It’s Not the End of the World… Or Is It?

“And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other.  And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people.  Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.”  Matthew 24:10-12

 The disciples had questioned Jesus about the end of the world.  Even in that day, it seems, end times prophecy was a source of much interest and questioning.   So the disciples asked Jesus how they would know that the end was coming.  Jesus answered them, describing a progression of events that would lead up to the end.

As I read His reply, I was struck by what could be a description of America in 2012, and specifically, details surrounding our recent election that relate directly to the scripture:

“Many will turn away from me…”  Very clear-cut lines were drawn in terms of whether this nation would return to her Christian heritage or totally forsake that heritage.  Not surprisingly, those who stand in opposition to Christianity were quite vocal in their support of such anti-Christian issues as gay marriage, abortion, and entitlement.  But what saddened me was the number of professing Christians who also vocalized and voted support for these issues which clearly stand in opposition to biblical teaching.  This can be nothing less than a clear turning away from Christ, as He warned us would happen.

“…and betray and hate each other.”  From face-to-face contact, to social media, this is a very picturesque  description of what has been happening in our nation.  One professing Christian who openly supported the pro-abortion presidential candidate expressed shock and disgust when a prominent pastor suggested to his congregation that they vote biblically.  Many others who claim the title “Christian” were almost militant in their rejection of those who would promote a faith-based approach to voting.  Betrayal and hate are words that might describe those who reject Christ, but should never be descriptive of those who claim to be His followers.

 “And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people.”  When one claims to be at the same time a follower of Jesus Christ and a supporter of Muslims, it can be deduced that such an individual is, in fact, not a Christian.  Jesus Himself said, “You will know them by their fruits.”  And when many who have professed a life-changing faith in Christ have bought into the lies that abortion is a matter of women’s rights and that gay marriage is something that Jesus would have supported in the name of “love”, the only possibilities are that either these individuals have been deceived, or else they are in open rebellion against the Word of God.

“Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.”  There is no doubt that this describes the society in which we are living.

My point in writing this is not to in any way condemn anyone on the basis of their politics, or to rehash that which has been so much in the forefront in recent days.  My purpose here is to bring to you attention these signs of the times.  We should not be surprised at the direction our nation has chosen, but we must be alert.  Jesus warned us to expect persecution and hardship as we have never known before.  We must prepare ourselves for what is to come.

So in these trying days, I encourage you, as Paul encouraged the Philippians, to “live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people” (Philippians 2:15).

Jesus compared the signs of the end to birth pains.  As many women will attest, childbirth can be a slow, painful process.  But as many cab drivers will tell you, it’s not always so slow!  There may be many years until Christ’s return, or it may be just a few days.  However long He tarries, our job is to be ready, and to help others be ready as well.

… Just a thought…