There is no happy ending for this world. It doesn’t get to ride off into the sunset, and a hero doesn’t do something unexpected to save the day at the last possible moment. Art might imitate life often enough, but not in this case. If there is one word that encapsulates what the last days of the world will look like, it is cataclysmic. Chaotic would be another, but it fails to encompass the extent of what the Bible says will be.
Before we delve into the depths of what the Bible reveals
about the last days of the world, it's crucial to underscore a fundamental
truth: there exists a clear demarcation, a stark contrast, between the world
and its ungodly inhabitants, and the children of God, those who have been
redeemed, saved, and sanctified through Christ Jesus. This distinction is not
merely a matter of semantics but a profound reality that shapes our
understanding of the end times.
When we discuss the events leading up to the end of this
world, we often lump all of mankind into one giant stewpot and infer that
everyone will suffer the same fate. While the children of God will not be
spared the persecution of the ungodly, God’s covering and protection will extend
over them, sheltering them from harm as it was in the days of the plagues that
devastated Egypt in Moses’ time. Although they lived in Egypt, the people of
God were separate, inhabiting a place called Goshen, which did not experience
the same tribulations as the rest of the land.
It is important to remember this lest we become fearful of
what is to come or incorrectly conclude that the events of the last days will
affect us in like measure as those of the world. What the children of God will
have to contend with is persecution—a persecution the likes of which has not
been since the genesis of the church. But fear not, little flock; the Lord is
with you, and He is faithful. The Lord is with you, and He is able.
Let's be clear about the purpose of this study: it's not to
instill fear but to ignite hope. The Word of God, in its prophetic wisdom,
foretells the events leading up to the last days of the world. This divine
foresight not only confirms His omniscience but also assures us that He has
prepared a place of refuge and safety for all who live by faith and follow
after Him. His omniscience and omnipotence are simultaneously highlighted in
equal measure, and knowing what will be gives us the assurance that He has the
power, will, and ability to keep us through it. This is a message of hope, a
beacon of assurance in the midst of uncertainty. That is the second point I
wanted to make clear before we begin.
That place of safety is not some geographical location or
some as-yet-undiscovered desert island to which we will all make our way;
rather, our place of safety is in Him. If we are where God commanded us to be,
doing what He commanded us to do, we have nothing to fear. A thousand may fall
at our side, ten thousand to our right hand, but it shall not come near us.
Only with our eyes shall we look and see the reward of the wicked. Again,
Bible.
Psalm 91:7-8, “A thousand may fall at your side, and ten
thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. Only with your
eyes shall you look and see the reward of the wicked.”
Because there is a clear difference between the world and the
church, I thought it prudent to separate this teaching into two parts: what the
Bible says the last days of the world will be like and what the last days of
the church will resemble.
Much of what modern-day teachers and preachers hope to see in
these last days has no basis in the Word. While we’re pining for sweeping
revivals, the Bible tells us there will be a great falling away. While we’re
pining for peace and harmony with the godless, compromising the truth in the
hopes of getting to that envisioned utopia of coexistence, the Word tells us
the hatred, vitriol, and animus against the children of God will only grow and
intensify until it crescendos to a time where the just will live by faith, and
nothing else. Every safety net, everything we’ve taken for granted, all the
comforts and conveniences will be stripped away, and all we will have to
sustain us is faith. Hence, the reason it’s of paramount importance to build up
our most holy faith is that when those days come, we will not be shaken or
troubled in our spirits but walk boldly in Christ.
Notwithstanding the reality that nowadays, many practicing
physicians prescribe medicine their patients don’t need because they get a
kickback on the back end, they still took an oath to do no harm. They are oathbound
to diagnose a patient and give them the facts of their situation. Just because
it would hurt their feelings, a doctor cannot omit informing a patient of their
terminal diagnosis. They can’t pretend as though their patient isn’t long for
this world or that they have serious issues. Would they wish the situation were
different? Unless they were a sadist, the answer is a resounding yes. Nobody
likes to deliver bad news, but sometimes you have to. More often than not,
healing begins with confrontation. If we are never confronted with the reality
of the times we’re living in and what the future holds, we will never
prioritize the essentials necessary to withstand them.
I have gout. Other than my acerbic sense of humor, it’s the
one thing I inherited from my grandfather. Anyone with the misfortune of having
gout knows the mind-numbing pain it produces, and although I can’t verify it,
it has been compared with the pains of childbirth. Knowing what I had, it was
up to me to tweak my diet in such a way as to mitigate an attack. The choice
was mine to make, and since I’m no fan of excruciating pain, I made the
requisite changes. It’s been over a decade since I’ve had a debilitating gout
attack, not because I hoped I wouldn’t or battled it with positive thoughts,
but because I made the necessary changes.
Those tasked with preaching the gospel and rightly dividing the Word are accountable to an authority far greater than a medical board review. They are accountable to God for delivering the truth of the gospel and not attempting to circumvent, whitewash, or ignore the uncomfortable bits. They are there for a reason; if we ignore them, we do so to our peril.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea, Jr.
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