The end is near
September 6, 2007
By Greg Ebie
Most of us have probably seen caricatures of prophets of doom and destruction wearing some placard emblazoned with, “Repent, the end is near!”
Nearly 2,000 years have passed since the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Since our Lord’s ascension into heaven, believers have been anticipating His second coming, the judgment of the living and the dead, the ultimate battle between good and evil, the wrath of God upon sin, a new heaven and a new earth — need I go on? Christians really are looking for the end of the world as we know it.
I am looking forward to that day. I really believe the end is near, that the final chapter of human history is being written before our eyes. Sooner, not later, Christ will come again. The righteous will be with Him forever in heaven; the unrighteous will endure eternal torment in hell.
But Christians have believed this for centuries. I guess that’s why the caricature of the prophet often seems so comical. Isn’t that what people around us think about the church?
Still others would claim Christ has already come, that we are living now in the Day of the Lord. All that remains is for us to establish His kingdom (as though God needs our help). Such misunderstanding and rumors have been around for a long time.
“Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come” (2 Thessalonians 2:1,2, NIV).
Don’t let yourself be lulled to sleep or, worse, deceived by false prophets. When Jesus returns to gather us to be with Him we won’t miss it if we are looking for His coming. Stay alert because the end is …
D. Greg Ebie is senior pastor of Praise Assembly of God in Garrettsville, Ohio, and an author of Daily Bread devotionals.
“Opportunities for international churches in major cities such as Padua are limitless. ‘What we see are 30 or 40 different nationalities in our backyard right now,’ says Steve. ‘I don’t have to go to Africa to minister to Africans. I don’t need to go to Russia to minister to Russians. There are thousands of them right here.”
“ICF Padua: Confronting Secularism and Superstition in Northern Italy,” Ken Horn
TPE World Missions Edition, September 2, 2007
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