These past few months, the world we live in has faced challenges that governments, institutions, families and individuals have found difficult to cope with – agflation [agricultural inflation], soaring prices of good and services, shakening of stable and trusted financial institutions, change of governments and political institutions, societal transformation in family and marriage, rise in new infectious diseases, increased persecution of Christians, shakening of religious institutions and many more changes.
WHAT ON EARTH IS HAPPENING TO THE WORLD TODAY? We will allow the powerful Word of God to speak and breathe life for itself.
And THERE WILL BE SIGNS in the sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth there will be DISTRESS OF NATIONS in bewilderment and perplexity without resources, left wanting, embarrassed, in doubt, not knowing which way to turn at the roaring of the tossing of the sea, men expiring with fear and dread and apprehension and EXPECTATIONS OF THINGS THAT ARE COMING on the world; for the very powers of the heavens will be shaken and caused to totter. Luke 21:25-26 Amplified Bible
And when you HEAR OF WARS and insurrections, disturbances, disorder, and confusion, do not become alarmed and panic-stricken and terrified; for all this must take place first, but the end will not come immediately. Then Jesus told them, Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be mighty and violent EARTHQUAKES, and in various places FAMINES and PESTILENCES (plagues: malignant and contagious or infectious epidemic diseases which are deadly and devastating); and there will be sights of terror and great signs from heaven. Luke 21:9-11 Amplified Bible
BUT UNDERSTAND THIS, that in the last days will come PERILOUS TIMES OF GREAT STRESS and trouble hard to deal with and hard to bear. For PEOPLE WILL BE LOVERS OF SELF AND UTTERLY SELF-CENTRED, LOVERS OF MONEY and aroused by an inordinate, greedy desire for wealth, proud and arrogant and contemptuous boasters. They will be ABUSIVE, BLASPHEMOUS, scoffing, DISOBEDIENT TO PARENTS, ungrateful, UNHOLY AND PROFANE. They will be without natural human affection; they will be slanderers, false accusers, troublemakers, intemperate and LOOSE IN MORALS AND CONDUCT, uncontrolled and fierce, HATERS OF GOOD. They will be treacherous betrayers, rash, and inflated with self-conceit. They will be LOVERS OF SENSUAL PLEASURES and vain amusements more than and RATHER THAN LOVERS OF GOD. For although they hold a form of piety - true religion, they deny and reject and are strangers to the power of it - their conduct belies the genuineness of their profession. Avoid all such people and turn away from them. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 Amplified Bible
People exchanged the truth of God for a lie and WORSHIPPED AND SERVED THE CREATURE RATHER THAN THE CREATOR, who is blessed forever! For this reason, God gave them over and abandoned them to vile affections and degrading passions. For their WOMEN EXCHANGED THEIR NATURAL FUNCTION FOR AN UNNATURAL AND ABNORMAL ONE, and the men also turned from natural relations with women and were set ablaze, burning out and consumed with lust for one another—MEN COMMITTING SHAMEFUL ACTS WITH MEN and suffering in their own bodies and personalities the inevitable consequences and penalty of their wrong-doing and going astray, which was their fitting retribution. And so, since they DID NOT SEE FIT TO ACKNOWLEDGE GOD or approve of Him or consider Him worth the knowing, God gave them over to a base and condemned mind to do things not proper or decent but loathsome, until they were permeated and saturated with every kind of unrighteousness, iniquity, grasping and covetous greed, and malice. Though they are fully aware of God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do them themselves but APPROVE OTHERS WHO PRACTICE THEM. Romans 1: 25-32 Amplified Bible
But previous to all this, they will lay their hands on you and PERSECUTE YOU, turning you over to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be led away before kings and governors for My name's sake. THIS WILL BE A TIME – AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO BEAR TESTIMONY. Resolve and settle it in your minds not to meditate and prepare beforehand how you are to make your defense and how you will answer. For I, Myself will give you such utterance and wisdom that all of your foes combined will be unable to stand against or refute. You will be delivered up and BETRAYED EVEN BY PARENTS AND BROTHERS AND RELATIVES AND FRIENDS, and some of you they will put to death. And YOU WILL BE HATED BY EVERYBODY because you bear My name and for its sake. Luke 21:12-17 Amplified Bible
Even so, WHEN YOU SEE THESE THINGS TAKING PLACE, understand and know that the KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND. Truly I tell you, this generation - those living at that definite period of time will not perish and pass away until all has taken place. But take heed to yourselves and BE ON YOUR GUARD, lest your hearts be overburdened and depressed with the giddiness and headache and nausea of self-indulgence, drunkenness, and WORLDLY WORRIES AND CARES PERTAINING TO THE BUSINESS OF THIS LIFE, and lest that day come upon you suddenly like a trap or a noose; For it will come upon all who live upon the face of the entire earth. Luke 21:31-35 Amplified Bible
And it shall come to pass in the last days, God declares, that I will POUR OUT MY SPIRIT UPON ALL MANKIND, and your SONS AND DAUGHTERS WILL PROPHESY - telling forth the divine counsels and YOUR YOUNG MEN WILL SEE VISIONS - divinely granted appearances, and YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS. Yes, and on My menservants also and on My maidservants in those days I will pour out of My Spirit, and they shall prophesy - telling forth the divine counsels and PREDICTING FUTURE EVENTS PERTAINING ESPECIALLY TO GOD’S KINGDOM. And it shall be that WHOEVER SHALL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST SHALL BE SAVED. Acts 2:17-21 Amplified Bible
And this good news of the kingdom - THE GOSPEL WILL BE PREACHED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE WORLD as a testimony to all the nations, and then will come the end. YOU MUST BE READY therefore, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him. Matthew 24:14,44 Amplified Bible
*This article is only a primer to the signs of the end times. There is much more information available from recommended books, websites and journals. The best information is still from the Bible itself - the source of God's wisdom through the ages.
PRAYER: Lord, speak to me regarding what I have read. The signs of the times are so evident in the country, society and world I live in today. I HAVE ONE LIFE TO LIVE. LET MY ONE LIFE BRING MAXIMUM GLORY AND HONOR TO YOU, O GOD IN THESE URGENT TIMES. THESE ARE TIMES OF OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE MY ONE LIFE COUNT FOR YOU, O GOD.
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