Annotations In History

The end of the world is one of the oldest ideas in history. In 1033 AD, various Christians all over the world believed the end of the world was coming due to the prophecy foretold in the Book of Revelations. “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven…and he seized the dragon…who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years...” (Revelation 20:1-2 English Standard Version). “And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations...and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur…and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” (Revelation 20:7, 10 ESV). Many Christians believed that the end of the 1000 years was during the

And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20 ESV). These verses are part of the Great Commission told by Jesus (Matthew 28:16-20). I find the Message translation of this passage interesting, “Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:18-20 MSG). This translation uses the word “train” and to me, that is what a disciple of God is doing. Disciples are going out into the world to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom and train others to be disciples and to walk with the Lord. This command by Jesus is one I want to follow. I want to be able to train others in following the Lord. I want to be able to reveal the Gospel of the Lord, His resurrection and His death, and His coming again to everyone on Earth. As Matthew 28:20 says, He will be with me to the end of the age. I think my courses at Lubbock Christian University will strengthen this first half of the idea, that we are sent to train people so that He may come again. Taking Bible classes at LCU and hopefully some missional classes, will further disciple me in the word of God. This verse is one I keep especially close to my heart, as I have experience in creating disciples out of others from my time

This apocalyptic statement is Jesus’s response to the question put to Him by the disciples upon the Mount of Olives, “…‘Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’” (Matthew 24:3 ESV). Christ answers them as only He can, with cryptic warnings of war, natural disaster, false prophets and brokenness, yet with an underlying word of hope through Him. I think of this verse a lot, that the end of the world will come when all the nations and peoples of the world will know His beautiful name. I first heard it on mission this past summer in Guatemala, and the idea captured my mind. I feel a calling towards mission work through this ancient prophecy, a desire to spread the Word of the Lord to everyone in the world. I want people to be ready for Him when He comes again. I want people to know that He is God and He is good and He has come to save us all. “And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:12-13 ESV). I want every man, woman, and child on this earth to endure towards the end so that everyone can be saved through Him. My further education, through Biblical classes at LCU and hopefully through some of the missional classes as well, will encourage this idea. They might