OK .. Let’s continue our brief journey thru the teachings of Jesus Himself concerning these days we are currently witnessing & living thru right now .. In Part One, we touched on Matthew 24, verses 3 & 4 which warned of false prophets & teachers plus the accelerating deception we are witnessing right before our eyes .. Now in Part Two, we will take a glimpse at verses 5-8 of the same chapter (24) which Christ warns of wars & rumors of war, earthquakes & pestilences which He said would only increase as we draw ever nearer to His triumphant return ..

*Wars & Rumors of Wars – Once again, we are witnessing this sign daily! .. Let’s take a look at just the past 106 years ..

   -World War One – 10 Million+ Dead

   -World War Two – 50Million= Dead

   -Korea, Vietnam, The Gulf War, etc., etc., etc.

Also currently happening is the fact that Israel is surrounded on all sides by the prophesied tribes of Psalm 83 .. This conflict is constantly stirring & will soon come to bear upon the Jews as well as the Ezekiel War, The destruction of Damascus (Isaiah 17:1), & the continually increasing saber-rattling threats from most all the nations of the world .. As horrible as all these were, & will be, they will not even begin to compare to the scale of war & pestilence that will be unleashed by Satan during the Tribulation, finally culminating with the Big One, Armageddon. ..

*Famines, Earthquakes & Pestilences – Luke 21:11, Jesus said this .. “There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.” .. A fairly well-known scientist & spokesman for the UN made this statement just recently .. “If you live by the coast, move inland to escape hurricanes, tsunamis & rising sea levels.  If you live inland, you may want to move closer to the coast to escape the increasing tornadoes, drought, & wildfires.  If you live in the mountains, you may want to move to lower ground to escape the coming extreme cold.  And if you live in the valleys, you might consider seeking higher ground against flooding.  But no matter where you go, you are doomed.”…. Very uplifting, isn’t it? .. And while we might think of this as humorous, it should actually evoke just the opposite human reaction. .. In reality, what he is saying is true .. No matter where we may live in these perilous days, we are not excluded from the growing dangers of the coming worldwide pestilences that are now, & will increasingly continue to befall this beleaguered planet. .. A classic example is the current Coronavirus that is attacking the entire world right now! ..

Now I realize that this category of prophetic signs have always been the least respected, even among many ‘believers’ .. The mere mention of it usually produces sneering remarks with statements like “Come on! .. What else is new?! .. There have always been earthquakes& hurricanes & tornadoes!”  .. But didn’t the Bible warned of these scoffers in 2 Peter 3:3-4 .. “First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4) They will say, ‘where is this coming he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 

So what are these signs we see increasing today? .. Here’s just a few examples ….

*Plague – In just recent years we are seeing the likes of Ebola, SARS, incurable superbugs, swine, pig, chicken, rat, & every other creature on earth types of labeled flu, again not to mention the current Coronavirus that is rapidly spreading across the entire globe! .. Yes, there have always been pestilences in the world, but NEVER at the rate or magnitude of today’s events (Birth Pains) ..

*Earthquakes .. Again, hurricanes have always been around, but never like these days .. Even secular geologists & scientist tell us that since recorded history, we have never witnessed a four-fold increase in the world’s earthquakes .. Facts show they have quadrupled in just the past two decades .. This is also true of volcanoes, hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones, you name it! ..

*Famine/Drought – Record famine & drought have hit the planet almost daily somewhere in the world .. Just look at Australia, Africa, South America, & right here in America .. Currently the suicide rate among American farmers is skyrocketing because extreme weather events have all but destroyed their crops & way of life .. And just one more, what about the current locust swarms attacking several continents right now! .. Once again, biologists & the scientific community are saying they’ve never seen this phenomenon at this level of size or crop-eating destruction …. There is so much more, but enough for now .. Simply put, we cannot deny that when reading the world news headlines, all we are seeing are words like “biblical”, “Catastrophic”, “Apocalyptic”, “Never-before”, and on & on .. Scoffers beware! .. Your denial could cost you dearly ..

If we are honest with ourselves, it is simply mind-boggling to observe this with an open mind .. And when you bring the Bible prophecies into the light & compare them to current facts, you’d have to be brain-dead or in complete denial of the truth spoken to us some 2000 years ago! .. These ARE the days we are living in RIGHT NOW! .. What we are witnessing is the outer edge of a storm that is about to inflict the worst suffering mankind has ever known. .. Jesus said that “these are the beginning of sorrows.” .. But hang on, Jesus did NOT leave us without hope .. All these coming events are but to last just a short period of time, & then .. We will see the dawning of a brand new age .. the age of the reign of our Messiah! .. And what a beautiful picture it is!!!

Right now, this world is being violently shaken by a rapid succession of agonizing “birth pains” .. But Jesus tells us that these catastrophic events will soon ‘give birth’ to a new age of world peace & prosperity, a paradise that will be totally free of weather extremes, of pain & suffering, of hunger … what a glorious day it will be! .. Hallelujah!

OK .. Enough for now .. Next I will address the growing persecution the world is witnessing prophesied by Jesus in Matthew 24:9 .. (Part Three) ..

Know that I love each of you & am praying constantly for your spiritual strength to get you thru all this .. Please pray for me as well as the enemy is constantly attacking those of us who are ‘fighting the good fight’ .. And hang on to this ..though it is dark for the moment, a bright light will soon break out across the land & then ALL WILL BE WELL! .. Again, Hallelujah!!!

Until next time, 

Red