What can man rely on amid this troublous world?

Amidst this restless world, people should rely on the “rest” that Christ offers and not on the perishable things.

By GERSON S. NONATO

ALL OVER THE WORLD, many people suffer from poverty, calamities, and armed conflicts. Such a terrible condition causes hardship, confusion, and depression to many. To ease their difficulties and to solve their problems in life, people tend to rely on their knowledge, power, and wealth. They strive to acquire these in the hope that these would make their life a lot better. Sad to say, the terrible occurrences we hear about in the news everyday allude to the fact that people’s life condition in this world is far from getting better.

The vanity of striving onƖy for this worƖd

Unknown to many, the inevitability of terrible things happening in this world has long been foretold in the Bible:

“Everything is in confusion—the land is full of murders and the cities are full of violence. … Despair is coming. You will look for peace and never find it. One disaster will follow another, and a steady stream of bad news will pour in. … There is fighting in the streets, and sickness and hunger in the houses. …” (Ezek. 7:23, 25-26, 15 Good News Bible)

Indeed, this is the picture of the world today. Violence is rampant; killing on the streets happens even in broad daylight. Millions of families are whining of hunger because of poverty. Thousands of lives are lost and thousands are displaced because of the lingering armed conflicts in various places. Adding to such misery are the calamities such as earthquakes, typhoons, and floods, that occur one after another. All these terrible things truly bring despair to the people. Moreover, the Bible describes the inability of people to remedy their miserable condition in this world:

“What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless.” (Eccles. 2:22-23 New International Version)

The Bible foretold not only the curse that the world is suffering nowadays but also that the world “will collapse and never rise again” because it “is weighed down by its sins” (Isa. 24:5-6, 19-20 gnb).

“What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless.”

Ecclesiastes 2:22-23

New International Version

This is the real reason for all these terrible events happening in the world today. The world will definitely come to its appalling end because of people’s wickedness. On that day, “the whole world will be consumed” by fire and “neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them” (Zeph. 1:17-18 niv). That day, according to the Bible, is the Day of Judgment (II Pet. 3:7, 10).

Hence, the terrible occurrences that are happening nowadays signify the greater destruction that will come to the world on Judgment Day. On that day, people cannot be saved by their knowledge, power, and wealth, for everything in this world will be consumed by fire. That is why, obtaining those things is not the ultimate solution to people’s sufferings in this world. In the end, what people strive for in this world will be all in vain.

God’s caƖƖ for aƖƖ peopƖe before Judgment Day comes

As God is loving and compassionate, He teaches people the way to salvation. The Bible states:

“Thus says the Lord: ‘Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. …” (Jer. 6:16 New King James Version)

God calls people to search for “the good way … And walk in it” so that they will “find rest for their souls”—that is, salvation on Judgment Day. If only people would follow this command from God, they would not be in despair no matter what happens in this world. For in the end, they will be certain of salvation on the Day of Judgment. The good way God commands people to walk in is Christ:

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. … Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life, No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:1, 6 nkjv)

“Thus says the Lord: ‘Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. ...”

Jeremiah 6:16

New King James Version

Our Lord Jesus Christ emphatically teaches that He and no one else is the way to the Father. How people can come to the Father through Christ and be saved has been taught by Christ Himself:

“So, Jesus spoke again: ‘In very truth I tell you, I am the door of the sheepfold. … I am the door; anyone who comes into the fold through me will be safe. …” (John 10:7, 9 Revised English Bible)

According to Christ, in order to be saved, people should be in His sheepfold or flock. In Acts 20:28, Apostle Paul made it clear what the flock refers to:

“Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, to feed the church of Christ which he has purchased with his blood.” (Lamsa Translation)

The flock that people should join in order to be saved is the Church Of Christ. Hence, people should strive to join and remain in the Church Of Christ so that they will be assured of salvation when this world comes to its end.

The “rest” that Christ offers

Amidst this restless world that is nearing its end, the Lord Jesus Christ invites people to come to Him—to belong to the Church Of Christ—and He will give them rest: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28 niv). The rest that Christ will give to the members of the Church Of Christ is the rest in the Holy City where “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain”—a blissful kind of life which is beyond compare (Rev. 21:1-4 niv).

Therefore, amid this troublous world, people should rely on the “rest” that Christ offers and not on the perishable things this world offers. This is the solution that the Bible offers to people’s woes and sufferings in this world.

This article was originally published in the Pasugo: God’s Message magazine.

For more articles, visit www.pasugo.com.ph