Perilous Times
Are These The Final Signs of The End Times?
Posted: November 27, 2010
1:00 am Eastern
Pastor Greg Laurie
Awhile back, I was in a restaurant in Arkansas. As my friends and I
talked with the server and invited him to the event where I would be
speaking that night, he asked me, "Do you think we are living in the
last days? Do you think that Jesus Christ will come back in my
lifetime?"
With all that is happening in our world today, a lot of people are
asking that question. Looking at the recent earthquakes and tsunamis,
the aggression of North Korea, the new nuclear capabilities that are
being developed by Iran and the continuing threat of global terrorism
can cause even the doubters to wonder whether these are the end times
the Bible speaks of. Are we living in the last days? Is the end of the
world near? Is Jesus Christ coming back again?
There is no bigger event that will ever take place in the world than
the second coming of Jesus Christ. And it will happen. It is not a
matter of if, but when. I am not the only one who believes it. A Gallup
poll revealed that 66 percent of Americans believe that Jesus Christ is
coming back to this earth in the future. That is at least 25 percent
more Americans than those who claim to be born-again Christians. So it
is not only Christians who necessarily believe it. A lot of people are
beginning to sit up and take notice, and they believe Christ is coming
back again.
When Jesus was asked what the sign of his return would be, he painted a
picture of a world torn by strife and war, a world rocked by great
earthquakes and ravaged by pestilence, and a world where there would be
famine in the midst of plenty. He 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. Men will faint from
terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly
bodies will be shaken" (Luke 21:25 NIV).
The catastrophic tsunami of Dec. 26, 2004, was caused by the fourth
most powerful undersea earthquake on record, an earthquake so forceful
that it moved the entire island of Sumatra 100 feet to the southwest
from its pre-quake position. Geologists said it literally sent the
entire planet vibrating and actually interfered with the Earth's
rotation to the degree that time stopped for three milliseconds.
Watch the trailer for Greg Laurie's inspiring DVD biopic, "Lost Boy:
The Next Chapter"
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, earthquakes are increasing.
Every decade for the past five decades has increased the number of
earthquakes – not just minor ones, but what are now called "killer
quakes." It seems as though every catastrophic earthquake that occurs
is said to be the strongest ever. Then another killer quake will come
along that is even worse than the ones before.
Jesus likened these signs to a familiar human occurrence. He said they
are the beginning of birth pains, or labor pains. They are the signs of
the times the Bible tells us to be looking for that will alert us to
the fact that Jesus Christ is coming back again. So as we see these
things happen and increase in frequency, it means his coming is near.
Some people argue this has been going on for hundreds of years, that
everyone thinks Jesus is coming back in their lifetime. I will grant
that, but I would like to point out one thing to think about: Something
really significant happened on May 14, 1948. The Jewish people who had
been persecuted throughout history, who had been murdered in the
millions by Hitler, began to return – as if on cue – to their homeland.
And on that day in 1948, Israel was once again a nation. After the War
of Independence, the modern state of Israel was declared, fulfilling a
very significant Bible prophecy. It wasn't just a sign; it was a
super-sign. And it happened against all odds.
Still, it left the city of Jerusalem divided, with Jordan retaining
control of the old city, including the Temple Mount and most of the
historic area. But during the Six-Day War in 1967, Israeli forces were
able to capture the old city and reunify all of Jerusalem. The city of
Jerusalem was under Jewish control for the first time in many
centuries, and another Bible prophecy had been fulfilled. The prophet
Ezekiel said the Jewish people would be scattered and then regathered.
After this takes place, he prophesied, Israel then would be isolated
and ultimately attacked.
The Bible tells us that the end of the world as we know it, culminating
in the final Battle of Armageddon, will happen in the Middle East. It
also tells us that Jerusalem will be a key part of that as the nations
of the world turn against her. In Zechariah 12:2–3, God said, "I am
going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples
reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. On that day, when
all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make
Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it
will injure themselves."
This is why we should not get our hopes too high when we see another
Middle East peace treaty being signed. There might be a cessation of
violence temporarily, but it will kick up again, according to what the
Bible says. God says these things will happen, and he is telling us
they are warnings we should be paying attention to.
Frankly, we don't know what will happen next in our world. Any one of
us could be a victim of terrorism or violent crime in these volatile
times in which we live. I wish I could say there never will be another
tsunami or another earthquake or another hurricane or another terrorist
attack. But we live in a fallen world. And we know it will come to an
end.
So is the end of the world near? I don't know for certain, but clearly
there are signs of the times. At the same time, we never know when life
will come to an end. The statistics on death are pretty impressive: One
out of every one person will die. There are no exceptions. And there
are no chances after death to respond to God's offer of salvation
through Jesus Christ. But there are hundreds, even thousands, before.
Greg Laurie is the senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in
Riverside, Calif., one of the largest churches in America. He is also
the featured speaker for Harvest Crusades, large-scale evangelistic
outreaches that have been attended by more than 4 million people around
the world since 1990.
Related Link:
Standing on The Edge of Eternity - Revealing The Earth's Final
Generation!
http://www3.telus.net/thegoodnews/finalgeneration.htm