The End of the World… by Fire?

Proclaiming that the end of the world is near has now become an all consuming labor of the very opposites of theologians and religious devotees.  Agnostics, Scientists, Politicians, Survivalists, Educators, Atheists, most everyone thinks humanity is going to be consumed along with the planet in a grand barbecue!

It would seem the question framed by Robert Frost in his famous poem… of whether the world will end in fire or ice is no longer in dispute. LINK to the Frost poem… https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44263/fire-and-ice

How?  The world will soon end in fire, possibly the fire of the Pentagon’s and Kremlin’s “usable” nuclear weapons, creating a global firestorm that consumes everyone including planet earth. With that to look forward to, its no wonder people are so tense and difficult to get along with today. 

Like I said in my last article, being human is a messy business.  That’s so true when we think of the mess humans have made of planet earth.  However, the earth does not belong to us, it belongs to it’s creator, Almighty God.  He is well aware of our mistreatment of that which he entrusted to man to care, living on it’s surface in harmony with all its resources and bounty.  Genesis 1:26-28 says that “man” was given dominion to rule over creation, all living things, or caring for the earth God created and entrusted to mankind’s use.    Ecclesiastes 1:4 says the earth will abide forever.  In both passages we see that the creator controls the destiny of His creations, not mankind.

Those two passages have been security for me as I watch what has unfolded since my youth. Development of thermal nuclear weapons, polluting and misuse of earth’s natural resources, and the fear of what man could do in anger and rage with his destructive weapons.  I trust that God knows His creation and how much abuse it can endure.  His Word tells us how He will clean up the mess human’s have made and set humanity once again on a path to a better life.

The question stills haunts anyone who thinks about the end times… will the earth be burned up?  Will God use fire to perform His cleansing, does it mean total obliteration and consumption by fire?

Let’s start our discovery of what the Bible says about this fear…“[God] has founded the earth upon its established places; it will not be made to totter to time indefinite, or forever.” (Psalm 104:5).

The earth will not be destroyed, either by fire or by any other means. Instead, the Bible teaches that this planet is mankind’s eternal home. Psalm 37:29 says: “The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it.”—Psalm 115:16 says… The heavens belong to the Lord. But He has given the earth to the children of men. Isaiah 45:18 says…  This is what the Lord Who made the heavens, the God Who planned and made the earth, and everything in it and did not make it a waste place, but made it a place for people to live in, says, “I am the Lord, and there is no other.

After God created the earth, he said that it “was very good,” and he still feels that way. (Genesis 1:31) Far from planning to destroy it, he promises to “bring to ruin those ruining the earth”—and to protect it from permanent damage. Revelation 11:18 (NET version) speaks about the future of earth and those who have abused it and chosen not to live by Gods’s standards… the last part of vs 18 says… and the time has come[f] to destroy those who destroy[g] the earth.”

You may be wondering about 2 Peter 3:7. It verse says… the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.  Think about this passage but don’t over think it.  Accept that God is not deceptive or devious towards His loved creation… humanity.  However, He wants those who love Him to have the home and environment of peace He planned for humans from the beginning.  

Back to the verse… 2 Peter 3:7… does this not show that the earth will be burned up? This after all is the passage of scripture used by those who believe in a literal fire consuming the planet.  Actually, the Bible frequently uses certain terms like “heavens,” “earth,” and “fire” figuratively, in a symbolic way.

The context of 2 Peter 3:5-7 shows that what happens to the heavens, earth, and fire are symbolic for a cleansing process. Verses 5 and 6 draw a parallel with the Flood of Noah’s day. On that occasion, an ancient world was destroyed, yet the planet did not disappear. The earth was certainly reshaped by the global impact of flooding and erosion, but not in a negative way.   There was total removal of everything God decreed would by destroyed.  The Flood wiped out a violent society, or “earth” used symbolically, figuratively to refer to those facing God’s judgement. It also destroyed a kind of  “heavens” or the evil angels along with Satan the Devil who mixed with

humans and ruled over that earthly society. (Genesis 6:11) In the same way, 2 Peter 3:7 foretells the permanent destruction of wicked society and its corrupt governments in a way that eradicates the infectious polluting elements that harm God’s creation.  Fire cleanses anything it touches.  When used figuratively… it gives us a mental picture of something harsh, severe, total and complete.  

