There is a lot of scary news out there. It seems that every week there is a new existential threat of our making. In fact, it seems like the most common understanding of “Judgment Day” is of a day where our own creations bring about our extinction as a species. Will God stop this from happening? Is God in a race to make sure His Judgment Day get here first? Will it happen in my lifetime?
We are trying hard to get ourselves killed. For 60 years we have been able to wipe ourselves out with nuclear weapons. Mutual nuclear deterrence has worked. You have to wonder how long it will work. As the Cold War warmed up, everybody breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed for a moment that nuclear holocaust was in the past. Not so fast, the Ukraine War and the general irrationality of it has put nuclear war back on the table. Perhaps you have seen the movie “A House of Dynamite” on Netflix. It gives a good dramatization of how things can escalate to disaster with nuclear weapons.
Then there is global warming. You can see the growing effects of a warming atmosphere in severe weather and fires so far. It still has the effect of a frog being slowly cooked in a pot. Global warming hasn’t caused alarm in very many people, because it is slow and we don’t want it to be real. The projections of the future of global warming may be off. But they may be on. Will the use of fossil fuels, which have allowed such a large human population to survive, eventually make the world uninhabitable? It is not unreasonable to ask and to act against it.
Next is AI. I use AI to create the art for this blog. It is very useful. But then there is the scary part. Another movie, Eagle Eye, illustrates the power of a rogue, and for now fictional AI attempting to overthrow the United States government. What could an unchecked and advanced AI do to hurt us. With the proper tools it could wipe us out.
There are others. Incurable plague, either natural or manmade, devastating asteroid hit, and more. I cannot say that we will not create horrible problems for ourselves. Maybe if we are given enough time we will terminate ourselves. But I say with confidence that God will make sure that His “Day of the Lord” will come first, and it will come on His timeline. God saw the dangerous potential of human intelligence. I’m sure that is why the Tower of Babel is a thing.https://givingchrist.com/2024/07/02/can-we-be-trusted-with-more-advanced-technology/ God was able to slow us down then. He will do so again if He wishes. His plans take precedence.
There is nothing in scripture to identify a date for Christ’s return and Judgment Day. If someone tells you otherwise, ignore them. There have many attempts to find a date for Judgment Day in the past. They all failed. All will fail. God has always known the date, but within the experience of living it feels like the day gets moved back. 2 Peter 3 gives this reason for the delay:
9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 (ESV)
This verse has vexed me lately. The Bible does say that God wants all to be saved, so the above verse is consistent with that. Jesus also says:
13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.” Matthew 7:13 (ESV)
It would seem from this verse that any delay in Judgment Day not only allows more to be saved it also allows many more to be damned. That is inconsistent or at least mysterious.
The “mystery of faith is great” as the Apostle Paul has stated. God is doing His work. His work will get done. Neither human ingenuity and stupidity, nor Satan, not nature itself will beat God to the punch. That is comforting. It also raises the possibility that we are near the end.
Maybe it still will take time. I would not suggest ignoring the promise of God to offer the forgiveness of our sins, a place in God’s family, and eternal life as a gift through Jesus. Too much points to an end. We will all die. You know that. The evidence for Jesus’ life and mission is very strong. It might mean a transformation of worldview for you (That is always hard). It might mean a transformation of culture. It might mean you are rejected by even family. It is still worth it.
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Every other Tuesday I answer a real question about faith in Jesus, from what a hard Bible passage means to where God is in the news. Subscribe below to get the next post by email.
On the other Tuesdays I write After Death Site. Readers of one often enjoy the other.
