Introduction: Recent articles or cover stories from Tabloids?
On Paul Harvey’s noonday broadcast on Thursday of this week He said, “that (1/3) one third, of the nations of the world today are at war. Many of them with themselves.”
Some prophecy scholars believe that Jesus’ prophecy concerning Nation rising up against nation and Kingdom against Kingdom was fulfilled in 1914 with the beginning of World War I. In that war, which has been called the Great War, and the War to end all wars, 13 million men lost their lives.
I. In the second part of verse 7 Jesus says, “There will be famines, pestilence’s, and earthquakes in various places.” NKJV.
In 1943 an estimated 3 to 5 million people died in China’s Henan Province as a result of starvation caused by World War II (1939-1945).
In recent years the most devastating famines have occurred in Africa. The famines have been Famine been the most severe where wars or civil unrest have existed, as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Chad, the southern Sudan, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Somalia.
The United Nations claims that over 30 million people in Africa are now in danger of dying from one of the most devastating famines in History.
Despite great advances in food production and storage more people are starving today than at any other time in history.
II. The next thing the Lord mentions in verse 7 are pestilences, or diseases.
A look back into History reveals that a flu epidemic broke out after the end of World War I. In 1918, the illness spread throughout Europe, Canada and the Untied States, killing more people than were killed during the war.
In 1995 the World Health Organization said, “the world is ripe for super plagues of apocalyptic proportions.” In 1996, Dr. Hiroshi Nakajima, the Director of the World Health Organization said, “We are standing on the brink of a global crisis in infections diseases.” He went on to say, “During the past 20 years, at least 30 new diseases have emerged to threaten the health of hundreds of millions of people. For many of these diseases there is no treatment, cure of vaccine….Diseases that have been around for centuries are popping up in incurable strains.”
Of course during the last 20 years, AIDS has been the most devastating plague or virus to ever strike mankind. In a 1997 report The World Health Organization reported that 11.7 million people had died of AIDS since it was discovered. The report also estimated that there are 30.6 million people who are now infected with the disease, with over 5 million new cases discovered every year. The hardest hit areas have been the underdeveloped countries in Africa & Asia. And with no cure in sight, it’s frightening to think how many people are going to die from this terrible disease.
III. Not only does the Lord mention wars, famines and diseases, but he also mentions earthquakes.
In his book, “Apocolyptic code,” Christian author Hal Lindsey says, “Earthquakes have increased in frequency and destructiveness during the 20th Century. Between 1890 and 1950 there were an average of 2 to 4 devastating earthquakes every year in the world. In the Decade of the 50’s there were 9. During the 60’s there were 13; during the 70’s there were 51; during the 80’s there were 86, and from 1990 – 1996 there were more than 150 damaging earthquakes recorded.”
One seismologist at the Scripps Research Center in La Jolla, California, recently said, “It is almost as though the earth’s plates are gyrating in anticipation of the world’s greatest earthquake.” In the Book of Revelation the Apostle John prophesied that the worst earthquakes to ever be recorded will occur during the Tribulation period. But of course we have no way of knowing when these powerful earthquakes will strike.
These are a few of the signs that Jesus mentioned in our text to be on the lookout for. But there are additional signs that I want to mention this morning that lead me to believe that we may very well be living in the “Last Days.” That we may in fact be the last generation before Christ returns.
I. Additional Reasons why we could be very well be living in the last days
Read Matthew 24:32-44,
Many prophecy students interpret this passage to mean that when we see the rise of Israel as a nation (as we did in 1948), we will know that the time of the end is “near.” The reason for this is that when a fig tree is used symbolically in the Bible, as it is here, it usually refers to the nation of Israel.
1. Israel became a nation again in 1948. The return of the Jews to their homeland after 1700 years in exile may well be the most significant sign that we are indeed living in the “Last Days.”
Another sign related to Israel and the last days has to do with the Building of the Third Temple. Since the Romans destroyed the temple in Jerusalem in A.D. 70, Jews have not had a temple in Jerusalem to worship in. In fact, the Temple Mount, where Orthodox Jews insist the temple must be built is the home of the Dome of the Rock, the third holiest site for Muslims. But that hasn’t stopped the Jews from making plans to rebuild the temple. In fact, there have been reports that someone has been carrying a detailed model of the third temple has around the United States in an attempt to raise money for the project. Which according to some experts could be completed within a year from the time the cornerstone is laid.
In addition the Jewish seminaries are training young men from the Tribe of Levi to begin practicing their priestly duties as soon as the Temple is completed. So far, over 500 young men have already been trained.
