TROUBLESOME TIMES ARE HERE… LIVING IN DAYS OF UNCERTAINTY…
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
This is a several part lesson.
LET US STUDY THE IMMINENT RETURN OF JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD AND SAVIOR IN 8 AREAS OR CATEGORIES.
HOW LOW CAN WE GO… This lesson will look at #1 SIGNS OF DARKNESS/GOD HATERS.
1. SIGNS OF DARKNESS AND GOD HATERS… The Bible is considered HATE SPEECH.
2. SIGNS WITHIN THE CHURCH… 3. SIGNS IN WORLD POLITICS/ECONOMY
4. SIGNS IN SOCIETY 5. SIGNS IN TECHNOLOGY
6. SIGNS IN BIBLICAL PROPHECIES 7. SIGNS IN NATURE
8. SIGNS IN ISRAEL /JERUSALEM
We have been studying ‘HOW LOW WILL HUMANITY STOOP IN THE LAST DAYS. This study briefly addresses common problem areas for us to evaluate where we are in history.
THE WORSE OF THE WORSE… POOR CHOICES… REFUSING TO SEE THE CONSEQUENCES … BASER SORT, LOW, VULGAR… LEWD… LAZY… IDLE… CRUDE… OFFENSIVE…
Acts 17:5 But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.
Angry, mean and cruel people will release bad attitudes in the last days. Bully spirited people will round up a bunch of brawlers off the streets and soon will grow into ugly mobs terrorizing people. GANG MEMBERS control whole neighborhoods. Groups become troublemakers disrespecting the law.
HOW LOW CAN THE USA STOOP? THE VERDICT IS PRETTY CLEAR. THE JUDGMENT IS CLEAR… THE WORLD LOVES DARKNESS…
Why do people love darkness rather than light? --- THEIR DEEDS, MOTIVES AND ATTITUDES ARE EVIL. If people would stay in the light they would be convicted and reproved.
John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
THERE ARE TWO ARABIC WORDS WE NEED TO CONSIDER:
1. *ZENITH: to go higher, to reach above, the highest point, to reach the top, the head, to crown.
2. *NADIR: (NAY-deer) the point of greatest adversity, low despair, the time of greatest depression, the lowest point, to hit rock bottom, nothing, zero, low ebb, low tide,
TROUBLESOME TIMES… R.E. Winsett (1942)
Troublesome times are here, filling men’s hearts with fear. Freedom we all hold dear, now is at stake.
Humbling your hearts to God safe from the chastening rod. Seek the way pilgrims trod, Christians awake.
Jesus is coming soon, morning or night or noon. Many will meet their doom, trumpets will sound.
All the dead will rise, righteous meet in the skies, Going where no one dies, heavenward bound.
Troubles will soon be o’er, happy forever more. When we meet on that shore, free from all care.
Rising up in the sky, telling this world goodbye. Homeward we then will fly, glory to share….
NADIR: THE BREATH YOU BREATHE IS A GIFT OF GOD… WHAT YOU DO WITH IT CAN BE A GIFT BACK TO GOD…
HOW LOW CAN THE WORLD AND SIN GO?
Seems we live in a day that our spiritual enemy is running wild. Seems people’s imaginations are set against the Bible and God. The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that the greatest minds of the world cannot figure out a cure.
NADIR: SIGNS OF EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL STRESS…
Fatigue. Feeling of hopelessness or helplessness? NO ENERGY? Eating? Sleeping too much or too little? ISOLATION—SEPERATION? Worry and fear?
NADIR: MOOD CHANGING DRUG AND ALCOHOL, PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE. ADDICTION IS NOT A WEAKNESS IT IS A DISEASE… DRUGS CHANGE YOUR BRAIN, YOUR MOODS AND YOUR EMOTIONS.
Drug abuse contributes to offenses and breaking the law and the system overload we face. Drugs have a direct correlation to crime. Bad drug deals.
There is a surge in death rates from drug overdoses and alcoholism…This is called: DEATHS OF DESPAIR. Stimulants, depressants (alcohol), opium painkillers (heroin), hallucinogens (LSD), Inhalants, cannabis --- MARIJUANA (gate way drug), crack, amphetamines, methamphetamines, suboxone,
PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE… Prescription opioid can be very addictive and dangerous.
All these drugs have side effects, headaches, diarrhea, constipation, nausea and I don’t care attitude.
We see with usage… withdrawal, and craving that the experience of pleasure becomes the norm. How can abusers break the cycle?
NADIR: CHILD ABUSE:
There are estimations that 1 in 7 children in the USA has been abused or neglected. Neglect is the most common form. Physical abuse. Mental abuse. Psychological and sexual abuse. Children under one are often the most abused. 76% of abuse is by the parent or the parent’s boyfriend or girlfriend.
ABUSED CHILDREN HAVE A 13% GREATER CHANCE OF DROPPING OUT OF SCHOOL AND ENGAGING IN HIGH RISK BEHAVIOR.
NADIR: SCHOOL SHOOTINGS: (an attack on educational institution)
18 school shootings with deaths or injuries. 34 people killed or injured… 5 people killed, 4 students, 1 school employee, 29 injured.
In 2022 there has been 18 school shootings. .. 110 school shootings since 2018.
34 school shootings in 2021, 10 in 2020. 24 in 2019, 24 in 2018.
NADIR: CHURCH SHOOTINGS:
First Baptist Sutherland Springs TX. 26 killed, 20 wounded; Burnette Chapel, Nashville 1 killed, 6 wounded; NY Mosque 2 killed; Jersey City 2 dead, 2 wounded; Philadelphia 1 dead; Dayton, Ohio 1 dead; 9 black killed in Charleston Methodist; This is a partial list.
