FOREBODING SIGNS OF THE END
How many times have
you heard someone say that we are
living in Earth’s final days?
How many times during the past 2,000
years have Christians cried,
“Wolf-wolf?” How many
times has it been said, “The end
of the world is just around the
corner?” I have tried to deflect
people’s skepticism by saying
there are two kinds of evidence that
prove we are living at the end of the
world. The first evidence is
“general,” the second is
“apocalyptic.” General
evidence is all around us and can be
easily observed. Apocalyptic evidence
is even more affirming, but
apocalyptic prophecy requires study
and understanding.
General Evidence
General evidence can
be difficult to discuss as a sign of
the end of the world because human
conduct is one of the signs of the
end. The behavior of mankind has
become grossly degenerate, but to the
carnal heart, it does not appear to
be “all that bad.” In other
words, the stench of sin goes
unnoticed in today’s society! It
is like the old saying, “Pig
farmers can’t smell their
pigs.” Still, a measurable
change in degenerate behavior has
occurred during the past 20 years and
16 million deaths confirm how
sexually immoral the world has
become! AIDS is not like the Bubonic
Plague, typhoid fever or
tuberculosis. AIDS is a fatal disease
that is uniquely conveyed (in all but
a few cases) through sexual contact.
On Saturday, April 29,
2000, more than 3,000 homosexuals
couples gathered at the Lincoln
Memorial in Washington D.C. for a
“marriage ceremony”
conducted by Rev. Troy Perry, founder
of the Universal Fellowship of
Metropolitan Community Churches. On
the following day, thousands gathered
in the nation’s capital at the
National Mall, demonstrating for gay,
lesbian, bisexual and transgender
rights. The march and the
“marriage” of 3,000 couples
was carefully planned to emphasize
the need for “human rights”
for homosexuals and to remind
politicians that homosexuals are a
significant voting block.
“It’s a human rights issue,
it’s just about people being
treated fairly in terms of
legislative issues. I just think that
there is too much hatred and we have
to stand up against that,” said
Mark Halacy from New York. “All
we want is the freedom to love, the
freedom to love whomever we choose
without fear, without bigotry,
without discrimination, said Lori
Jean, former Executive Director of
the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian
Center.
From my point of view,
AIDS is a verifiable sign of the end.
It is an unmistakable sign that human
sexual behavior has ignored the
bounds of conduct set forth by
man’s Creator. God said,
“Do not lie with a man as one
lies with a woman; that is
detestable. Do not have sexual
relations with an animal and defile
yourself with it. A woman must not
present herself to an animal to have
sexual relations with it; that is a
perversion. Do not defile
yourselves in any of these ways,
because this is how the nations that
I am going to drive out before you
became defiled. Even the land was
defiled; so I punished it for its
sin, and the land vomited out its
inhabitants.” (Leviticus 18:
22-25) These verses indicate why God
drove the heathen nations from the
land that He had given Israel.
Similarly, the rising tide of
homosexual behavior in the U.S.
indicates that our land has been
defiled (or will soon be), and our
nation (and all the other nations
suffering from this defilement) will
be punished for this sin.
I know my remarks will
be considered offensive to
homosexuals. I do not wish to offend
one person. Yet, the Bible is clear
and on this topic, God leaves no
middle ground. The practice of
homosexuality puts an impasse between
people. On the one hand, homosexuals
want acceptance and
“freedom” to fulfill any
sexual desire, but many heterosexuals
want freedom from their immoral
influence of homosexuality for
themselves and their children. How
can the needs of both be met while
sharing the same land? Homosexuality
is a deviation caused by the curse of
sin. It is real, not imaginary. It is
incredibly powerful. I have no doubts
that for some, homosexual tendencies
began early in life. Homosexuality
affects people of every nation, race
and religion and this sexual
deviation is a behavioral sign of the
end. Just as Sodom and Gomorrah were
destroyed for defiant sexual
immorality, the entire world will
suffer the same fate.
Let me make this point
clear. A person who is a homosexual
is not unlike any other sinner.
He/she has a soul to be saved and is
due Christian kindness and charity.
The need of a Savior is no less for
the homosexual than any other sinner.
However, salvation belongs to those
who overcome sin through faith in
Christ. The power unto salvation
includes power over sin! (Romans
6:9-18, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11) The
only cure for homosexuality is the
same cure for every sinner – a
miracle, the miracle of rebirth! Pray
for those individuals who have
adopted the homosexual lifestyle.
Instead of judging the individual,
pray for victory over a besetting
sin. May the Holy Spirit speak to
their hearts and help them grasp the
divine condemnation that rests upon
the sinful course of action!
Another Sign of the
End
Another impressive
sign of the end is population growth.
