As part of God’s creation, we live within the heavens and the earth. We are thus bound by all of nature’s laws that govern the created universe. One of these laws is time. Just as time had a beginning, so also time will have an end. Jesus’ followers asked Him about the end of time.
As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this Gospel (original meaning: good news) of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:3–14).
Our creation, the heavens and the earth, is on a timeline. There is a beginning and an end.
God wants us to know about the timeline of our creation. Learning about our timeline is one of the basic lessons enabling us to understand how God made us, what God has been doing in history, what God is doing today, and our role in this world.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10).
The Good News of Jesus Christ equips us to live in this timeline while achieving our created purpose. This same Good News also prepares us for when our time on this earth comes to an end.