The End

I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. — The heavens and the earth, which are now, ... are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling of it — You shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that you not be troubled.
We have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. — We ... look for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, seeing that you look for such things, be diligent that you may be found by him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

The end of all things is at hand.

We don't know when, of course, but many people feel that the world and society are cascading toward a final set of events.  The Bible speaks of this time frequently, without disclosing precisely when. 

It is a time of judgment--and the judgment is final.  From that judgment there is no appeal, no reversal, no pardon. The Book of Revelation is very clear (20:11-15):
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life... The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

It is a time of trouble.  The book of Daniel says, "There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then." 

It is a time of victory, deliverance, closure, finality: Daniel says again: "But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever." 

It is a time for you to receive all that God has promised: 

• The "building of God, the house God has prepared for you...(the house your soul lives in, your body)"
• The "new heavens and new earth, full of righteousness," where you will live forever.

How do you deal with the coming troubles that precede this time of blessing?  Let God be your refuge and strength.  Don't be troubled.  All these events are designed for one thing, to bring in God's replacement for this sick and tired old world--His new heavens and new earth. Let your life be filled with His grace and righteousness.  Then you will be ready for what is coming, and in the day of judgment, you will find refuge in Him, as He takes you by the hand and leads you into His New heavens and new earth.

All this, of course, is predicated on your faith:  
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
"For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."
Nobody likes to think about this, and least of all those of us who believe, because we know the implications of NOT believing.  
Prepare for eternity.  It is coming. You will meet God.  Be sure He's your friend, not your enemy.

Get Wisdom

The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice?
Listen, for I have trustworthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right.
for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.
Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have insight, I have power.
By me kings reign and rulers issue decrees that are just;
by me princes govern, and nobles—all who rule on earth.
I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.
“Now then, my children, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways.
Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not disregard it.
Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.
For those who find me find life and receive favor from the Lord.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.

You can be wise.  You may only have average intelligence. You may be young and inexperienced.  You may come from a culture that doesn't appreciate wise thoughts and words, but you can be wise.  Wisdom is both a gift and a gain--something you work for.  The main ingredients in gaining the gift of wisdom are:

1. Ask God for it.  It comes from Him, and it comes through a series of communications you have from Him. He will show you things.

2. LISTEN.  The greatest wisdom comes from simply listening for wisdom. It almost sounds redundant, but the main reason people have no wisdom is that they haven't learned to listen and then apply the knowledge they already have to the words they hear.  

3. As you listen, also listen to God, because He will  tell you about events as they happen.  

4.  Follow your intuition, if you have seen it proven right in multiple circumstances.  Intuition is something it takes a while to sharpen, but you can learn it.  "I had a bad feeling about that" is a comment I've often heard when people are discussing a mistake they've made.  The "bad feeling" was their intuition telling them, and often that intuition comes from God.

5.  Do what God says, and you will get MORE wisdom.  Don't do it, and the wisdom you have will evaporate, and you will have troubles enough.

6.  Sometimes wisdom doesn't help.  I've been in many situations where others wouldn't listen, and all I could do was wait until the result occurred.

7.  You'll often find that others won't listen, and then you need to immediately take steps to protect yourself, if you're involved with the "nonlisteners."  This often happens in business situations, where people above you make terrible decisions, and you are made a part of  them by default.  If you are in such a situation, take steps for self-protection right away. 

8.  Wisdom is often the result of experience, driven by mistakes that we've made in our own search for wisdom.  One of the main things about getting wisdom is learning from the past.