.  TOMORROW TO 4001  --  EARTH’S FUTURE  .

      The good news about the future is that truth will triumph.  The forces of good will win. Paradise will be restored.  From Genesis to Revelation all of the prophets agree that God’s salvation plan will be victorious. The first two chapters of the Bible start with a perfect Eden and the last 2 chapters end with a perfect Eden restored.  No human has ever seen, heard or even imagined the wonderful things God has prepared for those who love Him.  (1 Corinthians 2: 9) 

      The ultimate future reward just around the corner is often described in negative terms because that is all that humanity can fully understand.  There will be no more sickness, no more crime, no more war, no more pain, and no more death. We can understand that.  There will be no more weeds or thorns and nothing will hurt or destroy any living thing. We can appreciate that.

      There are positive promises also but the Bible says that our eyes haven’t seen anything as beautiful or lovely as Heaven will be.  It says our ears have never heard any music like the sweet harmonious melodies that will be orchestrated on the sparkling Sea of Glass.   Even our wildest imagination can’t picture the majesty and grandeur of the Heaven that God has prepared for His faithful people.

      A description of the Capitol City that Jesus has built is given in Revelation 21 and 22. It is of tremendous size: 1500 miles across with streets paved of gold. It has gates of pearl and there is a river of pure crystal water that flows from the central throne of God.  No doubt all kinds of trees, flowers and shrubs grace the beauty of the place, but there is one tree that stands above them all, the tree of life that was in the Garden of Eden 6000 years ago.  It still is flourishing with 12 different kinds of fruit being produced every month. (Revelation  21:15-21;  22:1-2)

      After the 1000 year period of Revelation 20, this New Jerusalem, Garden of Eden city will come down and settle on this earth.  This holy city, the control center and capitol headquarters of the universe, will be a museum and a trophy city for the saved people of this world. 

      All the redeemed will fly into the city from their country mansions every Sabbath for worship and every month they will bring in the best and richest trophies of their work for a world fair harvest festival. (Isaiah. 66:22-23; Revelation.21:24-27)  

      There will be a vast archive library of true history available. It is hard to imagine what kind of computer technology might be used to project the recorded actions as well as the thoughts of men and angels. (1 Corinthians 6:2-3; Ecclesiastes 12:14)  Perhaps, there will be a science building inside the city and Jesus himself will explain the mysteries of creation, the laws of gravity, energy, and many other things that have puzzled us.

      The real creation of this new earth will take place outside the city walls.  (Revelation 21:5)  This earth restored to its original beauty will be the most honored planet in the universe because God’s throne will be here among mankind.  Representatives from other worlds will visit this earth, and those who have witnessed for Jesus here and now will witness for him throughout the universe. They will accompany Jesus to other worlds and tell redemption’s story wherever they go.  Although they travel with Jesus throughout the universe there permanent home is here on planet earth. The Bible says they can build houses and plant vineyards and never worry about anything that will destroy.  They can enjoy the results of their creative works forever.

      Each person will be able to design and build his own estate, plant his own vineyards, orchards, and gardens and never worry about thieves, robbers, or any kind of destructive forces.  Nothing will hurt or destroy. All wild animals will be tame and gentle. (Isaiah  65:21-22, 25)   True prophets paint a clear picture of a real place and a real victory celebration for all who have fought the good fight of faith. (2 Timothy 4:7-8)

 Are Psychics and UFOs Omens of the End?

      The gloomy predictions made by psychics often contradict each other and yet the Bible tells that just before Jesus returns, people will flock to hear what they have to say.  The Bible warns us not to go to psychics, fortunetellers and mediums but to listen to what the Lord teaches!  It tells us that mediums may look up to the sky but they will see only trouble and darkness. There is no new light in their predictions, and what they say will do you no good.  (Isaiah  8:19-20,22)

      The Bible also predicts that just before Christ comes in power and glory that UFOs will appear as omens of the end or as signs of Christ’s soon return.  Jesus foretold that mysterious objects would appear in the sky.  (Luke 21:11)   The disciples of Jesus had asked for a sign [i] (that is a portent or omen) of Christ’s return.   In giving the answer to their question Jesus does not use the word “sign” until verse 11, and then for emphasis he uses it in the plural case with the adjective “great” preceding it. So Jesus is saying there will not be just one sign but that there will be many and they will be great.  But what are they?  He tells us where they will appear. They will be seen in the sky (“in the heavens”) but He does not identify them. They are unidentified, and they appear in the sky so they are unidentified flying objects or UFOs.

