Zombie Apocalypse or Alien Invasion?

How do you think it will all end?  If you watch much television or go to the movies, you’ve been led to believe the world as we know it will end in submission to flesh-eating zombies or that we’ll be overrun by spider-like creatures from some distant planet.  This trend isn’t new at all.  I watched the same stuff growing up MANY years ago and now I’m watching remakes of some of those classics.  But why are we so obsessed with worrying about how our world will come to an end?  Don’t we have enough to worry about with terrorism and hunger and hate?  Why do we need to add all these other potential villains to our list of worries? 

I have a theory.  I believe we’re afraid to face the personal, individual truth about the “end of life, as we know it.”  We won’t have our brains sucked out by swarming zombies, nor by other-worldly cockroaches.  Instead, the vast majority of us will age quietly, having our hair turn from brown to gray to white, and find that one day, our body just can’t go any further.  We will breathe our last, hopefully in the presence of someone who loves us, and then slip off into whatever comes next.  But if you don’t know what comes next, that IS scary!

I am in complete agreement that what WILL happen to us isn’t nearly as cinematically appealing as some apocalyptic conundrum.  But it is real and it WILL happen that way for most of us.  The writer of Hebrews says,

…it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment…  Hebrews 9:27

Frankly, it’s that “after this, judgment” that scares the devil out of people (if only it could!)  None of us wants to die, and certainly no one wishes to face an uncertain future, but isn’t facing reality eternally better than creating a fantasy world of worry?  The God who made us didn’t intend for us to have to make up stories about how the world will end.  He already wrote the last chapter:

But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.   Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames.   But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.   2 Peter 3:10-13

Whatever you do, don’t miss that part that says everything on earth “will be found to deserve judgment.”  That’s you and me.  And anyone who might still be here when the real apocalypse comes.  Since it’s likely my judgment will come quicker than what Peter described, I’d better be ready for it!  And be warned – there is no bug-out-bag or survival shelter than will make one bit of difference when YOUR time comes.  What WILL make a difference is if you pay attention to the verse that follows the Hebrews passage above:

 so also the Messiah, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.  Hebrews 9:28

Facing the “end of life, as we know it” really isn’t all that bad, when you know what comes next.  There are no surprises with God, only mysteries.  In this edition, we find out that Jesus has been waiting to return for those who have been waiting for Him.  There’s nothing scary about that – as long as you’re prepared! 

Ready to bug out when Jesus calls,

Jacob