"The End" of the World: We Know It

In the last several weeks, the whole world has been watching events unfold in Russia and Ukraine as one wicked man seems to have become the central focus of collective international concern. The global economy has been disrupted. Alliances have been strengthened. Conventional war on a level not seen in decades has ensued. The prospect of nuclear war ominously looms. All of this has many people thinking about the “last days” and the “end of time.” Recently, one of my students requested prayer for the people being affected by the war in Ukraine. Sensing fear and worry in the room, my instinct was to open my Bible. Before we went to prayer, we went to Scripture. I turned to Revelation 22 and began reading:

The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.”

I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! …Worship God!” (Rev. 22:6, 8-9, NIV).

An apocalyptic awareness has manifested in the past two years as the world has experienced the devastating effects of COVID-19 and all its repercussions. The recent war in Ukraine has only heightened this apocalyptic awareness, bringing the book of Revelation once again to the forefront of our minds as we journey toward understanding the story of Scripture.

The book of Revelation belongs to a literary genre all its own–apocalyptic literature–which has led to much debate about its interpretation. Understanding the book of Revelation is less “black and white” than we like to admit, and it simply takes more time and space for wrestling than we often allow. Yet we cannot settle to either dogmatically oversimplify or otherwise leave the book untouched because its content matters greatly. It matters because of its historical context, the present reality, as well as what it says about our future with Christ. Much could be said about types and symbols––the beast and the Lamb, the whore and the Bride, the antichrist and the Christ, and more. We could deal with charts, maps, and timelines. But ultimately, at the end of all this, in the very last chapter of the Bible, what we find the Revelator doing is modeling for us what our end goal must be: worshipping God. So, I want to talk about the end.

When the world seems to be coming unhinged, we should be found worshipping God. We believe that Jesus is coming again and when he returns, he will be looking for those who were faithful to him in the good times as well as in the difficult times. What should we be doing when we don’t know what else to do? Worshipping God is always the right thing to do. He will be looking for those who take him at his word: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, NIV). He will be looking for those who to whom he can say, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord” (Matt. 25:23, NKJV). In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus says, “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come” (Matt. 24:6, NIV, emphasis added). Note also that Matthew’s gospel account closes with these comforting words from Jesus: “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt. 28:20, NIV, emphasis added). These references to the end are worth viewing in light of John’s vision.

Early in his vision, John witnesses the worshipping saints and elders recorded in chapters four, five, seven, and later in eleven. In the final moments of his vision, the theme of worship resurfaces when John hears the voice of Christ saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Rev. 22:13, NIV, emphasis added). Indeed, it is not calamity or catastrophe, destruction or devastation that endures to the end. In the end, it is Christ who outlives and outlasts all the powers of darkness and evil, and reigns forever as the One who is faithful and true. It is with this in mind that our preaching must bring people the hope of the gospel, not despair in the failure of government. Indeed, the government rests on his shoulders and of the increase of his government there shall be no end). Our songs can become more than an escape from reality but a reminder of Christ’s victory over all the power of the enemy. Our gatherings for worship can become rehearsals for the day on which every knee will bow and every tongue will confess the lordship of Christ Jesus.

Certainly, many of the events happening in the world today feel so ominous and so threatening, even so potentially catastrophic, that they strike dread and fear in our hearts, perhaps even to the point that we can become nearly desensitized to the negative news. But I want to suggest to you that our best response in times of crisis as well as in times of calm, in times of difficulty as well as in times of serenity, is to do like John and, when we see the unfolding of frightening events, we are compelled to not fear or worry but to bow down and worship God. Our response to the issues of our day must ultimately be follow John’s example from so many years ago: to fall down at the feet of Jesus and worship the King of kings who reigns forever. We worship until the end. We worship the One who is the End. In the end, all that is left is to worship.