TIME IS RUNNING OUT
SCRIPTURE: Romans 13:11, 12
INTRODUCTION
Paul declared many years ago, "Time is running out." Looking back over history, there are some startling signs that point to the end of this age. Look at the following sequence of events:
-From the sailboat to the steamboat-5,000 years
-From the steamboat to the airplane-10O years
-From the airplane to the satellite-52 years
-From the satellite to Star Wars-25 years
-From Star Wars to ? ? ?
Could this valuable thing called time be running out for Planet Earth? Are we reaching the culmination of all things? Are we close to the time
(1) when we hear the whole creation groaning and travailing in pain until now (Romans 8:22),
(2) when "the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout" (1 Thessalonians 4:16),
(3) when we shall hear the heavens pass away with a great noise and the elements melting with the fervent heat (2 Peter 3:10),
(4) when we hear the sounds of Armageddon (Revelation 16:16), and
(5) when the Lord shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east; and the mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley9 so that one half of the mount shall withdraw northward and the other
half southward (see Zechariah 14:4).
There are some things that are happening now that give us a real feeling that time is running out and the blessed hope will appear.
THE INCREASE OF VIOLENCE AND LAWLESSNESS
There is a bombardment of violence and lawlessness that the earth has never witnessed. The disciples asked Jesus, "What shall be the signs of Thy coming?" Jesus said, "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea (Luke 21:25, New International Version). Paul said there would be worldwide lawlessness: "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. Have nothing to do with them" (2 Timothy 3:1-5, NIV).
In the United States, there are 35 million victims of crime annually; 20 percent of all murders are family-related-crimes of passion. Violent crimes are on the increase. One out of 12 women will be assaulted or have attempts made against them; five out of six children will be assaulted during their lifetime. One third of all female homicides are committed by husbands or partners.
Not long ago a woman in our area murdered several of her husbands. She cleverly fed poison into their system. Finally, after several husbands had died, autopsies revealed the poison. Her motive was unknown. She later repented, but she went to her death in the state prison in Raleigh, North Carolina.
In another incident, a quiet, retired couple was murdered in the privacy of their home. Two young military men slipped into their home through an open window, caught the couple by surprise, and cut their throats. After the murderers were arrested, they showed no remorse. They simply said they were following Satan’s orders. The father of one of the boys later said his son was greatly influenced by a game called Dungeons and Dragons.
A young man in the high school my daughter attends shot another student while walking in the hallway. On another occasion, a carload of young people pulled up beside another car, opened fire with a shotgun and struck the driver in the head. A 17-year-old high school senior was instantly killed. Paul said, "abusive . . . disobedient . . . without love… without self-control . . . brutal."
Crimes against children is another indicator of the final times in which we’re living. Reported cases of child abuse doubled between 1976 and 1981 and, according to Pat Robertson, had gone up 400 percent by 1984. The treatment of little children is appalling! Children are being taken and sold into slavery. Authorities have discovered that some of these children are victims of demonic worship. Phil Donahue interviewed children who told of being taken captive by people who sexually abused them during Satan worship. The children were threatened and were afraid to mention it for fear of their lives and their parents’ lives.
Bizarre tales are told by children who have been made to drink the blood of animals or have been forced to watch other children being beaten, sexually molested, and even dismembered. The Buffalo News, Buffalo, New York, told of a telephone number one can dial to listen to a bizarre pornographic message. Parents were warned by the newspaper, "Check your children’s calls." Is it any wonder we are reaping a whirlwind of psychologically impaired children?
Violence is not just local-it’s worldwide! Not only are violence and lawlessness in the family, in the schools and on the campuses, but among nations. Lack of respect for law and order plagues the international community. Tourism to the Middle East and European countries has been altered by hijacking and holding hostages. terrorists do not hesitate to kidnap citizens of another country and hold them for ransom. Innocent people are terrorized by lawless groups throughout the world. Fear strikes the hearts of people every time they travel to another country. They wonder, "Am I safe?" "Will I be terrorized?" "Is there a grenade, a bomb, a lawless person on this plane?" We screen, we check, we run radar tests; we’re in search of the lawless, the brutal, those who have no respect for the rights of other people. These things indicate that we are coming to the end.
THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE SOVIET UNION
The Bible is very clear about Soviet intervention in the Middle East prior to the end of the age. The Old Testament prophet Ezekiel describes the full-scale attack by the Soviets on Israel. His prophecy reveals an attack on Israel that will be international in scope. Israel’s enemies will come, not from the surrounding areas and immediate neighbors, but from much farther away. He says they will come from the north. The Bible gives this warning: "I am against you, 0 Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you around and drag you along. I will bring you from the far north and send you against the mountains of Israel. On the mountains of Israel you will fall, you and all your troops and the nations with you" (Ezekiel 39:1,2,4 NIV).
Hal Lindsey, well-known writer on prophecy, says, "Every time the north is referred to in Scripture it is to the north of Jerusalem." If you draw a line straight from Jerusalem to the north, that line will go to the Soviet Union. Ezekiel mentioned even the chief city Meshech from which Moscow gets its name.
We already see the Soviet bear turning south. Afghanistan is a good example of Soviet intervention. The Soviets installed their Marxist government and claimed to be friends of the people, but when this government was in danger of being toppled, they moved in with a brutal, warlike spirit, with tanks and ammunition to subdue the people. Could it also be possible that they invaded Afghanistan because of its proximity to the Persian Gulf? We know that many nations would like access to the Persian Gulf, a major world trade route. Can you see prophecy being fulfilled?
Mike Evans, in his book The Return, quotes columnist Jack Anderson as saying that seven Soviet MIGs were shot down over northern Israel In 1972. The bodies of seven Soviet pilots were shipped from Jerusalem to Moscow in caskets according to one of the top ministers of the Israeli Government, Yaacov Meridor. Anderson also stated that the Soviet Union has 26 divisions stationed on its border with Iran.
Damascus, Syria, is a stronghold of the Soviets. According to Anderson, the Soviets control virtually the entire military operation in Syria. They don’t run the Syrian army, but Soviet advisers are very evident. The Syrians have positioned themselves in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon. The Israelis continually make strikes against these forces. Their actions are criticized by the media, but it is apparent that the Israelis have motives for their military action. It is to strike the Soviet surface-to-air missiles which are present in the Bekaa Valley.
Let me tell you what was told us recently by an Israeli guide. In 1973, during the Yom Kippur War, the Syrians, with hundreds of tanks and thousands of men, made their way into the Golan Heights. It was Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement. Most of the people were observing this holy day, but Captain Devi Zievka went to the Golan Heights, where there were only 120 Israeli border guards and 20 unmanned Israeli tanks. He saw tanks coming and thought, I must stop the Syrians! Upon taking another look, he saw that they were not Syrian tanks, but Soviet tanks. He began to maneuver his tank; only his driver was with him. For 24 hours he went from one side of the mountain to the next, one side of the pass to the next, blowing up tank after tank. The Soviet tankers began to wonder, How many Israeli tanks are there? Through some type of supernatural intervention, Captain Zievka worked by himself, knocking out one tank after another, keeping the Soviet force from coming any farther on the Golan Heights, until finally the reservists came. The army stopped the Soviet tanks and blew them up, causing about 100 Soviet tankers to jump from their tanks and run for their lives. This reminds me of Joshua as he captured the kings in the cave and hanged them on trees (Joshua 10:5-27).