      Jesus said that there would be “fearful” (but unidentified) “sights” (or sightings) and “great” (in size and number) “signs” (or tokens portending the Lord’s return) “from heaven” (or from the sky or outer space).  The many UFOs or flying saucers that people have been seeing since 1947 are a fulfillment of Christ’s prediction. 

      The order of events as listed in these verses (Luke 21:7-11) matches the historical events of this century. First, we witnessed two world wars ending with the atomic bomb and the new age of fear.   Famines and epidemics swept through the world and starting in 1947 thousands of people have been seeing mysterious unidentified objects in the sky.  In spite of the great achievements in space technology, the scientists have been at a loss to explain the strange behavior of the flying spacecraft.

      Not a day goes by but a mysterious UFO appears somewhere in the world. Surely, it is a sign we are living in the end time, but it is more than that.  There is something devilish going on.  There is a psychic, new age, spiritualistic connection.  Jesus warned us that false Christs and false prophets would appear and perform great signs and miracles in order to deceive God’s loyal and obedient people. (Matthew 24:23-27)  Before the actual coming of Jesus there will be some counterfeit comings.  Satan still has great power and could come as an angel of light in a flying saucer.  The coming of a fleet of UFOs piloted by Satan’s angels but claiming to be Christ’s angels could fool many.

      The reason why God’s people cannot be deceived is that they separate truth from error by testing every message against the word of God. Their watchword has been “To the law and to the testimony.” First, any message that is contrary to the Ten Commandments is a false message.  Second, any teaching that denies the global return of King Jesus is a counterfeit testimony. When Christ comes to gather his people from the earth He will remain in the air, and as His great cloud transport circles the earth the angels spread out north, south, east and west gathering up all resurrected and redeemed ones. Then after they are gathered together in the air they will be taken to the Holy City. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

      Some people claimed that they could know the true Jesus by the prints of the nails in his hands. A beautiful hymn says so but the Bible does not!  Satan could appear as Christ with nail-prints in his hand.  No doubt he will speak kind, loving words, heal the sick and perform other miracles, but his claim to have changed God’s law will identify him as the enemy.  [ii]

      Why will so many be deceived?  

      The reason is that most people govern their lives by their own inward feelings instead of the standards of the Bible.  They call to themselves teachers who will flatter their egos but never point out their sins. They turn away from hearing God’s law and God cannot hear their prayer. (Proverbs  28:9)   But Satan hears their prayers and provides deceptive answers to entrap them. 

      Another reason it is not possible for Satan to deceive the elect is because God intervenes. He will not allow Satan to make a worldwide invasion with his UFOs.  That is reserved as an identifying mark of Christ’s return with all the loyal angels. (Matthew.24:26-27,30-31)   We are sure that when Christ returns, His ‘cloud’ or ‘UFO’ will be larger than any earthly city because the resurrected redeemed of all ages along with the living obedient ones will enter that cloud for their trip to Heaven.  Christ’s space cloud will be brighter than any UFO yet seen by man.  It will shine as lightning worldwide from east to west.  No television or other connection will be necessary.  It will be witnessed by the whole world.”

Summary of Future Events -

      First and most important, my dear reader friend, I want you to know that God loves you. The eternal Creator God in the person of Jesus risked everything when he chose to fight with the forces of evil to save you. He died to pay for your sins and to save you from the final fires of destruction.  By perfect obedience Jesus won the fight against Satan and made secure the peace and safety of the universe.  God’s Law of liberty written on your heart will make you safe to save and God’s plan for this world will be accomplished.  All the other worlds are now safe and soon the earth’s Eden paradise will be restored. 

      But our fight is not over!  Our battle against sin and selfishness will continue until Jesus comes to rescue us.  But we can have the assurance of victory as we invite the Spirit of God to come into our heart every moment of every day.  Also we can have the assurance of protection by God’s angels who are stronger than all the forces of evil.  Another encouraging promise is that God will reveal to us the future and the path we need to follow as we study his word. 

