During the dark days of World War II, as Adolf Hitler was tyrannizing Europe and herding millions of people into concentration camps, there was a widespread belief that the end of history had arrived. Sophie Scholl, a German who was convicted of treason during the Nazi regime of terror, made the following comment in a letter to a friend just before she was executed in 1943:“People believe that we live in the end times, and many terrible signs make such a belief all too credible. But isn’t it irrelevant? Don’t we all realize that, no matter when we live, God can call us at a moment’s notice? How do I know if I’ll even be alive tomorrow morning?“ (source).
Beloved, we need to take her words to heart. All of us live on the edge of eternity (Luke 12:16-20; James 4:14; Job 7:6-7; Psalm 78:39) . That’s why Peter’s words to first-century followers of Christ are so important for us today (1 Peter 4:7-19). We too must live as if “the end of all things is at hand” (1 Peter 4:7), realizing that we are accountable to God (1 Peter 4:17-19) and that at any second, death may terminate our earthly existence (Hebrews 9:27).
Two questions we need to ask ourselves from time to time are: (1) “Are we prepared for this event?”; (2) Are we living today as if it were our last day on earth? Do we view these possibilities with confident assurance, knowing that the end of our earthly walk will mean a new and glorious beginning in eternity? It will if we’re fully obedient to Christ, our death-conquering Savior (Matthew 7:21; Acts 2:24; 1 Corinthians 6:14; 2 Corinthians 4:14; 1 Corinthians 15:51-57).
Beloved, in 2020, let’s keep our minds clearly focused on eternity !
—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets
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