I have to laugh when I think that my last day at my current office, 21st December, has been hailed as the end of the world by some.
2012 has been a year of monumental change and transition. For many, it has been a year of anxiety as the Mayan long count calendar winds down. Will 21st December be just another day in the countdown to the end of another year, or will it mark the end of the world as we know it?
It is in times like these that we must turn to the Scriptures, the Living Word of God that never changes yet always remains relevant. The Bible is like a bulwark against the ravages of time and the uncertainty brought about by change. Like a star of gladness in a sea of uncertainty, it’s prophecies and history teach and instruct us in the ways and plans of God. Some are understandable, while others are shrouded in mystery. Like lanterns and torches in the hands of a lonely traveller, the Word of God lights the path-one step at a time-to the glorious Day.
What does the Bible say about the end of the world? In Matt 24, we find information about the signs leading up to the Coming of the Lord, which will mark the end of this present world. Many of these signs, we already see unfolding around us. Matt 24:36,42 contain the test of the faithful, making it clear that no one knows the exact time that Jesus will return so it is imperative that every Christian be in a state of perpetual readiness, awaiting the return of the King.
21st December will in all likelihood be just another day in the countdown to the end of just another year. The evening will mark the start of another Sabbath and we will close this Sabbath with the last church social of 2012, while the rest of the world finds itself all partied out, after the “end of the world” that never came…
I leave you with the words of Christ in Matt 28:20 -
“I AM with you always, even unto the end of the world…”
This message was written on 15th December 2012.