What’s next for those people who are not victims of the global cleansing or removal from the face of the earth?

The Bible says in 1 John 2:17…  The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

“The world” that is to pass away is not the physical earth, but the world of mankind whose lives are not in harmony with God’s will. Just as a surgeon might remove a cancerous tumor to save a patient’s life, God will “cut off” the wicked so that good people can truly enjoy life on earth. (Psalm 37:9) In that sense, “the end of the world” is a pretty good thing.

Such a positive view of  “the end of the world” is explicitly rendered as “the end of the age” in Matthew 24:3 NIV.  Since a portion of humankind and the entire earth survive the end, does it not seem reasonable that a new age begins? The Bible answer is clear, for it speaks of  changes to planet earth.  Luke 18:28-30 records Jesus’ promise to those who place their hope in a coming age… verses 28-30 says.. Peter said to him (Jesus), ‘We have left all we had to follow you!’

‘Truly I tell you,’ Jesus said to them, ‘no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come, eternal life.’

Jesus called that future period “the renewal of all things.” When he returns, he will restore humanity to the conditions that God originally intended. (Matthew 19:28, NIV) We will then enjoy

• A paradise earth with security and prosperity for all.—Isaiah 35:1; Micah 4:4.
• Work that is meaningful and satisfying.—Isaiah 65:21-23.
• The curing of all disease.—Isaiah 33:24.
• The reversal of aging.—Job 33:25.
• The resurrection of the dead.—John 5:28, 29.

If we live in harmony with the  “the will of God,” living in a manner that brings honor to Him, doing what he asks of us as outlined in the Bible, we need not fear the end of the world. 

Instead, we can look forward to it… Cry out daily in your prayers and supplications… Maranatha… Come Lord Jesus.  Make your plea to the risen Lord… a request that looks to the “end of all things” with the plea “Please come!”

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The End of this World… How and When (If) will it Come?

Being human is a very messy business.  There’s always something that makes life stressful, at times almost unbearable.  

Coronavirus is the latest scare to upset plans for a Disney vacation, or cruise to the Bahamas. Then there’s the doomsday watchers or the groups that believe the Mayan calendar or whatever it is, held the key to the end of the world as we know it. 

How did you feel about December 21, 2012, the date on the Mayan calendar that many said would bring worldwide change? Depending on what you expected, you were either relieved, disappointed, or indifferent like most of humanity. 

How about that well known preacher, radio evangelist, Harold Camping who predicted the world would come to an end on May 21, 2011.  It didn’t… we’re still here and Mr. Camping retired shortly after his failed prediction, leaving people with ruined lives who trusted what he said he could do… predict the end of the world.

Then there was the Oct. 7,  2015… a prediction made by the leader of eBible Fellowship that the world would come to an end… sometime that day. The leader recommended that everybody listen to his last-ever question-and-answer podcast because the founder really believed that Oct. 7 would be Earth’s last day. Surprise!  Oct. 8 came and the world was still here, and that religious leader that over-stepped a boundary of knowledge, had the unenviable task of explaining what had happened.

So, right now somewhere on this planet there’s a group of honest hearted people led by someone who believes that have read the Bible, been enlightened with special knowledge and found the answer to the end of the world.  Coronavirus will be the “pestilence” that will wipe out mankind.  It will surely be a worldwide pandemic, a pestilence like the Bible foretells, and all but a special group, albeit a small one defined by the leader doing the predicting who will be spared for the next life in paradise.

Still others fear the earth will be burned up by the super powers exchanging their nuclear bombs. Incineration of humanity!  Others believe we are killing ourselves by polluting the planet… an environmental eco-pocalytic end to mankind’s supremacy over the earth.  We will be consumed by green or maybe orangish yellowish goo that covers the planet!

Over the centuries there have been hundreds of failed predictions of Christ’s return and of course the myriad ways the earth and humanity will cease to exist, from fire to locusts covering the earth. People are fascinated by end-time scenarios. But others, and probably most of humanity, especially in the Christian world, have simply grown tired of being told that the end is near.

You know, when I listen to such news on the tube, I catch myself wondering, is this the time?  Hey, the Bible speaks of pestilence, maybe that’s what coronavirus will be, the bug that eats humanity!  Or maybe not.  

