(September 15, 2024) Dr Jim McClure concludes this series on The Greatest Story…

What lies ahead of us? We are all keen to know what the future holds. Even Jesus’ disciples were curious and one day they asked Him, ‘What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’  (Matthews 24:3). In reply Jesus gave them a glimpse of some of the things that will happen in the future.

We shall explore this further but before we do, let us be clear about this. Despite the disclosure Jesus gave to His disciples and the information that Paul, Peter, John and others have given in the Bible about the end, we do not know precisely when those events will take place nor can we be wholly certain about their order!

After giving His disciples many facts about various events that will happen in the world prior to His coming, Jesus gave this qualification, ‘No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father’ (Matthew 24:36). This is a key statement.

Despite Jesus’ totally unambiguous assertion, many people throughout the centuries have spun theories and constructed timetables to determine the date for that coming glorious event. Literally hundreds of ‘confident’ predictions based on biblical information, and spiced by speculation and misinterpretation, have been confidently  declared — and they have all been wrong!

Let me give you just one example. American preacher Harold Camping stated that Jesus would return on September 6, 1994. When that didn’t happen, he changed the date to September 29, then October 2, 1994, then May 21, 2011 and finally stated that the end of the world would take place on October 21, 2011. Clearly that did not take place!

Nevertheless one thing is absolutely certain — we are 2000 years closer to some of world events that Jesus said would take place before His return!

However, Jesus and the writers of the New Testament, who gave information and insights into end-times events, did not do so to excite our imagination but to encourage us to keep informed about what is taking place in the world so that we will not be wholly ignorant but always prepared as those events unfold.

While we need to be cautious about making dogmatic and speculative statements about the end-times, we nevertheless need to be informed about some of those events that are referred to in this final chapter of The Greatest Story —  ‘The End.’ 

1. Corrupt Environment
Paul clearly described troubling conditions on earth in the end-times. He wrote, ‘Mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God — having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them’ (2 Timothy 3:1-4).

In Matthew 24 Jesus indicated that ethical standards will be turned upside down, nature will be tampered with, violence, wars and anti-social relationships will be apparent and wickedness will increase. He also indicated that there will be persecution and hatred directed at Christians and discouragement and backsliding among Christians. He warned about the appeal of false preachers who do not preach the truth.

Peter also wrote, ‘You must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires’ (2Peter 3:3). And Jude repeated that warning writing, ‘In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires’ (Jude 18).

As biblical values are eroded and replaced with immoral values and corrupt political legislation that is not based on truth, the consequences are social disintegration and instability. We need to be awake and alert to this.

Let’s consider some of the ungodly things that are taking place in today’s world.

•  Mockery of God 
  We are living in days of unprecedented spiritual hostility and moral confusion. This is now being plainly and proudly displayed at every opportunity. The recent scoffing, sexualised parody of the Lord’s Supper in Paris openly derided that which Jesus had ordained. The clear intention of that demonstration was to offend Christians and ridicule God.

Paul made this comment, ‘Do not deceive yourselves; no one makes a fool of God. You will reap exactly what you plant’ (Galatians 6:7 GNB).

• Abortion
  How little human life is valued today! How much our moral bankruptcy is blatantly promoted in so many countries in which so-called ‘family planning’ is promoted by public demonstrations that celebrate the killing of babies by abortion. It is estimated that in the United States between 1,500 to 2,500 abortions per day. Currently abortion is being asserted as a ‘human right’ but the ‘right’ of the unborn human child is increasingly being discounted. Note this well — each abortion is the taking of a human life!

It has recently been reported that in some hospitals aborted children are being set aside and left to die alone without comfort or love. In today’s world such innocent children are looked on by many as an inconvenience that can be discarded as waste. How profoundly troubling it is that the moral value of respect for human life is determined by the measure of human convenience!

In the Bible human life is affirmed as being awesomely sacred. King David in awe affirmed, ‘… You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made’ (Psalm139:13-14a).

• Gender confusion  
  Astonishingly the fundamental identities of male and female gender are repeatedly challenged. On a Victorian Government website we find this bizarre comment, ‘A woman or pregnant person can access abortion up to a gestational limit of 24 weeks.’ 

Who else but a woman can be pregnant? Despite the current argument that there are presently over 70 recognised genders, the basic principles of biology and the whole of human history testify that there are only two genders and neither clothes, makeup nor even medical procedures can change that God-ordained reality!

• Sexual immorality
  Today sexual immorality and perversion are rampant and even celebrated. But in Genesis 19 we read the account of God’s destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because of the sexual immorality and pride of the inhabitants. And in Ezekiel 16:60 God says this about the people of Sodom, ‘They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.’  When ‘detestable things’ become ‘acceptable’ and ‘normal’, watch out!

• Redefinition of truth
  Some people are now talking about ‘your truth’ and ‘my truth’ as if truth is subjective and not dependant  on reality. The Greek word for ‘truth’ may be translated either as ‘truth’ or ‘reality.’ Truth agrees with reality! However much I may want something to be true, if it is not real, it is either a misunderstanding or a lie.

