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TV Program
Somewhere behind the noise of everyday life, the human race can hear the sound of a great cosmic clock that with every tick sounds the warning that yet another moment has come and gone forever. The passage of time might be completely meaningless, except for the fact that we all have this collective sense that history is actually headed somewhere, and one day it is all going to come to an end.
Check the records of human civilization and I think you’ll see what I mean. Almost without exception, the civilizations of yesterday had this uneasy feeling that the world was going to end. The ancient Zoroastrians, for example, predicted the end of the world—a time when the planet would be cleansed by fire and the human race would face a day of judgment.
The Norsemen, with their colorful and awe-inspiring mythology, predicted a time when three harsh winters—with no summers in-between—would start a battle of the gods known as Ragnarok. At that time, violent earthquakes would shake the planet and the sun, moon and stars would disappear. The earth would be plunged into bitter darkness, followed by a resurrection from the dead in everlasting paradise.
Then you have the stories of the Hindus, who have predicted the end of something they call Kali Yuga, which is the last of four ages for planet Earth. When time runs out, they say the final avatar of Vishnu will appear, carrying a flaming sword and riding a white horse.
Moving to South America, the Mayans also had an end-of-the-world prediction, although not in a traditional sense. Their prediction isn’t exactly a product of mythology, but more the product of their version of science way back when. You see, the Mayans had a remarkably accurate calendar that continues to amaze modern timekeepers with a precision that defies its antiquity.
Somehow, without the benefit of modern calculus and physics, the Mayans managed to keep track of astronomical events with mind-numbing accuracy, including things like planetary eclipses. What kind of spooks a lot of people, however, is the fact that the Mayan calendar comes to an abrupt end in December 2012. After that, according to the Mayans, there is nothing else. It is almost like they didn’t expect the planet to go on past that date.
So let me ask you an important question: Why is it that the whole human race has this not-so-funny feeling it is not going to last forever? Today it is not the mythology of ancient people that continues the tradition; it is the cries of radical environmentalists and anti-globalization advocates. But the message is still the same— somehow and sometime, this world is going to end.
During the tensions of the Cold War, our theaters were full of movies that predicted a nuclear Armageddon. From message-laden comedies like “Dr. Strangelove” to dozens of other films that predicted nuclear meltdowns or maniacal world leaders actually foolish enough to push that big red button. Then when the Berlin Wall came down and the Cold War came to an end, our focus shifted from the missile silos of the developed world to an impending crisis in the environment that threatens to wipe out life as we know it.
No matter how you slice it, it looks as if we just can’t shake this feeling that there really is a finish line in human history, and maybe we have cause to feel that way, because even though the apocalyptic visions of human thinkers have almost always proven to be wrong. There is one source of information that has never proven to be wrong, and it says that the world as we know it is definitely going to end. That source is the Bible.
This book has been so remarkably accurate so many times that skeptics choose to think a lot of it was actually written after the events had come to pass. “How could Daniel get so much right?” they ask. “He couldn’t possibly be the author of the book of Daniel, because only someone who lived after the fact could possibly get it right.”
The problem with the skeptics is that they completely discount the existence of a God who intervenes in the history of this world. They refuse to believe that someone out there can actually see the end from the beginning, but that is exactly how Daniel did it.
We know that the book of Daniel was written well before the events it describes, because God’s people have had it in their possession throughout the fulfillment of all those events. And if there is one thing that is clear in the hundreds, actually thousands, of prophecies all throughout the Bible, the world as we know it is not going to last forever. Take, for example, this stunning passage found in the writings of Peter (2 Peter 3:10-13):
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”
Now somebody might argue that this is just doom and gloom, or that Peter is simply reflecting the apocalyptic tone that a lot of writers had under the Roman occupation. But the fact is that out of thousands of predictions, the Bible has never yet been wrong. It makes me want to take this seriously, and then the fact that the subject of the Second Coming of Christ and the end of the world is one of the most talked about subjects in the Bible, well, that makes me think that God is trying to tell us something. Maybe it is true that this planet doesn’t really last forever.
To some people, that might seem a little frightening, but let’s stop and think about this carefully. If you read what the Bible actually says, you quickly discover that God isn’t destroying this world as some kind of a vendetta against the human race. He is actually doing it for our own good. Pay attention carefully to the words that we read just a moment ago and I think you’ll see what I mean. Let me read part of it again (2 Peter 3:12-13):
“Looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”
Did you see it? The end objective is not a ruined planet. It is a brand new place to live. In effect, Peter is saying, “Listen. There is going to be a bit of a bump along the way, but God is building us a place where we don’t have to live with the sort of pain and suffering we live with now.
