Is the world coming to an end?

History is full of confident predictions about the end — from The Great Disappointment of 1844 to countless modern date-setters — all of which have proven false. Jesus himself said plainly that “about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matthew 24:36).

Wars, famines, and pandemics are the normal condition of a fallen world, not a schedule for the end. The Augsburg Confession, Article XVII explicitly rejects speculation about an earthly kingdom before the resurrection. Rather than calculating timelines, Lutherans are called — as Hebrews 10:24 puts it — to “stir up one another to love and good works.”

Pastor Steve preaches this directly in Walking in Hope, Not Fear: while buildings crumble and kingdoms fall, the Word of the Lord endures forever. We don’t live in fear of the end; we live in the hope of the Resurrection.