      Here is my picture of end time events: --- Robberies, murders, rapes, and other evils will grow worse and worse. The good angels that have been holding back the forces of evil are already letting go. They are gradually removing their protection from a planet in rebellion.  Hurricanes, storms, tempests, fire and flood will follow each other in quick succession. There will be scenes of strife greater than has ever been witnessed before.

      In spite of all these omens of the end, most people will continue in their craze for amusement and money making.  Eating, drinking, gambling and competing will continue until probation closes just as it did in the days of Noah when the door in the ark was finally shut.  People will be so intoxicated with entertainment they will not hear the thunder of justice echoing the calamities that are exploding throughout the world.

      UFOs will continue to make their presence known. Satan’s angels will transform themselves to resemble dead relatives in order to deceive people into believing the false doctrine of the “immortality of the soul”. You need to be on your guard in case a dead relative appears to you.  You need to be close to God and know His Word so that in the name of Jesus you can rebuke the imposter.

      Giant tidal waves and hurricanes will smash the seacoast cities. Earthquakes and volcanoes will add to the destruction.  Religious groups will see in these events a sign of God’s displeasure and they will urge the government to enforce the observance of prayer and worship.  Those who refuse to go along with the worship plans will be reviled and boycotted.

      As Satan’s crowning act in the great drama of deception he will make it appear that Jesus has come back to earth.  This false Jesus (the real Antichrist) will heal people and speak the same comforting and inspiring words that Jesus spoke when on earth.  The world leaders will accept him as Christ and thousands will bow before him.  You will be able to tell that he is Satan by what he says about the Ten Commandments.  He will approve the attempted change of the sacred times in God’s Holy Law.  (see Daniel 7:25 Amp.)

      You will need to remember that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He is the unchangeable “Solid Rock” and his Commandments are unchangeable for He said it would be easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one small letter of the law to be changed. (Luke 16:17)   Even when God's people are threatened with the death penalty for disregarding the “mark of Antichrist" they will stand firm for God's true Sabbath. This will not be easy for God’s people for they will have to escape from the towns and cities and find shelter in wilderness areas but God has promised to protect them and shelter them during the seven last plagues. (Psalms 91:1-11)

      Finally, a black cloud will be seen approaching the earth.  The unidentified object on a collision course with the earth terrifies everyone except God’s people who recognize it as the sign of Christ’s coming.  As it approaches, the whole earth will shake. The mountains will move and islands will sink. The ground will pitch and roll as the waves of the sea.  There will be thunder and lightning and the sound of ominous voices, as the sky seems to open and shut. People will run for shelter and cry for the rocks to fall on them and hide them from the brightness and glory of the Second Coming of Jesus.  Laser-like flashes of light destroy the wicked as the huge bright cloud comes nearer.

      God’s people will rejoice at the sight of Christ’s return and will shout, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.” (Isaiah 25:9)  There is a loud trumpet sound as Jesus calls the righteous dead to come up out of their graves. It is no secret rapture. It will be highly visible. The angels will gather the separated families and carry them up to meet the Lord.  What a great family reunion that will be!  I don’t want to miss it.  I want to see you there also. We’ll have plenty of time to get acquainted and exchange our experiences. 

      Our first space trip will be a seven day journey in God’s great transport through Orion to Heaven.  We will spend our first thousand years away from the desolated earth.  That first 1000 years, like a drop in the bucket compared to eternity, will be filled with a variety of educational experiences. At the close of that period, Jesus returns the third time to planet earth with all of us who are saved. This time He places his foot on the Mount of Olives and it becomes a vast plain of consecrated ground ready for the Capitol City.  The Holy City descends, and after the total eradication of evil the earth will be recreated into the most beautiful planet of all in the vast realm of God’s universe. In the year 4001 there will still be new discoveries to be made and new wonders to admire as we follow wherever Jesus leads us. Those who have represented Christ here on earth will continue to act as his ambassadors as they go and tell redemption’s story to the unfallen worlds of the universe.

      I want to be ready when Jesus comes. I want to see it happen and be a part of that great reunion in the sky.  I want my wife to be there.  I want my family to be there.  I want my sisters and brothers and their families to be there, and all my cousins and their families to be there also.  I want to share the experience with you my reader, also. I pray that you will be there. I want to see the happy surprise in the eyes of my parents as they see me there as a result of their influence and prayers, and as they see so many of their children and grandchildren there. There is going to be some great hugs at that reunion!

