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The Fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
“No one would
survive”
Beyond Today Magazine
It's not hard to see how mankind's choice has
affected our world.
The good news is that, before we can destroy
ourselves, the story will change.
Consider this description of our time that
comes from a perspective beyond the human sphere:
“In the last days
perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of
money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful,
unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal,
despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather
than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).
The apostle Paul, thousands of years in
advance, nailed this list of many of the causes of humanity’s ills.
God’s Spirit showed clearly the things we are
doing that are making our world more dangerous by the minute.
“No one would survive”
Jesus’ disciples knew even then that the
world was getting worse and worse, and would finally reach a point where these
and other evils would crescendo to a final climax.
Jesus told them He would return to begin a
new age of peace.
So, they asked Him, “When
will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of
the age?” (Matthew
24:3, New International Version).
Jesus’ answer was
breathtaking in its scope, but one phrase caught their ears. “For then there
will be great distress, unequalled from the beginning of the world till now — and
never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would
survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:21-22,
NIV, emphasis added).
The future of humanity is at stake!
Jesus Christ identified the time of His
return as a time when human extinction was possible. But He promised He
wouldn’t let that happen!
The good news is that, before we can destroy
ourselves, the story will change.
His feet will stand…
Jesus Christ will literally return to this
earth — to the highly contested piece of real estate we know as Jerusalem!
In the same way the disciples saw Christ
ascend into the clouds after His resurrection, He will return through the
clouds to this earth, but this time with power and great glory (Acts 1:11; Matthew
24:30).
That’s the biggest news story in history,
especially since if He did not come, humanity would destroy itself.
Humankind continues to find more ways to
obliterate every man, woman and child off the face of the earth.
Biblical prophecy describes in detail the
time of great distress, or tribulation, that will envelope the earth.
Wars, disasters, famines and disease
epidemics will decimate the population.
Finally, when the nations of the world gather
for battle at a place called Armageddon (Revelation 16:14, Revelation 16:16), Christ will swiftly
intervene before it is too late.
Sadly, the nations will not recognize or
welcome their Savior, but will fight Him.
“Then the Lord will
go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle.
And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces
Jerusalem on the east” (Zechariah
14:3-4).
The battle will be over swiftly, ending the
painful age of human misrule.
Finally, a new day will dawn — a day fresh
with the promise of peace and fulfillment, of joy and purpose, of happiness and
accomplishment.
The nightmares of history will fade, and the
dreams of mankind will begin to come to life.
The time after Christ’s return will be
wonderful beyond imagination!
No wonder Christians
have always prayed, “Your Kingdom come!”
At the end of the
book of Revelation, Jesus Christ tells us, “Surely I am coming quickly.”
And we fervently
respond with the apostle John, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).
Preaching the
Gospel, Preparing a People
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