Episode Details

A great deal of nonsense is written about the supposed last days of California or the imminent end of the world, as though fear should drive us into the arms of whatever theory the writer is selling, despite our Lord’s plain declaration that no man knows the day or hour (Matt. 24:36). Scripture is not secretive about the true “last days”: the new creation began when Christ rose from the dead as the “firstfruits” (1 Cor. 15:20), and all who are in Him are already part of that new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). The “first days” of God’s renewed world are behind us, and we are called to live by its power rather than by the despair of a dying order. This is why Paul, despite suffering and imprisonment, commanded, “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil. 4:4). So in which world are you living in the fear of a fading age, or in the joy of the new creation? It is unbelief to act as though the old world’s power outweighs Christ’s resurrection. Let fools speculate about doom; our duty is to serve God with joy, confidence, and thanksgiving in these early days of His renewing work. Every day men are reborn into this kingdom, and all things are moving toward their appointed renewal. In Christ, the world is ours, for we are heirs with Him, the meek whom God harnesses and disciplines to inherit the earth and delight in His peace (Matt. 5:5; Ps. 37:11).