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The End of the World As We Know It
by Phil Pike I did something yesterday I knew I shouldn't have done. I had resisted the temptation for three whole days, but I finally gave in... Yesterday afternoon... I... turned on the news! It only took a few short minutes for the doom and gloom to set in. The announcer said, "The economic picture continues to worsen. Circuit City announced today that it has filed for bankruptcy... DHL also announced the closure of its entire U.S. domestic shipping services and the loss of 9,000 jobs... After getting $150 billion in bailout money from the government, the insurance giant AIG now says that it will likely not survive without additional money, and if AIG fails, the entire insurance industry could possibly collapse... Things are looking just as bad for General Motors. The survivability of this automotive giant is now in serious doubt as its stock plunged to a six-decade low, effectively becoming worthless... Ford and Chrysler are not far behind, and if all three of these companies fail, which is not out of the realm of possibility, it would shut down hundreds of related businesses and potentially put as many as 3 million people out of work!" Wow, that's just what I needed to hear. Now I'm not at all suggesting that we stick our heads in the sand and pretend that none of this is happening. This news is hitting too close to home to ignore. I personally know at least a half dozen people who have lost their jobs in the past few months, and I got a phone call less than 24 hours ago from yet another friend at church whose company is closing. This is a very serious mess, and it is affecting people everywhere. But I also think we need to be extremely careful about the amount of "information" that we allow to bombard us. Honestly, after listening to those top stories in my car yesterday, I felt a sense of fear and hopelessness trying to creep in. I mean, how can you hear news like that and not feel worried? No, we don't need to put our fingers in our ears and act like "ignorance is bliss," but as followers of Jesus Christ, we must remember what our true source of hope is... or should I say, who our true source of hope is. On one hand, we have a responsibly to stay connected to and involved in the world we live in. On the other hand, we have a responsibility to stay connected to and involved in the other world where our real citizenship is. Which one are we listening to more? As a pastor, I get asked all kinds of questions about the current economic and political state of affairs, and how it all may tie into biblical prophecy. The vast majority of those questions tend to end up actually asking the same thing... "Don't you think that everything happening right now is a sign that the end of the world is near and Jesus is coming back soon?" Um, no. Let's not be fooled into thinking that we're the first generation of Christians to look at the events taking place around us and conclude that we're living in the Last Days. May I take you back just a few years to 9/11/2001? Shortly after that tragic day, religious broadcasters were flooding the airwaves with messages of how that event (somehow?) tied into the prophetic timeline, and how the return of Jesus was imminent. Really? Yet even 9/11 failed to send shockwaves through the prophetic community to the extent that previous world events have done. When the tsunami slammed into Thailand in December 2004, killing more than 200,000 people, many Christians believed this was surely a sign of judgment from God that pointed to the End Times. "After all," they said, "more people were wiped out in one day by that event than any other single event in history, right? So that's proof of how much worse these disasters are getting in our world, and that points to the Last Days, right?" Well, not exactly. In fact, not even close. That tsunami pales in comparison to previous world disasters, but we tend to forget history. Just one of many such examples occurred in 1887 when the Huang He River in China burst out of its banks during a flood and killed more than 900,000 people! Yeah, 900,000 people. And disasters like that date back thousands of years. But we forget history. When the Gulf War began in August 1990, just about every Christian I talked to was convinced that this was a sign of the End Times. After all, it was a massive war in... you know... the Middle East, and if that doesn't spell the return of Jesus, then nothing does! In fact, this belief was so prevalent that I can remember walking into one of our local Christian bookstores just a few short weeks (yes, weeks, not months) after that war began and seeing multiple books on the "Just Released" rack that were all about how this Gulf War was a sure sign of Jesus' soon return. How in the world those books were written and published in such a short amount of time still boggles my mind! And yet, there they were, practically announcing that we could go ahead and pack our bags because our journey on earth was just about over. (I'm guessing those books aren't selling quite as well now, considering the fact that 18 years have passed since then and we're all still here). Nostradamus had better odds of getting that one