SIGNS
by David Sisler
Everyone is curious about the future. Tomorrow starts a new year and already most of us wish we knew what was going to happen the day after tomorrow. That is not surprising because man has always wondered about the future.
In his curiosity, man has turned to tea leaves, gazed through crystal balls, wondered at the movements of the stars and the planets, and even tried to communicate with the dead. Occasionally, someone will look to the only certain source of knowledge about the future--the Bible.
The disciples of Jesus understood that there was a definite plan for the future and one day they said, "Tell us about the future. Show us what signs will precede the end of the world."
"There will be deception," Jesus said. "Be careful that no one fools you. Many people will come in my name. They will say, 'I am the Christ.' And they will fool many people."
The Bible says that some day this world will fall apart. Economic problems will abound on a world-wide scale. Relationships between individuals will collapse. People will sin constantly. And while all of this is going on, leadership will be in short supply.
Jesus said that false Messiahs and false Christs will step into that void. They will offer themselves as the solutions to the world's problems. They will show demonic miracles as proof of their credentials.
"But, don't be fooled," Jesus warned.
Jesus said that dissension would be a second sign of the nearness of His return: "You will hear about wars and stories of wars that are coming. But don't be afraid. These things must happen before the end comes."
Wars have always been fought on one place of our planet or another. As the time draws closer for Jesus to return, stories about wars and rumors about wars will become a daily occurrence. And actual fighting will intensify.
A third sign of the nearness of His return, Jesus said, will be devastation: "There shall be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in many places."
We see all of these things now, but Jesus said as His return draws closer these things will happen on a scale never seen before.
Our world seems to be out of control. The very planet on which we live seems to be revolting against sin.
In places where there have never been earthquakes before, the ground is swelling and twisting and people are dying.
Crops are failing or being destroyed by devastating storms and people are starving.
We have treated our bodies like playthings and now human flesh is rebelling with cancer and AIDS and venereal diseases. Diseases once thought conquered are returning and medical science is helpless against their onslaught.
These conditions, Jesus said, will get worse and worse as time marches inexorably to His return.
Finally, Jesus said, there will be defection: "Many shall be offended and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another, and believers will be delivered up to be persecuted and killed."
There is today a freedom to preach the Gospel in a manner never before seen in the history of our planet. Walls have collapsed, iron curtains have been torn down and the message of Jesus Christ is changing lives all over our world. But Jesus warned, "When it gets closer to the time of My return, true believers will be persecuted. Pretenders will defect."
Look around you. Do you see deception, dissension, devastation and defection? It is happening just like Jesus said it would. No one knows what will happen next, but you can have peace, if you place your trust and confidence in God's Son. Start 1995 right. Receive Jesus into your heart during 1994.
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Published in the Augusta Chronicle 12/31/94
Copyright 1994 by David Sisler
Your comment is welcome. Write to me at: n4so@hotmail.com