Ezekiel 7:6 “An end is come, the end is come: it watcheth for thee; behold, it is come.” 1 Thessalonians 5:2 “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.” “The End”… we’ve all seen it many times as the movie is over and the credits begin. Or maybe “The End” is of a book you have enjoyed. We even come to the end of a candy bar or a good meal. Well, just like every year before, 2019 is coming to an end. While the end of the year brings a flood of memories (some good/some bad), the fact is that we are here and 2020 is just around the corner! When you talk about “The End”, the topic can be exciting as we anticipate what is coming next! While 2020 remains in the realm of the unknown, we can’t help but get excited about it as we have every year prior. God gives us a glimpse into “The End” of time and as we quickly approach it, there is much we need to know. The Bible has been used by many to leverage their claims of knowledge on when “The End” is coming and they act as if they alone know every detail of the Story, written by God. God gave us Prophetic Books in the Bible and told us only what He wanted us to know. The parts left vague and without explanation are His alone to interpret and define, especially the Book of Revelation! There has been a lot of discussion and disputes about how to interpret the Book of Revelation. The Idealist view — “The events found in Revelation are not actual events but pictures of the struggle between right and wrong.” The Preterist view — “The events found in Revelation are simply historical accounts of the Fall of Jerusalem until the reign of Nero.” The Futurist view — “We believe that Revelation (after chapter 3) refers to events yet in the future that will be fulfilled at the time of the Second Coming of Christ.” We believe that the prophecies surrounding the Second Coming of Christ will be as accurately fulfilled as those surrounding the first coming of Christ. Some of the events may refer back to previous events, but since it is unfulfilled prophecy, we just don’t know until Christ reveals the fulfillment in His time! God has a plan for the End Times that will bring Him glory and honor. Through the suffering, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have been given the way of salvation and will have to face none of God’s Wwin the coming days of global Judgment. We should be very thankful and praise the Lamb of God for providing for our redemption and guaranteeing eternal life to those who repent and believe the Gospel. While there is much to see and say in the Book of the Revelation (“the things which thou hast seen” and “the things which are” and “the things which shall be hereafter”), the most important fact we must take the time to view and accept is that salvation from sin and judgment is offered now! After the events of God’s judgments recorded in the Revelation begin, there will be no offer from God to you who have heard and rejected His truth of salvation. No wonder the Bible clearly says: 2 Corinthians 6:2 “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)” Will you also believe what He said about you, your sin and your need of the Saviour? Turn to Christ today. Repent of your sins and receive Him as your Lord and Saviour … before it is too late! “The End” is closer than you may think! Let me know if you have trusted Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour. Leave a comment below. God Bless! See you in church! (Pastor Jones can be reached by email pastor@faithbaptistchurch.us. Follow him on Twitter @PastorTonyJones or visit an upcoming service at Faith Baptist Church … “The Church on the Hill.”)
