The World is Coming to an End!

You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end. (Hebrews 1:10-12)

One of the most constant truths found throughout the Bible is that the physical world is corrupted and in the process of decay. This truth is in direct opposition to the belief in evolution which believes that the world is evolving and becoming better.

This statement in the book of Hebrews, which is actually quoted from the Old Testament book of Psalms where it says the same thing, makes it clear that the created earth is wearing out. It is compared to how old clothes wear out with usage and time, and eventually have to be replaced. The old clothes are disposed of and changed. That is exactly what is going to happen to this earth where we currently live.

The earth was not always in this process of decay. The book of Genesis portrays a beautiful, perfect earth with a perfect environment. It was the sin of Adam that changed all that:

And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return." (Genesis 3:17-19)

This event of rebelling against God upset the entire physical creation, and started the process of decay and death. That process is still in force today. As has been written previously, our only hope is to be recreated spiritually. Those who are born again into the spiritual Kingdom of Jesus as God’s children will get to have new physical bodies which cannot be corrupted in the future, and will be able to live in the new heavens and earth that will replace the current ones. In the meantime, we all suffer from having to live in a corrupted, decaying world:

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:19-23)

Unfortunately, those who refuse to accept this truth, and who continue to walk in the kingdom of darkness believing in things that are not true, such as the belief in evolution, will be destroyed along with the current physical world:

They will say, "Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation." For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the Word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same Word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. (2 Peter 3:4-14)

So make no mistake about this: the world IS coming to an end. No specific day and time is given in the Bible. It just warns us to be ready for it to occur at any time. Many of the writers of the New Testament seemed to think it might happen within their life time, and that was over 2000 years ago. So how much closer and imminent are we today?

But there is one person who knows. As the verses from Hebrews above state, Jesus is always the same, and his years of life will not come to an end. He has already died the physical death and has taken his position in the new kingdom, which exists in the spiritual realm. At the proper time, he will destroy the current physical realm and put into place the new one. Will you be part of it?

…the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power… (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9)

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How God Speaks to Us Today

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. (Hebrews 1:1-3)

God speaks. I guess that is the starting point, isn’t it? There is a God who created everything, and he is a communicator. He is not silent. He speaks. He knows every language since he created language. “God’s Word” is the most important reality we can ever know.

The book of Hebrews in the Bible starts out by drawing a distinction between how God spoke to his people in the past, and how he speaks to them today. In previous devotionals we have looked at the nation of Israel when they came out of Egypt to serve God on Mt. Horeb. They heard God speak directly to them for the first time, and they were terrified. They didn’t know God. But they knew that Moses knew God, so they decided that it was just best that Moses do all the talking with God, and then tell them what he said. So Moses became the first prophet to hear the word of God and then relate it to the people. That is basically how God spoke to his people in the past, as the writer of the book of Hebrews points out.

But when Jesus came, that all changed. Jesus did not just come as a prophet, like Moses, who reported the word of God. He was, and still is, the Word of God: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:1-3)

Notice the statements the author of the book of Hebrews makes about Jesus in the first three verses of the book of Hebrews:

1. He is appointed as heir of all things (he owns everything).

2. He made the universe.

3. He is the radiance of God’s glory.

4. He is the exact representation of God’s being or nature.

5. He sustains all things by his powerful word.

The last point is very interesting, because it states that not only did Jesus create life, but that he sustains it by his word. So if Jesus stops talking, we are all doomed! The universe falls apart. I find it interesting that within the field of alternative or natural health, that there is often a lot of emphasis on “energy” and energy patterns. A lot of it is very useful, and some of the practices are very old, such as Chinese acupuncture. But seldom, if ever, do I hear people in these practices encouraging their patients to seek out the source of all energy in the universe, which is a person, and not just a “force.” When Jesus walked on the earth he created, he had complete power over its energy fields, and incredible things happened. People touched him and were instantly healed. Dead people heard his voice and came back to life. Really astounding things occurred through Jesus and the energy of Jesus’ powerful word. And Jesus hasn’t stopped talking.

