Something you can't google the answer to

The last month in the United States hasn't been too terrific. It started with Hurricane Harvey hitting Texas. Massive flooding, wind damage, water damage, and MASSIVE loss of property and human life. Then the wild fires started out west burning up homes, trees, and everything else in their path. Then came Hurricane Irma. After a week of build up, it plowed through Florida. In some parts of the state they are STILL trying to get the power back on.

Whenever all these natural disaster events strike, another conversation seems to begin with it. Are we nearing the end? Not just of these events happening, BUT of the world itself. People see all this destruction, and begin asking the big question- is THIS how the end of the world is going to look?

If your facebook/twitter/instagram feed is like mine, people have starting asking the question. Someone even has a prediction for THIS next Saturday, September 23rd.

SO when all this happens- I go to the foremost source on the topic. And NO that isn't google. It's the Bible. If God started this whole world, He will eventually finish it too and create something new. When we go into Scripture, we don't find an answer on when the last day will be, but we certainly find clues.

The first place I look at is Matthew 24, because I want to see a place where Jesus is speaking on the topic. First, Jesus says HE is coming back in the end. That's for sure. BUT before Jesus comes, others will come saying THEY are Jesus. Or they will come saying THEY know when the end is. They are obviously false. Then check out these verses: ¹² Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, ¹³ but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Wickedness will increase, love grows cold, and the message of Jesus will be preached to the whole world before the end comes. As you look at that idea of wickedness growing, look at one these pictures from Hurricane Harvey: 

I see a lot more love and care than wickedness in this picture.

And Jesus states that the gospel of the kingdom will be preached to the whole world and to all nations. That means the whole world will have the opportunity to hear about Jesus. While in America, that might not seem THAT far fetched- we live in a BIG world. There are still many people who haven't had the opportunity to hear, because the Bible hasn't even been translated into their own language yet. (Here is how far on language translation we STILL need to go).


The next thing to look at in Scripture is the way God compares the end of the world coming. In 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 2, it says this- ² For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. The day of the Lord is when Jesus will come back, meaning the end of the world. This is described as "a thief in the night." A thief in the night is a total surprise. There is no warning.

So what then can be conclude from this Scripture? In my opinion, there is still a lot of love left in people. Which is GREAT! We are still probably in line to see a wickedness increase. Second, no one is going to know when the end is finally going to happen. We aren't going to see a bunch of predictions on facebook of the end of the world becoming correct.

What we can take from all this is to continue to show love and care for one another. Instead of getting all caught up in this end of the world stuff- let's instead practice another Bible story. The one of the Good Samaritan. Take some time to read that story today from Luke 10. Don't click on another story predicting the end of time- instead read about how we should treat others TODAY!