SUNDAY DEVOTION: The End of the World?

It's not time to head for the hills quite yet

Recent news has a lot of folks talking about the end times again. As much as leftists believe that climate change will doom humanity in the next ten years, so do a lot of Christians believe that the apocalyptic events of Revelation are just around the corner.

I won’t go into eschatological arguments here. Many people much more learned than I hold differing views on the subject. I will only say that no matter what happens tomorrow, we all have a job to do today.

I would also remind you that the world has survived uncertain times before. The attacks in Israel yesterday occurred on the 50th anniversary of the the Yom Kippur War, which began when Egypt and Syria invaded Israel from both sides in a surprise attack. The war lasted several weeks and ended after the United States and the Soviet Union both convinced their respective allies to agree to a ceasefire. Several years later, Egypt and Israel agreed to peace in the Camp David Accords, a peace which has held ever since.

Israeli tank in 1973 photographed by Nathan Fendrich

The world saw unimaginable death and destruction in the two world wars of the 20th century, yet we endured. Muslim conquest was halted at Vienna in 1683 and Tours in 732, but in both cases it must have felt like Christendom itself was on the brink of annihilation. Christ’s apostles themselves, facing the persecution of Nero, believed that the end times were within sight.

Imagine if our forefathers had given up their work at any of these pivotal moments of history. Instead, they persevered. The church fathers endured persecution and death, and finally the gospel reached the heart of Constantine and Christianity was free to flourish. Neither Charles Martel at Tours nor Jan Sobieski at Vienna laid down and waited to die, rather they picked up their swords and fought to the end. Our great-grandfathers rebuilt after the world wars, creating the prosperous nation we still have today.

In Revelation 22:11, Christ tells St. John that life will go on until the end comes. “Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”

In Luke 12:37a, Christ tells the disciples that they must not rest from their work. “Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes.”

Our course is clear. No matter what happens in the Middle East, or in Washington DC, or even in Boise, we are meant to do the work that is before us. Whether it is fighting political battles that will affect our future, raising children to be good and godly, or providing goods and services that improve the lives of your neighbors, that remains your mission.

Finally, do not let what you see on the news get you down. If social media or cable news makes you feel depressed or angry, then take a break. Go outside. Play with your children. We are meant to be happy warriors. Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 8:15 “And I commend joy, for man has nothing better under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun.”