If you are like me, you’ve probably had your fill of post-apocalyptic disaster movies. I really don’t need to see the world end for the eleventeenth time. Hollywood is obsessed with the end of the world and apocalyptic imagery. Sadly, when they borrow those images from the Bible, they strip them of all biblical meaning. That leaves us with a cheap imitation of the truth. It’s about time we took one of their images and imbue it with biblical meaning, don’t you think?

These stories often depict some kind of bunker, shelter, or ark that is humanity’s last hope of survival. If our intrepid heroes can reach said bunker, they will be safe, and the species will endure. If these are indeed the last days, and several passages say that they are (see 1 Cor. 10:11; Heb. 1:1-2; 1 John 2:18), where should we run for safety? Where is our bunker?

It might surprise you to learn that God has indeed given us a place of safety, and it isn’t some fortress in a desert somewhere. Hebrews 10:24-25 is a wonderfully encouraging passage as we face an uncertain future. Here the author exhorts us to “to stir up one another to love and good works”. We can’t do this if we are “neglecting to meet together”. Tragically, there were believers who had made a habit of neglecting the gathering of the local church. This left them isolated, vulnerable, and weak. 

What does this have to do with the end times? Verse 25 concludes with these words: “encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” The “Day” refers to Christ’s return in judgment. Verse 27 warns that those who persist in sin will face “a fearful expectation of judgment”. This is where the church comes in. The church is that haven or bunker that protects us from the coming storm. The gathering of God’s people is a means of grace in the life of a believer.

What does the church do? Among other things, the gathered church exhorts, encourages, and stirs up believers to live righteous lives. We should be known for our “love and good works”, even if the world around us is falling apart. That is how we are called to be light in the world. Trying to do this alone is not only hard, but foolhardy. God has given us the church so that we can strive together. 

The gathered church also corrects us when we go astray. Earlier, in Hebrews 3:13, we are warned against “the deceitfulness of sin”. To keep us from hardening our hearts, we need to “exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today"”. While we wait, we exhort. The local church serves as a preserving influence in the lives of Christians, keeping us from conforming to the world around us.

How do we prepare for the end times? By drawing close to our fellow believers. The Lord Jesus Christ has given us a haven, a bunker in the church. The nearness of the return of Christ should not scatter God’s people but draw them together. 

Because of Christ,
Pastor Pieter

​Jesus warned that, before his return, “because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold” (Matt. 24:12). “You’ve got to look out for number one,” they’ll say. Christians ought to be different. Believers should be known for their care and compassion, expressed in serving one another.

One of the ways in which believers prepare for the return of Christ, is service. In Luke 12:42-44 Jesus tells a short parable about a wise servant: “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.”

In the parable the master leaves his servant in charge while he is away. The newly appointed manager has not only been given the responsibility of supervising the other servants’ work, but also of providing for their needs. If he fulfils this responsibility faithfully, he is called “blessed”. He becomes the object of his master’s special favour. What blessing does his master bestow on him? An even greater position with even greater responsibility. His master’s return is not something he fears, because he was doing what his master commanded him to do.

But what about an unfaithful servant? I still remember the feeling of dread that came over me as a child when my parents got home, and my room was still a mess. They told me to clean it up before they got home. I didn’t and now I would have to face the consequences. As Christians, we need not wait for the Lord’s return with dread. We prepare for Christ’s return by being busy with the work that he has given us. 

In Matt. 25:31-45 Jesus describes his return as a great tribunal. On that day our love for the Lord will be measured by our service to others, because “as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (v. 40). We prepare for that great day by sacrificial love and service: providing a meal to the hungry, a cup of water to the thirsty, clothing to the naked, care for the sick, and comfort to the afflicted (v. 35-36).

The end times are a powerful motivator for service in the present. Instead of withdrawing from others, we run to their aid. This is how believers prepare for the return of Christ.

Because of Christ,
Pastor Pieter

These are the last days. You don’t have to take my word for it. Listen to what the apostle Peter wrote: “He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for your sake” (1 Peter 1:20). The last days were inaugurated with the first coming of Christ. His incarnation, death, and resurrection ushered in the final chapter of redemptive history. At his second coming in judgment and glory, Christ will bring the story of redemption to a close.

As the return of Christ nears, the Lord promised that there would be signs, but we need not fear these signs. Christian vigilance is not an attitude of fear but faith. Even so, we ought to be prepared for Christ’s return. How should we prepare? 

Again, the apostle Peter gives us a straightforward answer. He writes: “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.” (2 Peter 3:10). Peter understood that the end times had already arrived, but the “day of the Lord” was still coming. And this day will arrive “like a thief” (v. 10), meaning that it will happen when we least expect it. Christ’s return will be sudden and that it will catch many by surprise.