NADIR: MASS SHOOTINGS:
Las Vegas had a mass shooting killing 59. The USA has more mass shootings than any other country. Since 2013 there have been 2,128 deaths.
NADIR: HOUSING SHORTAGES, HOMELESSNESS --- THE LACK OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING:
580,000 + are homeless each night. It is said the shortage of affordable housing cost our economy trillions of dollars a year. 70% of low income families pay more than ½ their income on rent. Affordable housing reduces poverty and childhood abuse.
NADIR: FAILURE OF EDUCATION SYSTEMS.
Budget cuts, politics, privatization, school closures, centralization, great expense, cheating, stealing, failing grades, lower expectations, lower testing standards, local school closures, bureaucratized public systems, funding deficits, demanding more and more money, DECLINE IN SCHOOL SAFETY, challenges with technology, common core, no child left behind. Standardized testing, BULLYING, overcrowding, LOW PARENT INVOLVEMENT.
NADIR: HEALTH CARE
Our health systems are in deep crisis. Health care cost are escalating rapidly. Medicare and Medicaid with older and aging population. Hospital expansion and large systems swallowing the small local nonprofit hospitals. More costly technology, medications and expenses. Health care has always been a major social issue. More and more health care is getting unaffordable. Add to this shortages of nurses, physicians and specialist.
NADIR: MURDER RATES, AGGRESSIVENESS…
St. Louis has the highest murder rate of any US city… 69.4 murders per 100,000. Baltimore: 51.1, New Orleans 40. 6, Detroit (39.7), Chicago has serious problems.
LOUISVILLE COMES IN AT 17 highest murder rate with 188 homicides, all time high.
BOWLING GREEN MURDER HOMICIDE RATE was 8.7 per 100,000. BOWLING GREEN HOMICIDES MORE THAN DOUBLED IN 2020. (Up from 4 to 10)
NADIR: UNEMPLOYMENT. INCREASED UNEMPLOYMENT RATES JUMPED TO 8.1% FROM 3.7.
NADIR: SUICIDE: HAS BECOME A MAJOR NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE.
On the average adjusted for age the suicide rate has increased 30% between 2000 and 2020, in the 20 years from 2000 to 2020 there were 800,000 suicides. In 2020 there were 45,799 recorded suicides. On the average there are about 132 suicides committed a day. Suicide is the highest rate in 30 years.
Suicide is the 7th leading cause of deaths in males and the 14th leading cause in females. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for young people ages 10 to 34.
NADIR: THE ECONOMIC FALL OUT AND INFLATION…
Gas is $4.00+ a gallon, $5.00+ for diesel. Everything we know is affected by fuel prices. Food prices reflect high cost increases. The STOCK MARKET is on a roller coaster of ups and downs. The BULL and the BEAR?
The U.S. national debt hit a record level and exceeded $27.8 trillion in the 4th quarter of 2020. That is more than America’s annual economic output. Our nation is in danger of not being able to meet its debt obligations.
There ae 7 federal tax brackets: 10%,12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35% and 37%.
These nations are in or near debt default. ICELAND, ARGENTINA, RUSSIA, MEXICO, GREECE AND SEVERAL OTHER NATIONS ARE IN GREAT DANGER OF DEFAULT. Local banks carry notes and loans of these nations.
NADIR: ADDICTED TO COMPUTER, CELL PHONE, FACE BOOK,
In 2022 the average American will spend 5 hours a day, 1 1/2 MONTHS on cell phone usage. This is 1/3 of waking hours on mobile devices.
Teenage boys average 4 to 5 hours a day playing video games. Pathological video gamers become addicted and leaves the brain open to many other addictions. There are many violent, bloody cruel games that distort reality. There is a direct correlation between video gaming and lower school performance and vulnerable to drug and sexual addictions. Video games hinder book reading. Those addicted to games tend to be more aggressive and violent. They often have LOW SELF ESTEEM. This addiction can become very costly. The average boy addicted to games spends 55.1% of their time playing games and it even hurts their sleep cycles. This habit hinders sports, physical activity and causes obesity.
WHO KNOWS THE EVIL THAT CAN REIGN IN THE HEART OF PEOPLE…
NADIR: AGGRESSIVE DRIVING, ROAD RAGE:
Aggressive driving and road rage are causing serious problems on our USA road systems. 66% of traffic fatalities are caused by aggressive driving. 37% of aggressive driving involves a firearm. Honking horns, rude hand gestures, aggression, anger, STRESS, DELAYS, LOUD MUSIC, TAILGATING, the loss of tempers.
12,610 injuries and 218 murders are attributed to road rage. HABITUAL ROAD RAGES has happened before. SITUATIONAL ROAD RAGE. Cell phone usage.
NADIR: VIOLENT CRIME RATES INCREASING.
323 MURDERS IN Kentucky in 2020. This is 7.2 for every 100,000. Kentucky’s murder rate is 18 out of 50 states. The national average stands at 6.5 per 100,000. The top 6 states for murder are all southern states. (Louisiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee.
Nadir: RAPE--- sexual violence, SEXUAL COERCION, college campuses, teachers, Issues with clergy, priest,
ROBBERY
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT.
GUN CONTROL is approaching. The criminals will have guns.
WHO KNOWS THE EVIL THAT IS COMING TO THIS WORLD?
Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Romans 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
ENERGY SHORTAGES AND BLACK OUTS. FUEL COST.
This is a several part lesson.
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com Check me out on YouTube.
