The End Times

“The last days.” Those words sound pretty ominous. But with everything happening in our world today, one has to wonder: are we living in the end times? Jesus said that no one knows the hour or time of His return, but He did give us certain signs to look for that would indicate His soon return. Let’s take a look at a few of these signs.Matthew 24:4-14 says: 4 Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 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. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 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. Again, we do not know the exact time Christ will return, but when we look at our world today we see many of these things Jesus described. Here are just a few.Vs. 5—False Christs: There are many people alive today who have claimed to be Jesus. One example is a man in Russia who has his own town of followers and has written his own new testament. Vs. 6—Wars and rumors of wars: Right now, many nations are on the brink of war. Countries surrounding Israel are threatening to attack it, North Korea is conducting regular military air drills, and Iran is working diligently to expand their nuclear weapons. Vs. 7—There will be famines: In Africa and other areas, there are plagues of locusts devouring acres of crops which will cause mass starvation. Starvation is now more widespread than ever before. An estimated 690 million people go to bed on an empty stomach each night. Vs. 7 continued—Pestilences and earthquakes: A pestilence is a widespread disease which can be fatal. COVID-19 has affected the entire world, taking many lives in the process. Over the last couple of years, we have also seen a rise in adverse weather conditions and calamities such as the unprecedented level of floods, hurricanes, forest fires, and earthquakes, to name only a few. Vs. 9—Christians persecuted: Christians are being killed and even beheaded in countries such as China and Egypt. In 2020 there were over 260 million Christians living in areas where they experience high levels of persecution.  Vs. 12—Lawlessness: Along with general lawlessness around the world, there has been a rise in destructive and violent riots over the last year. In addition, our country has more robberies, rapes, and murder than ever before. Vs. 14—The gospel preached everywhere: Because of modern technology and mass media, the message of Jesus Christ is being proclaimed throughout the world. While many similar events have occurred throughout history, these issues in our world today show us that Jesus Christ could return at any moment.  Although this all sounds frightening, we want to encourage you: There is hope; His name is Jesus.If you have never called on Him or are backslidden, now is the time. Ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior. Ask Him to forgive your sins and through the power of His Spirit He will help you to turn from them. Get a Bible and read a little bit every day—the New Testament’s book of John is a great place to start. Pray every day—it’s ok to ask God for help and the things you need. Remember to also thank Him for what you have. Talk to Him like you would a close friend, because that’s what He wants, a relationship. My friend, I understand if you still have doubts. It’s natural to question things. But we all have to make a choice of where we will place our trust and our faith. Eternity is forever. Heaven and Hell are very real places. If you’re not convinced about Jesus, I encourage you to do your own research. More importantly read the Bible and pray about it. This is the most important decision you will ever make. God bless you friend, thank you for taking time to read this.