Doomsday or the Greatest day? ‘Comments by US President Donald Trump and a “darkening global security landscape” have made the world less safe, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists warned, moving its symbolic “Doomsday Clock” 30 seconds closer to midnight. The clock — which serves as a metaphor for how close humanity is to destroying the planet — was last changed in 2015, from five to three minutes to midnight. It is now set at two and a half minutes to midnight. The decision to move the clock or not is led by a group of scientists and intellectuals, including 15 Nobel laureates, voicing concerns about “a rise in strident nationalism worldwide, President Donald Trump’s comments on nuclear arms and climate issues, a darkening global security landscape … and a growing disregard for scientific expertise,” the group said in a statement. The Doomsday Clock was created in 1947. It has changed 19 times since then, ranging from two minutes to midnight in 1953 to 17 minutes before midnight in 1991’. Reading the above we might be lead to think that there is only one outcome for the end of time – Doomsday or the end of the world as we know it.
Dire warnings such as this imply that at the end there will only be one outcome – destruction of the earth and all it’s people, and in consequence is sure to strike fear into many people. It also denies the very clear signs and warnings from scripture concerning the fact that we do not know nor should we even seek to know when Jesus will return to judge the earth and gather up his elect. What we do know is that for those who have been redeemed from a lost eternity this will be a great day. It will be the day that we stand in the presence of our Lord and Saviour and surely not a day of doom and gloom. However, we are called to stand firm to the end and told to preach ‘this gospel of the kingdom in the whole world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come’ (Matt 24:14).
What a momentous responsibility this places on the Christian believer and for all in the worldwide church. This calling is entrusted to the ‘faithful and wise servant whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time’ whilst he is away. Spiritual food which can only be found in God’s word is what’s on the menu and for those who have been born again into that new life with Jesus Christ, the ticking of the clock should hold no fear, save that we be found to have neglected our duties to care for those who are lost and starved of God’s word. Please make every effort to come along to the new monthly EQUIP sessions starting this month where Calix will provide more bible teaching to help each one of us spread this gospel of the kingdom and would you please continue to pray for those who have been spoken to through doorstep visitation in the adjoining roads in January. Finally, we give thanks and all praise to the Lord that by his grace, we are planning a baptismal service this month for April Smith.
Along with April, husband Richard has applied to join with us in membership together with Rose Dickson and we look forward to formalising those arrangements also this month
Stuart Beadle
Elder
February 2017
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