2. Confident Expectation
Our confident expectation is that Jesus Christ is coming back! This second coming is mentioned more than 300 times in the New Testament. Indeed the promise of the return of Jesus is a central truth in Christianity. While we cannot and should not try to predict when that will take place, we can confidently affirm that it will take place.

Old Testament prophets foretold it, angels declared it, Jesus promised it and the apostles proclaimed it!

Of course, there many who do not believe that it will ever happen. Some may mock us and try to intimidate us for believing such a thing. Peter mentioned this, ‘First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ He promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation”’ (2Peter 3:-4).

Despite such contempt, our expectation as Christians is ‘confident’ because it is not based on human speculation but on the promise of Jesus Christ Himself! He made this categorical pledge to His disciples, ‘I (myself) will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am’ (John 14:3). There is nothing ambiguous about that affirmation.

In Luke 21 we read some comments that Jesus made concerning distressing events that will occur in the ‘end times’,  and then He made this promise, ‘At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near’ (Verses 27-28).

Our world today is in a perilous state of confusion, deception and violence. Uncertainty concerning many things is increasing but the promise of Jesus is rock solid and we can be wholly confident that Jesus when Jesus returns it will be ‘with power and great glory’(v27).

3. Concluding Events
Following the return of Jesus all Christians who have died will be resurrected and together, with those who are still alive, will rise to meet Jesus our Lord (1Thessalonians 4:16-17). But on earth the spiritual battle will intensify. The rage of Satan, who enticed humanity’s first parents to disobey God, will increase and he will challenge the power and authority of God!

Revelation gives further information of developing spiritual dramas that will happen at the end of time. The book itself is difficult for us fully to understand because of the nature of the writing and the imagery that is used to help us grasp some aspects of profound spiritual realities that lie outside our normal experiences. Consequently many preachers and teachers have produced conflicting timelines and different theological theories and interpretations to try to explain the meaning of those future events.

While Revelation contains many complex issues that we may find difficult totally to grasp, the central theme is quite clear — absolutely nothing is outside God’s control and He will exercise His judgment over all His enemies! And He will be triumphant!

In this final book of the Bible some critical affirmations are made:

(i) Satan will be totally defeated 
The chaos that Satan has worked on earth for thousands of years will come to an end. His rebellion against God, which was evident from the beginning when he influenced Adam and Eve to disobey God’s directions and ‘do their own thing’, resulted in spiritual, moral and social devastation throughout the world.

Billy Graham made this comment many years ago, ‘All the evils that have come into the world because of Satan’s rebellion against God will be destroyed. Sin … sickness … death … sorrow … suffering — all these will come to an end, and God’s people will dwell safely in His presence forever.’ 

Although Satan’s influence is still rampant in the world today, we know that his ultimate defeat is yet to come and he will never again be able to spread his evil.

(ii) God’s judgment will be executed 
Throughout ‘The Greatest Story’  the clear message has been that one day there will be a judgment of humankind. In Romans 2:12 Paul wrote about the ‘… day when God will judge men’s secrets through Jesus Christ.’ In the book of Revelation we are given more insight about that coming day —  ‘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 book’ (Revelation 20:12).

Heaven is a reality and so also is hell and God will fairly execute His judgment.

(iii) Jesus sovereignty will be fully recognised 
When Jesus Christ, God Himself, came into our world and proclaimed God’s love for all people, He was rejected, mocked and crucified. But His resurrection demonstrated that death had no power over Him and Satan had no authority over Him.

The clear message of the book of Revelation is that He, who was so abused, abased and rejected when He was on earth, is now exalted as ‘King of Kings and Lord of Lords’ (Revelation 17:14).

In the end, those who receive Him as Saviour will be part of that grateful, worshipful crowd that will join in that glorious song, ‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise! … To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honour and glory and power, for ever and ever!’ (Revelation 5:12-13).

The main message of Revelation is centred on the glorious and triumphant figure of Jesus Christ.

(iv) God will reign forever
In the end God will be triumphant and His reign will last for eternity. All that God declared will be fulfilled and He will be glorified and His people will live with Him forever — ‘ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven.’

That is God’s wonderful promise in The Greatest Story of which He is the author. As Christians we rejoice in that hope as we await the glorious return of Jesus. ‘Amen. Come, Lord Jesus’ (Revelation 22:20) 

This is the end of this series of ‘The Greatest Story’ — but a new beginning awaits us and there will be no final chapter for we shall be together forever with the Lord (1Thessalonians 4:17).

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Dr Jim McClure, author of several books and Bible studies, offers them free in electronic version in EPUB, Kindle and PDF formats. Particularly recommended— Looking for Answers

 

Questions seeking enlightenment on biblical perspectives are welcomed. Link: jbmcclure@gmail.com / The Greatest Story-Chapter 1 The Beginning / The Greatest Story-Chapter 2 The Middle
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