Attacks have many asking ‘Is this the end’

Stacy J. Willis

Monday, Sept. 17, 2001 | 10:16 a.m.

The Rev. Ray Christenson has been getting e-mails asking, "Is this the end of the world?"

Standing at the altar at the front of his packed church Sunday morning, he answered, "I don't believe so ...

"But whether I'm wrong or right, this week is a reminder that we need to be ready," Christenson told his Community Lutheran congregation.

Like religious leaders worldwide, Christenson tried Sunday to console and give strength to his congregation after last Tuesday's terrorist attacks on the United States.

But he also grappled with the question on many Christians' minds: What is the Biblical significance of this tragedy?

Apocalyticism -- the belief that God will someday intervene in the course of human affairs by ending the world as we know it and starting his kingdom on Earth -- is central to Christian thought.

Biblical apocalypticism manifests itself in a scenario that includes Jesus Christ returning to earth to slay the Antichrist in the Battle of Armageddon on a hill in Israel.

The Book of Revelation says the apocalypse will happen after certain signs have taken place: wars, earthquakes and famines, among others.

"The Bible is unfolding right in front of us," the Rev. Ray Grant of Abundant Word Church said after a Las Vegas radio broadcast Sunday.

Grant, who leads a group of 15 congregants in a room at the Community College of Southern Nevada, said that recent events were signs of the Book of Revelation's "End Times" -- literally, the days before the end of the world.

"I believe we are there," he said. "This is a spiritual war. Satan is attacking God...

"A lot of people are scared, and asking me, 'How do I get into Heaven now?' But you don't need to be scared," he said. "Scripture said we would be here. I'm not saying Christ is coming back tomorrow, but in my opinion, I see it happening. I see the prophecy laid out."

A 1999 Newsweek poll found that 40 percent of American adults believe the world will one day end in this manner as described in the Book of Revelation.

Some evangelical Christians believe there will be a time of tribulation preceding the return of Christ -- at a time in which "God pours out his wrath on an unbelieving world," according to evangelical literature.

Christian bookstores nationwide reported a surge in sales of books about the second coming of Jesus after the terrorist attacks on the U.S. Apocalyptic literature was already the fastest-growing segment of the $3 billion Christian book industry, owing in part to the turn of the millennium, which triggered a rise in apocalypticism.

For Christenson and his Lutheran congregation, the present day is not a time to dwell on possible signs of the "End Times." Instead, he told Sunday worshipers, it is a time to reaffirm faith and community and to learn lessons of faith from the Bible.

"The reason people have come here to worship each night this week is that we need to be together. We are approaching a very uncertain future," Christenson said. "Seek the Lord with all your heart. Serve the Lord with all your heart. ...

"I invite you today to live your faith. Be your faith. That's what we have an opportunity to do."

Christenson said he would prepare a "to-do list" for his congregation, so that they could make a difference by reaching out to console those in need and giving donations to those affected by tragedy.

"Have faith," he said. "Be strong and be courageous."