Even to the casual observer, it is evident this world has
withstood a series of profound crises over the last decade.
In 2004, a devastating earthquake rocked the Indian
Ocean, which triggered a massive tsunami that wiped out about 230,000 lives. A
similar catastrophe occurred in March 2011, when Japan was pounded by a tsunami
and subsequent nuclear crisis. In July 2005, Hurricane Katrina plowed into the
Gulf Coast, killing more than 1,800 people. It was the deadliest hurricane to
strike America in more than 75 years.
In 2008, Russia invaded Georgia, Iran conquered Lebanon,
Germany conquered Kosovo, and the economy of most of the world’s countries came
within a few minutes of financial meltdown with its attendant unemployment
issues. In 2009, the United States spent time warring its traditional enemies,
Israel went to war with Hamas in Gaza, Iran crushed a democratic uprising
called the Green Revolution, and the Lisbon Treaty became Europe’s new
constitution. In 2010, for all intents and purposes, Iraq fell to Iran.
And then there were the natural disasters in various forms:
2010 was one of the deadliest years on record. The Associated Press called it “the year the Earth struck back.”
And Today?
Today the world faces numerous destabilizing movements in
the Middle and this situation is greatly accelerating since February 2011 - the
ousting of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and its subsequent instability
crisis, for example. In Syria, civil war rages, claiming over 120,000 lives to
date. Multiple political scandals, deadly bombings and various tribal and
country wars have also hit the headlines. Given these many earthshaking events,
is it any wonder why many people now believe we are living in the prophesied
last days of this age?
Dangerous Times
Are We in the Last Days? Time was when some people shouting ‘doomsday’ warning were ridiculed with
all kinds of names. But today serious world leaders and scientists are saying
grave things about the current drift in world conditions.”
Added to that, never before in history—until this
generation—has it been possible for man to destroy all flesh from the Earth.
This, in itself, makes it possible for the prophecy of Matthew 24:22 to be
fulfilled: “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh
be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”
In 2 Timothy 3:1 Paul warned, “This know also, that in
the last days perilous times shall come.” The word perilous can also be
translated dangerous. These dangerous times are upon us now!
2 Timothy 3:2 describes human nature in all of its ugliness. People today are “lovers
of their own selves”: They couldn’t care less about the needs or desires of
other people. Everywhere we see lovers of money, materialism and radical
individualism—people who are contemptuous of God and His law and who
aggressively promote the upside-down families spoken of in Isaiah 3. Paul also
says people are unholy, unthankful and without natural affection, and we love
pleasure more than we love God. It all has a “form of godliness,” but it’s just
a show.
Losing Our True Religion
God says we deny His authority by our rebellious actions!
The Bible no longer bears any direct authority over people’s lives. The
miraculous events of Scripture are explained away as fable or old wives’ tales
(1Tim. 1:4, 4:7, 2Tim. 4:4, Titus 1:14 kjb). People may claim to be religious,
but they don’t really believe that God will intervene and change world events.
They deny that Christ will return and rule this Earth with a rod of iron, even
though dozens upon dozens of prophecies describe that soon-coming reality.
The world is filled with churches, which send hundreds of
“missionaries” into foreign lands, telling people about Christ. Yet His message,
the good news of the Kingdom of God, they deny. The true gospel they oppose.
This world has been deceived by a counterfeit gospel about Christ the person. His actual message
has long been forgotten.
“From such turn away,” Paul says. He describes this
generation as ever learning, but never
able to come to the knowledge of the truth (2Tim. 3:7kjb). In other words, Paul
is describing a generation where there has been an explosion of materialistic
knowledge. And yet, we are further from the
truth than ever before! Advances in science have not put an end to war
and suffering—instead, we have seen tragedies increase.
And yet, many people still deceive themselves into
thinking there is no special danger right now—that the world has always been
like this. Of course, this is true in part. From the very beginning, it
was man, under the influence of Satan, who introduced this world to
selfishness, destruction and death. But 2 Timothy 3 tells us that in the latter
days, world events will take a dramatic
turn for the worse.
This, coupled with the stark reality that never before
has human annihilation been possible as it is today, ought to wake us up!
The Sign of Christ’s Coming
In Matthew 24, the disciples came to Christ and asked Him
what would be the sign of His coming and of the end of the world. The
focus of Christ’s message was on today—the end of the world, or the end of
this age. Not only did Christ describe signs of the end of the world, He
gave signs of the end of the end time! He gave specific details to watch
for. Notice the first and most important warning Christ gave them: “And
Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many”
(verses 4-5). This religious deception is the first horseman of the apocalypse!
(Revelation 6). It is not just about deception from false, non-Christian
religions. People are going to be deceived about Christ and His
message—about what true Christianity really is.
Christ went on to say, “And ye shall hear of wars and
rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must
come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and
earthquakes, in divers places” (Matthew 24:6-7).
All this is only the beginning, He says in verse 8. These
end-time events, Jesus continued, are leading to a world war, the likes of which this Earth has never
seen (verse 21). Without God’s intervention, mankind would literally destroy
itself (verse 22).
“Many other scriptures show that conditions will become
more frightful than ever before or ever shall be again on Earth. “Such
conditions are rapidly escalating at this moment. Person is against person,
even within a large proportion of families. Group is against group. Nation is
against nation. Violence is escalating as never before in history. Terrorism is
throwing fear and worry into people all over the world.”
There is hope
But we can thank God that all these self-inflicted curses
will culminate in the prophesied return of Jesus Christ: “And then shall appear
the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the
earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven
with power and great glory” (verse 30).
Jesus Christ will set foot on this Earth for the second
time, arriving in the exact same manner He left the first time (Acts 1:11).
This time, however, He is not coming to sacrifice His life for the sins of a
rebellious mankind. This time, He is coming to forcibly put an end to human suffering and death, and to set
up the Kingdom of God—the royal Family of God that will administer God’s
righteous government over all the Earth!
Are you ready? (Revelation
20:10-15, 21:7-8, 2corin. 5:10). courtesy
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