Even the carnal eye can grasp how the
world’s population is like a
runaway train. Researchers warn that
the population of Earth will have
four billion more mouths to feed
within 35-40 years. Even now, more
than three billion people suffer from
hunger and the number of malnourished
people increases each day. Social
scientists speculate that something
must destroy more than two billion people
within the next twenty years or
devastating wars over food and water
will be inevitable. The Earth can no
longer provide food and water to
sustain its population growth –
another telling sign of the end.
Violent weather and
other natural disasters this past
century have caused famine, economic
havoc and death. The table below
shows just a few of these disasters
during the past century. Just in the
month of January 1999, more than 200
tornadoes were observed in the U.S.
– 14 times the average number!
At this moment, 50 million people are
currently facing famine as a result
of a severe three-year drought in two
of India’s western states.
Likewise, the Middle East is
currently experiencing its worst
drought in more than 80 years.
| Location |
Event |
Date |
Results |
| China |
Drought |
1907 |
24 Million
Dead |
| Ukraine |
Drought |
1921-22 |
5 Million Dead |
| Ohio
Valley |
Tornadoes |
1925 |
695 Dead |
| China
Yangzte River |
Flood |
1931 |
3.7 Million
Dead |
| India |
Drought |
1965-67 |
1.5 Million
Dead |
| Bangladesh |
Cyclone |
1970 |
.5 Million
Dead (2 Million Homeless) |
| South
Florida |
Hurricane
Andrew |
1992 |
$25 Billion in
Damage |
| Central
America |
Hurricane
Mitch |
1998 |
11,000 Dead |
| Sothern
California |
Earthquake
6.5 Richter |
2003 |
Dead? |
Should we accept violent weather as a
natural phenomenon or should we
consider these disasters as signs
– manifestations of God’s
displeasure? The Bible indicates how
God uses these “natural
phenomena.” Notice these verses:
“If you follow my decrees and
are careful to obey my commandments,
I will send you rain in its season,
and the ground will yield its crops
and the trees of the field their
fruit. Your threshing will continue
until grape harvest and the grape
harvest will continue until planting,
and you will eat all the food you
want and live in safety in your land.
‘I will grant peace in the land,
and you will lie down and no one will
make you afraid. I will remove savage
beasts from the land, and the sword
will not pass through your
country.” (Leviticus 26:3-6)
God Deals with Mankind
Some people attempt to
limit God’s words in the Old
Testament (OT) by saying they were
directed at Israel and not toward
mankind in general. I disagree.
God’s dealings with Israel were
based on the same principles of
righteousness and He now uses for all
nations. God is no respecter of
people. (Acts 10:34) He made all of
us and He loves each of us. (Acts
17:26) The OT confirms how God dealt
with other nations, using the same
standard of fairness He used with
Israel. Even more, if God destroyed a
nation that He set apart as His
ambassadors of grace (Israel), surely
He will do no less to other nations
who violate His laws. God deals with
all the people of Earth in a
consistent manner. By studying His
actions and warnings in the OT, we
can understand His forthcoming
actions against the whole world.
Earth is Defiled by
its People
Notice these words
from Isaiah 24:1-6 “See, the
Lord is going to lay waste the earth
and devastate it; he will ruin its
face and scatter its inhabitants
– it will be the same for
priests as for people, for master as
for servant, for mistress as for
maid, for seller as for buyer, for
borrower as for lender, for debtor as
for creditor. The earth will be
completely laid waste and totally
plundered. The Lord has spoken this
word. The earth dries up and withers,
the world languishes and withers, the
exalted of the earth languish. The
earth id defiled by its people; they
have disobeyed the laws, violated the
statutes and broken the everlasting
covenant. Therefore a curse consumes
the earth; its people must bear their
guilt. Therefore Earth’s
inhabitants are burned up, and very
few are left.” (Read Deuteronomy
11; Jeremiah 14 and Hosea 4.)
Is Degeneracy a Valid
Sign
Sin and its resulting
degeneracy have been around since the
beginning of time on Earth. Humankind
became so corrupt by Noah’s day
that God was left with no alternative
against sin’s malignant growth
but to send a worldwide flood.
Therefore, how can degeneracy be a
current sign of the end? The answer
lies not only in the depth of
degeneracy, but also in the breadth
of evil. Paul wrote, “But mark
this: there will be terrible times in
the last days. People will be lovers
of themselves, lovers of money,
boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient
to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
without love, unforgiving,
slanderous, without self-control,
brutal, not lovers of the good,
treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers
of pleasure rather than lovers of god
– having a form of godliness but
denying its power.” (2 Timothy
3:1-5)
Jesus predicted in
Matthew 24:12, “Because of the
increase of wickedness, the love of
most will grow cold.” Paul wrote
in Galatians 5: 19-21, “the acts
of the sinful nature are obvious:
sexual immorality, impurity and
debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft;
hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of
rage, selfish ambition, dissensions,
factions and envy; drunkenness,
orgies, and the like. I warn you, as
I did before, that those who live
like this will not inherit the
kingdom of God."
