Post Scripts: The worrisome Millennium

The pastor was 45 minutes into his sermon on the Second Coming of Christ, and he was working up a sweat. "Let me tell you, friends, our time with the Lord in Heaven is going to be awesome. I can’t describe it, but it’s going to happen soon." Heads in the congregation nodded and one lady shouted: "Amen!"

Another member of the congregation dabbed his face with his handkerchief and held his Bible high in the air. "There’s no need to worry folks. God has already told us what is going to happen. It’s all here in the Scriptures."

The world is now just a few weeks away from the worrisome Millennium. Millions of people sincerely believe the Bible holds the key to history’s end. Many are drawn by fear, others by faith, while others are intrigued by the mystery of it all. I have no doubt that most Christians are sincere in their beliefs about the Millennium, but it is also true, as many scholars argue, that many beliefs are based upon misreadings of Biblical passages and other ancient documents.

Belief in apocalyptic prophecies is not just a phenomenon of the religious fringe. According to one major poll, 66 percent of all Americans, including a third of those who never attend church, say they believe Jesus Christ will return to Earth some day. I am one of those because I believe that God must be displeased with all the evil and injustice that has developed on Earth to the point that He has considered putting an end to it all.

Predictions about the end of the world as we know it are not new. Scholars tell us Christopher Columbus, a devout student of Biblical prophecies, is said to have believed that the world would come to an end in 1650. He wrote in his journal: "God has made me the messenger of the new heaven and the new earth because He showed me the place where to find it." If his thinking is correct, America would seem to be the key to whatever happens in the future.

History tells us the Puritans in Colonial America thought their New England settlements were outposts of the kingdom Christ would establish at His Second Coming. Over the years, various so- called "prophets" have issued messages or warnings which contained strong moral admonitions: "Repent or face punishment." While their predictions contain an element of dire consequence, many ancient prophesies were just a way of warning people to "get right" with the Lord.

Of the three Biblical apocalypses most influential today, two are in the Old Testament — Ezekiel and Daniel — dating from the time Israel was occupied by enemies. The third, Revelation, in the New Testament, came at a time when Christians were being persecuted by the Romans. Many modern scholars believe these books refer to a specific "end of the age."

Well, I’m in deep water here. I know society is in a big mess, yet I prefer to believe in a loving God, although I know He can be a vengeful God. I’ll admit that our Lord has cause for alarm and anger with all the unpleasantness and horror that exists on earth: wars, suffering, deprivation and discrimination, along with a host of mistaken priorities. Still, there is so much good in the world and so many God-loving multitudes I cannot believe God will destroy our planet. If we read the newspapers and watch TV news, we soon discover many nations and people on Earth are already being severely punished in one way or another. Come January 1, 2000, I expect to see the world as it was on December 31.

Hopefully, all of us should have learned something from the Millennium threat. Those who recognize this warning will eventually receive what they deserve. My faith remains in God. The Lord saved my life during World War II. My future is in His hands. I have no fear of tomorrow.