Dangerous Times

 

THERE ARE BASICALLY two different opinions about the future of the earth and mankind.  Science holds that humans are poised for great development and the future appears glorious. While it is true that mankind is in dire straits due to economic inequity, diseases, illiteracy, crime, terrorism etc, the answer to all these ills lies in economic and scientific development. A start has been made already in this direction and with increased awareness, social justice and an accelerated growth rate, everybody would be happy. If man tries hard enough, he can create a heaven on earth; there is no other heaven. 

But the Bible holds a diametrically opposite view. This earth is destined for total annihilation  and a new earth and new heaven would replace it at the Second Coming of Jesus. The Bible speaks in scores of places about what would be the signs of the last days. I have given below some of them along with explanation. The subject of eschatology is enormous and what you see here is only a sample. The leading reference below is taken from the Amplified Bible and the rest from NIV. 

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1. 2 Timothy 3:1 In the last days, dangerous times of great stress and trouble will come, difficult times that will be hard to bear. 2 For people will be lovers and self narcissistic, self focused lovers of money impelled by greed, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, profane 3 and they will be unloving, devoid of natural human affection, calloused and inhumane, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, devoid of self-control, intemperate, immoral, brutal, haters of good, 4 traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of sensual pleasures than lovers of God 5 holding to a form of outward godliness (religion), although they have denied its power. 

When this happens, Christians will suffer not only because of external persecution but also from corruption within the church. Men will love to gratify their own lusts, more than to please God. When every man is eager for what he can get, and anxious to keep what he has, this makes men dangerous to one another. When men do not fear God, they will not love fellow men. When children are disobedient to their parents, that makes the times perilous. Men are unholy and without the fear of God, ungrateful for the mercies of God. Times will be perilous too, when parents are without natural affection towards their own children. And when men have no control over their own mind, they will despise what is good and  honorable. 

2. 1 Timothy 4:1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

The Holy Spirit, both in the Old and the New Testament, spoke of a general turning from the faith of Christ, and the pure worship of God.  False teachers will forbid as evil what God has allowed (e.g. marriage) and command as a duty what He had not recommended, like celibacy.  We find exercise for watchfulness and self-denial, in attending to the requirements of God's law, without being called to practice rites and formalities that are not scriptural, to remember nothing will be good to us, unless we seek by prayer for the Lord's blessings up on it.

3. 2 Peter 3:3, 4  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.

There will be scoffers in the last days, men who make light of sin, and mock at salvation by Jesus Christ.  We have only the Lord’s promise that He will find homes for us, come back and take us to our eternal homes and this faith scoffers will attack till our Lord returns. They will not believe that He will come.  What He never has done, they maintain, He will never do. See Psalms 55:19: 

      “God, who is enthroned forever, will hear them and afflict them— 

men who never change their ways, and have no fear of God”.

Again St. Peter answers these criticisms a few verses below in 2 Peter 8,9: 

        “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years                are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance”. 

4. 2 Timothy 4:3,4 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 

This is another certain sign of our times. Pastors of large churches, globe-trotting preachers, particularly in the developed and developing nations, are careful when they preach and teach, that they don't hurt the sentiments of their audience.  Interpreting the scriptures in their own way and not according to the Holy Spirit’s guidance, they tell people what they like to hear. An authority no less than the Pope recently said that the Bible needed to be rewritten! St. Paul advises Timothy that, under the circumstances, he must “keep his head”, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist and discharge all the duties of his ministry.

5. Daniel 12: 2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.

(This is the first direct reference to resurrection in the Old Testament).  When the gospel is preached, many who sleep in the dust of ignorance, all unbelievers, shall be awakened by it out of their apostasy and religious bondage.  And in the end the multitude that sleep in the dust shall awake; many shall arise to glory, and many to hellfire. There is glory reserved for all the saints in the future state, for all that are wise, wise for their souls and eternity. Those who turn many to righteousness, who turn sinners from the errors of their ways, and help to save their souls from death, (James 5:20) will share in the glory of those they have helped to heaven, which will add to their own glory.

                  

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But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed (2 Peter 3:10). Jesus has promised “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also”. (John 14:2). According to Titus 2.13 we are  “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ”. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory (Colossians 3:4).

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