„Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour when the Son of Man will come“ Matthew 25:13
There are forty passages in the Bible that refer to the end times. These passages were written to warn us. They tell us about the signs that will precede the return of Yehoshua (Jesus).
Some signs have already occurred and others are about to occur. Matthew 24 and Luke 21 clearly explain these signs that must precede the return of Yehoshua.
Matthew 24:4-7: „4 And Yehoshua answered and said to them: Keep watch! Do not let anyone lead you astray, 5 for many will come in my name, saying: „I am the Mashiah“, and will lead many astray. 6 But you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes“
All these signs are coming to pass. But some signs are more obvious than others: the media talk about these disasters caused by nature or industry. They are spreading all over the world. That is why the world’s leading scientists agree: these disasters are of an extraordinary magnitude. Although these natural disasters have always existed, scientists say that they have become worse in recent years.
We see that they have reached apocalyptic dimensions: cyclones, hurricanes, storms or even climatic changes, but also avalanches or earthquakes. Taking the example of the USA alone, hurricanes cause more deaths than any other natural phenomenon. One could cite other examples that are just as bad.
Proverbs 8:34: „Blessed is the man that hears me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors“.
Finally, experts say that the climate system will continue to deteriorate, and they also mention that natural disasters will become increasingly destructive in the coming decades. This should awaken dormant consciences. But what does the Church say or do in these end times? Some Christians are surprised by the fact that twenty years ago, for example in France, there was more talk about the return of the Lord than there is today! But Yehoshua ha Mashiah (Jesus Christ) said:
„… No, lest while you are pulling the tares you may uproot the wheat with them“ (Matthew 13:29).
As ambassadors of Mashiah (Christ), we must keep in mind that the whole world is under the power of Satan. These things should not frighten us, because they must happen, but it will not yet be the end. They only indicate that we have reached the end times. The countdown has already begun: we are on the eve of eternity:
„The night has advanced, and the day has drawn near“ (Romans 13:12).
The Bible warns us: it advises us to be careful, to watch and to pray:
„33 Discern! Be sleepless and pray! For you do not know when the time is. […] 35 Watch therefore, for you do not know when the Lord of the house comes, at evening, or at midnight, or at rooster-crowing, or in the morning“ (Mark 13:33-35).
„Blessed is the man that hears me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors“. (Proverbs 8:34).
Additional information:
Mortality caused by natural disasters rose by 60% between 1980 and 2000; this increase is mainly due to global warming and the greenhouse effect. Between 1994 and 2004, 2.8 billion people were affected, of whom 796,408 died (including 226,408 in the December 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia). Economic losses amounted to approximately $849 billion. The vast majority (95%) of victims are located in the world’s poorest countries. These regions are particularly vulnerable, compounded by the following factors: lack of infrastructure to raise the alarm, disorderly urban development, deforestation and soil erosion, which promotes flooding and landslides.
Source: catnat.net (leading website for monitoring natural disasters)
In a project report, experts estimate that by 2080, up to 3.2 billion people will be affected by severe water shortages and 600 million by famine due to drought, soil degradation and salinisation. Every year, an additional 2 to 7 million people will experience flooding.
(Excerpt from the french christian magazine „Dokimos n°2“)