The Baptist Beacon

The World Is Coming To An End

By Bart Jones

Avon, IN

(Editor's Note: This article was first printed in the Avon High School newspaper where Bro . Bart Jones attends. He will be a senior there next year. It is refreshing to see a teenager who is not afraid to let his peers know what he believes.)

Burning to ashes, the world will be ending on August 3, 2013. On August 3, 2013, I will be 35 years old to the day. Why not believe the world will end on my birthday? Predictions made by mystics and religious "prophets" make headlines frequently. Some claim their predictions are based on lifetimes of research and dedication to the truths of the Bible. It does not take me long though, to find the answer to the last days.

Orson G. Wells' radio rendition of "War of the Worlds" in 1939 proved people can easily be fooled into believing outlandish stories. Given the wrong information at the right time, mass groups of people can easily be mislead into a set of false beliefs. Being mislead is not something to be ashamed of or ridiculed about, but it is something that must be corrected as soon as possible.

I base my beliefs on 66 books of history, translated into English by James I in the 1600's. Combined under a single cover and name, the Bible has been passed down through the earliest of times to the present day. God's inspiration flowing through men of God is the basis of all "Christian" teachings. In Matthew 24:36_44 Jesus compares the days of Noah to the second coming of God, or the end of the world. The 36th verse states that no man or angel knows the day or hour of God's return, the Father only knows. Case closed, black and white.

If one does not believe in any after_life, why worry when the end is? So will everyone be struck dumb as the clouds and sky roll back like a scroll? Will believers and non_believers alike be just as shocked? They should not be. Reading earlier in Matthew 24, Jesus clearly gives his children signs.

Jesus' parables, found throughout Matthew, were simple true stories to the common man of the time. Just as Jesus' own disciples needed to seek the key to His parables, common men could also find the true meanings through a little thought, sincerity, prayer and God's guidance.

It takes effort to find the truth in God's word. God draws us to Him, we put forth our small efforts and He brings us through the parts we do not understand. I will leave this where Jesus left His parables. It's up to the individual to make the effort to find the truth.

The single focus, or purpose of our lives, is to honor and glorify God. Those are His words, not mine. It's not as important to find out when God comes back or when the end of the world is, as it is to be ready for His return. There is no shame in the truth, and that is what I have written.