We’re all heard the hype about the Mayan Calendar ending on December 21, 2012. Did they just run out of rock? Or did they know something? (Then again, we may have the date wrong—see this article on the Discovery News site.)

Of course, most sensible people don’t believe the Mayans predicted the end of the world. Plus, being Bible-believing Christians, we prefer to take God’s word over that of an ancient pagan mesoamerican people group.

Still, the end of the world is coming.

We don’t know the date, as was emphatically proven twice last year by the folks at Family Radio. Even Jesus doesn’t know exactly when He’s returning. But we do know that this world as it is right now won’t last forever.

As we move closer to the end of the age, the Bible tells us that things are going to get worse, not better. More people will rebel against God’s authority. There will be massive inflation, ecological collapse, and intense persecution of the church. We’re all familiar with the passage (found in both Matthew and Mark) that refers to wars and rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes. This is nothing new.

“The End of the World” has been the topic of several recent conversations. There seems to be a lot of fear associated with facing these changes. With the economy in such a mess, our veneer of security is wearing then, and it’s hard to have hope that much will improve. Unemployment, foreclosure—it’s not just in the news. Rather it is affecting those we care about. Sometimes, it’s even us.

I recently re-read the book of Revelation. So much is undecipherable, but it’s easy to get the gist—the end of the world will be painful.

Some believers deal with the future by assuming God will rapture them before it gets very bad. Others have different beliefs. (My personal take is to hope for the best and prepare for the worst!) I realize there is a possibility that we may see at least some of the events John recorded.

The important thought to keep in mind is, no matter how hard the circumstances get, God wins. Be sure to read the end of the story!

To some degree, it makes sense to take steps to prepare. Pete and I draw the line at stockpiling food, or buying guns. We aren’t building any underground bunkers, at least at this point. (Others may feel led differently—do whatever God tells you to do.)

Rather, we are trying to prepare spiritually. Are we where God wants us to be? Are we doing what God wants us to do? Are we well-grounded in the Bible, so that we can respond appropriately to whatever is ahead?

Does thinking about all the things that can go wrong change what God is telling me to do?

We are living here in Colorado Springs because God brought us here, and He hasn’t said “move somewhere else” yet. Pete is running ICTA for the same reason… God told him to. Even my photography and blogs and volunteering and classes are the result of much prayer and soul-searching. I believe this is what I’m supposed to be doing right now.

Rather than look at circumstances, we’re looking at God.

So, is the future scary? Not really. I love what my sister-in-law Julie wrote:

What does it really matter when the rapture arrives or if we’re living through tribulation times now? I don’t have a need to figure it all out. I don’t feel the need to convince anybody. Maybe not the most scholarly response, but just a bit of simple faith that I try to keep in mind, so that I don’t “worry myself to death” about what might happen in my lifetime.

There are no guarantees that the we will be “safe” here and now, but the same God who allowed Pete to be hit by a car and then healed him in miraculous ways, is the One who is leading us. I can’t think of any place better to be than in the center of His will. One thing we’re learned is that when things get really hard, God gets very close. He is the One holding us in His hands.

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit
of power, of love and of self-discipline.”