The recent calamities have caused many to wonder if they are signs of the worlds end. Mother nature has been on a rampage lately. The 2004 tsunami in the Indian ocean was estimated to kill 170 to 275 thousand. Hurricanes destroyed New Orleans and other cities on the gulf coast and there was record number of hurricanes in 2005. Tornadoes and heavy snow storms seem to be getting worse. Are all of these things signs the world is coming to an end? Many think they are. Prophecy buffs point to verses in the Bible that speak of signs of the end of days. It should be pointed out, however, that people have been predicting the end of the world for years. Days are picked that they claim will be the end. None have proved true so far. The Bible does state the end is coming, and we have been living in what is called the last days since the times of the New Testament. Jesus said that only his Father knows the time he will return to take believers to heaven (MT 24:36). Most of the signs given in this chapter are about the destruction of Jerusalem in A. D. 70. The Christians remembered them and fled to the mountains when they saw the armies coming. As far as we know, none were lost. In the verses following in chapter 24, Jesus says that when he comes it will be like it was in the days of Noah. People will be eating and drinking and getting married. In Noahs days they didnt know what was happening until the flood came. They didnt believe Noah when he warned them, because they had never seen it rain. Up to this time streams came up from the ground to water the earth(GE 2:6). HE WILL COME WHEN HE IS NOT EXPECTED (MT 24:44). IT WILL NOT BE ANNOUNCED THAT THE LORD IS COMING! First Thessalonians 5:2 and Second Peter 3:10 both plainly state that JESUS WILL COME LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT. A thief does not give signs that he is coming and neither will our Lord! The recent calamities do not necessarily mean the worlds end is near. We cant rule it out either. We dont have any way of knowing when it will be. We have to keep watch as Jesus told us. It is not any thing to worry about if you are living according to Biblical instructions. It is a time to help others to know and obey the gospel so they will be ready. The Bible wasnt written to tell the future but to instruct how to live holy lives. We are to live by faith and not by sight. Second Peter 1:20 explains that no prophecy is of any private interpretation. The prophets didnt understand what they were speaking and neither can we. When New Testament verses point out they are fulfilling something predicated in the Old Testament, we know what they mean. This is the only way we can know for sure what they are about. We are told about death, and the judgement, but the times are not given. Weather comes in cycles. We have mild winters and summers and we have severe ones. Global warming may be true and it may be imagination. Our God has always taken care of this world and he will continue until he is ready to put a stop to it. Global warming will not end the world unless the Creator chooses this method to destroy it. The end will not come one minute sooner than he intends. We can be sure of that! The Lord designed and built it, and is capable of maintaining it. Permission is granted to publish this article if the resource box is left intact. |
