“Why are you always late?” the teacher asked. “I threw away my alarm clock!” my friend said. The teacher, puzzled, asked, “But why did you throw away your alarm clock?” My friend told her, “Because it always went off when I was asleep.”
I set my alarm on my phone to remind me that it’s time for something. But Jesus says, “Do not be alarmed”. If we are prepared, there is no reason to be alarmed. It is only if we are asleep that we need an alarm (but they sure are handy in this life for other things aren’t they!)
Mar 13:7-9 (TNIV)
7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains. 9 “You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them.
You know, we have been raised with a lot of notions about the end times. Who do we believe and what do we believe are my questions. Oh…..I have an answer…I think that I will believe Jesus!
Throughout history, there have been wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, famines. Some periods more than others……but at any one time the world continues to be in some turmoil of one sort or another or a combination of these things. In fact, I must boldly say….I don’t believe the world will end. I do believe this age will end at some point. Jesus DID not say that these things would happen JUST BEFORE the end of the age as we know it. He did say that this would be the beginning of the birth pains of this new age.
Jesus tells us not to be alarmed, that these things must happen. He does tell us that the end is still to come. What is “the end”? Well, let’s look at the end of the Bible, in the second to the last chapter, Revelation 21:1-4
Revelation 21:1-4 (TNIV)
1 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Let’s look close:
1. There will be a new heaven (where God dwells) and a new earth (where we dwell).
2. The first heaven and earth will pass away. Note that the word translated as “passed away” in Greek is “aparneomai” [ap-ar-neh-om-ahee]. Now you would think it means “demolished” like in the end of the world. Nope. “aparneomai” actually mans to deny or in other words affirm that there is no connection to the past.
Jesus uses this word in Mark 8:34
Mark 8:34 (TNIV)
…“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny [aparneomai] themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
3. The Holy City, Jerusalem will come down out of heaven (to this earth)
4. Listen closely to the loud voice, ““Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
The point is this: Don’t set your alarm for the end of the world. We must simply stay prepared by loving God and loving people……by sharing God’s love for TODAY’S WORLD. We must be prepared to endure trials and hard times. Maybe even persecutions (While we are not persecuted for our faith, there are many places in the world where Christians today are not safe because of their faith). And I need to add, we should NEVER persecute anyone because of THEIR faith! Jesus makes this clear in Matthew 7:12 when he says, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”