Pastor Marc Bertrand

The End of the World. “The world is passing away and so is its desire,” says 1 John 2:17. What is that “world”? How and when will it pass away? Because the world in question has ‘desires’ that merit God’s disapproval, it is obviously not the literal earth. Rather, it is the world of mankind who disregard God, making themselves his enemy. (James 4:4) The people who make up that world “will underg o the judicial punishment of everlasting destruction.” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9) On the other hand, people who remain “no part of the world,” in obedience to Jesus Christ, have the prospect of everlasting life.​—John 15:19. Indeed, 1 John 2:17 concludes: “The one who does the will of God remains forever.” Yes, that one has the prospect of everlasting life right here on earth, as stated at Psalm 37:29: “The righteous will possess the earth, and they will live forever on it.” “Do not love either the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”...

If people do not believe that the world, as we know it, will come to an end, why is there such a fascination to make movies and write books about it? Years before the turn of the 21st century a newspaper’s book section ran an article titled, “The Literature of Doom,” listing all book titles that dealt with the end of the world. A number of films were dubbed “Armageddon” movies. The concern about  the last days dramatically invades the entertainment world still. People wonder whether there’s going to be a world of tomorrow or not. As the year 2000 approached, many were concerned that we would never see it. People were tense as “Y2K” made headlines day after day in world news. God gave the Bible writers words to prepare us for such a time. “Write down these words. … They will stand until the end of time as a witness” (Isaiah 30:8, NLT). The Bible tells us that the state of the world will grow darker as we near the end of the age. We know that things cannot go on as they are. Even pe...

The Coronavirus We live in extraordinary times. This week we have seen the world reacting hour by hour and minute by minute to the challenge of Covid-19 coronavirus. Stock markets have been plummeting, schools closing, events being cancelled, cities isolated, transport ground to a halt. Panic buying has seen supermarket shelves decimated as the world’s wealthy stock up. People have become hooked to the news - fearful and troubled by the scale of the situation unfolding before them. Yet, this is exactly the situation the Lord Jesus told his disciples that the world would see just before his return to the earth. The gospel writer Luke records the prophecy of the Lord Jesus on the Mount of Olives, just a few days before he was crucified, explaining to his disciples a future time when men’s hearts would be. The Bible offers not only encouragement for personal faith in a time of crisis, but also wisdom and insight to guide the Christian in a position of public leadership or influence. The ...

Is the Coronavirus CoVID-19 a type of pestilence that the Bible speaks of? It goes along with what the Bible describes events and conditions that would mark “the conclusion of the [current] system of things,” or “the end of the world.” (Matthew 24:3; King James Version) The Bible calls this time period “the last days” and the “time of the end,” or “end times.” (2 Timonthy 3:1; Daniel 8:19; Easy-t o-Read Version) The following are some outstanding features of last-days, or end-times, prophecies: 1-War on a large scale.​—Matthew 24:7; Revelation 6:4. 2-Famine.​— Matthew 24:7; Revelation 6:5,6 3-Great earthquakes.​— Luke 21:11 4-Pestilences, or epidemics of “terrible diseases.”​— Luke 21:11 Contemporary English Version. 5-Increase of crime.​— Matthew 24:12 6-Ruining of the earth by mankind - Revelation 11:18 7-Deterioration of people’s attitudes, as shown by many who are “unthankful, disloyal, . . . not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of good...

Tomorrow Is Promised To No One. Proverbs 27:1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. I remember the first time I heard the expression “Tomorrow is promised to no one.” I was watching a press conference with Walter Payton who was announcing to the world that he was sick. He had clearly lost a lot of weight and was sitting behind a microphone with his son Jarrett, a nd some other people. I had grown up watching Walter Payton. I have watched a lot of great athletes but by far, he was my favorite and it was a treat to watch him play. Being a kid and watching number 34 take the field every Sunday was something that was as dependable as the sun coming up. I remember shedding tears when he retired from the game. Now here I was, watching one of my role models, shedding tears on television. He was talking about death and being scared. "Am I scared? Hell, yeah, I'm scared. Wouldn't you be scared? But it's not in my hands anymore. It's in God...

God and Coronavirus: Is it a Sign of the End Times? COVID-19 and the Apocalypse: Not what you think As the respiratory disease called COVID-19 sweeps the globe, it is causing massive disruptions to humanity’s way of life. Beyond the threat of severe illness and possible death, COVID-19 has taken a massive toll on education, the economy, mental health, relationships, infrastructure, etc. The damage goes far beyond human lungs and will be felt for years to come. I think it is appropriate to label COVID-19 “apocalyptic.” Defining an “apocalypse” Modern English-speakers typically understand an “apocalypse” to be a world-ending cataclysm. “The Apocalypse” is the end of the world, at least as we know it. We have derived that understanding from the book of Revelation, which has also been called The Apocalypse and which begins with the words, “The Apocalypse of Jesus Christ” (1:1a). Because Revelation describes the final judgment and the sudden destruction of this present world order, we have...

Gambling With Your Soul How important is the salvation of your soul to you? Jesus asked his disciples a rather thoughtful question. He asked: “…what shall a man give in exchange for his soul” (Matthew 16:26)? Do you have an answer to that question? What is your price? Would a fun night on the town be worth it? Would a nice vacation be worth it? What about a relationship? Is your family worth it?  Is there something you’d take in exchange for your soul? I know that many, if not most, would say they’d take nothing in exchange for his or her soul. That’s one of the biggest lies a lot of people tell themselves. The truth is, I have seen people who profess to be Christians put their souls on the line for all types of petty things. From entertainment, to a girlfriend or boyfriend, to a marriage choice, to clothing choices, to hairstyles, to vacations that exclude faithfully worshipping God, and the list could go on and on. Do you realize that it takes very little for you to be lost? You...