<> Ask the Pastor The Rev. Walter Snyder Q: I look forward to reading your columns. Let me suggest: "Are the world, and our country in particular, in worse shape than ever? Will it get worse until the second coming of Christ?" A: Your letter has some other good questions and comments, as well. I'll start with this question, then incorporate more of what you wrote. The Advent season, in which we now find ourselves, points to the return of Christ in judgment. Advent is a sign of promise for the believer: "Christ is coming back to take me to heaven." It is also a word of warning: "Christ is coming back to judge sinners and cast out those who do not believe in him." History runs in peaks and valleys. Even during good times, many experience much bad. During the really bad times, folks are even more acutely aware that this is not how the world should be, and begin anticipating the quick return of Christ to straighten things out. We know from the Bible that God is taking his time in calling the cosmos to an end so that all who will be saved are. He tells us through the Apostle that he is not moving slowly, but is showing his divine patience with sinners for the sake of Christ. Many thought that Hitler's atrocities, or Stalin's, were signs that the end was near, and that nothing could be worse than what they had. Luther thought that the sorry political and religious state of Europe was a sign that the end was nigh. Many now look at abortion, sexual deviance, corrupt government, endless wars and rebellions, think that things can't get worse, and are resigned to believing that the end is imminent. The questioner continues: "I personally disagree vehemently. We have problems in the U.S. today, and as soon as we fix them there will be new problems to take their place. However, I can think of no 20-year time span in the last fifty-five hundred years when the world was in better shape than today." Creation still groans under its load. People are daily assailed by temptation. The results of the Fall are seen in all of our lives. Because the end has not come, we know that things may get much worse. We don't know how bad the time immediately before the end will be, just that the Bible warns that it will be terribly evil. This is the "hell in a hand basket" in the title of this article. There is much terrible evil right now. We have no way of charting an increase toward the Day of the Lord. It is not given us to know that day, and those who teach specific times and dates are condemned by Scripture for daring to prophesy where no word of the Lord is given. We know that "even the elect" would fall because of the evil of the last days - "if that were possible." The way this is written gives us comfort, for we know that this is not possible. Christ will not abandon his Bride, the Church. She will be kept holy and blameless unto that great and terrible Day of the Lord. In the intervening time, we do what the Church has always done. We believe in forgiveness through the atoning work of Jesus. We baptize and teach. We hold fast to strong doctrine. We aid the poor, visit the sick and those in prison. We give generously to the work of the Church. We marry and have children. We do all this in confidence, knowing that God will turn even our weak, halting, misguided efforts to his good purposes. This is the "heaven on earth." We will not convert this world to a paradise. It will be destroyed because it is weakened and corrupted. But we Christians do bring heaven to whomever we meet, when we live as believers responding to the love of God in Christ Jesus. This is ultimately true when we bring people into churches where they hear the Word preached rightly, receive Baptism for the remission of sins, have their sins forgiven, and regularly eat and drink the body and blood of him who rules heaven and earth. I won't debate the relative badness of various ages and times. "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof," says the Bible. Even more sufficient is God's forgiveness, his restoration by grace through faith in Christ. I won't be surprised if God ends the world before this hits the newspaper. Nor will I be shocked if the world lasts thousands, even millions, of years. To him, "a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day." I'm content to do what I can to spread the Good News, to live a holy life, to offer myself as a living sacrifice, and to confess my sins and ask forgiveness when I fall short of the divine mark. Until next week, Lord willing, when we enjoy more of your questions, remember to "Ask the Pastor" at P.O. Box 1080, Jasper, Texas, 75951; E-mail xrysostom@aol.com; or catch me around town. Pastor Snyder serves St. Paul and Faith Lutheran Churches, Jasper and Woodville, Texas and is coauthor of the book "What Do Lutherans Believe? A Study Guide in Christian Teachings for Adults." Copyright (c) 1996 by Walter P. Snyder Permission is granted by author to reproduce or retransmit this by any means, provided that its content is not altered, that this notice of copyright and permission is included, and that no financial gain is realized.