The crumbling of the Eastern Bloc of Europe
and the Communist Empire.
The opening of the Berlin Wall and the
reunification of a divided Germany.
Events transpiring in the Middle East.
Growing Islamic - Zionist jihad
The failing ecosystem of Planet Earth.
Changing weather patterns worldwide.
The breathtaking pace of technological
advancements.
The collapse of ethical and moral values.
The weakening influence of our churches
and their leaders.
The world has entered a time of dramatic
and ominous change. At the present moment
of history, the planet Earth is in grave
crises. This celestial ball is on a collision
course with its Creator. We have reached
the day which the prophet had in mind when
he wrote,
"Woe unto
them who call evil, good, and good, evil" [Isaiah
5:20]
Man has pushed the self-destruct button. Foundations of godliness have crumbled;
things sacred have come unzipped. We are trying to build a peaceful world,
but there is no peace within people's hearts.
We must have an outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Somehow God must reveal himself to this lost
generation. Everything else has failed. Education
has failed our youth. For the most part,
parents have failed them. Government has
failed to reach them. Dead religion has turned
them off.
Billy Graham quoted John Walvoord in his
book, "Storm Warning":
"The present world crisis is not
a result of any one factor, but a concurrence
of causes and effects which combine to
set the world stage for a conflict which
may quickly bring an end to hundreds of
years of progress in western civilization
and establish new centers of international
power. Whatever the future holds, it is
going to be dramatically different than
the past. In this dark picture only the
Scriptures chart a sure course and give
us an intelligent explanation of worldwide
confusion as it exists today."
Where does it all lead?
Even though we see it all so clearly, it's
still difficult to comprehend. What does
it all mean? Where is it all leading? Why
is there so little peace in the world when
we have such unprecedented knowledge and
unlimited potential?
The book of Revelation describes the end times.
It speaks of a one-world government, a godless
dictator, total regulation of all business,
plagues, crime and rebellion, and devastating
disasters. To many, it seems like a far-off
time. But there are "signs of the times" in
today's headlines - signs Jesus said would
herald His return.
Some people argue that the characteristic of
'end time' people have been our character throughout
the ages and that people haven't really changed.
In its simplest form, that is true. It's not
that we don't do the same things, what's relevant
is that we do it with increasing intensity and
we are teaching new ways of doing it. Certainly,
these things have been happening since the beginning
of time. However, the intensity of these things
today is such that we dare not blind our eyes
to their meaning.
The
Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested
him by asking him to show them a sign
from heaven. He replied, "When evening comes,
you say, `It will be fair weather, for the sky
is red,' and in the morning, `Today it will be
stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You
know how to interpret the appearance of the sky,
but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.
A wicked and adulterous generation looks for
a miraculous sign, but none will be given it
except the sign of Jonah." Jesus then
left them and went away. [Matthew 16:1-4]
Jesus said, "You can read the signs of
the weather in the sky, but because of spiritual
blindness you cannot read the signs of the times." Our
Lord was saying the Jews of that day were blind
to the signs of their time. He indicated that
only those who have spiritual illumination and
discernment from the Holy Spirit can hope to
understand the trends and meanings of history.
This explains why so many people haven't got
a clue about what's going on and why most of
our political leaders are taking us down the
path to destruction.
"The Spirit clearly says that in later
times some will abandon the faith and follow
deceiving spirits and things taught by demons." [1Tim.
4:1]
We are now living in the "last
days!"
The only way to understand the big picture
is to look at the Bible and the various categories
of signs that the Bible predicted would come
together just before the return of Christ.
The key to understanding current events is
in some familiar old scriptural passages. Jesus
Himself gave us the best insight shortly before
his execution on the cross.
"Watch out
that no one deceives you. For 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.
"Then
you will be handed over to be persecuted
and put to
death, and you will be hated by all
nations because of me. At that time many
will
turn away from the faith and will betray
and hate
each other, and many false prophets
will appear and deceive many people. Because
of the increase of wickedness, the love
of
most
will grow cold, but he who stands firm
to the end will be saved. And this gospel
of
the kingdom will be preached in the
whole world as a testimony to all nations,
and then the end will come. [Matthew 24:4-14]
General 'signs' Jesus said would be visible
prior to His return.
Deliberate deception by men of God's Word
Rise of false Christs
Increase in wars and rumors of wars
Famines, Pestilence & Earthquakes
Discrimination and hatred against Christians
Backsliding, turning from the faith, betrayal
Hatred of Christian against Christian
False Prophets and "New Age" leaders
Lawlessness abounding
Love and concern for others grows cold
Gospel preached worldwide