So today, the Old Testament office of prophets no longer exists, because now anyone can know Jesus directly and become a prophet, knowing God’s word directly from the source! If one is reborn spiritually and walking in the Kingdom of Light and paying attention to their King, they will know God’s Word, who is Jesus. Jesus represents everything God is and what he wants for our lives and for the world we live in. Are we listening to him? Are we getting to know him better by spending time with him? Do you realize that if you are walking among those in darkness as a member of the Kingdom of Light that you are Jesus’ prophet to those walking in darkness? You represent the King. What does he want you to do today? His word upholds the universe. Are you telling people about him, and leading them to the one who sustains their life?

For the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing apart of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

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Who Do You Trust?

I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body also. For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away... I have been forgotten like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel… But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God." My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love! O LORD, let me not be put to shame, for I call upon you… Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you… (King David in Psalms 31:9-19)

David is one of the most amazing people in the Bible, because he was a simple person who had a simple faith. We have more text about David than anyone else in scripture, because we have both historical narrative about his life, and numerous Psalms written by David himself which give us great insight into his life. We know about his weaknesses, failures, and sins, since so much is written about him. If there is one person in the Bible that just about everyone can relate to and look up to, it is David. As a young shepherd boy, the youngest of his father’s sons, God took him out of the fields from tending sheep and anointed him as the king of Israel.

David quickly gained fame among his people in his famous encounter in battle with Goliath, the giant Philistine warrior, as recorded in I Samuel 17. Goliath defied the armies of King Saul and they fled from him in fear: “When the Israelites saw Goliath, they ran away in terror.” But David looked at him with the eyes of faith, and years of working faithfully for his father in the field protecting the family’s wealth in their livestock had taught him some important principles about trusting God: “No one should be afraid of this Philistine! I will go and fight him. I take care of my father's sheep. Any time a lion or a bear carries off a lamb, I go after it, attack it, and rescue the lamb. And if the lion or bear turns on me, I grab it by the throat and beat it to death. I have killed lions and bears, and I will do the same to this heathen Philistine, who has defied the army of the living God. The LORD has saved me from lions and bears; he will save me from this Philistine.”

As this famous story goes, David kills the giant easily and instantly with only a sling and a stone. His trust was not in superior weapons, but in the Lord’s faithfulness to him: "You are coming against me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the Israelite armies, which you have defied. This very day the LORD will put you in my power; I will defeat you and cut off your head. And I will give the bodies of the Philistine soldiers to the birds and animals to eat. Then the whole world will know that Israel has a God, and everyone here will see that the LORD does not need swords or spears to save his people. He is victorious in battle, and he will put all of you in our power."

So life for David took a dramatic turn after this great victory. He was pledged to the king’s daughter in marriage, was exempt from taxation, and became a leader in the army. His life was one of fame and fortune after this event, right? No! What followed was a life of intense pain and suffering, of persecution and constant dangers, of facing terror and death on almost a daily basis. The battle in the spiritual realm had just begun.

Even though David had been anointed as the next king, and David enjoyed favor with the people after he defeated Goliath, his predecessor king Saul was not about to give up his power and reign as king so easily. What followed for David was more than 10 years as a fugitive running away from Saul. He lived in caves and had to travel away from his home and country, gathering a band of men who were criminals and misfits to help him in his battles against the enemies of his country, as well as protect him from the attacks of Saul. As has been written previously, when one enters the Kingdom of Light in the spiritual realm, one also enters into an intense battle with the spiritual rulers of the kingdom of darkness. God does NOT take us out of this battle – he gives us power to endure and overcome through our faith and trust in him, understanding that we are co-heirs with Christ to eternal life and the kingdom of heaven. David had faith that one day he would become king, and he even had more than one occasion where he could have killed King Saul, but he put his trust in God waiting for God’s timing to bring everything to pass, in God’s timing, not his own.

