REASONS WE ARE LIVING IN THE END TIMES ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE

Isaiah 66:8

• Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? [Or] shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, She gave birth to her children.

Never before in our history has Israel been born in a day until 1948. In just 24 hours, British rule of the Nation of Israel ended and the United States recognized it as a Sovereign State. It is in this generation that the beginning of the end has come - according to the Bible.

Daniel 7:3-5

• "And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other.
• "The first [was] like a lion, and had eagle's wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
• "And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and [had] three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: 'Arise, devour much flesh!'
• "After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.

Revelation 13:1, 2

• Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name.
• Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like [the feet of] a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.

Many PHDs in theology, who are far smarter than I, interpret this "beast" to be the European Union, the Revived Roman Empire, or the United Nations. They further interpret specific animals represent certain countries. The lion represents the British Empire with the "eagles wings" it's ally, the United States. The Bear represents Russia and the leopard represents a Nazi regime, Germany.

Theologians look at the nation's history to arrive at these conclusions, as well as, the symbolism. I'm not a theologian. I just believe that several PHD's interpreting the same thing must have it pretty close, if not accurate.

Luke 17:26-30

• "And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:
• "They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
• "Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built;
• "but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed [them] all.
• "Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

II Timothy 3: 1-4

• "Realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God..."

It seems with each generation since perhaps the 30s, we have gone deeper and deeper into a spiritual decline, mocking God, persecuting Christians, and sexual immorality. Killing many babies per year, lack of commitment to others, serving ourselves in the most selfish ways. Divorce rate high even among Christians. Enough said?

Matthew 24:7

• "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.

Mark 13:8

• "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These [are] the beginnings of sorrows.

Luke 21:11

• "And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.

Revelation 6:12

• I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.

Of course we have always had earthquakes, but they have increased with great intensity and frequency. Even NASA has predicted a few coming blood moons between now and 2014.

II Timothy 4: 3-4

• "The time will come when they [professing Christians] will not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths."

Matthew 4:5, 11, 24

• "For many will come in my name saying, "I am the Christ" and will mislead many."
• "Many false prophets will arise and mislead many."
• “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.

Since the 1800s, many new religions have evolved teaching doctrine that does not line up with the Bible. In addition, the Christian church of today often focuses on their own doctrines rather than the Bible and follow traditions uncommon to the Biblical church.

Matthew 24: 6,7

• You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars... for nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom..."

Luke 21:26

• Men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Not many need explanation of this since it is on every news channel around the clock. Unrest in Egypt, Syria, Israel, Iran, Iraq and throughout the Middle East and other countries. Nuclear technology is one that most of are concerned with - even a spill from an earthquake. Never in our history has the world seen such widespread unrest.

Ezekiel 37:12

• Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.

Ezekiel 37:21

• “Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land;

Since the holocaust and the separation of Jews to distant lands, there have been not many returning to Israel until the past ten years or so. Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly stated that Ezekiel 37's "dry bones" and "graves" were the victims of the holocaust and quoted Ezekiel 37:12 as "returning to their land" was fulfillment of prophecy.

Daniel 12:4

• But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time;many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.”

This is one of the most prolific Scriptures I can relate to because my grandmother was born in 1910 and in her lifetime, she witnessed many things.

1. The first airplane
2. First visit to the moon
3. Computer technology was born
4. Transportation from horse and buggy to automobiles
5. Kerosene lamps to electricity
6. Telephone usage became common.
7. Radio, television.
8. Satellites.

Luke 21:11

• And there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.

Just yesterday I clicked on a news topic that was about a squirrel in California suspicious for Bubonic plague. Another story's headline was "Parasitic Meningitis" Since the identification of the HIV virus and AIDS epidemic in the 80s, the list has only grown including tick-borne illnesses such as Lyme disease from deer ticks.

Famines, it seems, have been pronounced since I can remember. And while many third world countries are prolific in famine, perhaps the holocaust was one of the biggest famines ever. The Native American reservations make up the largest portions of famine in the United States so even wealthy countries are experiencing famines at a high level.

Ezekiel 36: 34, 35

• “The desolate land will be cultivated instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passes by.
• “They will say, ‘This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.’

A few years ago, I watched a documentary on the progress of Israel. Not only their military, but their food produce and other plantation. They have gone from a baron land to a home of the bountiful. Some of the biggest avocados I have ever seen came from Israel. Some theologians consider this the "hook in the jaw" that will cause other countries to want to seize Israel for their own gain while others believe it will be a vast oil supply. Either way, the once baron land has become a cultivated, agriculturally rich prize.

Matthew 24:14

• This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Only in our lifetime has this became a possibility - since the invention of satellite and computers. Not only has travel increased in the mission fields, but most countries have internet access and electronic Bibles and teachings of Christ can reach most all of the world. Perhaps the Reverend Billy Graham began the revival of the Gospel in our generation and since then, technology has abounded making it easier to deliver the message of the Bible.

Though there are literally hundreds of prophecies in the Bible regarding the end times, I mention only a few main ones in this article. Not only that, but there are numerous verses that substantiate each prophecy but I chose to keep it short and less technical for the reader.

Many people call those who watch and believe in Bible prophecy, doomsdayers. Funny, I don't feel doom and gloom at all. Each time I see a news broadcast that fits alignment the Bible puts forth, I feel a certain amount of increased faith.

I don't worry about the end times at all. I can do nothing to change any of it so I just try to live my life the way I should, often failing because I am a work in progress.

When my daughter was 12, I gave her a piece of advice but she didn't take the advice. At age 13, and with some maturity, she has seen that my advice was good and for her best interest. That's kind of how God is. He gives us a choice to heed the warnings, to "go in the Ark" or not. He is not a God of wrath on the just. Belief that Christ was born of a virgin, died on the cross in my place and arose from His grave on the third day is a free gift of faith I choose.

Whether or not the church is raptured out of here and when that will take place, either pre, mid, or post tribulation is no concern to me. What matters is that I look forward to it and thus believing the end time is near, I may escape the sting of death and go up in a whirlwind like Enoch and Elijah. That, my friend, is something to look forward to.