The Wondering Sheep: Episode 13 – Living the Christian Life

The Sky is Falling! The Sky is Falling! . . .

March 11, 2026

“We are at war with Iran! We are going to die! We can’t win! We can’t live like this! Gas prices are too high! We can’t afford this! Girls say they are boys. Boys say they are girls. The world is ending! The end Is near!”

Does all that sound familiar? Let’s see... wars: check. Rumors of wars: check. earthquakes: check. I’ve been hearing an uptick of those who believe in a thousand year reign of Jesus before Judgement Day. Of course, that isn’t what the Bible actually teaches. Instead, we are told of one judgement day. The end. Finished. Duh duh duh duh that’s all folks!

In 1975 I was a freshman at St. Olaf College. My grandmother made sure I would attend a local Lutheran church, where I could have the chance to hear God’s word. I think I lasted just over a month. You see, the minister there had gotten hooked on a book called The Late Great Planet Earth which was about that supposed thousand-year reign. He preached each sermon on a different chapter of the book and about how this was about to happen. Wish he had spent more time at seminary learning the Bible! Couldn’t blame him in a way, though; Black Power, riots, Vietnam, the Cold War, drug use of all kinds, and Richard Nixon... the world sure seemed to be ending! Only... it wasn’t.

In Jesus’ day, Rome was the power of empire over the “western” world. Although Jesus’ life was a time of relative peace, slavery was the norm, subjugated nations were brutally kept in the empire, the empire’s borders were always dangerous, gladiators fought to the death for entertainment, and so on. The disciples thought that the end of the world would be in their lifetime. Understandable, right?

So, what has changed in 2,000 years? Nothing. The Lord has given us a time of grace for us to come to faith and to bring others to faith. When you study the Scriptures, you learn about God’s plans for all of us, the whole of humanity. God had a plan that came to fruition with Christ’s perfect life, death, and resurrection from the dead.

The conflict in Iran has nothing specifically to do with the end of time. It is just an example of our ongoing history. In this case, we hope that the result leads to the world being a safer place. Remember though, whatever the outcome: GOD IS IN CHARGE.

The world is filled with sin. It is a dangerous place. But God is in charge and will protect us. Remember why we are here? To spread the good news of Christ’s sacrifice. How should we react to this world? We need to know the world is evil and put on the full armor of God. Essentially spending time in God’s Word, in church, in Bible study alone and with others, and so on. God has put you here at SOTV, in the FM Area, in the US at this time for His purposes. We are to be light and salt in this world. Easy? No. Worth it? YES!

Remember how the book of Revelation ends? Jesus Wins!