It was during these many years of running as a fugitive that David wrote some of the most beautiful verses in the Bible, in the book of Psalms. David recorded some of his most intense experiences of persecution and sickness, of homelessness and betrayal by friends:

“I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body also. For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away... I have been forgotten like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel…” (Psalm 31)

One theme we see over and over again in David’s Psalms is that those who put their trust in the Lord, will never be disappointed. Sickness, for example, is something David suffered constantly during those years on the run. Sometimes he attributes the sickness to his sins, other times it is the result of persecution and just simply following God’s path for his life, and having to deal with intense stress that brought about physical sickness. But his remedy is always the same:

In you, O LORD, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God." My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love! O LORD, let me not be put to shame, for I call upon you. Blessed be the LORD, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me. Love the LORD, all you his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride. Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD! (selected verses from Psalms 31)

David always ran to the Lord when he was in trouble or sick. His eyes of faith always saw the light at the end of the tunnel, because he trusted in God’s love and God’s purpose for this life. David knew God’s love and experienced it on a daily basis. He was a man that changed the world, because he took God at his word, and never doubted God’s unfailing love for him.

Turn, O LORD, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love. (Psalms 6:4)

How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; my enemy will say, "I have overcome him," and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me. (Psalms 13:4-6)

For the king trusts in the LORD; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken. (Psalms 21:7)

But just as David’s experience with God’s unfailing love did not end the day he defeated Goliath, so our experience does not end the day we are born again into the Kingdom of Light. We must continue to live in faith, trusting God’s unfailing love for us and engaging in battle with the kingdom of darkness. The spiritual forces ruling in the world today through the kingdom of darkness have set up a world system that is not based on God’s unfailing love and his creation. Today it is based on evolution and man’s own knowledge and achievements. Just as David wrote above, “I hate those who pay regard to worthless idols, but I trust in the LORD,” we have our own idols we trust in today, such as science, technology, materialism/wealth, “insurance”, and many other things that are contradictory to trusting in the Lord. If we are trusting in these idols, we are not engaged in battle against the enemy because we are no threat to their kingdom of darkness. It would be like David staying with his sheep on his father’s farm after he had been anointed king, rather than entering into the battle and defeating the giants that got in his way as he trusted in God’s unfailing love to establish the kingdom, the kingdom which was promised to David.

Some of you reading this today are facing your own giants, and you are tempted to react as King Saul and his soldiers did in fear, instead of trusting in the Lord with child-like faith in his unfailing love for you. You lack experience in living inside of God’s love and daily care for you. Others of you reading this are not even in the battle because you trust in things around you that the world system has provided and they have become idols in your life. You are not a threat to the kingdom of darkness, and therefore you have little or no experience in the spiritual battle.

So who are you trusting today? Do you live your life with child-like faith believing that you are in the Kingdom of Light, born again spiritually into God’s family and enjoying his unfailing love? Or are you trusting in the world system around you, which is built upon a foundation of evolution and man’s knowledge, trusting things like the modern medical system which generally believes all sickness is only at the physical level? How about the food you buy to feed yourself and your family? Who are you trusting in when you shop for groceries or eat out? In the US today less than 1% of the population feeds the other 99%, while in the days when Abraham Lincoln was president about 50% of the population was feeding the nation. Are these people supplying our food today worthy of our trust? How about government? Do you trust in the government to take care of you the way the people of Israel did when they went to Samuel and asked for a king to be appointed who would solve all their problems and fight all their battles? How about your financial situation? Who are you trusting for that? Are you trusting in insurance companies and retirement funds along with your employer to take care of you during tough times or emergencies? Are they worthy of your trust?

It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes (government). (Psalms 118:8-9)

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Is God Trying to Get Your Attention?

See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand. (Deuteronomy 32:39)

The Israelites were about to cross over the Jordan River and start their occupation of the “promised land.” Moses was not going to be leading them any longer. We saw in last week’s devotion that God knew ahead of time that the Israelites would eventually stop serving him and start serving other “gods.” These “gods” were the idols from the wicked nations around them they were supposed to be driving out of the land. So he teaches Moses a song they were supposed to memorize and be able to recall when God’s discipline and judgment came upon them. We saw last week that at the beginning of the song it starts with several statements about God’s character that we need to understand and believe if we are going to have a healthy relationship with God. We must understand that God is perfect, fair, and always right and just in his actions.

