THE END OF LIFE AS WE KNOW IT . . .

TEXT: LUKE 21:10-28

Time is marching on . . . to where? Will the clocks suddenly stop ticking? Will there be a day beyond which there are no more days? Is this world coming to an end? The sixteenth century French astrologer Nostradamus claimed that he foresaw the end of the world. The renowned physicist, Brandon Carter has concluded that human life will cease to exist. And Osama Bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and other Islamic jihadists seem to be doing their best to speed things along. Read the newspapers, watch the TV, listen to the political debates, and there’s no doubt we live in very fragile times. Time is marching on. We seem to be getting closer and closer to the end. There are numerous signs . . . many threats to our existence . . . various scenarios that have the potential to extinguish life on earth as we know it.

According to popular doomsday literature the end of the world could come from:

War - There is the potential for biological, nuclear, or religious war. In the aftermath of 9/11 George W. Bush described his war against global terrorism as a ‘crusade.’ A disturbed despot like Kim Yong-il from North Korea with access to a weapon of mass destruction could press a button and . . .

Plague - More than three million people die of AIDS every year. Bubonic plague could strike again, as it did in London in the 17^th century. British astronomer Fred Hoyle and his colleague, mathematician Chandra Wickramasinghe, believe that SARS could be extra-terrestrial in origin.

Cosmic event - There are thousands of asteroids in our solar system. If one the size of a garage were to hit the earth it would completely destroy a city. If a one kilometer asteroid were to hit the earth, it would blast a twelve-mile hole into the crust with an explosion equivalent to the world’s entire nuclear arsenal several times over . . . All galaxies, including our own, have massive black holes at their core that suck in the heavenly bodies around them. Physicists studying super-string theory wonder whether a wave might be generated in one of eleven dimensions that could result in a catastrophic big bang.

Natural disaster - The interior of our own planet contains enough energy to wipe us all out. Volcanic eruptions and mega tsunamis could cause mass extinction of species. If every one of the worlds volcanoes erupted and kept on erupting our atmosphere would become hot, dense and poisonous - completely sterile and lifeless like Venus.

Nuclear error - The meltdown at Chernobyl caused untold suffering. Particle physicists continue playing Russian roulette with our planet according to Dr. Benjamin Allanach, a research associate at CERN, the European particle laboratory.

Rogue technology - No one knows what the outcome will be as scientists tamper with and modify DNA. Some environmentalists warn that alterations to plant genome could leave plants unable to reproduce. Global famine would be the result . . .

Man-made disasters - CFC’s have depleted the ozone layer, carbon monoxide, methane and other chemicals are polluting the atmosphere causing increases in skin cancer and the poisoning of the water and soil. Economic mismanagement could lead to an economic collapse which would have dire consequences. It is estimated that more than 90 percent of the world’s oil reserves have been discovered . . . without oil it is estimated that the world would not be able to support more than two billion people.

Climate change - Global warming is significantly altering the earth’s temperature. Argentina’s Upsala glacier is shrinking by 200 metres a year. Kyoto protocols are not being adequately implemented. If the ice at the poles melts, sea levels could rise by more than two hundred feet, flooding large portions of the earth. Desertification is accelerating. Thirty-three thousand people already die of starvation every day . . .

The passage of time - After five thousand million years all the sun’s hydrogen will be used up and it will become a burnt out ember known as a black dwarf. It would be the death of our entire solar system . . .

The end of life as we know it . . . Will it come about because of nano technology that has run amok, a new ice age, or a plague of cockroaches? What will happen? Listen to God’s Word:

Luke 21:10-28 (NLT):
. . . "Nations and kingdoms will proclaim war against each other. There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and epidemics in many lands, and there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs in the heavens. "But before all this occurs, there will be a time of great persecution. You will be dragged into synagogues and prisons, and you will be accused before kings and governors of being my followers. This will be your opportunity to tell them about me. So don't worry about how to answer the charges against you, for I will give you the right words and such wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to reply! Even those closest to you—your parents, brothers, relatives, and friends—will betray you. And some of you will be killed. And everyone will hate you because of your allegiance to me. But not a hair of your head will perish! By standing firm, you will win your souls. "And when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you will know that the time of its destruction has arrived. Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. Let those in Jerusalem escape, and those outside the city should not enter it for shelter. For those will be days of God's vengeance, and the prophetic words of the Scriptures will be fulfilled. How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for mothers nursing their babies. For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. They will be brutally killed by the sword or sent away as captives to all the nations of the world. And Jerusalem will be conquered and trampled down by the Gentiles until the age of the Gentiles comes to an end. "And there will be strange events in the skies—signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And down here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. The courage of many people will falter because of the fearful fate they see coming upon the earth, because the stability of the very heavens will be broken up. Then everyone will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds with power and great glory. So when all these things begin to happen, stand straight and look up, for your salvation is near!"

