Are we living in the 'End Times'
Personally I believe there is no question
we are. There are numerous biblical verses of God's word that show we are. Some of
them will be listed below. It is imperative that all of us realize this and come
to believing in the only 'One', the only 'Way' which we can be saved from eternal
condemnation, and that is Jesus Christ, our savior. I understand there are a lot
of opinions and conjecture as to what these scriptures mean, but a careful study
of God's word and the events of the world will show you that we truly are in the
End Times.
The disciples asked Jesus about this issue as to what the signs
will be. He answered them, and this is recorded in the book of Mathew chapter 24.
Below are some of the verses that discuss this issue;
Now as He sat on the Mount
of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these
things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many
will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will
hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things
must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes
in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. “Then they will deliver
you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s
sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one
another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness
will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall
be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a
witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Mat. 24:3-14
We have certainly
seen wars and rumors of wars. Pestilence, famines that are taking place in increasing
numbers. 'Mother nature' as many refer to has certainly changed dramatically and
is continuing to do so.
The above verses also say "And then shall many be
offended...." In today's society, how often can you speak about God or God's word
without supposedly 'offending' someone? This country was founded by Christians. People
that had God totally in their hearts. But today we worry about being 'politically
correct' etc. Also, the later part of the above verses talk about the Gospel being
preached in all the world. How many methods (like this web site) do you see coming
to fruition that is preaching to 'all the world'? The Internet surly can be one method
of fulfilling this prophecy.
Jesus also spoke about the "Abomination of Desolation'
( in Mathew Chapter 24, verse 15) that will occur in the temple. Now as this has
already occurred in biblical days, nearly all scholars agree this will again occur
by the Antichrist setting up some similar action in Israel at some point in the future.
Some believe it will include a seven year treaty with Israel and then as the scriptures
state, half way through the seven years (3 ½ years) the treaty will be broken. All
of this is referred to in the Book of Daniel.
There are many other scriptures
that speak about the sign of the end times. One in particular is so evident, that
I find it hard to believe that anyone can not 'catch on' to its meaning;
"This know
also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of
their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents,
unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent,
fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of
pleasures more than lovers of God;".
2 Tim. 3:1-4
When did we every see a time where people were 'lovers of their own
selves' more than today? How many commercials do you see on TV today promoting methods
of body building, dieting, and methods to get 'that perfect sexy body'? There has
never been more of a bombardment of brainwashing marketing to glorifying oneself.
More and more we see people turning and paying attention to their own pleasures rather
than becoming 'lovers of God'
The Bible says there will be a great 'falling
away' (see 2 Tim. 2:3). That is people will turn away from God and pay attention
to themselves and pleasures of this world. It's sad to see, but today there are more
people that do not believe in God. God is becoming more and more an ancient belief.
Lastly, Jesus gave the disciples an illustration of the sign to when
these things will occur in the 'parable of the fig tree'.
“Now learn this parable
from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves,
you know that summer is near. 33 So you also, when you see all these things, know
that it[d] is near—at the doors! Mat. 24:32-33
The scriptures listed above are but a few that speak about these things that will
'shortly come to pass'. Be that as it may, The Lords word is true. It's not too
late. Jesus tells us to repent. Believe in Him. Accept Him. As it says in John 3:16,
God gave His only begotten Son. To save us from Eternal death.
When exactly
will all of this take place?
“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the
angels of heaven, but My Father only. Mat. 24:36
For this reason, anyone who predicts the ‘end of the world’ is going to occur on a specific date or timeframe, as many religions have done in the past and predictions such as the Mayan calendar and the year 2012, you can be sure these are false teachings.
If you can't accept any of this, then know this: If we are truly the generation that
is experiencing these things, then;
"Verily I say unto you, This generation shall
not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but
my words shall not pass away". Mat. 24:34-35
