Only God knows when the present world will come to an end — and only God will bring it about. Wars and disasters may continue to shake civilization (as they have in the past), but ultimately God is in control, and He alone has the power to intervene and destroy the whole world.

And someday He will, because He wants to bring about a new and perfect world! Our world is imperfect and riddled with all sorts of evils, and no matter how hard we try, we’ll never completely overcome them. But this isn’t the way God meant for the world to be. When God created it, it was good and free from all evil. The Bible says, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).

But then sin entered the world, and with it came death and sickness and every other kind of evil. We see this all around us today. But someday God will intervene; Christ will return, and the whole world will be restored to what it once was: perfect and good. The Bible says that “everything will be destroyed. … But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:11, 13).

Are you ready for that day? Even if Christ’s coming is delayed, are you ready to meet life’s problems with His help? Are you ready to meet Him when you die? Don’t make the mistake of ignoring Christ, but put your life into His hands today.