Larry Falter wants you to know that the end times might be near, along with the second coming of the Lord. He also wants you to know that for a very special price you could count down the hours with a beautiful new clock from his 3,000-square-foot jewelry showroom in Superior, Wis.

After all, if fire is about to rain down on the earth and salvation is at hand, now is not the time to deprive yourself of a little bling. Life may indeed be brutally short, but diamonds are forever.

Falter is the soft-spoken owner of LTD Jewelry on Tower Avenue. He is also the lead elder of his Messianic congregation, and he believes that business can be a venue to share his faith with his neighbors and customers, if they are so inclined.

That belief led to a unique advertising strategy that drew some attention, and a few complaints, up in the Duluth-Superior television viewing area.

Falter began airing a commercial (www.startribune.com/a54) for LTD recently that begins with ominous music and an earthly landscape besieged by fire and lightning. Falter faces the camera and delivers his message:

Did you know the Bible predicts the day of the Lord, followed by the return of Jesus Christ to Jerusalem? As I read the daily news and look around the world, I believe we're really close to that day. Nonetheless, here and now, if you want jewelry, I have access to millions. Diamonds and gemstones, gold, silver, watches and clocks, and I'm selling everything at 50 percent off, giving you unbelievable savings.

Falter says he came up with the idea after an inspiring trip to Israel that convinced him he needed to be more vocal about his faith. He had a business in Superior for 30 years, and he had his faith, "but I never really made the two intersect."