Some of you may remember seeing a picture of a man standing on a busy street corner holding a sign with the words, “The End is Near.”  There was no message on the back, and I bet if you ask the man holding the sign what it meant, he would say, “Heck if I know.  I am just paid to hold the sign.”  Well, that is terrible.  Why get me all concerned when I do not know which end, what end, or whose end.  Is this a good thing or a bad thing?  Should I be scared or happy? 

Now, I am really mad at this guy.  He needs to either explain to me or pull the durn sign down and walk away.  This sign, and those four words, have made me anxious and depressed, so now I will put that stupid sign out of my mind . . . or maybe not.  The more I try to dismiss it, the more it haunts me.  Why does he have the right to make me miserable?

Then I remember . . . the end is near.  Thank God!!  When we frame everything in Jesus, we have peace and joy.  Now I think the sign was just for me.  Is my end near?  Well yes.  Come to think of it, there is a certainty of death.  In Hebrews (9:27), we are reminded that it is appointed unto man to die but after this, the judgment.  It is kind of scary that one of the few things that we all have in common is death, yet we try to avoid it completely.  I know I will die, but I don’t want to think about it. 

Wait a minute.  If I am a born-again disciple of Christ, then that is a wonderful thought.  The end is near means that the worst will soon be behind me, and the very best, most wonderful life I could ever imagine is before me.  No sorrow.  No morning aches and pains.  This old deteriorating body is gone.  No bondage to the government laws, so long IRS, and good-bye political puke.  Hello to all the people that are like me and believe in Jesus.

This is wonderful!!  Thank you “sign man,” whoever you are or whoever paid you to be there.  Thinking on the “the end is near” has given me hope, peace, and even joy.  Wow!! Now I am excited and really looking forward to the end.  “F-R-E-E-D-O-M,” I think that is what William Wallace shouted when dying.  I really like the words of Jesus in Luke 23:46 – And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” and having said this, he gave up the ghost.

Maybe I should carry a sign – “Your end is near.”

See ya’ later.

– Written by Pa