Looking Forward to the End
In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" Matthew 3:1-2
Have you ever been at an event and outside of the venue are people holding up signs that say something like, “The End is Near!”? Such people are seen as crazy. Have you ever driven down the road and saw a sign that read, “Hell is real”, or “Where are you going? Heaven or Hell?”? It’s a bleak message. But do they have a point? I would argue that those kinds of signs are not the best way to “be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” (1 Peter 3:15) We can present the Good news of Jesus in a more effective way.
At the same time, they aren’t wrong. The end is near. Hell is a very real place. Where we end up, either heaven or hell, is crucial. John the Baptist had a similar message. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” was only the first part of His message. He prepared the way for Jesus with that message, but he also pointed to Jesus and identified Him as, “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)
The end is certainly near. But that message and that truth is not helpful unless it points to Jesus as the end of sin, death, and hell. True, hell is very real, and it is where I deserve to be because of my sins. But I have a Savior who suffered hell to save me. When He returns, my end is not in question. The end is near, but that end will give way to my eternal life which Jesus won for me! We are going to heaven because we have Jesus!
O Jesus, who my debt didst pay
And for my sin wast smitten,
Within the Book of Life, oh, may
My name be also written!
I will not doubt; I trust in Thee,
From Satan Thou hast made me free
And from all condemnation.
The Lutheran Hymnal 611:5