I never did a lot of preaching from Revelation because I believe any study of this book should be done in a classroom situation, where back and forth conversation and lots of questions control the topic.

For instance, some verses are uplifting, exciting, wonderful and certainly nice to hear, especially when we read that this old world of ours — not too nice and in need of fixing big-time — has been replaced by an indescribable fantastic city. Everything and anything that anyone has ever feared or suffered will be no more. Crying, pain, death, all those will be of the past. We just can't wait! Hang on, because John — thought to be the writer — has some words we must never overlook.

"But cowards, traitors, perverts, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, worship idols and all liars will be cast into the lake of burning fire and suffering."

Our turn to ask questions.

When is this going to happen? It's been about 2,000 years since the writing and what do we have? Just follow the news. Crime is first on the list of newsworthy daily happenings. We all can make up our own list of terrible Revelation warnings. How long must our world fail to understand and react to what we know is wrong and work to correct what we can?

I still get a lot of questions about the end of time. "Look at the signs. They're right here. Just hang on because God has warned us, and He will smite the evil ones and reward us good folks!"

Jesus taught that the end times will be obvious when we are overwhelmed by global conflicts, natural disasters, and I'd like to add politics. His words, "No one knows the exact date except God the Father."

Let's quit listening to the false prophets and accept that He has told us we are responsible and we are to be deeply and actively involved in every part of life.

If we see someone being mugged or abused and refuse to give assistance, then criminals will continue to roam the streets taking whatever they want, whenever they want, from whomever they want. Reinhold Niebuhr wrote a book, "Moral Man and Immoral Society," which basically says that society acts one way and the individual acts another way. Think about a group of nice people who become a lynch mob. That's why we have laws, contracts, agreements, rules and guidelines. I have often thought that a fence is not necessarily built to keep out a neighbor, it may be there to protect the neighbor from me!

Over the years, people have earnestly believed that once we are better educated, have improved living conditions and highly protected constitutional rights, then crime, anti-social behavior and the like will disappear.

I read, "We are not permitted to climb to heaven on our own private ladder while the world goes to hell on public transportation!"

I believe that our calling — and that implies all of us — is to become active participants in every level of society. I want to be proud of elected representatives, but we cannot expect them to work alone apart from those of us who elected them. We must have the courage to support those agencies who work for the people. We must also have the courage to criticize those agencies who take from but refuse to give even to the outcasts.

The end of time is up to God! What we must do until that happens is not to live in fear, submission or neglect. God has given the tools to rebuild, correct and renew. It's all up to us!

Thanks, God!