Chapter 35
In the End
Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come
with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the
promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all
continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” For when they
maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens
existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through
which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. But
by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for
the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not let this
one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a
thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow
about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not
wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day
of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a
roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and
its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed
in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the
heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense
heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a
new earth, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you
look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and
blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our
beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also
in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things
hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also
the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. You therefore,
beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried
away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but
grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be
the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. [2 Peter 3:3-18 NAS]
Even
though I was well aware of what a foolish undertaking it was [Matthew 24:36], I still felt compelled back in 1995
to try to figure out when the visible return of Christ Jesus (in all of His
most awesome glory) would take place [Revelation 19:11-21]. For with the year 2000 looming
ever closer and closer upon the horizon, discussions concerning the imminent
rapture of the church [Matthew 24:40-41] had reached a fever pitch on
Christian talk radio programs up and down the dial.
Sorry,
I can’t remember just exactly how “I” came to it. For a critical piece of
the equation is that I took the year of an established Hebrew calendar as being
the current actual year, and I can’t remember which calendar that was.
What
I can remember is that “I” figured that the end of this world was tied to its
beginning, and that the reference made to a day being like a thousand years to
our Heavenly Father [2 Peter 3:8] was the key. For He took six
days to make this world and then rested on the seventh [Genesis 1:1-2:3], and that meant that this world was
meant to last just as long—only with each day being a thousand years.
Anyway,
after all of “my” calculations were over, the end of the first six thousand
years would come in May of 2152, according to our Julian calendar, and the
Sabbath would be reserved for the thousand-year open reign of Christ Jesus over
this world [Revelation 20:1-6].
Therefore,
it will not be until 3152 before the end of this world actually comes to pass.
That is, of course, if “my” calculations are correct.
No,
I cannot speak with any authority on the subject. For our Heavenly Father
has not told me just when the end of this world will really be.
There
is something related that He has personally revealed to me [Jeremiah 33:3], however, and this is that we would
all do well not to worry about such. For unless an individual has been
told otherwise by our Heavenly Father [Luke 2:26], their own end of this world could
come at any second, and this is what all of us should be prepared for [Matthew 25:1-13].
Yes,
it could be argued that being prepared for the possibility of physical death
being imminent would also apply to a pre-tribulation (pre-trib) rapture of the
church. For if the rapture comes in the middle of the tribulation
(mid-trib), we would know that it would be coming three and a half years after
the identity of the antichrist is revealed [Revelation 13:1-18]. Then if it doesn’t
happen at that time, the rapture would be coming to pass at the end of the
tribulation period of seven years [Daniel 12:11-12] and just before Christ Jesus utterly
destroys the armies of the antichrist (post-trib) [Revelation 19:11-21].
I
was taught in church that the rapture would occur pre-trib, but I have been
leaning more and more toward the time for the rapture actually being just
before the utter destruction of this world [2 Peter 3:10]. For at the end of the thousand-year
open reign of Christ Jesus over this world, the devil will be set free to
deceive the nations again [Revelation 20:7-10], and it will be those who stay
true [2 Thessalonians 2:1-12], who will be among those who will not
sleep [1 Corinthians 15:51-52].
Yes,
this is another thing that I cannot speak with any authority about. For
our Heavenly Father has not personally revealed to me just when the rapture
will come, but He has made it abundantly clear that far too many have no reason
to hope that it will come anytime soon. For it is written: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter
the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in
heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy
in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you
evildoers!’” [Matthew 7:21-23 NIV]
Whoa,
it just came to me that my initial calculations regarding the reign of the
antichrist are incorrect.
Surprised? Me, too. Anyway, I did not allow for the short time
that Satan will be let loose from his chains and allowed to deceive such a
great many just before the true end of this world comes to pass. Since I do not know just how that will be, I
dare not speculate more than I already have, but it is now looking like the
antichrist will come to power before 2145.
Again, let us all be prepared for our own ends of this world to come to
pass at any second. Be assured that far
too many are not.
Alas,
has not the silence that has surrounded me all of these years not served as
sufficient proof in and of itself? For who from among us can afford to
just ignore what I have been given to say if it truly is of our Heavenly Father
[1 John 4:1-6], and if it is not, who can honestly
say that they truly are one of His children by faith if they could care so
little about my own spiritual welfare [2 Corinthians 5:20-21]? For anyone who claims to have
been given a message from our Heavenly Father when they have not are in great
danger of facing eternal damnation without repentance [2 Peter 2:1-3].
No,
not everyone has been given ears to truly hear what I have been given to say at
this time. For in many cases, their faith is sufficient [Romans 9:16], but in far too many other cases, it
is because of the wickedness of their own hearts [Isaiah 29:13-14] that they have not heard. For
it is written: That same day Jesus went out of the
house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he
got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore.
Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to
sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path,
and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did
not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.
But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered
because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and
choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced
a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears,
let him hear.” The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to
the people in parables?” He replied, “The knowledge of the secrets of the
kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has
will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even
what he has will be taken from him. This is why I speak to them in
parables: Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or
understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: ‘You will be
ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never
perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly
hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they
might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes because they see,
and your ears because they hear. For I tell you the truth, many prophets
and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear
what you hear but did not hear it. Listen then to what the parable of the
sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not
understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.
This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that
fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with
joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble
or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one
who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word,
but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making
it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil
is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding
a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” [Matthew 13:1-23 NIV]
To
be honest, I must admit that it tastes much more bitter than sweet to me right
now [Revelation 10:8-11]. For even those who openly
profess to hunger and thirst after His righteousness [Matthew 5:6] are looking for something other than
what our Heavenly Father has given me to say [Jeremiah 20:7-9], but there is great comfort in
knowing that it will be as it should be in the end [Isaiah 65:1-66:2], which is not at all to say that I
look forward to seeing anyone be cast into the Lake of Fire, come Judgment
Day. Woe be it unto all who do.
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