The. World. As. We. Know. It. Will. End.

Did you know that?

These days, we mostly hear about end-of-the-world speculation in Hollywood movies. Remember Armageddon starring Bruce Willis?

Apparently, a lot of people also ask their smartphones about it. Someone asked Siri, “When will the world end?” Here’s what she said: “Whenever they start building that intergalactic bypass.”

Weird!

This past Sunday I interviewed one of my former professors, Dr. Brian Irwin, about end-times speculation. One of the things we discussed was how it’s easy to miss the forest for the trees. When you dive into the subject, it can be easy to get so lost in all the speculative details that you miss the big picture.

In the Bible, the big picture is this: Yes, the world as we know it will end, but God is going to replace it with something better. He’s going to renew and restore all things to the beauty of how they were originally intended to be.

God wins. Good wins. Love wins. Truth wins.

In this sense, something ends, but something new and better begins.

Revelation 21:4-5 says, “’He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”

And that gives us hope.

Look around you. There are a lot of good things. But there are a lot of troubling things too. And one day, because of his great love, God will make everything right.

Today, walk tall with your head held high in hope. You are a living reminder to the darkness that his days are numbered.

By Matthew Ruttan

–Part 1 in the Armageddon series is a talk with Dr Brian Irwin. You’ll be able to link to it in tomorrow’s (Tuesday’s) devotional.
–Bible quotes are from the NIV.