When—and Where—Will it End?

The recent London subway and bus bombings are a reminder that we live in an age of terrorism. Fifty-five people dead, and many more seriously injured. One commuter on a packed train heard two loud bangs and saw people next to him forced from their seats by the power of a large explosion.
“There were flashes of light and smoke,” he said. “People started to scream and say prayers. . . . The smoke intensified and the screaming intensified,” he said. “We were all trapped like sardines waiting to die and I honestly thought my time was up.”1
The shock and horror of it all was the discovery that the bombers were home grown, some born in the UK. They “appeared to their neighbours as ordinary men who enjoyed typical British pastimes.”2

Terrorism—New York, Iraq, Madrid, Bali, Beslan, Turkey, Palestine, London—when will it all end?

a new world coming
The Bible promises a world where God “will wipe every tear from their eyes” there will be no more death, or mourning, or crying (Revelation 21:4). What a world that will be! The question is: But when?

1. What promise did Jesus give to His disciples before He returned to heaven?
John 14:1-3
“I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me” (vv 2, 3). Paul calls the second coming of Jesus “the blessed hope— the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

2. What sign will be the last fulfilled before the end of this world and the beginning of the next?
Matthew 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” The “gospel of the kingdom” is the good news that the kingdom that Jesus set up by faith now, will become a reality when He comes the second time.
why Jesus is coming again

3. When Jesus comes, what will happen to his true followers, living and dead?
1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 “The dead . . . will rise first. After that, we who are still alive . . . will be caught up . . . to meet the Lord in the air” (vv 16, 17).

4. What change does Paul say will take place in Jesus’ followers at that time?
1 Corinthians 15:51-53 “We will all be changed. . . . For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.”
Those who trust in Jesus receive immortality at His second coming.

5. In his last talk with his followers, what did Jesus say would happen to those who haven’t accepted His gift of salvation?
Luke 17:26-30 “Just as it was in the days of Noah . . . the flood came and destroyed them all. . . . [So] it will be . . . on the day the Son of Man is revealed.” (See also Matthew 13:36-43; 24:36-39; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-10.)

The Bible says that nothing that defiles will be there (Revelation 21:27).

6. What warning did Jesus give about times just before His Second Coming?
Matthew 24:24 “For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible.”

Jesus said not to believe anyone who says He has come secretly (verse 26).
Jesus’ coming will be seen by all. It will be audible, glorious, personal, and because the exact time is unknown, we need to be ready all the time (Matthew 24:27, 30, 31, 36-44; 25:31; Revelation 1:7; Acts 1:11).

knowing Jesus
Prime Minster Tony Blair said in London that the attackers intended to strike terror through the nation and prevent people from going about their business. “They should not and they must not succeed,” he said. “When they try to intimidate us we will not be intimidated. When they seek to change our country or our way of life by these methods we will not be changed,” he vowed. “When they try to divide our people or weaken our resolve, we will not be divided and our resolve will hold firm.

“We will show by our spirit and dignity and by a quiet but true strength that there is in the British people, that our values will long outlast theirs.”

If Jesus is the One we value and are following, then we and our values will last for eternity—then terrorism will be no more.

1. “Fear and panic in the darkness,” by Peter Munro, <theage.com.au>, July 8, 2005.
2. “A profile of Britain’s home-grown bombers,” <ninemsn.com.au>, July 14, 2005.

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