Does It Really Matter How the World Ends?
Have you ever thought about the end of the world? Has this question kept you up at night? Peter gives us a glimpse of what that Day will look like.
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.” – 2 Peter 3:10
Three Views of the Millenium
Orchard Hill Church has recently been teaching through the letter of 2 Thessalonians. One of the main themes of the letter is the Day of the Lord and the return of Jesus Christ to the earth. As I was teaching through a portion of this book, it sparked a number of conversations with people about exactly how the Day of the Lord will look.
There have been many books, movies, and debates about the timing and details of this Day. Theologians have debated for centuries about how the Millennium will look. This is a concept that comes from Revelation 20, which describes how Satan is bound, and Christ’s people reign with him for 1,000 years (hence the millennium). Three main views have been espoused.
Premillennialists believe that Jesus will return before He begins a 1,000-year reign.
Postmillennialists believe that the world will grow increasingly more godly, leading to an era of peace before Christ’s final reign after the millennium.
Amillennialists believe that the millennium is symbolic of the current, spiritual reign of Christ happening now in the church.
People get very concerned about the rapture (an event where Christ’s followers are “caught up” to meet Jesus in the air before going to heaven), and the tribulation, which is a future period of suffering, war, famine, natural disasters, and the rise of the antichrist. To be sure, these are scary and weighty concepts to some degree, and they are not unimportant. Anything that the scripture mentions should be studied diligently with trembling and prayer.
“Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.” – Revelation 1:3
But Does It Really Matter?
But let me ask you this. Does it really matter how all of this shakes out in the end? If you’re a believer in Jesus Christ, here’s what you know: You have passed from death to life. You will reign with Christ. No matter what happens in this life or on this earth, you will spend eternity with Him forever, where there will be no more tears, pain, or suffering. You are on the winning team in the end! If you are a follower of Jesus, you are commanded, with all urgency, to share His Gospel with others. Does your view of the millennium change how urgent you are to share this message? This is where I get confused. I don’t see how one’s particular view would/should change the urgency of sharing the saving message of Jesus. The bottom line is that everyone will one day stand before Jesus Christ and give an account, and it will only be by having faith in Jesus that anyone will be able to enter eternity with Him. However, the end comes to be, at some point, everyone will stand before Jesus. Not only that, but that day could be tomorrow for any of us, for all we know!
The implications for the person who doesn’t yet follow Jesus couldn’t be more urgent. You, too, will one day stand before Jesus Christ to give an account of your life, as we see in Revelation 20.
“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.” – Revelation 20:11-12
The Urgency of Today
I can’t say for certain whether there will be additional time to “repent” and come to Christ during a certain “tribulation” period. I’m not confident in that. Why would you want to take the chance that you’ll even be around during some future tribulation?
What I do know is this: dying without knowing Jesus will be the most terrible thing you could ever experience for all eternity.
For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. – Hebrews 10:30-31
Can you imagine thinking that you’ve been following Jesus only to hear Him tell you on that final day: “I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoer.” That is people’s reality apart from Christ. But that doesn’t have to be your reality. As one pastor recently said: “Hell is a place you can go to pay for your sins… if you want to.”
Friend, Jesus has better things in store for you. He desires that no one should perish but all would come to everlasting life (2 Peter 3:9). Thus, Peter reminds us how we ought to live.
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heart. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.” – 2 Peter 3:11-15
Because of God’s tender mercy and patience, He has given us time now, before He returns, to repent. Your and my particular view of the end isn’t all that significant. Jesus is going to return on the Father’s time-table and will make all sad things untrue. HOW it all shakes out is much less important thanTHAT it will. Jesus wins in the end, and thus, so can you!
