Maranatha Voice

The End Of The World Is Coming Are You Ready?
BY Dr. Billy Graham

People ask me, "Do you really believe that Jesus Christ is going to come back to this earth again?" Yes I do. The Bible teaches that Jesus is coming again. And I don't see any other hope for the world because we're heading toward a catastrophe in our world.

The Bible says, "There shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the world of God the heavens were of old, and earth standing out of the water and in the water; Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdiction of ungodly men"(1)

In other words, there's going to come a judgment on this earth, and it will be a judgment of fire.

For years people believed that the threat of a nuclear holocaust was diminishing, but nuclear tests have again raised fears that an incident somewhere in the world can still plunge us into a global catastrophe.

Scientists say that we're closer now to world destruction than at any other time in the past. Almost all of us would agree that the end of the world as we know it is a possibility scientifically.

The word of God speaks of the certainties of the end of the world. Jesus said, 'As the days of (Noah ) were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be". (2) what were the days of Noah like? And is there a parallel now? One word that is used to describe the days of Noah is wickedness. The people were very wicked: "Every imagination of their thoughts was evil. " (3)It seems as if they stayed awake at night thinking up new ways to do evil. It was a world in which marriage was abused. (4) The people were corrupt and were violent. (5) It was a world in which violence prevailed; murders, wars, insurrections.

It was a world in which there was a lot of religion, but it was a decadent religion. They were preoccupied with things, and they were taken up with their everyday living. They didn't have time for God.

It was a world that was threatened by the judgement of God. God had warned them," Unless you repent and turn from your sins and change your ways, you're going to face the judgement."(6)

But in the middle of all that, there stood one man. God had said, "With all this sin and violence and corruption, I'm going to destroy the whole world."(7) But He didn't do it because of that one man who going against the tide of that day. His name was Noah. In all that corruption Noah dared to walk with God. Noah believed in God, and true faith determined how Noah lived.

And true faith determines how you live. Do you worship God in your home? Do you have Bible reading and prayer?

The Bible says, " By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared ( a ship). "(8) God told Noah to build a ship out in the desert. (9) Noah had no place to sail the ship, but he was to build it.

And God said, " I'm going to save you and your family when the destruction comes. "(10)

So Noah started out,and judgment eventually came. God spoke to Noah again and said, "Noah I' m going to give the work seven more days, and them the flood will come. (11)

Today the only bright spot on the horizon of this world is the promise of the Coming again of Christ, the Messiah. We can't go on much longer morally. we can't go on much longer scientifically. The technology that was supposed to save us is ready to destroy us. New weapons are being made all the time, including chemical and biological weapons.

In Isaiah 66 we read that " the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury. " (12) In the New Testament we read that Christ said," I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself ; that were I am there (you) may be also. "(13)

Jesus promised that He is coming back, and we are to "Comfort one another with these words. "(14) We're not to wait in terror because as believers we have the hope of the Coming again of Christ.

When Jesus was getting ready to go back to the father, some of the disciples and His friends from Galilee were watching and waiting. Two angels said, "Why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go in to heaven?(15) That is God's promise to us, to you and me.

It has been 2,000 years since than. Why hasn't he come? The disciples asked the same thing, and Jesus said," It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. " (16)

Jesus said, " Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. " (17) Don't guess and speculate. we don't know. It may be a thousand years from now, or it may be tomorrow.

When is the end of the world coming? The end of the world is coming for you the moment you die, and that could be at any time for any of us. We never know.

How will Christ come ? " The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first." (18)

Are you ready for that if that happened today ? God said, "prepare to meet thy God." (19) The Bible says. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."(20) We're going to go as believers and meet Him.

Jesus said, " Be .......ready for such an hour as ye think not the son of man cometh."(21) DO you think that He is coming today? " In such an hour as ye think not," (21) Jesus said.

And you are to be prepared. What have you done spiritually in your life to prepare for that moment when your heart stops beating? The end of the world may come for you at any time. You may be expecting to live many more years, but you don't know sure.

There was a little girl who was going to visit her grand parents, and she was flying alone on an airplane for the first time. Throughout the days of preparation for the plane ride, the mother assured her daughter that she didn't have to worry because her grandparents would be there to meet her.

When the mother put her daughter on the plane, she asked " Are you scared ?"

The little girl answered, " A Little. But whenever I get worried, I just think about who's going to be there to meet me at the other end. And everything is all right."

I believe that when we die as believers, Christ will be waiting for us on the other side. Our great hope is that no matter what happens on our lives or in the world, Christ is waiting for us.

One man came forward at a meeting and gave his life to Christ . Then he said, " Now I am ready to meet God."

Another man had been in jail, and he got out of jail because someone had invited him to attend the Mission, and he went forward to receive Christ as his savior. Now the man has been given new life in Christ, and he said, " I'm a totally different man." And he is.

God giving you the same opportunity that He gave to that man. The Bible says that "you must be born again." (22) you need to make a commitment to Christ today. This is your moment with God.

I'm going to ask you to open your heart and say, "Lord Jesus come in to my heart."

You ask, " Well, what do I have to do?

First, you have to be willing to repent of your sins. You may not have the strength to change your way of living. Repentance means that you say to God, "I have sinned. I am sorry for my sin . I am willing to change my way of living. But you have to help me change: I can't do it alone".

You need to make a commitment to Christ, and let Him come in to your heart . I'm going to ask you to do that.

Second, you come by faith. What does faith mean? Faith means that you put your trust in Him and say, 'Lord , I give myself to you."

You may have been baptized, you may have been confirmed, you may be a member of a church, you may be good person, you may help other people. You may do all the good that you may think of, but all of that isn't enough. You must come in child like faith to Jesus who died on the cross for you, who rose again, who is waiting for you to make that commitment. Do it today.