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Are We Nearing the End Times?
Did you know all the signs Jesus said would signify His second
coming are occurring in our time?
The Rev. Billy Graham, Pope John Paul II and
numerous Orthodox Jewish rabbis have all said they believe that the
coming of the Messiah is very near. Why? Because so many Bible prophecies are being fulfilled.
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 seven-year 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 or the Jewish Messiah, including
the Moonies' Rev. Sun Moon, the Buddhist Dalai Lama, the Hindu
Krishnamurti, and the Bahais'
Baha Ullah, to name a few. Collectively, their followers number
in the u 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.
- Great Signs in the Heavens The 1994 comet Shoemaker-Levy
9, a string of 21 space rocks that slammed into Jupiter with the
power of thousands of nuclear explosions, could be a heavenly
sign. Jupiter is the mythological king of the planets and in
Christian symbolism it is a representation of Christ. The 21
explosions are reminiscent of the 21 judgments that will befall
Earth during the seven-year period that ushers in the coming of
the Messiah, according to the Book of Revelation. The comet Hyakutake
has recently lit up the night sky, and what promises to be the
spectacular comet Hale-Bopp, first sighted in 1995, is scheduled
to come nearest to our sun in the spring of 1997. "Great
signs shall there be from heaven." Luke 21:11.
- 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 Pope John Paul
II has traveled to 70-plus nations during his pontificate, preaching
the gospel to millions. The Rev. Billy Graham recently conducted
a week-long crusade from Costa Rica translated into every language
on the planet and broadcast via satellite around the globe. With
Communism's collapse, 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)
- Satanic and cultic activity arises (I Tim. 4:1)
- Sub-dermal microchips for identification purposes proposed
by the U.S. military (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,
for He promised His followers that "God has not destined
us for wrath but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ"
(1 Thess. 5:9).
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 the seven years of God's wrath? And
the rest of 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 "escape hatch" for us by offering
His only Son to die 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."
What Next?
If you prayed this and meant it, you need to start talking to
God through prayer, reading the Scriptures daily to get to know
God better, and find a church where Christians like you worship
Christ and where the good news of the Bible is being preached.
Remember, you are now Christ's representative to a needy world
that appears to be embarking upon the period of unimaginable suffering
that precedes Christ's second coming. You can help lead others
to the Truth you've discovered and enable them to avoid the agony
to come. Don't put this off. Today is the day of salvation. Tomorrow
may be too late. God bless you on your journey.
If you would like to pursue a more in-depth study of Bible prophecy,
books by
Hal Lindsey,
Grant Jeffrey, Jack Van Impe, Peter LaLonde,
and John Walvoord among others are available at most Christian
bookstores.
Other Christian Information Sites on the WWW:
ICL Net: Christian Literature on the Net
Bible Gateway
Christian Coalition Home Page
Jewish and Christian Links
Lions Den
Jack Van Impe Home Page
Zola Levitt Presents
See other of Duncan's Articles at DuncanLong.com
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