Online Bible Study - Foundations of Faith

The Last Things

"The Last Things"
The most certain thing in this world is the absolute reality that there is an end to all things. As certain as there is a beginning to something, there is also an end. Death, an end in itself, is a fact. Death, caused by sin, is inevitable.

Individually, just as each one of us has experienced our birth, each one of us will certainly experience our personal "last thing"-death-our last moment on this earth. Paul wrote, "Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgement" (Hebrews 9:27).

The following analogy makes this quite clear. We plant a seed. The seed sprouts and grows. Blossoms appear. The fruit develops, ripens and is finally plucked for eating. The plant dies, rots, and returns to the soil. The soil waits for a new seed to be planted. That cycle is complete. Our lifecycle is similar, however, there is more for us because there is also a life for us in eternity.

Spiritually, because of the Word of God planted in our hearts by the Holy Spirit's power, we are brought to faith, and in our baptism, we became part of God's family. As a result we can live our lives in faith that Christ did suffer, die, and rise for our salvation. As a result of Christ's redemptive work and our faith, when we die (our "last thing" on earth) we die certain that we will live forever with God in heaven. After our resurrection, we will live in the new heaven and earth that has been prepared for us. That completed cycle is the beginning of our heavenly eternal life.

It is not only man, animals and plants that have a beginning and ending. The earth, the world itself, created by God, will also end. God's Word, the Bible, tells us plainly and invites us to believe that, "The end of all things is near" (1 Peter 4:7). However, no living person is at all certain when that "end" will come.

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