There are 262 nuclear power plants in our world and every one of them is scheduled for meltdown. The Bible declares that every work of man will be burned up. This fact alone will make the seven years of the Great Tribulation “hell on earth.” As we watch the developments of nuclear meltdowns in Japan, we are witnessing a small scene of a coming worldwide time of sorrows. We have been warned so often in the Holy Bible, how can we doubt that it must happen? Apostle Peter, the first man to preach under the anointing poured out at Pentecost, wrote apocalyptic words, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness” (II Peter 3:10-11).
This is a clear picture of a worldwide judgment of all man-made schemes and works. The governments of men are never just and righteous. All of our designs and creations are limited by the fallacies of flesh. Our God is going to establish a kingdom of righteousness and perfection that we can only dream about. Words of men are imperfect to describe the glory of this coming Millennium Kingdom. Daniel described in His interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever” (Daniel 2:44).
There cannot be a kingdom of Jesus Christ and His saints of all earthly history until this earth is a totally new world. Everything tainted by sin, and human failure must be eliminated. The earth will return to a pristine perfection that Adam inherited at creation. Nature will be free of all destroying elements. Glorified saints will rule with Jesus Christ as King of Kings. Enjoying a sin-free environment with a perfect system of life and government will be ours forever, even past the 1,000 year reign of Christ’s earthly kingdom.
Apostle Peter said, “. . . the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” These words leave little to imagine. It’s amazing to see that all through the Scripture the present earth is just as desperate for relief as we are in our flesh bodies. Paul said,“For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now” (Romans 8:22). The earthquakes, volcanoes, and storms are the screams of this sin cursed earth.
In Revelation, John saw – through a vision – the future picture of our world. He said, “And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found” (Revelation 16:20). You can imagine John looking at the scene before him and searching for the lofty mountains he had witnessed in Northern Israel. They were missing and he sounds a bit surprised. But, the writers of the Holy Scripture had stated many prophecies with the promise of this new day. Isaiah had prophesied, “For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed . . .” (Isaiah 54:10a).
Ezekiel connected present events that are occurring around our world with the same great truth, “So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground” (Ezekiel 38:20).Job promised the same, “He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots” (Job 28:9).
How many people will die during these seven years is debated, but it certainly points to an extreme multitude. Some suggest two thirds of all living persons at that time. Here is one vision of a massive number of fallen angels turned loose out of the bottomless pit to kill them, “And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men” (Revelation 9:15).
One third today would be over two billion deaths. When you consider a multitude of Christians that are washed in the Blood of Jesus after the Rapture and then suffering martyrdom and being resurrected to stand before God’s throne, we know that death will be massive. “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands” (Revelation 7:9).
The kingdom of our future Millennium cannot be far away. No one should dare set dates, but we can see the handwriting in the newspapers and in the scenes on our media sites. Either we are near the horror of judgment or the scenes from Japan are fabricated. The very emotions in the dialogue from the world reporters carry a feeling of a countdown. Israel is facing a decision day with Iran’s war machine. Politicians act like helpless robots. The only crowd still unmoved is mainly the religious people that have rocked themselves to sleep with the language of their false prophets. With all the sorrows that make our hearts weep, we still know that the best is yet to come.
Joseph R. Chambers
jrc@pawcreek.org