The last days of this world
1 The
scriptures use the term “last days” in
reference to the period leading to the execution of God's Judgment. Thus, the ancient world lived its last days
while Noah built the ark, and then perished by the sentence of God when the
earth was swept away by the Flood, and also the old Jewish world with its
worship focused in the temple of Jerusalem, lived its last days after the
execution of the Messiah, in a period that culminated in 70 AD with its total
destruction.
Speaking of the events
that brought an end to these periods, the apostle Peter says that they were
foreshadowing what on a global scale will happen when by the sentence of God,
all nations will face his verdict. He tells the disciples: “In the last days there will be scoffers who will say...
mockingly: «Where is his promised presence? For from the time that our ancestors
died, everything remains as at the beginning of creation». But these forget
voluntarily that by the Word of God,
in ancient times were made the skies and the earth that emerged from the water
and was surrounded by water, and that by command of the
same Word, this world suffered destruction by the waters of the
Flood”. And that “by this same Word, the present heavens and earth are reserved
to fire and preserved for the Day of Judgment and of destruction of the
impious” (2Peter 3:4..7)
2
Through Scripture, God revealed men the ultimate fulfillment of his purpose for
the Earth, a purpose that all his prophets mentioned. In the Proverbs of Solomon
we read: “The righteous will inhabit the earth and the upright shall remain in it, but the
wicked shall be cut off from the Earth and the unfaithful will be
uprooted”. (Proverbs 2:21..22) And also David writes: “Yahuh respects his own verdicts and does not forget his
saints, they will be safeguarded
forever, but the offspring of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the earth and
dwell therein forever... put your
hope in Yahuh and keep his way,
he will raise you up for the heritage of
the Earth and you will see the extermination of the impious”. (Psalm 37:28..29 and 34)
Giving authority to
their words, Jesus said: “Happy are those of gentle
spirit, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5), and also: “Do not fear those who can kill the body but cannot kill
life, rather fear him that can destroy
life and body in Gehenna”. (Matthew 10:28) And he said of those who
strive to understand God's purpose and ask for the help of his spirit: “Blessed are those
who beg for the spirit, because the kingdom of heaven is constituted by
them”. (Matthew
5:3)
3
Speaking of the “Day of Wrath”, Paul says that
when “the rightful judgment of God is manifested… and
he rewards each one according to his works”, there will be “eternal life for those who with their perseverance in what
is good, seek glory, honor and incorruption, but anger and outrage for the
stubborn that driven by prejudice, refuse to believe what is
true”,
because “in that time there will be
tribulation and distress for anyone who practices evil, first for the Jew and
then for the Greek, but there will be glory, honor and peace for all those who
practice good things”. (Romans
2:5..10)
And also Peter warned:
“The Day of Yahuh shall come like a thief, then the
heavens will pass away with a roar, the elements, intensely hot, will be
dissolved and the earth with everything in it, shall be consumed. And since all
these things must be dissolved, live a pure and spiritual life, while you are
expecting and accelerating the coming of the Day of Yahuh, in which the heavens
will be dissolved and the elements, intensely hot will melt away. For according to his promise, we are expecting New Heavens and a New
Earth, which will house
justice”. (2 Peter
3:10..13)
How do we know that these are the last days of this corrupt
world?
4
Since ancient times the prophets spoke of this important period and Jesus
pointed out some events that would precede it; those events were recorded by the
apostles and disciples in chapters 24 and 25 of Matthew, in chapter 13 of Mark
and in chapter 21 of Luke, but also in 2Timothy 3; in 2Peter 3 and in Revelation
6:1..8.
The “signs” that Jesus
gave his disciples are a set of events that will be manifested and noticed
throughout the world. John writes down “the Revelation
that Jesus Christ received from God to
show to his servants the things which will occur in rapid
succession”. (Revelation
1:1) And this means that all of them must happen in a definite and same
period (Prophecy of Daniel).
