What's Next?
Are We Nearing the End Times?
Did you know all the signs Christ said would signify His
second coming are occurring in our time?
When Jesus' disciples asked what would signal His return,
He gave them several signs to watch for. He also taught that the
time immediately before His coming would be known as the "beginning
of sorrows" (Matt. 24:8), which
in English means the "onset of labor pains."
Jesus was saying the signs of His coming would start out
as mild pangs spaced widely apart like human labor and then gradually
become closer together and more intense, like the birth process,
until this final seven-year (Daniel's 70th week) period of suffering and judgment would culminate
in the coming of the Messiah.
The Signs
Consider the signs that Jesus said would be the prelude
to His return and notice how they've begun to occur in our time:
False Christs: The past few decades have
witnessed a huge upsurge in charismatic leaders claiming to be Christ,
including the Moonies' Rev. Sun Moon, the Buddhist Dalai Lama, the
Hindu Krishnamurti, the Jewish rabbi Menachem Schneerson, and the
Bahais' Baha Ullah, to name a few. Collectively, their followers
number in the millions. . Jesus replied to them, "See that none misleads you; for many will come
in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many." Matt.
24:4,5
War: War in the original Greek of Matthew
24 is ethnos, meaning ethnic or racial war. A recent editorial in
Time magazine reported there are presently 67 wars being fought around
the planet and most of them are ethnic wars, including the recent
slaughter in Rwanda and Bosnia. According to the National Defense
Council Foundation, conflicts around the globe have doubled
since 1989. "... you shall hear of wars and
rumors of wars..." Matt. 24:6,7
Famine: The LA Times reported recently
that more than one billion people suffer from serious malnutrition,
exacerbated in the past months by worldwide drought. More than 35
million people living mostly in the southern states of Africa suffer
from acute hunger and are threatened with imminent death. "There will be famines..." Matt. 24:7.
Pestilence: The rate of infectious diseases
has increased 58% since 1980, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control. Diseases once considered conquered are now reappearing,
sometimes in drug-resistant forms. AIDS has become a worldwide scourge,
and viral diseases such as Ebola pose an international threat
because of transcontinental flight. "There
will be pestilences." Matt. 24:7.
Earthquakes: The number of
dangerous earthquakes measuring 6.0 or greater on the Richter scale
has been steadily increasing since the 1950s when there were nine.
In the 1960s, there were 13. In the 1970s, 51. In the 1980s, 86.
In the 1990s more than100 such serious earthquakes have already been
recorded, according to the LA Herald Examiner. "There will be...earthquakes in various places."
Matt. 24:7.
The Seas and Waves Roaring: The Associated
Press reports that the most recently completed Atlantic hurricane
season produced 11 hurricanes, 8 tropical storms, and $7.7 billion
in damage. Serious flooding has also occurred recently in the U.S.,
Russia, Japan, Mexico, China, Europe, Korea, and the United
Kingdom, according to Barron's. "There will
be bewilderment at the roaring of the sea and waves." Luke 21:25.
Violence: Since 1960 violent crime has
increased in the U.S. by 560%, according to FBI statistics, and the
number of reported cases of child abuse in the U.S. has risen from
670,000 in 1976 to nearly 3 million in the 1990s. Other nations are
experiencing similar dramatic increases in violent crime,
reports the San Francisco Chronicle. "...as the days
of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Mt.
24:37. ("And God said unto Noah, '...the earth is filled with violence...'"
Gen. 6:13.)
Gospel Preached to the Whole World: Christian radio and TV are now
reaching into almost every nook and cranny of planet Earth. "...and this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached
to the whole world and then the end shall come." Mt. 24:14.
All of the signs that Jesus said would precede His return
seem to be occurring in our time.
Other Prophecies Fulfilled
- Other prophecies relating to this seven-year
period of judgment, coming from many parts of the Bible,
have also begun to be fulfilled:
- Israel reborn as a nation in 1948 (Ezek.
4:3-6, Lev. 26:18)
- Israel surrounded by hostile Arab countries ( Psalm 83:4-8)
- Jerusalem inhabited by the Jews (Luke
21:24)
- Israel negotiates a peace treaty with her enemies (Daniel 9:27)
- Doomsday weapons threaten earth (Joel
2:3)
- Ecological devastation occurs (Rev.
11:18)
- The Roman Empire revives as the European Union (Daniel 2:40-44)
- Heresies become widespread (II
Thess. 2:3)
- Russia rises as a military power (Ezek.
38:1-12)
- A hole in the ozone layer develops
(Rev. 16:8.9)
- TV communications are global (Revelation
11:9,10)
- Cultic activity arises (I
Tim. 4:1)
- Sub-dermal microchips for identification purposes
(Rev. 13:16,17)
- Massive increases in wealth occur (Jas.
5:3)
- GATT and World Trade Organization become possible
forerunners of a world government (Rev. 13:7)
- Asia possesses resources for a 200-million-man
army (Rev. 9:14-16)
- The Euphrates River can be dried up (Rev. 16:12-v 14) and a military
highway linking Asia to the Middle East is being completed (Rev. 9:14)
- Knowledge vastly increases
(Dan. 12:4)
- Russian and Ethiopian Jews return to Israel (Jer. 23:7,8; Zeph. 3:10)
- The Hebrew language is recovered (Zeph.
3:9)
- Jerusalem is rebuilt in nine specific directions (Jer. 31:38-40)
- Levites and priests train for Temple service (Ezek. 43:14,15)
- Israel's rainfall increases dramatically (Joel 2:23) and the country becomes
fertile and blossoms (Isa. 27:6)
- Men become more selfish, arrogant, abusive,
ungrateful, fierce and treacherous (II Tim. 3:2,3)
Where We Fit In
Referring to these signs, Jesus said, "When these things
begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads, for your
redemption draws near." (Luke 21:24-28).
If we are approaching that seven-year period that precedes
the second coming of Christ - and all the signs indicate we are -
the Bible tells us those years of judgment upon the earth will be
accompanied by untold human suffering.
But believers in Christ who have sincerely placed their
trust in Him can be certain of the redemption to which Jesus referred. .
So where does that leave you? Are you one of God's children
who's been called to believe in His Son but has rejected each invitation?
Where are you going to spend
eternity?
Jesus told us that "God so loved the world that He gave
His only Son, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish,
but have everlasting life" (John. 3:16). But
He went on to say that "...he who does not believe is already
condemned because he has not believed in the name of the only
Son of God" (John. 3:18).
Is it too late for you to find salvation?
Not yet. God designed an offering,
His only Son died a miserable death on a cross so that our sins
could be blotted out in our Creator's sight and we could be reconciled
to Him.
All we have to do is accept His Son as the perfect sacrifice
for our sins. By doing this our loving Father promised that, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor heart imagined
the wonderful things God has prepared for those who love Him" (1
Cor. 2:9).
Would you like to receive those "wonderful things" in the
everlasting life Christ promised His followers? Do you want to know
how to accept God's Son? It's simple. All you have to do is sincerely
pray this prayer: "Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner and need Your
forgiveness. I believe that you died for my sins and I want to turn
away from my wrongdoing. Right now I'm inviting you to come
into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You, making
You my Lord and Savior. Amen."
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