December 8, 2021 – Click here to listen
I glanced at the headlines of several news sites this morning and I was thinking about what the biggest threat to our little planet might be. With the Trump presidency out there is lots of saber-rattling going on with both Communist China and Communist Russia seemingly intent upon invading and taking control of Taiwan and Ukraine by force. A nuclear confrontation of planet ending proportion would be likely if either or both occur. We are also faced with a host of other factors that are busily destroying lives such as the drug epidemic, sex trafficking, abortion, biological warfare and pandemics, human trafficking, polarization of the world to name a few.
It seems Satan is busier than ever trying to devise ways to destroy humanity; however, after due consideration, I have come to the conclusion that it isn’t him, rather the biggest threat to our world is God’s judgment of unrepented sin. It will end with a culmination of events called “the day of the Lord,” the time when God will directly intervene in human history for the purpose of judgment. At that time, all that God has created, “the heavens and the earth”, He will destroy.
One thing the Bible is not silent on is the “End Times” – (“The Day of the Lord”). By reading the Bible we can know how it will be destroyed and why, (God’s judgment of unrepented sin). Jesus prophesied about it as did the prophets Daniel, Isaiah, John, and several others throughout the Bible. Instead of a flood as in Noah’s day, this time it will be destroyed with fire and fervent heat which sounds eerily like a nuclear holocaust. 2 Peter 3:10: “The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.” Prior to the end, God will levy judgments on the nations and great tribulation will occur as it did with the Egyptians.
The one thing that we don’t know exactly is when it will occur. Jesus said we will know by the signs of the times. Matthew 24:5 – 8 gives us some important clues for discerning the approach of the end times: “Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.” An increase in false messiahs, an increase in warfare, and increases in famines, plagues, and natural disasters — these are signs of the end times. In this passage, though, we are given a warning: we are not to be deceived, because these events are only the beginning of birth pains; the end is still to come.
Are we living in the End Times? The Bible prophesies of many events that will occur in the end times. These events can be categorized as natural signs, spiritual signs, sociological signs, technological signs, and political signs. We can look to what the Bible says about these things, and, if the signs are present in abundance, we can be certain that we are, in fact, living in the end times. There is no doubt in my mind that we are living in the last days now. But it may or may not be a while before the “End” arrives. Remember the Lord is patient and merciful and does not wish for a single one of us to perish, but as demonstrated throughout the annuls of biblical and secular history, He is a righteous judge and He is going to make things right at a time of His choosing.
Some interpreters point to every earthquake, every political upheaval, and every attack on Israel as a sure sign that the end times are rapidly approaching. While the events may signal the approach of the last days, they are not necessarily indicators that the end times have arrived. The apostle Paul warned that the last days would bring a marked increase in false teaching. “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons”. The last days are described as “perilous times” because of the increasingly evil character of man and people who actively “oppose the truth”.
Other possible signs would include a rebuilding of a Jewish temple in Jerusalem, increased hostility toward Israel, and advances toward a one-world government. The most prominent sign of the end times, however, is the Jewish people re-establishing the nation of Israel. In 1948, Israel was recognized as a sovereign state, essentially for the first time since AD 70 when the Romans conquered them and scattered them all over the world. But God promised Abraham that his posterity would have Canaan as “an everlasting possession”, and Ezekiel prophesied a physical and spiritual resuscitation of Israel. Having Israel as a nation in its own land is very important in light of end-times prophecy because of Israel’s prophetic prominence in the return of Jesus. We are living in this time NOW.
The best advice anyone could give any of us is just like the Boy Scout motto “be prepared”. Confess and repent for the sins in your life and turn away from them and follow Christ. Read the news today and see if you don’t agree that much of what I discussed this morning is already happening. Birth pains?
You think?
2 Peter 3:13
But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.