So does that mean the destruction of this planet is actually for our own good? Absolutely. Listen to the words of the Old Testament prophet in Nahum (Nahum 1:9):
“What do you conspire against the Lord? He will make an utter end of it. Affliction will not rise up a second time.”
I don’t know about you, but that little passage kind of makes me do a double take. Is it possible that from time to time I’ve had wrong thoughts about God? I mean, when things go wrong and life gets tough, am I tempted to think that God doesn’t care? And when this world throws its absolute worst at me, am I guilty of failing to notice that God is actually allowing and using those moments to help me grow?
You know, sometimes we can be really narrow-minded, especially when it comes to our evaluation of God as our heavenly Father. We are tempted to think that because tough times come, God has somehow shirked his duty or He doesn’t care. Or worse yet, we think that God is making mistakes. But what if the things that God allows are actually for our good? Don’t forget what it says in Hebrews chapter 12 (Hebrews 12:5-7):
“And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: ‘My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.’ If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a Father does not chasten?”
Now, I want to be careful before someone gets the wrong idea. Just because someone is having a tough go of it doesn’t mean that God is necessarily punishing them, and the story of Jesus curing the blind man should forever put that idea to rest. If you remember it, the disciples asked Him, “Lord, whose sin is this guy paying for?” And without batting an eyelash, Jesus said, “This has nothing to do with his sins or his parents’ sins. My Father allowed this so that this man gets the chance to see God at work in his life.” And the same thing is true for you.
The Bible says that if God is your Father and your Father loves you, He is going to correct you once in a while. He is going to do what it takes to shape your character. For the blind man, it took the healing of his eyes to get his attention. For you it might be something else. But every bit of it only goes as far as it needs to in order to mold your character and help you grow.
So the fact that tough times are ahead of us shouldn’t discourage us one bit. All that stuff in the book of Revelation that Hollywood producers love to make horror movies out of isn’t there to scare you out of your wits. The prophet Nahum reminds us that God has a purpose in mind. In the language of the old King James Bible, he says (Nahum 1:9):
“What do you conspire against the Lord?”
In other words, why do you automatically believe the worst about God when tough times come? And then he reminds us that God has a plan (Nahum 1:9):
“He will make an utter end of it. Affliction will not rise up a second time.”
Now that is one of the most important concepts you’ll find anywhere in the Bible; we are not simply headed for catastrophe. It is not meaningless. God has a plan. The end of time isn’t just about burning up this world, it is about building a new one, and instead of shaking in fear or imagining the worst, we should be excited. We actually have a God who cares enough to set things right. He is not happy to watch us suffer this way forever. He can’t stand the thought of us merely seeking out an existence on a planet spoiled by sin.
There is this passage in the book of Revelation that directly ties to the final moments of this world’s history, and in particular, it speaks to the people who are living as the final crisis begins to break. Now, even though I’ve read this passage on a lot of other programs, let me share it with you once again, because I want you to see something really important (Revelation 18:1-4):
“After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, ‘Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.’ And I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.’”
It is a final message to planet Earth. It is bold. It is strong and it is universal, and when you slow down long enough to read this passage carefully, something begins to surface that you might never have noticed before. This is not just a matter of God serving the human race—it is an eviction notice. He is actually calling us out like a worried Father outside of a house fire, calling out for his children.
Do you know what this passage tells me? It tells me that when God looks down on our world today, He is not at all happy with what He sees. The further this planet sinks into the sewer of sin and suffering, the more the heart of God becomes restless for something better. As God watches natural disasters mount on top of natural disasters, from the tsunami of Asia to the hurricane that wiped out New Orleans and Biloxi, God knows in His heart that there is nothing at all natural about a natural disaster. That is not the way God made this planet.
“So come out of her,” He says, “You don’t want to stay in that place forever.”
And then, when God sees new diseases like SARS or the Bird Flu incubating in some of the poorest regions on earth, He knows what kind of fear that is going to strike in the human heart, and He also knows that you and I were not created for fear. In fact, God still remembers the first time Adam had to hide in the bushes because of his sins, his heart thumping wildly with fear. That must have broken God’s heart because He didn’t make us that way.
When babies are abducted in Missouri or drugs are being sold on the playgrounds of America, and modern entertainment threatens to rob our children of the innocence and the childhood they were supposed to have, it must bring tears to the eyes of God. He must feel sick to His stomach, because that is not what our children were meant for. They are not supposed to be a source of pain. They were given to us for joy.
And so, in the book of Revelation, God looks down on a war-riddled, crime-infested, pollution-choked, disease-threatened planet—sinking deeper and deeper into the swamp of sin. He suddenly stands up and He makes us a promise. Another angel comes down from heaven, having great power, and the whole earth is lightened with the brightness of His glory.
