The End 1Chronicles 16:35

Thousands of years ago the Mayans, a South American society, developed a calender that recorded the measure of days. This type of calender is referred to as a Long Count Calender, because it doesn't record one year at a time but thousands of years through an ingenious form of linear mathematics that allows one to continuously add dates. Ultimately though, as is so often with finite measurements, this calender had to come to an end and it just so happens that this calender recorded time up to December 21, 2012, today.

Because of this many people have been talking about and thinking about the end of the world. Were the Mayans predicting the end to come today? Was there a prophetic anomaly that we didn't know of? Why end this year? The answers to these questions may never be fully known but the obvious answer would be, it had to end some day so, why not today.
 Many people have chuckled over the idea of the world ending today while others have frantically prepared themselves for the end. Although the question arises how one should prepare for the end of the world? But this conversation has brought to the forefront an important subject that we as Christians should be talking about. The Day of the Lord.
Matthew 24 records Jesus speaking of the Day of the Lord and how terrible and frightening it will be and that man should prepare himself for that day with soberness. But he also taught us that,
"of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father." Mark 13:32
So spending our lives trying to predict the exact day Christ will return is a fruitless endeavor. It is important though to understand that the Lord is returning and to be continually sober minded watching the sky for the coming of the Lord and striving to live a life that will be pleasing to our soon coming King. I think one of my favorite selections from the Bible on the subject comes from 1 Chronicles chapter sixteen:

 "And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise." 1Chronicles 16:35

The Lord is returning of that have no worry. When? I hazard no guess but, reading and studying the prophetic work in the Bible referring to the Day of the Lord and the events that surround it have helped to enlighten me that the return will be very soon and that I must put my full attention to the work of Christ and the Chruch while I am still here.
 I look forward to that day when I can be in His presence to "give thanks to [His] holy name, and glory in [His] praise." But, until then I am hard at work preparing for His coming and spreading the good news of salvation from that great and terrible day to every soul I come in contact with! Like the wise bridesmaids the Church should have a full vessel, full of saved souls that will burn brightly for the Lord. I encourage you to help save a soul for "and he that winneth souls is wise." Prov 11:30

God Bless,
J.P. Ladd