For this reason Jesus
warns those who at that time will be his disciples: “Learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branches are
tender and put forth leaves, you know that the summer is
near; so you also, when you see all
this, understand that He is
near, at the door. I tell you that this generation will not pass away until
all these things happen”. (Matthew 24:32..34)
Now, these are in the
words of Jesus about the outstanding features of this
period:
5 In that time “nation will rise
against nation and kingdom against kingdom”. (Matthew 24:7) Throughout history, wars
have ravaged the Earth. From the beginning of civilization until the days of
Jesus there were countless conflicts between nations in order to conquer land,
or simply because of intrigue and lust for power. Therefore, when Jesus spoke of
the period that would elapse from the moment of his execution until the days
before his return, said for his disciples of all times: “you will also hear about wars and reports of wars; but do
not be troubled because this will inevitably happen but it is not still the
end”. (Matthew
24:6)
When Jesus spoke of the
conflicts that would forewarn the last days and he said: “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against
kingdom”, he did not speak of the conventional wars between countries but
of another kind of conflict, because his words may also mean: “nation will rise against itself and kingdom will rise
against itself”. A parallel prophecy revealed to John shows the exact
meaning of his words. It speaks of a rider that comes out to fulfill a specific
mission; he writes: “There was another horse of a
fiery red. To its rider was given a large sword and the power to take peace from
the earth so that men should kill each other”. (Revelation 6:4)
In addition to the wars,
does not terrorism, rebellion and all kind of violent groups, undermine the
peace of the nations with threat and death? It can actually be said that “nation rises against nation and kingdom against
kingdom”, or that the growing threat suppresses the peace worldwide.
6
“Starvation in
one place after another” (Matthew 24:7)
The FAO report about
starvation in the period 1998-2000, showed that about 25 000 people die every
day from hunger, plus 6 million children under the age of 5 per year. This was
in 2000, but what now? It is estimated that there are in the world around one billion of undernourished people.
The Secretariat of the campaign: “MORE AND
BETTER” says: “the world has the resources
and the technical knowledge needed to eradicate hunger and poverty. It is
unacceptable that 40,000 people die every day from hunger... and 1,300 million
live in extreme poverty”. This is also a worldwide fact because despite the help
of science, food production has not kept pace with the increase of
population.
In keeping with this, we
read: “a voice said: «One measure of wheat for a
denarius and three measures of barley for a denarius»”. (Revelation 6:6) These words indicate
that at the time described by prophecy, a small amount of basic foods such as
wheat and barley would be sold for the equivalent of a daily wage, which in the
days of Jesus was one denarius.
7
“a succession
of natural disasters in different places” (Matthew 24:7)
Many versions translate
the Greek word “seismos” as “earthquakes”, and yet this reduces the real
meaning of the word, which describes any kind of natural disasters. The same
writers admit this fact when in another verse, translate it as follows: “And behold, a great storm (seismos) rose on the
sea, so that the boat was covered by the waves”. (Matthew 8:24) In Greek: “kai idou seismos megas egeneto en têi thalassêi, hôste to
ploion kaluptesthai hupo tôn kumatôn”.
Even if we are aware of
the major natural disasters from past times, facts are that nowadays people are aware of the natural
disasters that happen worldwide in
one place after another and with such a frequency, that have virtually ceased to
be news. Daniel Sarewitz, Professor of Science and Society in Arizona State
University, declared: “The world has witnessed a
marked increase of these “natural disasters”, from 100 per year in the sixties
to 500 a
year in the earlier 2000”.
And Omar Dario Cardona,
Professor at the Universidad de los Andes (Bogotá) and Director of the “Centre for
Disaster Studies”, in answer to the question of whether immediate
natural disasters were expected, said to the BBC: “We expect that natural phenomena causing disasters will
not only increase in severity, but also in
frequency”.
8
“Plagues in
different places” (Luke
21:11)
There is no need to
speak of the diseases that mankind has to fight despite the advances of medical
science. Today the world is aware of
the large quantity of people that suffer from heart disease and tumor, malaria,
dengue and several old and new infections, which cause countless deaths
everywhere.
