“It feels like the end of the world is upon us,” someone shared a few days after 9/11 at a prayer meeting. Eyes wide with fear, many stared repeatedly at the horror of this day of death when America no longer swaggered in the security that “war can’t happen here.” It can, and it did. As many reflected this last weekend on our modern “day of infamy,” we are reminded that there have been many responses that spring from the need to “deal” with the event: fear, blame, anger, revenge, tolerance, turmoil, confusion, and hope.

Hope? Yes, hope. Just dig through the rubble of reactions. Blame and anger lead to revenge and bitterness. Killing more people will not erase the evil. Religious tolerance suggests that there is a bit of good in all sects and if we bind ourselves together it will somehow minimize future attacks and drain the hatred out of us. And there are those who simply would like to ignore the disintegration of society all around us and just get back to work, to browsing the Internet, to politics, to making money, to living in the fast lane—but an aching turmoil and honest confusion still lurks deep inside. Where can we find hope?

For the student of the Bible, there is no surprise that our world is not improving. We are not evolving into a better society. The morals of our day will continue to erode. The wars between nations will continue to grow. The “famines and pestilences” around us will increase. It is as if all hell has broken loose and is unleashing its wrath upon the earth. It feels like the end of the world is upon us.

We do live during the time of the end of the world. Prophecy foretold that amidst a generation laughing at voices calling us to repent, among people working furiously to enjoy living a good life (rich and increased with goods), and yet occasionally scared by astounding calamities in nature … that there will be an end to all things as we know them. (See Luke 17:26.) We do not blame God. There is an enemy.

Hope is found in this chaos. Hope is found in a solid Rock that will not move. It cannot be toppled over or blown apart. (See Daniel 2:34, 35.) This Rock is Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4). He has told us ahead of time what life will look like at the end of time. It will be very difficult, yet we have hope. It is found in the unshakeable Word of God.

President Obama quoted Psalm 46 at 9/11 memorial services at ground zero. We would do well to take his words seriously: “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

If you are looking for answers from the Bible to make sense of the world in which we live, please visit one of our upcoming seminars. They are solidly based on Scripture, the only stable place to find answers when you are feeling hopeless. There is hope.