We also see that it will be a cataclysmic event, affecting all of creation. The descriptions that Peter gives in this passage, of the heavens passing away, heavenly bodies being burned up, the world being set on fire and dissolving are frightening. Make no mistake, for many it will be a terrible day. The Scriptures tell us that it will be a day of destruction (Isa. 13:6; Joel 1:15), wrath (Isa. 13:9), vengeance (Jer. 46:10), doom (Ezek. 30:3), and darkness (Amos 5:18). 

Finally, we see that it will be a time of judgment, because “all the works that are done on [earth] will be exposed.” There will be no place to hide and all our deeds, even those done in darkness, will be brought to light. We will have to give an account of how we lived.

How do Christians prepare for such an event? Peter continues: “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!” (2 Peter 3:11-12). In verse 11 Peter tells us how we should prepare: since these things will take place, what “sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness”.

First, we are told that we ought to be holy. What does that mean? Holiness, at its core, means that the believer should be set apart – different – consecrated for God’s special use. There should be an exclusivity in our relationship with God, where no rival love is allowed, and no alternative life is pursued. Our hearts and our lives should be holy devoted to our Lord.

Second, we are told that we ought to be godly. How does holiness differ from godliness? The two are intimately related and you cannot have one without the other. However, some suggest that holiness emphasizes character, while godliness refers to conduct. Godliness is a life lived in devotion to God. These are right beliefs in action. Your life should reflect your love for God. It carries the idea of worship, not only as something you do on a Sunday, but as the pattern of your life. 

Keep in mind, when Christ appears, this is what he has promised to perfect in us. In the words of 1 John 3:2: “Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we will be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” When Jesus appears, the believer will be glorified – sanctification will be complete. And this hope drives our sanctification while we wait on his return: “And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” (v. 3).

Being prepared for the end times, means living a holy and godly life – one that you would not be ashamed of when you are called to stand before our Lord. This is how the Scriptures exhort us to prepare for Christ’s return.

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Because of Christ,
Pastor Pieter

How do we prepare for doomsday? When Covid first hit, it caused a great deal of uncertainty, anxiety, and fear. People were quoting verses on plagues and pestilence (mostly out of context) as proof that we had entered the last days. Then Russia invaded Ukraine, and recently Hamas attacked Israel as they were celebrating Yom Kippur. Thousands of lives have been lost in these conflicts and there seems to be no end to the suffering that it has caused.

Surely these are the last days, right? Listen to what Jesus said in Mark 13:7-9: “when you hear of wars and rumours of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.  "But be on your guard.”” Jesus called these events “birth pains”. They must take place, but “the end is not yet.”

These events are tragic. We mourn for every life that has been lost, especially those who do not know Christ. Jesus did not say these words to minimize the injustice or suffering that people have had to endure. He said them to comfort his disciples – “do not be alarmed” – and to prepare them – “be on your guard.”

How should we prepare? Some people have decided to sell their homes, build bunkers, stockpile food, or purchase weapons. Is that how Christians ought to prepare? The Bible clearly instructs us to be vigilant. There will be signs. Jesus said as much in Mark 13:28-29: “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates.” There will be signs, but believers need not fear these signs. We should not be alarmed, while still being on our guard. 

Beware those who try to predict the time of Christ’s second coming. Every attempt has only led to humiliation and has shaken the faith of many. Jesus said, in Matthew 24:36, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” Before his ascension, Jesus repeated: “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.” (Acts 1:7). Being prepared and predicting the coming of Christ are not the same thing.

Every generation has had to be on their guard. A quick review of history will show that our situation is not unique. Imagine being a believer in Rome under Nero. He persecuted the church and martyred the apostles Peter and Paul. Christians were burned at the stake and thrown to lions. Not long thereafter, Jerusalem fell and Christians fled Jerusalem and Judea. Read Augustine’s great work, The City of God, where he reflects on the fall of the Roman Empire and the effect it had on the world. Europe’s history is filled with tales of devastation, war, and conquest. And the plague… the Black Death, as it was called, decimated Europe in the fourteenth century. It wiped out towns and claimed an estimated 25 million lives (nearly half of Europe’s population). 

The world was at war for four years between 1914 and 1918. The devastation was terrible and it was thought that it could not be matched. Then, two decades later, from 1939-1945, the world would witness the death of thousands on the battlefield and millions in concentration camps. Nuclear bombs were dropped on civilian targets for the first time and even after the war ended, the threat of the Cold War loomed over the world.

These are indeed the last days, the end times, but that has been the case ever since the ascension of Jesus Christ. When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he said: “Now these things happened to them (referring to the history of Israel) as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.” (1 Cor. 10:11). When John wrote to his disciples, he said: “Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.” (1 John 2:18). The author of Hebrews opens his letter with these words: “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2). And the apostle Peter wrote: “He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for your sake” (1 Peter 1:20).

Dear believer, you are in the last days. This is the final phase of human history before the return of Christ. Christ commands us to be on our guard, but he also comforts us when he says: “do not be alarmed”. In our next post we’ll look at what the Bible says about preparing for Christ’s return, with vigilance and faith.
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Because of Christ,
Pastor Pieter