So after the song’s verses about God’s character, it makes some statements about God’s people, the believers: “They have acted corruptly toward him; to their shame they are no longer his children, but a warped and crooked generation.” (Deuteronomy 32:5)

When we wander away from God, we are always the ones who move. God is described several times here as a “rock”, something sure and unmovable. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Even though God had done wonderful things for the Israelites by delivering them from their slavery in Egypt, and taking care of them in the desert for 40 years, and then leading them into the rich “promised land” to inherit wonderful possessions that they had not worked for or earned, he knew they would still stop following and serving him and start serving the gods of the nations around them. So this is God’s response to their unfaithfulness:

Is this the way you repay the LORD, O foolish and unwise people? Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you? (Deuteronomy 32:6)

If the Israelites living under the Law of Moses were foolish for abandoning God, their Creator, how much more those of us today who have been reborn spiritually and have had all of our sins forgiven and wiped clean by Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross? If you are suffering today from a health challenge or some other challenges that are making your life difficult, the first question you should ask yourself is: “Have I wandered away from God?” Is he trying to get your attention?

The next section of the song is verses 7 to 14, where God instructs them to remember how much he blessed them and watched over them in the past. We would be wise to do the same thing. When life gets rough, take time to remember God’s faithfulness to you, and all the times in the past you have benefited from his blessings. Ask God why his blessings have been withheld from you. Remember that it is okay to complain (in faith) to God. He is pleased when you come to him looking for answers.

The next section of the song is verses 15 to 18, which shows that it is God’s people who move away from him by serving other gods. The gods and idols in 21^st century western culture are science, technology, medicine and wealth. We live in a society built upon evolutionary belief. God’s statement to the Israelites applies to his people today just as much as it did back then: “You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you, and you forgot the God who gave you birth.” (Deuteronomy 32:18) Notice again the reference to God as “the Rock,” the one who does not change or move. We are the ones who move away from him.

Verses 19 to 21 then tell us God’s reaction:

The LORD saw this and rejected them because he was angered by his sons and daughters. "I will hide my face from them," he said, "and see what their end will be; for they are a perverse generation, children who are unfaithful. They made me jealous by what is no god and angered me with their worthless idols.” (Deuteronomy 32:19-21)

Are we making God angry and jealous today with our idols? Is it possible that God stands by ready and waiting to heal and comfort his children, but we turn instead to our idols of medicine, science, and technology thereby preventing God from working in our lives?

Verses 22 to 27 explain how God judges the ungodly and rebellious, and how he disciplines his children. It’s ugly. It is his last resort to get their attention. You don’t want to get to this point in your relationship to God, but I am afraid that some who read this may unfortunately already be there. If so, you need to turn to him in humility and listen to what he has to say to you! He is trying to get your attention!

Verses 28 to 38 then go on to explain the purpose of God’s discipline, which is to knock some sense into his children so that they return and start following him again: “If only they were wise and would understand this and discern what their end will be!” (Deuteronomy 32:29) If we don’t turn away from our current path in such a situation, we are heading down a path of destruction.

Verses 39 to 43 ends the song by explaining that God always wins and always accomplishes his purposes, whether we follow him or not: "See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand." (Deuteronomy 32:39)

Unfortunately, most of us today are taught to explain things away through evolutionary eyes, viewing disasters, calamities, sickness, etc. as just “natural” causes. We therefore look for "natural" and man-made solutions, and seldom consider if God is trying to get our attention through such events and circumstances. This song that God gave to Moses to remind the people of their relationship to God holds the same truths for us today. A loving father will always discipline his children for their own good, and that is just as true with our relationship to God today as it was during the days of Moses:

And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives." It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. (Hebrews 12:5-13)

Is God trying to get your attention today? Are you ignoring him by explaining things away as natural causes, or turning to remedies and solutions for physical problems that might have spiritual roots? Only God truly holds the power for healing and restoration, and for life and death. So if he is trying to get your attention right now, it is in your best interest to give it to him!

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