An Introduction to End Times

Part 3 Present Signs and the Rapture (cont’d)

Present Signs (Global) – Section 3b

Global indications.

Reaching the world for God.

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” These are the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:14. Representatives of Wycliffe Bible Translators expect to have reached just about all world languages by the year 2025 (Vision 2025) and God TV reckons that the world-wide coverage of their transmissions is practically already complete.

The ‘groaning’ world and global disaster (cf. Rom 8:22).

Let us look again at Matthew 24:7 “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places”. We have seen nation against nation and widespread famine is now, unfortunately, becoming almost commonplace. As for earthquakes, have you noticed the sudden rise in their frequency? Various statistics are available covering the world but typically global numbers for earthquakes of say 6.0+ on the Richter scale have risen to around 5 times more per annum than say 40 or 50 years ago. Recent major examples have been in Japan in 2011 and New Zealand in 2010 and 2011.

Morals and behaviour.

Look now at Matthew 24:37 “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” and the period it refers to, in Genesis 6:11 “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence.” Look also at 2 Timothy 3:1-5 “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. Have nothing to do with them.”

Do you think we are getting there? In Hebrews 12:25-26 and Haggai 2:6-7 God promises that as judgment against sin He will ‘shake the earth’. Is he doing this? We haven’t even mentioned some other specifics in this category – divorce, child prostitution, abortions, embryonic research? Surely we are just piling up sins?

Fads, cult and occult.

Note Paul’s advice to Timothy and his reference to ‘later times’ in 1Ti 4:1&7: “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons………Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.”

Acquisition of knowledge.

‘At the time of the end many will go here and there to increase knowledge’. (see Daniel 12:4). Certainly we are now seeking and acquiring knowledge enormously. We even have a name for it. ‘Information Technology’ is what we call it! Allied to this feature also, of course, is the ever increasing speed at which this is all happening.

Scoffers and mockers.

‘First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.’ 2Pet 3:3-7 (also cf. Jude 17-19).

No comment! This prophecy speaks for itself.

Increasing governmental control.

Do you ever have the feeling that there is greater and greater government control in our lives? The means for this could really come into being with ID cards. Alongside this type of ‘identification technology’ we also have mooted the concept of a cashless society. The ‘powers that be’ will certainly then be in a position to monitor, even control, what and which individuals may or may not buy, since every purchase will be made through the auspices of a vast computer.

Imagine, just as a conjecture, that for some reason in a given society, the authorities wanted to prevent a person, or class of person from purchasing a given commodity. The machinery would be in place to do such a thing. The anonymity of cash, of course, would have gone and the persons concerned would be unable to purchase except via the central computer route.

This may be jumping ahead from present day, and we will come to this again, but just take a look at Revelation 13:16-18.

Next time: The Rapture – Section 3c