right. Believe me, I'm not making fun of those events. I'm just trying to help put things in perspective because I meet Christians everywhere who are in a state of panic. I'll say it again... we are not the first generation of Christians to believe that we are living in the worst possible times which will surely usher in the return of Christ at any moment. The once happy, healthy, successful families who lost everything during the Great Depression and were literally living in cardboard boxes under bridges and standing in never-ending soup lines must have thought the same thing. What Christian could have possibly lived through Hitler's tyrannical extermination of the Jews and not been absolutely convinced that they were witnessing the Last Days? And let's not forget our brothers and sisters in Christ who lived in New Testament times and the early centuries that followed. They lived under the heel of the Roman government and experienced oppression the likes of which we have never seen here in the good old USA! We just think we have it bad... but we forget history! We are by no means living in the worst times the world has ever seen; not economically, not politically, not morally... not in any sense of the word... not by a long shot. We forget. So when is Jesus coming back? Aren't all the things happening in the world at least "pointing" towards the End Times? What about the one-world monetary system in Europe... the steady removal of God from our nation... the sweeping acceptance of homosexuality and the destruction of the biblical family unit... the testing of a tiny microchip that was embedded in the hands of a family in Florida which will one day allow people to carry all their banking, medical and other information with them and make purchases by simply having their hand scanned... couldn't that be the Mark of the Beast? Surely all this means we're living in the Last Days! Well, it might. But then again, it might have absolutely nothing to do with anything. Why would I say that? Because of all the similar events in the past. I remember so well what happened in the late 70's... (besides bell bottom pants, white Patton leather shoes, and the Bee Gees). There was an enormous stir in the Christian community that Jesus was definitely, absolutely, positively, by all means going to return in 1984. Yes sir-ee, don't bother making your house payments that year, because we're outa here! After all, consider the evidence: 1984 falls in line with something or another with one of Daniel's prophecies... there was supposedly a super computer somewhere in Europe capable of storing the names, information, history and favorite flavor of ice cream of every human being on planet earth, (so it was getting ready to monitor and control us)... VISA Card was the Mark of the Beast, because some genius with way too much time on his hands had figured out that VISA = 666; "VI" is 6 in Roman numerals, "S" represented 6 in Greek because the "zzz" sound equaled "zeta" which is the 6th letter in the Greek alphabet (duh!), and "A" was 6 in Sanskrit, or Babylonian, or some interplanetary species on Star Trek, I don't know, it all got sort of confusing after that... Kissinger was the Antichrist (we all knew that!)... the U.S. Government had "reportedly" issued a bunch of Social Security checks by mistake which were printed with the words "This check may not be cashed unless the bearer has the mark on his hand or forehead," but the boys in Washington quickly apologized, saying that the checks were not meant to be released until... you guessed it... 1984. Sure, this all sounds crazy now, but it was serious business back then. People were convinced that it was going to pan out that way. Now listen, I like to kid around and laugh about things, but I am not making light of the return of Christ; only about how people go to such great lengths trying to force square pegs into round holes and "prove" that they know when this event will take place. People have been doing this for centuries, and they're trying to do it again now with what's happening in our day and age, even saying that Obama is the Antichrist. If only it were that simple and we were really that smart. But alas, God has never done things in ways people anticipated. They truly believed the Messiah would come as royalty and His arrival would be announced to kings. Instead, He was born in a stable and His birth was announced to shepherds. So why would anybody seriously believe that we could figure out our Lord's return? And why do we think all of this biblical prophecy centers around America? Where does that idea even come from? Knowing God, He will most likely make all these End Time events spring from a tiny island in the South Pacific or a mud hut in the Serengeti. Believe me, despite what we may think, America does not hold "Most Favored Nation" status with God! The point is, I don't know when Jesus is coming back. Neither does anybody else, so people should just stop trying to pinpoint it. Jack Van Impe would do just as well to predict sports scores as he would by predicting the return of Jesus on his television show. His 1984 prediction has long since come and gone, yet he's still at it. The simple truth is, nobody knows. If Jesus decides to come