People have always speculated about the end times. Is our generation the last? Are we living in the end times? Is this the end? I cannot say for sure, although it sure seems that way. In Matthew 24, Jesus tells His disciples that signs of His coming and the end of the world include people claiming to be Christ, not to mention wars and rumors of wars, famines, and pestilences. Ask yourself, “What has been on the news more and more these days?” Sure, people have been fighting for centuries and others have threatened to fight one another. Food shortages and diseases have also been around for centuries. I also acknowledge the fact that many news outlets are in the business of capturing people’s attention with these kinds of reports. As cute, funny, and inspiring as it may be, good news doesn’t sell newspapers, drive Internet clicks, and increase television ratings as so well as bad news. Trust me. I’ve tried.
Meanwhile, many people over the years have claimed to be Jesus or some Christ-like figure. And this is just the beginning of sorrows (Matthew 24:8). Jesus adds that people shall deliver believers to be afflicted and killed, and believers shall be hated of all nations (Matthew 24:9).
Speaking of persecution, take a look at the overseas examples we have seen in recent months. Meriam Ibrahim, a Sudanese wife and mother, was on death row in Sudan for charges stemming from her faith and marriage to a Christian man. She gave birth to one of her children, a girl, while in prison. Meriam’s young son was also with her during that time. Thankfully, Meriam and the kids were released in July 2014, about six months after her arrest. The family, including the children’s American father, now lives in the United States.
Things are not as rosy for Saeed Abedini. The American pastor was arrested in his native Iran while helping with a government-approved orphanage in 2012. Abedini remains in an Iranian prison, where he has experienced everything from savage beatings to threats against his life because he refuses to renounce Christ. Thousands of miles away, Abedini’s two children are in the United States without a father, and their mother is without her husband.
In Pakistan, Asia Bibi is without her family. She is on death row for blasphemy, a charge brought against her in 2010 by a group of Muslim women following a dispute at her place of employment. In fall 2014, a Pakistani court upheld her death sentence. Pakistan’s Supreme Court has since said it would re-hear her case, but they have not said when that will happen. In the meantime, Bibi remains in jail.
These types of things did not happen as often when our parents and grandparents were younger, at least not in the United States. Sure, there were homosexuals, people had vices, and some women did seek abortions, but considering that wars, diseases, and persecution are more prevalent now, I would say we are seeing the forerunners to the end times that Jesus talked about 2,000 years ago. In his own discussion about the end times, Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:12 that all who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
It’s not my intent to depress or scare anyone, but to inform. I do not believe things are going to get better. For any non-believers who might be reading this, I urge you to consider Jesus. The things that await you in the next world will be far worse than anything you experience in this world. A good description can be found in Luke 16:19-31. It is a parable from Jesus describing a man in torment (verse 23). It is actually so bad he asks for water to cool his tongue because he is tormented in flame. Certainly, there are some self-identified Christians today who do not believe in hell. That is their opinion, and they are entitled to that opinion. However, I am entitled to the right of free speech in saying I think those people are wrong. In addition to this parable, Jesus talks about hell in other parts of the Bible. Matthew 8:12, 25:46, and Luke 12:5 are a few examples.
It is not God’s desire to cast the souls of mankind into a place of eternal judgment (2 Peter 3:9), but because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3), sin entered into this world. No, we did not have a say in this, and we were not there when it happened. Even so, the Bible says that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23a). The good news is that God loves the world so much that He gave his only Son Jesus to die for our sins (John 3:16). You may have seen that verse a time or two on a poster at a sporting event. Regardless, all God asks of you is to believe it and ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9). At that moment you enter a relationship with God that results in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23b).
I do not expect everyone to agree with me, and I suppose many readers may not get saved. But I know that all things do come to an end, and this will include man’s time on Earth. It may not happen until after we are gone. Either way, end times are coming.