A Jewish man by the name of Gershom Salomon, who is a member of the Temple Mount faithful recently said, “In the right day – I believe it is very soon – this stone will be put on the Temple Mount, and be worked and polished…and will be the first stone for the Third Temple. Just now this stone lies not far from the Temple Mount, very close to the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, near the Schechem Gate…and this stone watches over the Temple Mount. But the day is not far that this stone will be in the right place-it can be today…or tomorrow, we are very close to the right time.”
2. The prophet Daniel gives us another sign of the end times in Daniel 12:4 He says that during the “time of the end” there will be an increase in travel and knowledge. Certainly no other generation has seen such a rapid increase in both of these areas. From putting a man on the moon and the space shuttle, our generation has seen a dramatic change in transportation and travel. Since 1914, when the average speed of an automobile was 15 mph, to today where the space shuttle can travel up to 18 thousand miles per hour.
Then of course, thanks to the development of the personal computer and the Internet, our generation has more knowledge available at our fingertips than most of us can comprehend.
Other technological advances also shed light on other prophetic scriptures.
In Revelation 11:7-10, the Apostle John prophesies about the two Jewish witnesses, who will proclaim the gospel message during the tribulation. In verses 8-9 he says that these two witnesses will be killed and their bodies will lie in the streets of Jerusalem for 3 ½ days and people from every tribe, language and nation will gaze upon them.
Now, why is that important? Well 15 years ago that would have been impossible. But during the last decade satellite technology has given us the ability to sit in our living rooms and watch events that are taking place in the Middle East, or around the world. 70 years ago, it would have taken a week for news to travel from Israel to New York City. But today, CNN and other cable networks can and do transmit live from around the world whenever news happens.
A final technological advance that is perhaps the most troubling to me, is that it is now possible to put 5 gigabytes of information, which is equivalent to the information contained in 30 complete sets of the Encyclopedia Britannica, on a micro chip the size of a dime. That chip could then be placed under the skin of an individual’s hand or forehead. This chip could hold a persons complete medical and financial records, as well as any other information about that individual. Now you may be wondering why that is important. Turn with me to Revelation 13:16-18, it says, “He, (talking about the Antichrist) also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.” For the first time in History, the technology exists, for the Antichrist to be able to control the world’s economy, to the point of being able to keep a person from buying or selling anything.
3. An additional reason that leads prophecy experts to believe we are living in the last days is the current trend toward a one-world government, and one world economy. The European Union, and the World Trade Organization are examples of how in many ways we already have a one-world economy. Another example is the stock markets. When the New York Stock exchange drops considerably, the European and Asian markets almost always drop.
The United Nations, which began flexing its muscles with the Gulf War, and continues to play a role in Bosnia and Yugoslavia may well be the forerunner of this New One World government that the prophet Daniel talks about in (Daniel 2).
4. A final reason that we may in fact be living in the last days is the Moral Breakdown of our society.
Paul’s wrote about the lack of morality in the last days in (2 Timothy 3:1-7)
Which says, “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.”
According to (Revelation 9:20-21) the Top 7 Sins during the Tribulation are:
-Rebellion against God
-The Worship of Demons
-Idolatry
-Murders
-Magic
-Sexual immorality
-Thefts
“In other words, the moral conditions spoken of in the Book of Revelation are already here. We are already living in days like those of Noah and Lot – days our Lord predicted would return just before His return. Morally speaking, nothing needs to happen before Christ’s return. The rapidly declining moral standards of our day make it very clear that millions of people around the world are already living lives comparable to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Conclusion: In His book, entitled, “Are we Living in the End Times?”, Christian Author, Tim Lahaye writes, “Christ could come today, and no prophecy of the end times necessary for His coming would go unfulfilled.”
He also says, “While we cannot be certain that ours is the last generation before our Lord returns: we are certain of one thing: our generation has more reason to believe he could return during our lifetime than any generation preceding us.”
So what does this mean to us, what should we be doing. Look back with me to the 24th Chapter of Matthew. Jesus told his disciples, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day our Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
So we should watch for his return and be ready because He could return at any moment. What does it mean to be ready. I believe it means we should be doing our best sharing the gospel message with those who are lost. Afterall that is the assignment Christ gave us on the mount of Ascension.
In the days before Connecticut became a state, the colonial legislature was in session when a thick black cloud blocked out the sunlight. Someone shouted, "It is the day of judgment! Let us go home and get ready!"
But one member of the legislature, who happened to be an old church deacon, stood up and said, "Brethren, it may be the day of judgment--I do not know. The Lord may come. But when He does, I want Him to find me at my post, doing my duty up to the very last moment. Mr. Speaker, I move that candles be brought in and that we get on with the business of the colony."
In the same way, as we have seen this morning, the signs are pointing to the fact that Jesus could return at any moment. But until He does, our duty as His servants is to make the best use of our talents and our opportunities to serve Him, and build up His Kingdom.
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