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WHY DOES IT END? Back to the Beginning A question that never seems to be answered sufficiently is, "Why do bad things happen to good people, and good things to bad people?" What people overlook is the fact that paradise was lost at the garden of Eden. God had given dominion to Adam and Eve, but theysinned by disobeying God. In effect, they turned their dominion over to the serpent, the Devil.49 The good news is that things won’t always be in the control of the evil one. The bad news is that things will become even worse before they get better.We are told in scripture that at the end, at the coming of the Son of Man, everything will be, "…as it was in the days of Noah" (Matt. 24:37). Before the Flood, "The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. So the Lord said, `I will wipe mankind, from the face of the earth’" (Gen. 6:5, 7). "Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out" (Gen. 7:23). As time went by, this catastrophic judgement was deliberately forgotten, and man became bolder in his evil. Even today, people scoff about another impending judgement, exactly as they did before the flood of Noah. It has been stated that everyone has a home somewhere in scripture, and these scoffers certainly have their home in these verses: "First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desire. They will say, ‘Where is this "coming" he promised? Ever since our forefathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.’ But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed" (2 Pet. 3:3-6). GODLESS SCIENCE If people deliberately ignore the judgement of God on the antediluvians, they are not without "authoritative" support. Unbelieving and atheistic scientists, who are involved in the faith and religion of evolution, misinterpret and misrepresent the fossil evidence, and construct what is known as the geologic column.50 Through their blind faith in this column, which exists nowhere on earth, they construct voluminous ages for the earth. These purported, immeasurable ages allow what they believe is sufficient time for anything to happen; in essence, they believe the old fairy tale that a frog became a prince. (Actually, in all fairness, they believe in the evolution of amoeba to man.) This anti-God (antichrist) theory exists in the mind of man as a purposeful delusion created by the one who currently holds dominion over the earth, the serpent. It deliberately expels God further back in time and space (even if allowed to be present at all) to the point where mens’ consciences can feel comfortable, and especially, not answerable to a moral being for their sins. In order to accomplish his goals, Satan deceived the intellectual and scientific community into re-interpreting God’s judgement at the flood of Noah. Thus, with an anti-God thesis as a pre-supposition, an interpretation of a geologic column emerged, removing God completely from the picture. Satan’s evolution ministers faithfully preach his religion through every media outlet, and even in educational institutions. These evolutionists are the progenitors of the scoffers in the above passages. Evolution is not a science that began with Darwin. It is a naturalistic philosophy that tries to explain the existence of all things in terms of natural phenomena and chance happenings. It dates back to the time before Christ’s birth.
Timothy was warned of these evolutionists: "O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane [and] vain babbling, and opposition of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith" (1 Tim. 6:20-21, KJV). Certainly one example of "professors of false science" would be those involved in evolutionary scientism. It is this growing godlessness—as it was in the days of Noah—that increasingly ripens the overall state of man for God’s wrath and judgement. Most people realize that there must be an end. If there is a beginning, then there must be an ending. Even science has laws. The First Law of Thermodynamics tells us that matter and energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Since we are here, we must have had a beginning. Thus it also means we had to have had a beginning outside the laws of science, by special creation. The other alternative, evolution, is a vacuous absurdity, totally without substance or credibility. Evolution also depends on a miracle—spontaneous generation—which requires a greater faith for it is not supported by the basic scientific law of cause and effect.