      You must be there.  I want to meet you there.  Please pray for me that I may be there.  Lord; please help everyone who reads this to be there.

Appendix A

Suddenly above us on the highway, there was a screech of brakes.

Then we heard a woman’s voice as she shouted back to someone,

“Oh, my God! - They’re down here! - burning up!”

      Harold! Harold! Harold!” There was no response. “Harold!--------” I kept calling.  Slumped over the bent steering wheel was the limp form of my friend, Harold Beeler.  One twisted arm lay on the battered dash.  In front of it was the gas tank, and directly in front of the tank a tiny finger of flame crept closer and closer along the engine of the wrecked Model A Ford.  The small blaze cast an ominous glow into the dark night.

      I saw it all.  The left door on the coupe was gone, and with the fire growing every second, I saw the terrible scene, but I couldn’t move.  My legs were paralyzed.  I was lying in mud and gravel twenty feet from the car.  My body was in agony but my mind was racing. Was Harold dead?  Apparently a long one-inch pipe from the trailer load we had been pulling had pierced his head.  Several others had stabbed through the back of the seat and the windshield.  I could see their ends sticking out like so many marshmallow sticks over the blaze.

      “Harold! Harold! Harold!!----”

      He had been a good fellow---a hard-working, energetic young man.  He had a very pleasant home, a friendly attractive wife, and three beautiful children. I needed money to start college and Harold had hired me for the summer as a carpenter’s helper.

      “Now he is dead,” I thought. “The tank will soon explode and that will be the end for me, too”

      “Oh, God, save us,” I prayed;  “I’ll try harder. I’ll work harder.  I’ll be better; only save us!”

      It was like some dreadful nightmare. We had plunged at fifty miles an hour into a dark empty hole.  The blacktop highway had been washed out.  There had been no warnings.

      “Harold! Harold Beeler! Hey!” Desperately I kept calling, “Harold! Har----” He moved his head!  He was alive!  He moved only a little and very slowly, but at least he moved.  His head was all right; the pipe had missed!  “Get out of there!  The car’s going to blow up!’

      Slowly turning his head in my direction, he said, calmly and unconcernedly, “I can’t,” then slumped back onto the steering wheel.  Wouldn’t he ever wake up?  I continued to scream at him.

      Other cars would be coming.  They might pile in on top of us.  We had left them behind at the last gravel wash.  There had been a cloudburst in the mountains.  The dry gravel washes, which were usually the roller-coaster-fun dips of the road, had become raging streams.  On our way home for the weekend, with a small trailer load of salvaged pipe, we had come upon four cars stopped by the first of these miniature rivers.  One driver had ventured to cross without first checking the depth and had stalled his new car in water above the floorboard.  Harold had hooked a chain onto the car and pulled it out.  Then he had made a few adjustments on his Model A: let some air out of the tires to increase traction, unfastened the fan belt to keep water from splashing back on the motor, and disconnected the exhaust pipe at the manifold to give it an opening above water.  After this he had forded the stream, unhooked the trailer, and pulled the others through with a tow chain.  Then, after the last car was across, he had rehooked the trailer and driven on to the next stream.

      He and I were both wet, tired, and two hours behind schedule when we finally reached the last wash.  In the orange glow of sunset, we saw before us a shimmering sheet of water an eighth of a mile wide.  A crew of men had been stationed there to assist and direct traffic.  They had halted all low-clearance vehicles, but when they saw the Model A, they waved us through. When we reached the paved highway, Harold stepped hard on the accelerator in order to make up for lost time.  He said, “I bet we get to Yuma before those other cars catch up.”  The lights were dim--but he knew the road by heart.  This section was excellent, and even with the trailer on behind, the speedometer moved gradually past the fifty mark.  Then, suddenly the road was gone.

      I had seen the hole---too late---too late to utter one sound.  I remember falling amid bars and pipes.  It seemed like I was falling and falling forever through blackness, lightning flashes, and confusion.  Then everything seemed dark and quiet.  I found myself on top of some wreckage.  Something like a voice had urged, “Get off!  Get away from here!”  I had no feeling in my body, yet my arms had worked very well--pulling me off the twisted metal and dragging my body over twenty feet of mud and rocks before stopping.