The book of Revelation
describes the situation as John writes: “And I looked
and saw a pale horse. Its rider's name was “Death” and the “Hades” (the
grave) followed him closely. And they were given
authority over the fourth part of the earth, to bring death by the sword
(the war), and by famine, and by mortality
(plague) and by the wild beasts of the earth”.
(Revelation 6:8) The nations are
allegorically represented in Scripture as different beasts, just as the war is
represented by the sword, but those who in this prophecy are called “wild
beasts”, are the crowds or the factions causing riots, all sorts of disorder and
death, because these things are powers in opposition to the established power.
And it may truly be said that this kind of behavior is
increasing.
9
“Many false
prophets will arise and will deceive many”. (Matthew 24:11)
The published statements
about the future of our planet produce insecurity and confusion. Science avoids
carefully any mention of God, despite the perfect order in our universe and the
evidence given by nature about the intended design and purpose of all existing
things. Besides, Christianity is divided into hundreds of sects, and there are
in the world all kinds of spiritual leaders.
Those considered
teachers within Christianity, accepted and teach a different “good new” from
that taught by Jesus and his apostles. (2Corinthians 11:4) A vast majority have
long since abandoned hope in the return of Christ and in the establishment of
the God’s Kingdom on Earth, even though these fundamental events are repeated
across the entire Scripture and imply the fulfillment of the promises of
God.
Jesus taught his
disciples to ask for God’s Kingdom on the Earth and in the Heavens (Matthew 6:10), and also spoke to them
of his return and the time which would precede it, saying: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun
shall be darkened, the moon shall not give her light, the stars will fall from
the sky and the powers of heaven shall be shaken. Then all the tribes of the
earth will mourn, and they will see the
Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. He
will send his angels with a trumpet sound, and they shall gather together his
elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other... Heaven and earth
shall pass away but my words shall not pass away”. (Matthew 24:29..32, 35)
However, these words are
meaningless for millions who claim to believe in him.
10
Many are the pastors from the more than fifteen hundred different Christian
churches, who make in the name of God a great business on others
devotion.
Some have predicted
several times the world's end date, announcing the arrival of an “Armageddon”
which cannot arrive anywhere, because Har Mageddon is the Hebrew name of a
mountain: Mount Megiddo, a strategically located height, which was the scene of
many battles and where some fortifications were built in old times, to guard the
transit on the Via Maris, the road connecting the ancient Egypt with
Mesopotamia.
Some say that Christ
reigns on earth since for almost one hundred years, arguing that his “presence is
invisible”. Probably Jesus meant something like this when he warned
his followers: “If anyone tells you then: «Look,
here is the Christ» or «He is there», do not believe it. For false anointed and
false prophets shall produce great signs and wonders to deceive if possible,
even the elect. Behold that I have foretold it to you! So if they tell you: «He
is in the desert» (an invisible presence), do not go out; «He is in the inner rooms» (an invisible
presence), do not believe it. For as the
lightning comes from the east and shines unto the west, so shall also be the
coming of the Son of Man”. (Matthew 24:23..27)
11
Time before speaking to the disciples about his return, Jesus had already
warned: “Beware of false prophets which come to you
disguised as sheep but are inside ravening wolves. By their fruits you shall know them... Not everyone who says to me
«Lord, Lord» will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my heavenly
Father.
Many will say to me that day: «Lord, Lord did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drove out demons, and in your name perform many miracles?»
And then I will declare to them: «I never knew you! Depart from me, you that
practice lawlessness»”. (Matthew 7:15..23) And he also said: “That day and hour
nobody knows; neither the angels of heaven nor the Son, only the Father. The
coming of the Son of Man will be like the days of Noah; and as in the days
before the flood, they ate and drank and took wife or husband, until the day
Noah entered the ark, and they did not be aware of anything until the flood came and took
all them away, so shall also be the coming of the Son of man”. (Matthew 24:36..39)
12
“The constant
growth of iniquity will cool the love of a great part” of the people.
