life. How fearful beyond belief is it for finite beings to be confronted finally by an infinite God. O my pitiful friend, you have only heard about Him by the ear; but now you exist in His very presence. The Husbandman has returned to His vineyard. The Lord on the far journey has come to reclaim His goods. It is the day of reckoning. It is the day of vengeance; and vengeance belongs unto the Man (the law of God) whose wife has played the harlot. Who can imagine the tremendous presence of Almighty God? The man Moses was ever so slightly in His presence and his face began to shine. That reflective glory was too much for the sinful Israelites to handle. Moses was forced to cover his face: see Exodus, chapter 34:
33) And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face.
Who can imagine the brilliance of God as He sits upon the throne of judgment: judging the mass of mankind? The great multitude of believers also being with Him. The believers will also be as a blinding light (being equipped with their new resurrected bodies); the whole company of God's elect now gathered together as one will judge the world with Christ. Think of the longsuffering rage that God has kept reserved until the fullness of this very time? Think of the enormous power of the wrath that surely is to be poured out upon you. Yes you! Go to Psalm 90:
11) WHO KNOWETH THE POWER OF THINE ANGER? Even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.
The time has finally come! Judgement is here! The Hand of God is being stretched out towards you sinner. What will you do? Will you fight against God? Will you plead for mercy even though God has sworn that that day is a day of judgement without mercy. Will you lift yourself up in the stoutness of your heart and cry that it is not fair? Will you dare to strike your tiny little fist out in anger against the infinite God who is about to take your whole being---both body and soul---and cast you away into the blackness of darkness forever? Poor, poor, friend, go to Ecclesiastes, chapter 8:
6) Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man is great upon him.
7) For he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be?
8) There is NO MAN THAT HATH POWER OVER THE SPIRIT TO RETAIN THE SPIRIT; neither hath he POWER IN THE DAY OF DEATH: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.
None of us of course, have the ability of keeping ourselves alive one moment longer than God wants us to be alive. We can eat right, exercise, and do everything healthy that we can think of; but nonetheless, none of our best efforts will ever stop God from removing the spirit from our body on the day of physical death. Likewise, neither does anyone have power in the day of death. The day of death is language pointing us to the day when God will once and for all judge mankind for their sins against Him. Will you stubbornly refuse to allow God to cast you into hell? What power does the grape have to protest against being thrown into the wine vat? Can the tares resist being bundled up and cast into the furnace?
CAST OFF
The righteous judgment of God is pronounced-------you are guilty! The penalty is clear: you must now spend an eternity in hell. Suddenly you will find yourself in the place that God has created especially for eternal punishment: you will find yourself in the pit of hell. In the heavenly glory I will not think of you; but now O my friend I pity you, O poor mother, O poor sister, O poor brother, O poor father, goodbye.........
May the Lord richly bless you before you find yourself standing there,
Chris McCann