So what exactly does that mean? In the final moments before Jesus comes, after all that stuff you read in Revelation 13, God says there is going to be this final push, a final movement that takes the name of Jesus to every last corner of the planet. There is going to be a powerful worldwide movement that calls the world back out of its misery, and the heart of God will not rest until everyone has heard. With the loudest voice in the history of the Christian church, God’s people are going to call the world off a sinking ship, out of a place that the Bible calls spiritual Babylon.
Let me ask you a critical question: How many people do you suppose God would like to have in the kingdom of heaven? How many people is He hoping to rescue from the sinking ship called planet Earth? The answer is found in that same passage from Peter that we read just a moment ago. It says (2 Peter 3:9):
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
What Peter is saying almost leaves you gasping for breath as you try to contemplate just how much God loves you. He is actually willing to wait. He is willing to postpone the Second Coming if it means just one more person might make it off the sinking ship. How many people would God like to have in the kingdom of heaven? Absolutely everybody.
You know, when I see where everything is headed and I balance the parts of the Bible that talk about tough times coming with the parts that speak about the love of God, I say bring it on. If that is what it takes to get rid of suffering forever, you can sign me up. If that is what it takes to end up in the presence of God Himself, then let’s just get on with it.
The good news of the Bible is that God is not going to allow us to suffer forever. At some point, He is going to pull the plug and start all over. And quite frankly, that is exactly what I want Him to do. It is just that at this point, God is still waiting to see what you are going to do, because the thought of a new world without you is something less than heaven for God.
A.M. Hunter, the New Testament scholar, tells the story of a dying man who paid a visit to the doctor. He knew his time was short and that it was just a matter of months until he lost his life.
Patient: “Listen Doctor, I don’t have a whole lot of time left before I’m headed for the grave. Tell me something about what happens after that.”
Doctor: “Did you hear that? That is my dog scratching at the basement door. I left him downstairs, but he is not happy down there, because he knows I’m up here, and so he came to the top of the stairs just to listen for my voice. And to tell the truth, the dog has no idea what is on the other side of the door. All he knows is that this is where I am, and if you look into your heart, you’ll find exactly the same thing. You really don’t know what to expect, but you know your master is waiting on the other side of the grave.”
And you know something? That is exactly what it is like with last-day events. The Bible gives us amazing details, but we are not really going to know exactly what to expect until it happens. Even Jesus said that prophecy is not so much about predicting the future as it is about knowing that God is in charge when we see things begin to happen.
So if you remember nothing else about last-day events at this moment, you should remember this. Listen carefully to your heart. There is a nail-scarred hand that knocks on the door asking if you are ready to let Him in. “Listen,” Jesus says, “I’ve gone through the worst crisis you can imagine and now I’m standing on the other side, and if you’ll only trust Me, you are going to find that you have nothing to worry about.”
You know, there is one more passage of Scripture I want to leave you with today, because it is one of my favorites. Again, it is not the first time I’ve read this passage on the program, and I really doubt it is going to be the last time. The reason I love it is because it shows us exactly what God has in mind. Now listen to this from the book of Revelation (Revelation 21:1-5):
“Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear form their eyes; there shall be no more death, no sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no pain, for the former things have passed away.’ Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ And He said to me, ‘Write, for these words are true and faithful.’”
Let me ask you one more time. Today, are you willing to take that step of faith that says “Yes, Lord, sometimes the horizon looks pretty dark, but I’m going to trust that you know what you are doing and I’m going to believe that you are bringing me home”?
Would you like to know for sure, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that when tough times come, you are going to be okay? Would you like to have someone you can trust, whom you can lean on in those dark moments?
Why don’t we pray together?
PRAYER:
Father in heaven, sometimes our tendencies are to write off prophecy as doom and gloom when in fact it is the best news we’ve ever seen, and like the Apostle John, today, we send up our prayers. Come quickly, Lord Jesus, and when you come, we long to be ready for you. Take our hearts and mold them after Jesus. For we ask it in His precious name, Amen.
Scriptures Used in “Crossing Earth's Finish Line”
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”
—2 Peter 3:10-13
“What do you conspire against the Lord? He will make an utter end of it. Affliction will not rise up a second time.”
—Nahum 1:9
“And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: ‘My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.’ If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a Father does not chasten?”
—Hebrews 12:5-7
“After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, ‘Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.’ And I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.’”
—Revelation 18:1-4
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
—2 Peter 3:9
“Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear form their eyes; there shall be no more death, no sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no pain, for the former things have passed away.’ Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ And He said to me, ‘Write, for these words are true and faithful.’”
—Revelation 21:1-5