Do Not Fear the End Times Part 7: Rejoice at the End of this Fallen World

So I am not mourning for this fallen world. I would encourage you not to either. It must be destroyed, so God can create the new world.

Previous End Times Post

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Greetings readers. Hope you’re doing as well as possible with the ongoing Coronavirus situation. I heard that the US may have successfully slowed its virus curve. So there could be less total infections over time, and they’ll come slower.

Of course that’s good news. I don’t want to see anyone inflicted with painful suffering. Though I seethe at the injustice of the fact that not all countries (and not even all people in the US) are in equal situations to have the means (financial and otherwise) to be able to follow the social distancing and other protective measures they ideally should. I wish I could correct that injustice, but I accept that in this fallen world we live in, it will remain this way … until Jesus returns, that is.

The fact that there is such injustice in this world is directly tied to my topic for today. Starting with the very first post in my End Times series, I’ve always said that we as Christians should never fear death or be sad about it. We should never fear leaving this world.

Today I’m going to add that we should never fear or be sad about the destruction of this world either. It’s okay to like the world or to enjoy some things about it, but don’t love it and don’t be attached to it. Be ready for it to be destroyed.

This Fallen World has always Been Unjust

This world is fallen. It’s been so ever since Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden. When Adam first gained consciousness he was in paradise. Everything was rest and leisure. He had plenty of food and certainly had no need to work for it! When God created Eve, she enjoyed the same sweet deal.

That’s how it was at first for humanity. The earth was a paradise. If the fall hadn’t happened, presumably Adam and Eve would have multiplied and all their descendants, the people of earth, would have enjoyed the same paradise world.

That was not to be. Adam and Eve’s original sin turned this world into a fallen one full of sin. God changed the way humans need to live. Now Adam would have to work—hard—for his daily bread. Now we all do.

(17) To the man he said, “Because you listened to your wife’s voice and you ate from the tree that I commanded, ‘Don’t eat from it,’
cursed is the fertile land because of you;
in pain you will eat from it
every day of your life.
(18) Weeds and thistles will grow for you,
even as you eat the field’s plants;
(19) by the sweat of your face you will eat bread—
until you return to the fertile land,
since from it you were taken;
you are soil,
to the soil you will return.”

Genesis 3:17-19 (CEB)

And everything that follows in the Bible are stories of life much as we know it today. There was pain and suffering. There was despair, and people praying for death (Job, Elijah). There was poverty and hunger. And there were joys and triumphs too, of course! Can’t forget those. This is life after the fall—I need not explain it, because that’s our life.

As for injustice, it has always been a human failing, always been part of the human experience ever since the fall. Look in the Bible. How about the sins of Israel’s leaders—including the murder of their own people—in 1 and 2 Kings? Or how about the parable of Lazarus and the rich man (not the Lazarus that Jesus resurrected) in Luke 16:19-31? I could go on and on.

Fast forward many years. Is injustice solved now, after centuries of technological innovation and human progress? Of course not! There is inequality, oppression, poverty, hunger, strife … need I continue?

The Bible shows us that these problems have always been with us, since the very beginning. Kings, rulers, countries, and entire empires have risen and fallen. These things come and go, like money or anything else in this temporary world. But humanity’s problems have never left us. Those are constant.

Will any changes we can make help? I ask: Why would they help?

One example … more people are turning against capitalism. It’s understandable why. The system is clearly unjust and more importantly, ungodly. It has its priorities all wrong: Money and wealth are valued more than God and lives. The system is demonic. Capitalism is Mammon.

But none of us should be surprised that our systems are demonic … here in this fallen world full of demons. The Bible shows us that demons are as real as you and me. And the Bible shows us that life has always been unjust. We can read it and see how our sinful human nature has always created these problems by following demons instead of God. Humans are easily tempted by the whispers of demons, which are the pleasures of this world. In the case of capitalism, greed AKA Mammon. This is the true problem.

To me the fact that all the world’s wealth is going into the hands of the 1% while everyone else gets robbed is not the end result of capitalism, it’s the end result of our sinful human nature and life in a fallen world. Any human in a position to accumulate wealth and power will be tempted to, and they will. Too bad for them that the wealth and power they hoard here will mean nothing to God when they meet Him!

So even if we rid the world of our current system, would things change? Whatever new system gets introduced, whether it’s socialism or something else, will be equally flawed because it was made by humans, who are flawed. The new system may be flawed in different ways, creating new injustices that were not foreseen, but all that matters is it will be flawed too.

So as for my own opinion on this, I’m opposed to all demon-inspired, human-made social systems in general. I’m trying to be as self-sufficient as I can while waiting for the End. But we can’t blame everything on demons. We are all sinful by nature, and the whole human race through its injustice and greed has definitely earned the judgment that’s coming. So I say, “let’s go already!” But the End will happen when God wills it. My eagerness can’t speed it up.

There is only one solution to our dilemma, and we have already read it in the Bible, and I can feel it coming closer now. That solution is Jesus Christ.

Jesus himself said that in the End Times, “There will be great suffering such as the world has never before seen and will never again see.” (Matthew 24:21) We are entering the very beginning of this time now.

But on the other side of something terrible is something great. After this unjust, fallen world is rightfully destroyed, there will be a new paradise where true justice reigns.

(1) Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. (2) I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. (3) I heard a loud voice from the throne say, “Look! God’s dwelling is here with humankind. He will dwell with them, and they will be his peoples. God himself will be with them as their God. (4) He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more. There will be no mourning, crying, or pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (5) Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look! I’m making all things new.” […] Revelation 21:1-4 (CEB)
(1) Then the angel showed me the river of life-giving water, shining like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb (2) through the middle of the city’s main street. On each side of the river is the tree of life, which produces twelve crops of fruit, bearing its fruit each month. The tree’s leaves are for the healing of the nations. (3) There will no longer be any curse. […] Revelation 22:1-3 (CEB)

This is the only lasting solution. Humankind is flawed and so are all its works in this fallen demon world. But after hitting the reset button by destroying the world, God will make it better. And then He will make his home here among the humans—only then we can be sure that there won’t be injustice again. As it stands now we are separated from God. Once we’re reunited with Him, we will no longer be under the curse. We won’t die and we won’t toil. This is a great thing to look forward to! So always look beyond this world.

God’s new world will be another paradise, and if we stay faithful to Jesus Christ even to the point of death, we will get there!

So I am not mourning for this fallen world. I encourage you not to either. It is right for it to be destroyed. It must be destroyed, so God can create the new world. And if we put our faith in Jesus and try to reform our lives as best we can (we all have work to do), to overcome sin with His help and change our hearts and ways, then we have nothing to fear. We will reign alongside him on the new earth. Amen!

That is the first and most important reason not to mourn the death of this world, but it’s certainly not the only one.

This World is under Satan’s Power

Why is there so much evil in the world? This world is under Satan’s control. The Scriptures explicitly tell us this:

(19) We know we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

1 John 5:19 (CEB)

(1) And you were dead in the trespasses and sins (2) in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air […]

Ephesians 2:1-2 (ESV)

(31) Now is the time for judgment of this world. Now this world’s ruler will be thrown out.

John 12:31 (CEB)

These verses in their contexts explicitly say that Satan is the ruler of this world. God is still above him though, as God rules the heavens. So how can both have power at once? God is the highest power, and He allows the devil to act on the earth. The devil is powerless to act without God’s approval.

It’s clear from the opening chapters of Job that God will sometimes allow Satan to act as he sees fit, within boundaries. In that case the boundary was “do not kill Job.” Satan is powerless to cross those boundaries, but is able to do what he likes within them.

When God allows Satan to do these things, it always serves God’s purposes in the end. In the case of Job it was to prove to all that he truly was one of God’s most faithful servants (by the way, at the end of the book of Job God did restore what the devil took from him, and Job’s later years were even better than his early years). God can have any purpose at all for doing this—His ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8).

God will often allow the devil to torment us when we’re walking in grievous sins (which already open the door for demonic attacks, see my series on the Jezebel spirit for more). The torments we’re afflicted with will wake us up to our sin, and we’ll know that it’s time to change our ways.

If we do change our ways, turn to Jesus, and run from sin when tormented by Satan in this way, then heaven will rejoice at our change of heart (Luke 15:7). Satan then loses a soul. So this is one example of why God uses the devil for His own purposes. God will always take a tragic situation and turns it around for His glory.

But Satan’s most common tactic is deception. There’s a tug-of-war going on between the angels and the devils for every person’s soul. But Satan finds it much easier (and effective) to lead people the wrong way with innocent-seeming deceptions. As the ruler of this world, he’s in a great position to deceive people.

Scripture explains that Satan blinds non-believers to lead them to him:

(4) The god of this age has blinded the minds of those who don’t have faith so they couldn’t see the light of the gospel that reveals Christ’s glory. Christ is the image of God.

2 Corinthians 4:4 (CEB)

He can do this in many ways, such as through demonic deceptions, false ideologies (new age, etc.), and the pleasures of this world (more on that below). As long as someone isn’t seeking Christ, they’re headed the wrong way. Satan will do what he can to keep them going that way. His power here on earth gives him near-limitless potential for doing this.

It also serves God’s purposes that Satan be allowed to mislead people this way. After we’re saved, it’s up to us to stay committed to God and work out our own salvation by continuing to seek out and follow Christ:

(12) […] carry out your own salvation with fear and trembling. (13) God is the one who enables you both to want and to actually live out his good purposes.

Philippians 2:12-13 (CEB)

It serves God’s purposes that those who aren’t fully committed to following Him should be allowed to be deceived and fall away. That leaves only the most committed Christians to remain. We must remember to always be vigilant against the tricks of the devil (1 Peter 5:8) because Satan has an extraordinary ability to deceive us here on earth. None of us are immune to his deceptions!

So why should any of us mourn the death of this world if Satan is the ruler of it? All the evils we fight against stem from him. We will never have a perfect world until this one is destroyed, so God can create the new heaven and the new earth (Revelation 21). Don’t be sad or afraid at the loss of Satan’s world—be eager for God’s new world!

This World Is Temporary, but God’s Is Eternal

One more reason not to mourn the passing of this world: The world is temporary!

So says a Scripture that I often quote on this blog, 1 John 2:15-17:

(15) Don’t love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in them. (16) Everything that is in the world—the craving for whatever the body feels, the craving for whatever the eyes see and the arrogant pride in one’s possessions—is not of the Father but is of the world. (17) And the world and its cravings are passing away, but the person who does the will of God remains forever.

1 John 2:15-17 (CEB)

“The world and its cravings are passing away,” that says it all right there.

The pleasures and temptations of this world are sweet indeed. Sins are delicious. The pleasures of the flesh (which are anything that stimulate the senses, and not limited to sex) are so delightful that if we can’t learn to moderate them, the desire for these pleasures will end up controlling us rather than the other way around.

For that reason, all these pleasures are traps. Now each pleasure of the flesh is not inherently evil. But they’re so enjoyable that we quickly grow addicted to them, as I said. But the problem is that these things fade away. They are temporary.

Anything you love that’s in the world, including the world itself, will not last forever. If you love worldly things and the pleasures of the flesh then you’ve got a real problem, because you’re in love with something that will soon end. You’re attached to this fallen world instead of being ready to leave it.

That’s why on top of the warning of 1 John 2, Scripture also warns us in Colossians 3 to always stay focused on the things of heaven rather than the temporary things and pleasures of the world:

(1) Therefore, if you were raised with Christ, look for the things that are above where Christ is sitting at God’s right side. (2) Think about the things above and not things on earth.

Colossians 3:1-2 (CEB)

When we’re focused on the pleasures of the world, we’re not focused on following Christ, the way that leads to eternal joy and satisfaction, not the fleeting temporary pleasure we can enjoy here. The pleasures of the world pale in comparison.

I’ve written about this topic twice before on this blog. This Medium article here and the later part of Cast Down Jezebel Part 3.

As the ruler of this fallen world, it’s no wonder that Satan would seek to trap us here with the useless pleasures of this world. It doesn’t matter how he deceives us as long as he does. If he can make us chase after the meaningless wealth and fleshly delights we mistakenly love instead of seeking and loving Christ, then he’s achieved his goals.

At the beginning of this post I mentioned the 1%, and noted that their wealth means nothing to God. Well this is why the 1% are doomed. They are of the world. Anyone can be much better off than them by piling up riches in heaven and not on earth (Matthew 6:19). The only way the 1% can save themselves now is by giving everything away.

The treasure of the wicked won’t profit them, but righteousness rescues people from death.

Proverbs 10:2 (CEB)

Be careful everyone. Be in the world but not of it. Don’t let the desire for temporary pleasures get you attached to this temporary world … and trapped here. You want to ascend to God’s kingdom, where the pleasures are eternal.

Real Hope

Why are things going so wrong in this world now, so quickly? That’s simple. Satan knows his time is up soon. He’s had his evil fun but now his world and his kingdom are soon to be destroyed. Now he’s desperately trying to cause as much destruction and mayhem as he can. He wants to cause people to despair and turn to sin for short-lived emotional comfort at the cost of their souls. He wants to deceive them with false ideologies that offer easy answers and comfort but lead away from Christ. This will only get worse as the End gets closer. But it will also be a sign that Jesus is getting closer and closer.

He desperately seeks to confuse, mislead, and drive to despair as many souls as he can in these final days. Don’t let him mislead you! Stay vigilant and stay strong! The End is coming very soon! Keep the faith until then.

Christ’s promises are real, and He said that if we stay faithful to the point of death, we will glory with Him in heaven. And that’s amazing, because all I want in heaven is rest and relief from this life anyway.

Don’t mourn the death of this world! Rejoice to see it end, knowing something better is coming! Put your faith in Jesus Christ as the one way to eternal life, CONFESS your sins and REPENT! Then use the rest of your time to reform your life, overcome sin, and change your ways. That’s it. That’s the only way to be safe from what’s coming. Don’t worry about physically dying. And don’t worry about the destruction either. These things must happen (Matthew 24:6). Welcome it!

This world isn’t our real life. Our real life awaits us in the world to come, in the new heaven and new earth where we’ll be together with Jesus Christ. Christ taught us how to get there—rejoice at the promise and follow his teachings! Read God’s Word every day and talk to God in prayer to make sure you’re on the right path to get there!

The short-term pain we must suffer will mean nothing when we receive our eternal rest. But for now it’s time to look inside, make sure our faith is in the right place, and that our actions add up too.

Do not fear the End Times. Rejoice in them.

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Until next time, be strong and do good!

Your new best friend in Christ,

99:9

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