'"In the last days," God says,
"I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved."'(Acts 2:17-21)
Over the years many people have become desensitized to the idea of the End Times or Apocalypse due to the sometimes omnipresence of it in our culture. Who hasn't seen the secular, non-faith-based television specials on the prophecies of Nostradamus and heard predicitions placing the end of the world in the late nineties? I know I certainly have, and as a child was terrified of the idea of "Apocalypse." Eventually, I came to believe the idea of Apocaylpse was as outlandish as the existence of Bigfoot, the Bermuda Triangle, and the Loch Ness Monster.
Imagine my surprise to discover that the Apocalypse is real -- it is going to happen! If you are like I was up until a couple of years ago, read on.
Jesus is coming back?!?
You bet He is! Huge portions of the Bible are dedicated to describing the Last Days, notably Daniel and Revelation. The Book of Revelation opens with John's vision of Christ's return:
"Look, He is coming with the clouds,
and every eye will see Him." (Revelation 1:7)
Jesus Himself tells His disciples of His return to earth:
"At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory." (Matthew 24:30)
As Christians, Jesus and His Father are probably the only beings that we can fully and completely trust. Why, then should we doubt this verse from Matthew 24 as it comes straight from the source? The answer is simple -- we should not doubt, and should actually be preparing ourselves for His coming. Why? So as not to be confused or taken in by any of the deceoptions that will come with the last days:
"The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. He opened his mouth to blaspheme God and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. . . . All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast -- all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world. . . . This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints." (Revelation 13: 5-10)
"Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, [the second beast] deceived the inhabitants of the earth." (Revelation 13:14)
The beast in the first selection is the Antichrist, and he will deceive and lead astray those who are not prepared for or aware of his arrival (i.e., the unsaved, those who are not in the book of life and who are not "saints"). The second beast referred to in the above verse is thought to be someone who will serve as the Antichrist's assistant. The popular term for him is the false prophet. The Antichrist and his prophet are going to make live very difficult, at first for Christians and eventually for the whole of the world.
What are some of the signs of the imminency of the Last Days, then, so that we can prepare ourselves and known what's going on? God's already told us -- it's written down in the Bible.
The first indication of the Last Days is the reforming of the nation of Israel -- and this happened in 1948! The reformation of the nation of Israel is foretold several times in the Bible:
"It shall happen in that day, that the Lord will set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people, who shall remain, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. He will set up an ensign for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth." (Isaiah 11:11-12)
"It shall happen in that day, that Yahweh will beat off [His fruit] from the flood of the River to the brook of Egypt; and you shall be gathered one by one, you children of Israel." (Isaiah 27:12)
"For I will take you from among the nations, and gather you out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land." (Ezekiel 36:24)
Until the middle of the twentieth century, the prophecy of the second gathering of Israel back into its own country was unfilled. However, in 1948 Israel became and nation, and now that the first of the many signs of the coming Apocalypse has occurred we can safely watch for the rest.
This is only one of the first signs, however. There are many more; for example:
"When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, don't be troubled. For those must happen, but the end is not yet." (Mark 13:7)
I think that if there was ever a time in history where wars were constantly being waged and people were always learning of new wars, it is now! Aside from the military efforts in Iraq, President Bush has declared a perpetual war against terrorism which will probably continue for quite some time.
Continuing on in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus elaborates further on the signs of the End Times:
"There will be earthquakes in various places. There will be famines and troubles. These are the beginning of the birth pains." (Mark 13:8)
Natural disasters, especially earthquakes, will announce the coming Tribulation. When the "Road Map to Peace" for the Middle East was devised and revealed, a 4.5 magnitude earthquake shook the the southern United States on April 29, 2003, a strange place for such an event. On April 30, an earthquake of 3.7 magnitude hit Northeastern Arkansas. Turkey's largest earthquake hit in the southeastern area of the country on May 1, measuring 6.4 magnitude. On May 4, a 6.6 quake hit northern New Zealand in the Pacific Ocean, while on May 14, an 6.7 earthquake in Algeria killed almost 1,000 people. On the same day a 6.4 quake rocked the Virgin Islands. Califronia was shaken by a 4.2 magnitude earthquake on May 25. On May 26, a 7.0 earthquake hit Tokyo. Also, nearly 100 tornadoes have rampaged through the United States since the beginning of May. And of course famine is a huge problem today, affecting millions (and perhaps even more) throughout the earth. Maybe God is trying to tell us something!
