I can remember growing up in Southern Baptist churches in the 70's and hearing much about the end times, the rapture and how we should be getting ready for Christ's return. I remember the movie "A Thief in the Night" and the song "I wish we'd all been ready".
As the decades have gone by, there seems to be less and less mentioned about the "end times". Seeing the news each day reminds me of the general feeling in the air of those days some 30+ years ago. We recently had multiple small earthquakes here in AR. There have been earthquakes, floods and natural disasters across the world over the past few years. I'm reminded of this verse:
Romans 8:22 (New Living Translation)
22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
I'm no Bible scholar or seminary graduate, but I wonder if this is what Paul meant? The earth is preparing for "better days".
Jesus told his disciples about the coming end days:
Matthew 24:3-8 (New Living Translation)
3 Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, "Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?[a]"
4 Jesus told them, "Don't let anyone mislead you, 5 for many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Messiah.' They will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don't panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won't follow immediately. 7 Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. 8 But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.
We also read:
2 Timothy 3:1-5 (The Message)
2 Timothy 3
Difficult Times Ahead
1-5Don't be naive. There are difficult times ahead. As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God. They'll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they're animals. Stay clear of these people.
And:
2 Peter 3:3-7 (The Message)
3-4First off, you need to know that in the last days, mockers are going to have a heyday. Reducing everything to the level of their puny feelings, they'll mock, "So what's happened to the promise of his Coming? Our ancestors are dead and buried, and everything's going on just as it has from the first day of creation. Nothing's changed."
5-7They conveniently forget that long ago all the galaxies and this very planet were brought into existence out of watery chaos by God's word. Then God's word brought the chaos back in a flood that destroyed the world. The current galaxies and earth are fuel for the final fire. God is poised, ready to speak his word again, ready to give the signal for the judgment and destruction of the desecrating skeptics.
I'm not one for trying to set a date, as the Bible warns about that. I do know that we are closer today to the return of our Lord than we have ever been before. Will it be today? Will it be next year? Only God knows. I will say this... I need to make an effort daily to "get my house in order". I need to take the time to help my children see these very verses and help them to understand that the days of this earth are numbered. All of the "stuff" in life distracts our attention from the urgency of the time. I can remember a "business card" sized card that my dad used to leave on tables in restraunts that posed this simple question:
"If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?"
Think about it...