Full cup Principle
There is a consistent
concept throughout the Bible that I
call the “Full Cup
Principle,” which applies to
every nation and city in the whole
world. The principle is defined:
“When human conduct degenerates
beyond the point of redemption and
restoration, and subsequent
generations are unable to rise above
their forefather’s level of
corruption and cannot meet God’s
minimum standards for
civility, God steps in to the affairs
of man and terminates that body of
people.” The Full Cup Principle
explains the destruction by the flood
in Noah’s day, the destruction
of Sodom and Gomorrah, Israel, Judah,
Babylon, the Medes and the Persians.
It also explains the coming
destruction of the world.
Rising Contempt for
the Return of Jesus
The passage of time
suggests the continuation of time.
Unfortunately, some Christians claim
to be eager for the Lord’s
return, but their eagerness is not
based on a realistic understanding of
His coming kingdom. In fact, many
Christians believe they are worthy
enough to escape the Great
Tribulation via a rapture. On the
other hand, other Christians say,
“I am not concerned about the
Second Coming. It will happen
whenever it happens. All that
matters today is that I am right with
the Lord.” Superficially, these
statements sound reasonable, even
defensible, but there is an
underlying contempt for the
prophecies of Daniel and Revelation
hidden in these words. These
prophecies reveal what god plans to
do and where we are in His divine
plan. As Christians, we should be
carefully examining the prophecies so
our faith and spiritual preparation
will be adequate for the final exam
that lies ahead. There have been
scoffers for thousands of years, but
it is the breadth and depth of
skepticism among Christians that
convinces me we are near the end.
Peter said, “First of all, you
must understand that in the last days
scoffers will come, scoffing and
following their own evil desires.
They will say, “Where is this
‘coming’ he promised? Ever
since our fathers died, everything
goes on as it has since the beginning
of creation.” But they
deliberately forgot that long ago by
God’s word the heavens existed
and the earth was formed out of water
and by water. By these waters
also the world of that time were
deluged and destroyed. By the same
word the present heavens and earth
are reserved for fire, being kept for
the day of judgment and destruction
of ungodly men. But do not forget
this one thing, dear friends: With
the Lord a day is like a thousand
years, and a thousand years like a
day. The Lord is not slow in keeping
his promise, as some understand
slowness. He is patient with you, not
wanting anyone to perish, but
everyone to come to repentance.”
(2 Peter 3: 3-9)
The Gulf Widens
Another sign of the
end is how man has become preoccupied
with hoarding wealth. A great gulf is
widening between the poor and rich of
the world as the rich use their power
to acquire and hoard even more
wealth. Statistics reveal that during
the past decade, the world’s
economy has more than doubled. The
rich receive 75% of that growth, the
middle classes received 20% and the
poor received 5%. The poor are
growing poorer and more desperate.
Feelings of hatred, animosity,
despair and hopelessness are growing
in every quadrant of the world. The
misery index is climbing. Listen to
James, “Now listen, you rich
people, weep and wail because of the
misery that is coming upon you. Your
wealth has rotted, and moths have
eaten your clothes. Your gold and
silver are corroded. Their corrosion
will testify against you and eat your
flesh like fire. You have hoarded
wealth in the last days. Look! The
wages you failed to pay the workman
who mowed your fields are crying out
against you. The cries of the
harvesters have reached the ears of
the Lord Almighty. You have lived on
earth in luxury and self-indulgence.
You have fattened yourselves in the
day of slaughter. You have condemned
and murdered innocent men, who were
not opposing you. Be patient, then,
brothers, until the Lord’s
coming. See how the farmer waits for
the land to yield its valuable crop
and how patient he is for the autumn
and spring rains. You, too, be
patient and stand firm, because the
Lord’s coming is near.”
(James 5:1-8)
Summary
This short
presentation has described a few of
the general signs indicating to me
that we are at the end of the age.
Earth is overcrowded and unable to
feed or quench the thirst of an
accelerating population. The
corporate behavior of mankind is
dismal. In less than 20 years,
sixteen million have died of AIDS in
less than 20 years, and some
estimates indicate that 30 million
more will die within the next ten
years! An unnatural weather
phenomenon plagues our Earth. 80% of
the world’s wealth rests in the
hands of 6% of the population. The
poor have no hope for the future
– only slavery and death.
Christians have very little interest
in the prophecies, nor is their any
credible evidence to convince them
that Jesus IS coming soon.
When God’s
judgments (the first four trumpets)
fall on Earth, religious and
political leaders will initiate a
powerful backlash wanton behavior,
including homosexual relationships.
Many “sin-less laws” will
be legislated overnight to stem
degenerate behavior. Unfortunately,
Christians who resist Babylon and its
manmade laws will appear to side with
those having the deviant behavior.
How ironic! Now is the time to study
more than ever before and learn these
prophecies of Daniel and Revelation.
Believe me, through eternity you will
be glad you did!