"The Gospel must first be preached to all nations." (Mark 13:10)
Before the Last Days can come, evangelists must bring the Good News to every single nation and group in the world. I'm not sure if this has happened yet, but if not we're pretty close, especially considering the advances in communication technology.
Once the Tribulation starts, the prepared Christian will know it. The Antichrist will appear ("the abomination of the desolation" -- Mark 13:14) and will sit in the Temple in Jerusalem ("standing where it ought not (let the reader understand)" -- Mark 13:14), causing believers to flee for their lives. In the Last Days there will be unprecendented amounts of suffering, and persecution of God's believers and people will be increased:
"For in those days there will be oppression, such as there has not been the like from the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will be. Unless the Lord had shortened the days, no flesh would have been saved; but for the sake of the chosen ones, whom He picked out, He shortened the days." (Mark 13:19-20)
This "oppression" will occur after the End Times have begun. If the rapture happens before the Tribulation, then the believers mentioned here are those who accepted Jesus after the rapture (yes, there is still hope for those left behind!). If the rapture happens during or after, these people will be all Christians! But God is merciful and will shorten the time of suffering. The whole of the Tribulation is thought to last seven years.
Also in the time before and during the Tribulation false christs will rise(and of course the Antichrist himself, who will come to power under a platform of peace) who will deceive many:
"At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There He is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive the elect -- if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time" (Matthew 24:23-25)
Also during this time God will manipulate nature, darkening the sun and the moon and sending stars falling from the sky (Mark 13:24-25).
The Apocalypse is inevitable, part of God's incredible plan, although many of us may not live to see it. Considering the fulfillment of so many of the signs, however, the End Times does seem to be coming soon. So what are we supposed to do with all this information, then? Be prepared so that we won't be deceived by false teachings, and to stay firm in Christ. If we truly believe in Jesus and accept that His sacrifice on the cross paid for our sins and delivered us from the death that we would otherwise have in hell, then we have no reason to doubt that at the end of days God will not be there for us.
On the other hand, though, many will refuse to believe in Christ's sacrifice and will therefore be sent to eternal torment and punishment in hell. It's our job to help spread the word of God to help save as many people from separation from our creator as we can. It should be noted that it is not our actions that do the saving, however, but the individual's belief in and acceptance of God's love and mercy. The Great Commission is still as important today as when Jesus delivered it to his disciples 2,000 years ago:
"Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations in the name of the Fahter and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'" (Matthew 28:18-20)
It follows, then, that we should prepare ourselves for Christ's return. Why? So that our faith will be strong enough to keep our eyes on God through all obstacles, come what may! Jesus warned all Christians of the imminence of the Last Days so that we will be strong in faith for the final days and his eventual return to earth at the end of the Apocalypse. It is important to fortify ourselves spiritually so that we do not fall prey to the Antichrist's deception or renounce our faith when confronted with difficult or even physically painful situations.
If you have not yet accepted Jesus the son of God as your Savior, it is advisable that you do not waver and make your decision quickly becaue the Apocalypse is fast approaching. In the last chapter of the Book of Revelation, the phrase "I come quickly" (Rev. 22:7,12,20) is repeated three times to impress the imminency of Christ's return upon the reader. Not only is Jesus coming back to earth, but He is coming soon!
However, no one knows exactly when Christ will return. He knew this and lets us know it, too:
"Watch therefore, for you don't know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming." (Matthew 25:13)
"Behold, I come like a thief. Blessed is he that watches, and keeps his clothes, so that he doesn't walk naked, and they see his shame." (Revelation 16:15)
"...the lord of that servant will in a day when he doesn't expect it, and in an hour when he doesn't know it, and will cut him to pieces, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites; this is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be." (Matthew 24:50-51)
We are only sure that Jesus is coming back, but no one knows when. He could come NOW! Or...NOW! Or perhaps...NOW! Jesus could come at any time -- it's up to us to prepare ourselves and others.
How can you preprae yourself? By immersing yourself in the Holy Spirit by reading the Bible, praying often and with convinction, repenting, joining in worship meetings and masses at churches, and by praising the Lord and allowing Him to work in your life. You can lead others to Jesus by telling them your story (or "testimony"), letting them know that Jesus' offer of redemption is free and open to all and that God loves them beyond conception.
The Apocalypse is coming, and it's coming very soon!