(Matthew
24:12)
Delinquency and
criminality have always existed, but what is obvious when considering worldwide
delinquency, is that crime and illegality increase and grow very rapidly and
that its growth is real, not only due to the fact that we have today more
information than in the past, for the crimes that come to our knowledge only
reflect a small percentage of reality.
Furthermore, the
intention of establishing a subjective legality to suit different ethical
standards, cancels the balance that the obedience to the basic moral laws
represents, causing a decreased sense of personal responsibility and an
impoverishment of human relationships. Lies, infidelity and immorality in
general, become common and excusable, as does the removal of anything considered
annoying or inconvenient. This is one of the reasons behind the elimination of
tens of millions lives every year through the practice of
abortions.
That is the kind of
iniquity which may be associated with the prophecy recorded in Matthew 24:12 and
with the cooling of love in people's heart, for it promotes selfishness and the
inclination to ignore anything that does not personally affect each one of
us.
13
Does the actual situation of the world point out that we are living its last
days? Some may say that the world has always been this way, however, the great
growth of humanity has exponentially increased these things and people are now
aware of having the same problems throughout the world.
For most of people, all
this may have no meaning, but Christians should remember that Jesus warned:
“In the days before the flood”, the people “did not
notice anything until the flood came and
swept them all” and said, “so shall be the coming of the Son of man”. (Matthew 24:38..39)
Those who put faith in
the Scriptures based on divine revelation, know that the prophecies were
fulfilled at the appointed time, as Daniel’s prophecy about the time of the
coming of the Messiah, and must show understanding and confidence in the
promises of God, being conscious about this warning: “of that day and hour nobody knows, not the angels of heaven
nor the Son, only the Father”. (Matthew 24:36)
We do not know the day
God has reserved to exercise his justice nor the moment of Jesus arrival, but we
know that Jesus said for who would then be expecting him: “When you see all
this, understand that He is near, at the door” (Matthew 24:33 and Luke 21:31) They would see the signs
and understand the nearness of the things to happen from that moment on, which
Jesus described saying: “then there will be a great
tribulation, such as never has been
since the beginning of the world until this time nor will ever be again; if
these days were not shortened, none would survive, but for the elect's sake,
those days will be reduced”. (Matthew 24:21..22)
14
Will there be life on Earth after the foretold
tribulation?
The end of today's world
will not be the result of an indiscriminate killing in a nuclear war; it will be
caused by the great tribulation, which will include what the Scriptures call
“the war of the great Day of the Almighty God”
(Revelation 16:14 and 16), a war that will not destroy the
Earth itself or cause the disappearance of all mankind, because as Scripture
says, Yahuh, “the God who formed the earth, did not
created and found it to be empty, he
made it to be inhabited”. (Isaiah 45:18)
Scripture says that on
that day, all princes of the heavens will bow before God and bestowing him
homage, will say: “We thank you, Yahuh, the God
Almighty that is and was, because you have established your kingdom making use
of your great power. The nations were angry, but your indignation arrived, and
the time to judge the dead and to reward your servants the prophets and the
saints, and the humble or powerful that prove respect for your name, and the
time to destroy those who are destroying the Earth”. (Revelation 11:16..18)
From then and forever,
“The Temple of God” will be “with humanity. He will dwell with them; they will be his
people and God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their
eyes and there will be no death, no mourning, no crying and no pain, because the
former things passed away”. (Revelation 21:3..4)
Meanwhile, those who put
faith in the words of Jesus must remain vigilant, for he says: “Behold! I will arrive without delay. Blessed is he who
considers the words of the prophecy of this book”. (Revelation 22:7) And declares: “I Jesus have sent my angel to show these things to the
congregations; I am the root of David, the shining star of the morning. The
Spirit and the Bride say: «Come»; he who listens, repeat: «Come» Whoever is
thirsty, come. Anyone who desires it, take freely the water of life”. (Revelation 22:16..17)