      Harold was hearing me now.  He was moving his head.  He looked around stupidly.  He repeated, unnaturally-- like one in a trance,  “I can’t,” and added, “my foot’s caught.”

      “Well, unfasten it! Listen to me, Harold,” I cried; “you’ve got to get out of there. The car door’s open.  Just fall out!  Unfasten your foot and fall out!  That’s it.  Fall out! Now, crawl over here. “ Like a slow-moving robot he obeyed.  After he splashed in the cool mud, he stood to his feet and staggered to me.  “Drag me out of here! We’re too close.  Other cars will be on top of us,” I said.

      He pulled me only about six feet and fell backward into the mud.  He buried his head in his hands and moaned, “Oh, what a terrible nightmare; what a terrible nightmare!”

      “No! It’s real,” I said. Then it struck me as being funny and, in spite of the terrible pain that had suddenly developed, I laughed.

      “We better pray.” He spoke earnestly, and then, “Dear Lord, save us. Don’t let that gas tank explode, and--and--stop the cars from coming in on top of us.  Save us.  Amen.”

      Silently I added, “If You save me, I’ll go to school.  I’ll do anything.  If You want me to, I’ll even preach.”   . . .  . .

      Lying in the mud and swooning in misery, I promised God that if I ever got out alive, I would never complain again.  I’d never murmur about hard work or sore muscles.  I would study hard.  I would even do the very hardest thing--at least, I would try--I would lay aside my pride and fear and actually talk before groups.  I dreaded the thought, but I promised that I would even take public speaking.  I would be willing to take the whole ministerial course.  I would----

      Suddenly above us on the highway there was a screech of brakes.  Then we heard a woman’s voice as she shouted back to someone, “Oh no!--they’re down here!--burning up!”

      We were so happy we laughed and cried at the same time.  I yelled back, “We’re over here! We’re okay. Come and get us!”

      A few minutes later two men came with flashlights.  One helped Harold up the west bank, and some others came and carried me up the east bank, where all the cars were.  The only town nearby was Yuma, twenty miles to the west on the other side of that terrible chasm.  Some of the people tooted their horns and turned on their headlights hoping to attract attention.

      A farmer living three miles away thought he heard an explosion somewhere and drove out to investigate.  After driving up and down the highway a couple of miles, he was almost ready to give up his search and return home when he spotted the headlights and heard the horns.  He rushed Harold to the doctor and ordered an ambulance to hurry back for me.

      The stranded people were wonderful.  They carried blankets from their cars and did everything they could to help me.  A first-aid nurse cut away my trousers, examined my legs, and tried her best to make me comfortable.  I was freezing with shock, so she wrapped all the available blankets around me and offered a pill to relieve my pain.  I refused it.  I fearfully insisted, “It might knock me out for good.”  One white-haired man stayed beside me, gripping my hand and gently rubbing my arm. I don’t know who he was, but I appreciated it so much.  He seemed to me like an angel.  I needed someone to hold on to, and he was there--Jonny on the spot--angel on the spot!” 

      Two days later I was home in bed recovering from my fractured hip and dislocated leg.  Don Long, the clown of our carpenter crew, came to see me. “You know,” he said, and he was speaking very seriously, “I was out and looked at the wreck, and there is something miraculous about it.  That two-wheeled trailer slid in underneath the car so perfectly that all four wheels are in it, and the pipe that had been in the trailer shot through your car like dozens of spears.  There wasn’t room for one person to sit in that car. I stood on top of the wreck and couldn’t see the top of the roadway.  The washout must have been fifteen feet deep and forty feet wide, and yet you fellows almost jumped over it.  The hood, some tools, and, believe it or not, even Harold’s glasses were on the opposite bank.  I’ll tell you,” he concluded, “God surely had His arms around you.”

      Today I realize more and more how very true his statement was.  As I marvel about it and consider the why of it, the story of Edah and the whale comes vividly to mind, and I understand the reason.  Sometimes it takes a “whale-belly” experience to put a man on the right track.

      (Harold Beeler went back to school, completed a medical course, and as a qualified surgeon he won the hearts of all the people in his farming community with his unselfish ministry.)