Questions & Concerns About The Future Series

QUESTIONS & CONCERNS ABOUT THE FUTURE

The Day After Tomorrow

June 13, 2004

Introduction:

A new movie has recently been released titled The Day After Tomorrow. In the movie global warming results in cataclysmic changes in weather patterns which result in global devastation. This message is in no way, shape or form an endorsement of this movie or of their conclusions. However, the movie is timely in that we have been experiencing strange weather patterns of late. According to the movies website (www.thedayaftertomorrow.com) 1.25 million species of plants and animals (including insects I believe) will be extinct by the year 2050. The ice cap on Mt. Kilamanjaro will completely disappear within 2 decades. Orioles will become extinct in our lifetime and diseases such as malaria and dengue fever will become widespread. And all of this because of global warming.

According to Fortune magazine the Pentagon is concerned about the potential for dramatic climate change. Some are coming to believe that global warming could result in the world’s climate lurching from one state to another is less than a decade. This idea for a potential sudden shift is very different from the old idea that any changes would take place gradually over hundreds or even thousands of years. Some in the Pentagon are concerned about what a sudden shift like this would do to the balance of power in the world.

According to www.CNN.com the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is very concerned about the dramatic weather patterns we have been experiencing. For example, this May there were 562 tornados in the USA which shattered the previous record of 399 set in 1992. There was a heat wave in India with temperatures ranging from 113 to 120 F which resulted in 1,400 deaths. Last summer the heat wave that hit Europe killed more than 20,000. Last year Australia experienced its longest drought in history while China and East Asia suffered from flooding.

According to ABCNewsOnline the Pentagon is concerned that drastic climate change could result in a nuclear threat as endangered countries try to defend their food, water, and energy supplies. Apparently some within the Pentagon believe that drastic weather changes pose more of a threat to the USA than terrorism.

Will any of this come to pass? I don’t know. I do remember hearing it said that the great wars of the 21st century will be fought over water supplies. However, I don’t remember who said that. The point is this: we worry a lot about the future. And this is only the weather I’ve been talking about. We also worry about nuclear war. We are concerned about so-called “super bugs” that are resistant to our best antibiotics. We are on edge about where and when the text big terrorist attack will occur. We worry about the stock market, the economy, our job security, and whether or not Social Security will be around when it is time for us to retire.

I don’t know if any of these things will come to pass today or tomorrow or even the day after tomorrow, but I do know that we spend too much time worrying about the future. We certainly are worrying about the wrong things in many cases. As concerning as the things I have mentioned are – there are more important issues about the future that should be weighing on our minds. I want us to look at three of these this morning.

1. When is Jesus coming?

2. What will happen when he comes?

3. How do I get ready?

When Is Jesus Coming?

Ø No one knows!

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Mt. 24:16.

When is Jesus coming? The Bible is very clear that no one knows when that event will occur. It is kind of like trying to anticipate the next terrorist attack. People have their best guesses and the terror index goes up and down and so far nothing has happened here in the States. I actually found a website the other day that has a rapture index (kind of like the terror index) that is supposed to indicate based on world events how close the coming of Christ is.

I don’t know about you, but back in the Fall of 2001 I figured that we would see another attack here much sooner than this. I’m not complaining of course – I’m glad I was wrong. Everyone has had their ideas though. Most guesses have been associated with a major holiday either American or Muslim. Some have thought it would be on the anniversary of 911. But so far everyone has been wrong.

Trying to anticipate the coming of Christ is much the same. Many have tried – all have failed. In A.D. 135 Montanus, a second century Christian, proclaimed himself to be a prophet and prophesied that the New Jerusalem would descend from heaven to earth and take root in what is now Turkey. He was wrong.