The end of life as we know it . . . Time, as measured in minutes and hours, is not inexorable. This world will not go on for ever and ever. It will come to an end. And when the end comes there will be earthquakes, famines, pestilence in various places (cf. Luke 21:11), and other dreadful things. The events will be fearful to say the least . . . That’s the bad news.

Now for the good news. The end of life as we know it will not be the end

of life per se. God has a plan . . . He’s going to save some of us. A select group of people are going to be rescued. And who are these people? Romans 10:9 says, "For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (NLT). Everyone who has confessed Christ as Lord of their life and lived according to His Word, will be saved. What a phenomenal act of mercy . . . There is a future and a hope beyond the end of this life. Even though there will be terrifying things happening in the heavens and on the earth (cf. Luke 21:11) "not a hair of your head will perish" Luke 21:18. Praise the Lord! Christians do not need to live in fear. When the clocks stop ticking it will be the dawn of a new beginning.

This is what we know: ". . . there will be strange events in the skies - signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And down here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides" Luke 21:25 (NLT). And then what every Christian has been waiting for will happen . . . Our hope will be realised and our faith rewarded. Christ will return. "Then everyone will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds with power and great glory" Luke 21:27 (NLT). Woo! Can you imagine it? Christ will come for His own. His return will be centre stage. Everyone will know about it. When He comes back, it won’t be to a remote corner of the globe. Everyone will see it, hear it and be riveted by it. And the Christians will be part of it.

"And now, brothers and sisters, I want you to know what will happen to the Christians who have died so you will not be full of sorrow like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus comes, God will bring back with Jesus all the Christians who have died. I can tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not rise to meet him ahead of those who are in their graves. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the call of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, all the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with him forever" 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 (NLT). Praise the Lord! The Christians will be caught up to Christ and be with Him forever.

But what about the people who are not Christians? What happens to the people who have never confessed with their mouths and believed in their hearts that Jesus Christ is Lord? Matthew 25:31_46 says, "But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. Then the King will say to those on the right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.' Then these righteous ones will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?' And the King will tell them, 'I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!' Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, 'Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his demons! For I was hungry, and you didn't feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn't give me anything to drink. I was a stranger, and you didn't invite me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me no clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn't visit me.' Then they will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?' And he will answer, 'I assure you, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.' And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life" (NLT).

So the people who aren’t Christians are eternally punished . . . Not that God wants to punish anyone. The reason why Christ hasn’t returned yet is because He wants to give everyone an opportunity to come to Him. 2 Peter 3:9 says, "The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent" (NLT).

Please, please don’t leave it till it’s too late. Repent. Turn to Jesus now. Failure to turn to Christ is disastrous - too terrible to contemplate. Revelation 20:14 says, "And death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death - the lake of fire" (NLT). You see a time is coming when God will no longer tolerate sin and evil. The day will come when enough is enough. God will say, "No more!" And that will be that! The Devil will get his just desserts. Revelation 20:10 says, "Then the Devil, who betrayed them, was thrown into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever" (NLT).

And then the heavens and the earth are going to be terminated . . . Like everything . . . The Atlantic Ocean - gone! The North American Continent - gone! The moon - gone! The sun - gone! Everything is going to be terminated. Revelation 21:1 says, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone" (NLT).

Yes, the old heaven and the old earth are going to disappear but a new heaven and a new earth will replace them. And a new Jerusalem too . . . Revelation 21:2 says, "And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a beautiful bride prepared for her husband" (NLT). A holy city . . . nothing impure will ever enter it. For God will dwell there . . . as will we. We will be His people. And "He will remove all of (our) sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils" will be "gone forever" Revelation 21:4 (NLT). Praise the Lord! Christ is coming again. The Son of Man will return. While no one knows when it will happen, be sure of this, life as we know it will come to an end.

Here’s the rub: Matthew 16:25 says, "If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life" (NLT). You have to give up your life to gain life. Have you chosen life? Two doors stand before you. One leads to life and the other to death. Christ gives you the choice. Deuteronomy 30:19_20 says, "Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, that you and your descendants might live! Choose to love the Lord your God and to obey him and commit yourself to him, for he is your life . . ." (NLT).

"Oh, that you would choose life." My family and I have chosen life. What about you? Do you love the Lord? With His strength, are you endeavouring to obey and commit yourselves to Him? Hopefully you are. For the day is coming, though we do not know when it will be, when the trumpet will sound and the Lord will return. Amen.

L. Murray