It may seem to some hard to believe that the year of 2023 is coming to an end.  Some people may be glad to see it end, and then some may be  sad to see it end.  The same is true when reading a book, watching a movie, taking a vacation or one of many other things in life.  A common connection to all of these is that we usually don’t know how they will actually end, and that is often why we do these things over and over again.

        “Words from Above” tell us in the Bible that we know exactly how the end of the world will occur because we can read all about it at the end of the Bible in the Book of Revelation.  In Revelation 6 the apostle John is shown a vision of seals being opened on a scroll.  When the fifth seal was opened, he saw under the altar of heaven the souls of those who were killed for sharing the Word of God and for sharing their faith.  He heard them cry with a loud voice, asking how long it would be until the Lord would avenge their blood and judge those responsible for their deaths.  They were told to rest a little longer, until other believers would be killed, as they had also been killed.

        It may seem sometimes like evil is prevailing when we look at the condition of our world today, and it may seem like God has forsaken our nation and also the world as a whole.  But it has been said that believers know better than all of that, and it’s all because they have read the end of the book.  Sometimes it is true that when people are reading a mystery book or some other thrilling book, they cannot wait until they see how it is going to end, and so they skip to the end of the book.  Whether we skip to the end of the Bible or not, we know that the Bible tells us that the end of the world for believers will be amazing, exciting, and wonderful.

        We don’t know exactly what heaven will be like, but the apostle John gives us some great glimpses into what heaven will be like in the Book of Revelation.  In Revelation 21, John wrote about a voice telling him that God will wipe away all tears from the eyes of those who go to heaven, and that there will be no more death, nor crying, neither will there be any more pain, because the former things of earth will have passed away, and God will make all things new.

Larry R. Steffee is pastor of the Center Hill Brethren In Christ Church on Miller Road in Smithville.  Everyone is welcome to attend.  For information, you may email lrsteffeetn@yahoo.com.