I recently read in a Wall Street Journal special report on the coronavirus, that there are more viruses on earth, right now, than there are stars in the heavens.  Wow! That sounds pretty cool, but how does anyone know that? Where did the scientist who said that find the viruses and how long did it take to count all the stars in the heavens? That would be a long and complicated project and math calculation to come to those conclusion.  It’s just hyperbole.  See, that’s the sort of thing that makes being human so messy.  Who can you trust?    

Okay, maybe I should get to the point… My question for anyone reading this today… what about “the end of the world” described in the Bible? (Matthew 24:3 KJV)  After all, there’s a lot of juicy descriptions of the things that will happen before Christ returns, enough to get you thinking seriously about it.  Or, just blow it all off as just 2,000 years of fiction and fantasy.

If you are not a student of the Bible, you might be surprised to learn what it really says about the end of the world. Not only does the Bible give reasons to look forward to the end, but it also acknowledges the frustration that can set in if the end seems to be overdue. 

Maybe its time to consider for the first time or review again what you’ve already read… the Bible’s answers to questions about the end of the world.

The Bible describes events and conditions that would mark the end of the current world, we can call the collective knowledge “the end times.”  Some religious groups refer to the human-control of earth, as a system of things, it all refers to the same thing… the end of the world. (Matthew 24:3; KJV) 

The Bible calls this time period “the last days” and the “time of the end,” or “end times.” (2 Timothy 3:1; Daniel 8: 19) The following are some outstanding characteristics of last-days, or end-times, prophecies:

Wars, multiple conflicts. —Matthew 24:7; Revelation 6:4.

Famine and hunger. —Matthew 24:7; Revelation 6: 5, 6.

Great earthquakes. —Luke 21:11.

Pestilences, or epidemics of “terrible diseases.” —Luke 21:11

Increase of crime. —Matthew 24:12.

Ruining of the earth by mankind. —Revelation 11:18.

Deterioration of people’s attitudes,—2 Timothy 3: 1-4.

Breakdown of the family. —2 Timothy 3: 2, 3.

Love of God growing cold in most people. —Matthew 24:12.

Noteworthy displays of religious hypocrisy. —2 Timothy 3:5.

Increased interest in Bible prophecies, including those related to the last days. —Daniel 12:4.

Global preaching of Christ. —Matthew 24:14.

Widespread apathy and even ridicule toward the evidence of the end. —Matthew 24:37-39; 2 Peter 3: 3, 4.

The simultaneous fulfillment of all these prophecies—Matthew 24:33.

Is humanity living in time that will see the return of Christ and “all things made new?” — Revelation 21:1-8

If you’re a Christian, even a nominal one,  and concerned about what’s happening in the world today, and you read your Bible, then you should at least wonder what it all means. If you clear your mind of all your prejudices, self-interest and see and hear with an open heart, you can’t help but see a battery of evidence that clearly suggests the answer is…Yes, we are living in the end times. 

Everyone of us have tried to read between the lines, read the tea leaves and figure out exactly what God will do and when it will happen.  Humans are curious creatures so we like to think we can figure things out, especially the big things like the end of the world. Another reason why being human is so messy.  We get ourselves in trouble focusing our energies on the wrong things.

We should be concerned with obeying Jesus and saving lives, bringing others to a life in Christ.  The the mission given to us, and our sharp focus should be on that mission. (Matthew 28:16-20). Jesus’ command to “give a thorough witness” compels us to warn others about the end of this world. Acts 10:42.

Jesus never left us with a mission to explain in detail how and when the end would come, but to proclaim Christ, Him,  and teach all those willing to listen and embrace Biblical truths as a way of living now.  Do not fear what is to come.  More important than focusing on when the end will come, we must be confident that it will come,  to “be prepared, to be ready” for when He does return.  

We should confidently trust the words of Habakkuk 2:3, which says: And then God answered: “Write this.  Write what you see.  Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run.  This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming. It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait.  And it doesn’t lie.  If it seems slow in coming, wait. It’s on its way. It will come right on time.

  

That’s it… that simple. YOU can experience the glorious things that await those who TRUST and BELIEVE in the PROMISES of GOD!  YOUR Choice.