Rational thinkers will tell you that things don’t run freely uphill. The Second Law of Thermodynamics tells us that things become disordered rather than ordered. Here, evolution directly contradicts one of the most basic laws of science; while creation not only supports, but predicts it. For example, creation tells us that things must have been more uphill in the past, in order to have run so far downhill now. It is this continual "running downhill" that the Creator/Alpha (the Beginning), is going to bring to an end, fulfilling His role as the Consummator/Omega (the End). We saw in Chapter One, "Who," that the End (Omega) is Jesus Christ, and that He is also the Beginning (Alpha), the Creator. At the end, He will begin to return the earth to the pristine condition in which it was when He created it. It is God’s ultimate purpose to bring both the earth and mankind back to a state of perfection, as everything was prior to the time Adam and Eve fell into sin. END EVIL AND REBELLION As we see the condition of the world increasingly deteriorating, we shouldn’t have to ask why there should be an end. Evil rapidly becomes more and more pervasive, yet people continue to blindly hope for peace and prosperity. For the most part, both the Jews and Gentiles have rejected the Prince of Peace, so they must receive God’s coming wrath; only those who are in His will, will escape the wrath (1 Thess. 1:10; 5:9). God’s master plan and purpose through the ages demands that this world system of Satan and man comes to an end. He created both angels and man with a free will. Back at the garden of Eden, it is clear that both fallen angels, 1/3 of the total (Rev. 12:4), and man decided to do their own thing. Immediately, God pronounced judgement and declared that the Eternal Son of God would come to end the rebellion (Gen. 3:15). Since then, the prophecies of the Bible have been many regarding God’s plan of salvation, His patient and ongoing dealings with hard-hearted man, and His judgements, past, present, and future. Slowly, the prophecies have been unveiled over time, and many have been fulfilled. It is God’sunchanging consistency and the dependable fulfillment of His Word that gives us faith and trust that all remaining prophecy will also be fulfilled. God has given us prophecy to ensure us that His will, will ultimately be done. In the prayer the Lord taught His disciples, He instructed that they should pray for the kingdom to come, and for God’s will to be done on earth, as it is in heaven (Matt. 6:10). Because He said He would, we can believe God will end man’s evil and rebellion. Let us look again at His Word for more of the reasons for the coming of the End (the Omega). JUDGE UNGODLINESS The end was prophesied by Enoch, the great grandfather of Noah. He also stated the reasons: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him" (Jude 14-15). END NON-JEWISH KINGDOMS The End will come in order to re-establish David’s throne and kingdom. The book of Daniel gives us four great empires that would follow David’s kingdom—the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Grecian, and Roman. Revelation 13:2 shows us that these empires will be rebuilt, and together will both endorse the Antichrist and oppose God. The Omega will bring these to an end. "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever" (Dan. 2:44). ESTABLISH CHRIST AS KING OF THE JEWS At Jesus’ crucifixion, the Roman soldiers mocked Him when they put a sign over His head that said, "King of the Jews." At the end, all of Christ’s mockers will be under the rule of the One whom they unwittingly titled accurately. "Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this" (Isa. 9:7). Other passages testify to the Kingship of Jesus: "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end" (Luke 1:32-33). Not only will the End rule over Israel, but over all the nations: "He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed" (Dan. 7:14). "The Lord will be king over the whole earth" (Zech. 14:9). The Book of Revelation shows that, in the future, the kingdom of the world will become the Kingdom of the Lord and of His Messiah (Rev. 11:15), and that He will be King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Rev. 19:16).
END UNRIGHTEOUSNESS AND INJUSTICE Righteousness and justice will be established. "The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land’" (Jer. 23:5). God warns the world that at the end He will judge the world because of the injustice that went on during man’s "week"—that He has not forgotten the sins of mankind. Justice demands that sin be judged. "‘In that day,’ declares the Sovereign Lord, ‘the songs in the temple will turn to wailing. Many, many bodies; flung everywhere! Silence!’ Hear this, you who trample the needy and do away with the poor of the land… skimping the measure, boosting the price and cheating with dishonest scales… ‘I will never forget anything they have done.’ Will not the land tremble, for this, and all who live in it mourn" (Amos 8:3-5, 8)? END OLD KINGS AND ESTABLISH NEW KINGS One reason why the ways of this world will end should be of real interest to the saints of God, who, as far as economic, political, and social power, have been closer to the tail than the head. The Lord will "impeach" those in power and give the rule over all societal and material things to His saints. "But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever; yes, for ever and ever. As I watched, the horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom. Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High" (Dan. 7:18, 22, 27). The sixth chapter of 1 Corinthians speaks of the identity of the above mentioned saints, after clearly telling us who they are not. It is elaborated there that they are not the homosexuals, thieves, drunkards, prostitutes, and adulterers. Rather, they are those who are washed and sanctified, who are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God. The Omega ends the ways of this world, in order to turn things over to His saints, those who have accepted God’s provision (or sacrifice) for their sins—the Omega Himself. The horn mentioned above in Daniel 7 is the future (and last) mighty king, the Antichrist. He, along with his priest, the false prophet, have the distinguished "honor" of being the first two individuals to be thrown into the Lake of Fire (Rev. 19:20). This is an especially significant reason why the Lord will return—to bring these two to an end. REGATHER ISRAEL AND BUILD THE TEMPLE As stated in the following scriptures, the Messiah will come and regather all Israel and build His Millennial Temple. "He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth" (Isa. 11:12). "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other" (Matt. 24:30-31). He comes not only to regather the Israelites, but to build the temple and to be clothed with majesty, where He will be a priest on the throne (Zech. 6:13). He will reveal His glory (Isa. 40:5), so that from that day forward the house of Israel will know that He is the Lord their God (Ezek. 39:22). SEPARATE THE SHEEP AND GOATS "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats" (Matt 25:31-32). According to Matthew 24:15-20, the sheep will be gathered from the people of the obedient ones who, for example, will have fled to the hills for refuge. They will also be composed of those who did good works; those who gave supplies of food, water, clothing, and visited those who were sick or in prison. They will enter the Millennial Kingdom and continue with extended life, bearing children under near perfect conditions. The goats will be those habitual sinners who didn’t have the good works, and who will hear those awful words, "Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matt. 25:41). In Matthew 24:38-39, these goats are compared to those who did not choose the ark in Noah’s day and were taken away by the flood. Verse 39 clearly states that they will likewise be taken away: "For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." Christ describes the judgement over which He will preside in His own words, and refers to the goats as weeds: "As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil" (Matt. 13:40-41). END RELIGION The End will come to do away with religion. Religion gives someone a work to do, so that he can be "accepted" of God. But what God desires is a relationship, and the only "work" involved is simple acceptance—all the necessary work has already been done at the cross! Religion has its roots in Babylon. It is "THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH" (Rev. 17:5).51 The so called "New Age" religion of today is the same religion that was at Babylon. A god of any description is acceptable; people are trying again to reach fulfillment under their own power and direction, as it was in the days of ancient Babylon: "Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth’" (Gen. 11:4). All apostate religions52 are summed up in this Mystery Babylon, which will have so much political clout that even the beast (the Antichrist) will be ridden by her for a time (Rev. 17:3). END THE JEWS’ REBELLION The End will come because of the sin and rebellion of the Jews. The Bible asks the question, "Why?" for the Jews, and then provides the answer. "‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them; that is why he brought all this disaster on them’" (2 Chron. 7:21-22). The Lord will fulfill the promises of curses for Israel’s rebellion against Him: "All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. ‘Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you’" (Dan. 9:11). This is to happen because of the sins of Israel’s leaders, "…who shed within her the blood of the righteous" (Lam. 4:13). They will ask this, even though they are given the answer quite succinctly (and in an historic nutshell) by the first martyr of Christ the Messiah—Stephen, in the 7th chapter of Acts. SPRINKLE THOSE WHO CRUCIFIED CHRIST Jeremiah is a type of the Messiah who compares himself to a lamb. He had been a gentle "lamb" who was led to the slaughter. They wanted to, "…cut him off from the land of the living" (Jer. 11:19). This passage is clearly the type of the man of sorrows (Jesus Christ) described in Isaiah 53: "…he was led like a lamb to the slaughter. For he was cut off from the land of the living" (Isa 53:7-8). At the crucifixion of the Messiah, "All the people answered, ‘Let his blood be on us and on our children’" (Matt. 27:25)! At the cross, His appearance was disfigured and, "…marred beyond human likeness, so he will sprinkle [shed the blood of] many" (Isa. 52:14-15). Because the Messiah’s people have rejected Him, "the gentle flowing waters of Shiloh," He will bring, "the king of Assyria" (the Antichrist) to overrun and overflow His people (Isa. 8:6-7). Since all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and not just His own people (Rom. 3:23), the Lord will also shed the blood of Gentiles who have rejected Him (Rev. 14:18). The Bible makes it very clear that all people are responsible for crucifying Christ, even though the plan of salvation was God’s plan and will. "Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen" (Acts 4:27-28). The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). But the good news is that since God’s Son had no sin, then His death opens the way to life for all who believe in Him as their sacrifice. END VIOLENCE, EVIL GAIN, & GENTILE RULE God will put an end once again to the violence on the earth, just as He did in the days of Noah (Gen. 6:1). He will come to end the prosperity of the wicked (Jer. 12:1), and the times of the Gentiles (Luke 21:24), who have ruled over Israel since 606 B.C. END THE CURSE Many prophecies and promises of God show with abundant clarity that at the end the Omega will consummate the curse on the world. Here are a few: "The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God" (Rom. 8:19-21). "…no longer will there be any curse" (Rev. 22:3). "The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow" (Isa. 35:1, 7). "They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord; the grain, the new wine and the oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more" (Jer. 31:12). "No longer will there be any curse" (Rev. 22:3). END PAIN, SICKNESS, & PREMATURE DEATH For those of us who have practiced in the healing arts and sciences there is great news. At the end, dentists, nurses, physicians, etc., will suddenly become underemployed or unemployed! "There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away" (Rev. 21:4). "Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for Joy" (Isa. 35:5-6). "Never again will there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth" (Isa. 65:20). END WARS AND WRONG POSSESSION "He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore" (Micah 4:3). God will end the wrong possession of the earth. In the beginning, God gave rule and dominion to Adam (Gen. 1), who in turn gave it to Satan at the Fall (Gen. 2). God promised to reclaim it through the Messiah (Gen. 3), Who is the second and last Adam (Rom. 5:14). Christ is the Kinsman, the Redeemer of mankind. He paid the price for redemption by shedding His blood (Rev. 5:9). At the end, He will evict Satan and his forces from their temporary position of authority on the earth (Rev. 19:20; 20:3). He then establishes the theocratic rule as it was intended for Adam, the first man (and the last until Christ), who was created in His image. "I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession" (Psalms 2:6, 8). END UNJUST GOVERNMENT Among the many other ends that humanity will welcome with open arms will be the end to unjust politics and political systems, including tyrants and dictators. "For to us a child is born [Son of Man—testifying to his humanity], to us a son is given [Son of God—testifying to his divinity],… And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever" (Isa. 9:6-7). "He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed" (Dan. 7:14). END APATHY TOWARDS JERUSALEM Throughout recorded history, the Jewish nation has been the recipient of unjust prejudice and persecution. This, too, will end. "At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the Lord, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts" (Jer. 3:17). "On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter. The Lord will be king over the whole earth" (Zech. 14:8-9). END TEARS AND SORROW God will end the tears and sorrow of the Jews. "They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away" (Isa. 35:10). Their days of sorrow will end (Isa. 60:20). They will receive, "…a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair" (Isa. 6:13), and, "…comfort and joy instead of sorrow" (Jer. 31:13). To the rest of the multitudes, from every nation, tribe, people and language—to whoever becomes an inheritance of God’s during the tribulation, God gives this great promise, "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes" (Rev. 7:17). SUMMARY After Israel has been purified in the furnace of the tribulation, she will be ready for repentance (turning to God). He will have judged her for her sins, including the rejection of Himself as Messiah. He will end the Gentile domination over Israel, and convert the entire nation of Israel in that one day (Zech. 3:9; Isa. 66:8). What a glorious future is in store for Israel and the Jewish people! The tribulation (the time of Jacob’s trouble) is not only for the Jews who have rejected God, but for all the sons of Adam (mankind in general). From the garden of Eden onward, man has elected to do his own thing. There will be nothing left for the Creator to do but to bring it all to an end. He is coming to punish man for his sin (Isa. 26:21) and to judge and avenge for bloodshed (Rev. 6:10). He is coming to crush some (Psalm 110:6) and to rule others with an iron rod (Psalm 2:9). Through the ages, He will have shown the world that man without God can only create havoc and heartache, that sinful mankind, left long enough to himself, will not find his own fulfillment under his own power, but rather will only destroy himself, the earth, and everything in it (Matt. 24:22; Rev. 11:18). The Omega comes to end the ungodly systems of today. He has shown grace to the wicked, but the wicked continue in their evil and rebellion (Isa. 26:10). The Judge will judge man and punish him for the blood that he has shed and the sins he has committed (Rev 6:10, 26:21); He will reward everyone according to what they have done.
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Copyright © 1997-2010 For comments and/or suggestions, send mail to Dr. George Madray |