During a recent visit to northern Galilee, I saw the remains of the Syrian bunkers. There Is a monument there, the tail of an Israeli jet. It’s a monument to those men who fought and destroyed the Syrian stronghold. The Syrians had set up a fortification over northern Galilee. They were going to completely demolish northern Galilee and take that part of Israel for themselves. But Elie Cohn, an Israeli spy in Damascus, had convinced the Syrians to plant eucalyptus trees around those bunkers to offer shade from the sun. He sent word back to the Israelis, "Everywhere you see a eucalyptus tree, bomb it.,, They did this and recaptured the area.
Today when you talk to an Israeli about Soviet involvement, he will tell you very quickly, "We know we’re not fighting against the Arabs alone. It’s not just the Syrians or the Libyans. It is the Russians!" They sense their presence. They know they’re there. They know they’re fighting against somebody big, so they have to keep on guard all the time. We are living In the last days. The end is about to come. Time is running out.
NEW LIFE IN DEAD PLACES
There is a beautiful picture in Ezekiel 47 that shows us some signs that time is running out. Just a few weeks ago as I stood at En Gedi near the Dead Sea, I was excited to hear words that fulfill the prophesy of Ezekiel 47:8: "This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where It enters the Sea. When it enters the Sea, the water there becomes fresh" (NIV). Ezekiel said that the Dead Sea shall live and that creatures will live in It-great numbers of fish. Fishermen will stand on the banks of the Dead Sea and will pull in great catches of fish.
One of the’ best guides In Israel related some sobering news to me. He said, "Did you know, that the Israelis have started a channel flowing out from Jerusalem toward the Dead Sea? Over a year ago we began to construct It, but it was stopped just a few months ago." When I asked why, he said, "Because of a lack of funds." But we know that everything is on God’s calendar. It will not be one day early or one day late.
The passage in Isaiah 35:1 (NIV) came Into focus: "The desert and the parched land will be glad." The Bible says the wilderness and desert shall actually be glad and rejoice with joy and singing. This is a sign of the end. The Valley of Armageddon has been nothing but swampland for thousands of years. Now this land Is some of the most fertile, crop-yielding land in the whole world. Trees, flowers, and food abound. Israel has blossomed into a leading exporter of flowers, fruits, and vegetables. It is the third largest exporter of roses and the world’s leading exporter of Jaffa oranges.
Israel reported an overabundance of rainfall during the month of January. Even they are astonished to see the dry, barren hills come alive with green grass. It is plentiful! When you look over the green hills and see the poppies and multicolored flowers blooming, you can almost hear the hills and valleys singing and rejoicing. I believe it is a fulfillment of prophecy.
THE LACK OF EXPECTANCY
Last, but not least, Jesus said that the time would come when men would not expect the coming of the Son of Man. "So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him" (Matthew 24: 44, NIV). The Lord also said: "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:34-36, NIV).
We read this warning in the Book of Revelation: "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon" (16:15). The Lord would have us know that just prior to the coming of the end, just before time runs out, men and women all over the earth will not expect the coming of the Son of Man. But you may say, "Oh, that’s not possible!"
An appalling thing is now happening. Ministers who once fervently preached about the coming of the Lord, are not preaching about it. And some theologians, pastors, and preachers are beginning to talk about the rapture as a mere theory, not as a promised fact. We play into the hands of Satan when evil thoughts keep us from watching for Christ’s return. At Jesus ascension, the angels said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11, New American Standard Bible).
Billy Graham says he believes the world is coming to an end, sociologically, technologically, and physiologically. I believe it this, not just from what Billy Graham said, but from what Jesus said-time is running out.
CONCLUSION
Can you feel a tug on your heart, or have you gotten cold and indifferent to the coming of the Lord? Do you ask in a tone of unbelief, "Where is the promise of His coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation" (2 Peter 3:4). Have you gotten to a point where you think, Well, He didn’t come yesterday, and I guess He won’t come today. Have you grown cold in your witness to the Lord? Do you think, I’ve got plenty of time! If you have come to such a place, I ask you not to lose hope. Keep your eyes upon the sky. "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh" (Luke 21:28). Time is running out. Let’s be ready!
