I have been sickened lately as I see what occurs in the world with murders, torture, and rape live streamed on Facebook, North Korea, Russia, and Iran threatening to start a nuclear war, rampant deviant sexual behavior, abortion, horrendous crime, hate, violence, and unbridled corruption.
I like many others have begun to speculate if we are approaching the End Times as predicted in the Bible. I was reading an article this morning about the Shroud of Turin, the burial cloth believed to be used to cover Jesus Christ after His crucifixion. Hitler, it seems, was fascinated by it and wanted to steal it in order to use it in black magic ceremonies. Of course, Hitler starved, tortured, and put to death some 6 million people. I have no doubt that he was possessed by Satan or one of his demons.
The Roman emperor Nero was another. He seduced married women and young boys, and he had a male slave castrated and “married” him. He also liked to wander the streets, murdering innocent people at random. He had his own mother murdered. To cover up being accused of setting fire to Rome, he blamed Christians. He contrived punishments for the Christians that only the most infernal imagination could design. In particular, he had some sewed up in skins of wild beasts, and then allowed dogs to attack them until they were torn to pieces. Others he dressed in shirts made stiff with wax, he affixed them to axletrees, and set them on fire in his gardens, in order to illuminate them. It was during this time that the Apostles Paul and Peter were martyred.
Stalin, Mao, Lenin, Genghis Khan, Ivan IV, Attila the Hun, Pol Pot, Idi Amin are just a few of the wicked leaders who murdered millions, oversaw torture, rape, sexual perversion – Why?
There is no good answer aside from they were under the influence of Satan. As I look back at history I would guess that there have probably been more evil rulers in history than there have been truly good and noble ones.
So, the way I see it nothing has changed much since Cain and Able. There will always be ruthless, sexually deviant, power and blood-hungry people living among us. Satan’s wicked – wicked ways remain the same. The Bible declares that Satan was a liar and murderer since the beginning and he will never change. It also tells us not to worry about the End Times. No one knows when the Lord will put an end to the madness, but it does tell us to: “Be ready”, because at a time of His choosing the Lord will return.
Why doesn’t He return now? We haven’t been told that piece of information. We have been given a hint in the parable that Jesus told about the wheat and the tares. The wheat represents the followers of Christ and the tares, (weeds), represent those opposed to Christ. In the agricultural society of Christ’s time, many farmers depended on the quality of their crops. An enemy sowing weeds would have sabotaged a business. Without modern weed killers, what would a wise farmer do in such a dilemma? Instead of tearing out the wheat with the tares, the landowner in this parable wisely waited until the harvest. After harvesting the whole field, the tares could be separated and burned. The wheat would be saved in the barn.
The enemy in this parable is Satan and the landowner of course is Jesus Christ, we, the followers of Christ are the wheat and those who oppose Him are the tares. There will be a day of reckoning and the result will be followers of Jesus will enter heaven and those opposed to Him will be gathered and burned in hell. Until then we are to work hard towards building the Kingdom of God “on earth as it is in heaven.”
Don’t be discouraged by the evil you see around you. Though it may seem that Satan has the upper hand at times, keep in mind that the Hitler’s of the world will be judged and punished by a fearsome Holy God. They will suffer forever, but we will live peacefully in paradise. Jesus is the reason for hope in this wicked – wicked world. Think about what you can do today to make this world a better place and by all means witness to someone today who needs the peace of God.
Rev. 22:1
Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street on either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him
April 18 2017 – Click here to listen