And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes, in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Matthew 24: 4-9, NKJV.
Gracious God, we are happy that You have, not only our present, but also our future, in Your hand. Please tell us what we should know as we study Your Word. Amen
Yesterday we spoke about the three great signs that announced the beginning of the end; the signs in the heavens. Shouldn’t that tell us something? Luke 21: 28, NRSV, admonishes us, when these things begin to come to pass, it is time to “raise your heads,” look above! That is where our help is; that is where our hope is centered; in the throne room – at the mercy seat! Therefore, there is no need to fear!
Today we will begin to look at some signs upon the earth; and we will continue tomorrow.
“[M]any will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.” A 1990 research conducted by a professor of a Syracuse University, revealed that, “there are over 2,000 practicing gurus calling themselves Christ” (End Time Statistics). We have also witnessed the Waco, and Georgetown, tragedies. Jesus warned us: “Take heed that no one deceives you…!”
“[Y]ou will hear of wars and rumors of wars…For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.“ World War II was not “the war to end all wars” as was predicted. “Somewhere around 180 million people have been killed in one Twentieth Century atrocity or another — a far larger total than for any other century in human history” (Atlas – Wars and Democide of the Twentieth Century). “Kingdom against kingdom.” Civil wars (death among people of the same country). “A sampling of civil conflicts fought in the 1990s: Algeria -1992-98; Burundi -1993-99; Colombia – 1998; Kosovo – 1998; Rwanda -1994; Sierra Leone -1992-99…” (End Time Statistics). This is not the complete list.
“And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes, in various places.” In the Twentieth Century alone, there were ~ 38 famines throughout the major areas of the world: East-central China, Belgium, Russia, Tatarstan, Warsaw Ghetto, Bengal, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, North Korea, Sudan, Zimbabwe; to mention a few. These famines were caused by: droughts, blockades, Nazi occupation, etc. (Wikipedia). “The WHO (World Health Organization) estimates that about four million people a year die of starvation, or about 30 people every minute.” Pestilences. “At least 30 previously unknown diseases have appeared globally since 1973, some appearing in “deadlier drug-resistant forms” (End Time Statistics). Earthquakes. The Twentieth Century has witnessed some very deadly earthquakes. Following is a list of the ten largest earthquakes, the year they occurred, and the magnitude of each, since 1900. Also listed, is the most recent earthquake in China. Chile (1960) 9.5; Prince William Sound, Alaska (1964) 9.2; Andreanof Islands, Aleutian Islands (1957) 9.1; Kamchatka (1952) 9.0; Off Western Coast of Sumatra, Indonesia (2004) 9.0; Off the course of Ecuador (1906) 8.8; Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands (1965) 8.7; Northern Sumatra Indonesia (2005) 8.7; India-China border (1950) 8.6; Kamchatka (1923) 8.5 (Infoplease). On May 12, 2008, Sichuan, China, 7.9.
Dearly beloved, let us take heart! The signs are telling us that very soon Jesus will come to rescue His people! Hallelujah!