back before I finish typing this sentence... well, that'll be just fine with me. But if He doesn't... I'm fine with that, too. Either way I'm safe in His hands and I have absolutely nothing to fear in this world. That doesn't mean we won't suffer through some very hard times. We most likely will. It simply means that we do not have to live with a sense of hopelessness and dread. All of which brings me back to the incredibly depressing newscast I heard yesterday. If we're not careful, this endless flood of bad news we're being pummeled with will get us all frothing at the mouth and having nervous breakdowns. Even if it doesn't send us off into a tizzy predicting that Jesus is returning next Thursday at 4:15, it can still very easily rob us of our peace and our hope in the Lord. Are these tough times? You bet they are, relatively speaking, of course. There are a ton of people hurting right now, and it's probably going to get worse before it gets better. Is our country selling its soul morally? You bet we are, and we will not do so without paying a hefty price! Do I think it's the end of the world? No, I don't. But I do think it needs to be the end of the world as we know it, (to borrow the title of a song from the late 1980's.) Did we really believe that we, as a country, could continue throwing trillions of dollars away on ridiculous programs without the bill collector coming to call someday? No entity -- be it a family or a government -- can practice the kind of financial irresponsibility and reckless abandon that our country has been exhibiting without suffering the consequences. Do you want to know what's really going on? It's simple. We're reaping what we've been sowing for years. The chickens have finally come home to roost. They always do! But here's some good news. Are you ready for this? It is precisely when the world is at its darkest that the Church can shine the brightest! Again, look at history. The bleakest times in the world are always the greatest times for the Church. When trouble and hardship and disaster fall on a nation, guess where they run? To the Church. If things continue their downward spiral, the Church could be poised for some truly great days of harvest for the Kingdom of God. Humans are hard-headed. We all are. For the most part, people do not see their need for God until after they have exhausted every other possible alternative. And when they do, that "God-shaped hole" inside them begins to ache and cry out, and it points them like a compass needle to the One who made them. It's our built-in Homing beacon -- "eternity written in our hearts," to quote Ecclesiastes. Even atheists cry out "Oh God!" when their airplane is plummeting to the ground. We are living in just such a time. All the "little gods" that people have been depending on for their hope and security are crumbling before their very eyes. But for the Church, these uncertain times are like being in Game 7 of the World Series, bottom of the 9th, bases loaded, 2 outs, down by 1 run, and our best batter has just come to the plate! We have a chance to crush one out of the park! Let's not shrink back from this moment by being consumed with fear because of all we see and hear going on around us. The hurting world will be watching us now more than ever. Will they see fear and panic, or an unwavering peace in the midst of the turmoil? Let's fill our hearts and our minds with the truth of God's Word and the steadfast hope that we have in Him alone. Listen to some of the words of Philippians chapter 4, which are extraordinarily appropriate for us today. (Oh, and by the way, Paul was in prison for his faith in Jesus Christ when he wrote these words!) Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me -- put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. So as you listen to the news, don't let it consume you. Instead, let yourself be consumed by the things God wants to fill your mind with. Spend more time reading His Word than you do reading the headlines. (That is not meant to sound like a cute little Christian cliche). It's a fact. You are going to have to make a conscious decision to turn off the news now and then and read the Bible instead. Otherwise you will walk around wringing your hands in despair instead of taking your place with the Church, ready to shine during these dark days. If this present economic situation continues, people are going to be in a world of hurt, far worse than anything we're currently seeing, and they are going to come in droves to churches all over this country, searching for something solid to cling to. And you know what? As followers of Jesus Christ, we do have the answer! We have the only solid Rock that people can hold onto when the waters rise and the storms rage. I pray that the Church will be ready to be the Church in the coming days! As one pastor said, "The church is the hope of the world." Indeed it is! Phil Pike is pastor of LifePoint Church in Greenville SC, is married to his lifelong sweetheart, has two wonderful children who are the delight of his heart, and is deeply passionate about helping the church accomplish the mission of Jesus Christ in the world. Visit http://www.lifepointsc.org Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |