At the End of the World

Peter gazes into the future and sees the heavens evaporate with a roar. The stars and planets burst into flame. The evil of the Planet Earth is exposed once and for all. Then the apostle cautions us, "Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be?" (2 Peter:3:11, NIV)

A vivid answer to that New Testament question can be found in the Old Testament pages of Isaiah. The prophet devotes several chapters to his vision of God's final judgment raining down upon the earth. "The earth staggers like a drunkard and sways like a hut. Earth's rebellion weighs it down, and it falls, never to rise again." (Isaiah 24:20, HCSB) Like ancient Egypt tottering and reeling in the face of the plagues of Moses, the whole world is suddenly a fortress of barbarians reduced to rubble.

But in the midst of all this devastation, Isaiah 24:14,15 interrupts with two of the most unlikely verses. "They lift up their voices. They sing for joy. Over the majesty of the Lord they shout from the west. Therefore in the east, give glory to the Lord. In the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel."

Who are these strange people celebrating God's goodness among the ruins of civilization? Those people are us, the holy people of God, taking hope in the certainty of God's promises and the reality of his justice. They have always known these things had to happen because God's Word is true and his authority is final. They are vindicated in their faith. What's more, they realize the joy that is yet to come.

In our generation, we have become quite attached to this evil world. The bright lights have become too seductive for us, and the earthly delights taste succulent indeed. We love the night life because we belong to the city. When we gaze into the store windows, we see fond reflections of ourselves, draped in high fashion and lounging on designer sofas. We do not see the expiration date stamped on every item.

Knowing these baubles will be destroyed by fire, what sort of people should we be? Peter exhorts us to live holy and godly lives as we look forward to the Day of the Lord, and hope it will come speedily. Something within us will have to change before we can be those visionary souls who rejoice at the end of the world. We will need to break off our affair with the world. We must detach. We must disengage. Alright, that sounds much too new age and trendy. Let's be prophetic. We must repent and rediscover Matthew 6:33.

Selah!