Global Warning!

by John Stallings

Let’s talk about something more earth shattering than melting ice-caps, more sobering than the thought of nuclear war, & more dramatic than anything the field of politics could possibly produce. Let’s talk about the end of time.

First I need to explain what I mean when I say “the end of time.” The end-time is a reference to the time remaining before the Lord Jesus returns to remove the Christians out of the world, before the 7 year tribulation.

From the time Jesus ascended to heaven 2,000 years ago, every time something big happened like an earthquake, war, famine or meteor shower, people immediately started talking about the end of time.

Certainly these good people weren’t thinking Bible because if they were they’d know the end of time could not be that close until at least the year 1948, because that’s when Israel officially became a nation. Israel is God’s time-piece. As concerns the last days, nothing happens until it happens to Israel.

Once I heard a NBA player being interviewed. The interviewer asked him how he could keep up with the big tall players he had to compete against. He answered, “I watch their belly-button. They ain’t going nowhere till that belly-button moves.” You might say Israel is the belly-button on God’s prophetic time-clock. Jesus used the fig tree as analogous of Israel to describe how we could discern the time of His return. He told us when the fig-tree blossoms the end is near. Before 1948 there was no independent state of Israel.

Of utmost important in all things Israeli is that at the end-time, Israel will no longer be “trodden down of the Gentiles” but totally controlled by Jews. Since 400 B.C Israel has always been controlled by one Gentile superpower or another but on June 6th 1967, after a 6 day war, the Jews captured Jerusalem. I was privileged to visit Israel in April of that year, just a few weeks before the war.

This Jewish control of Jerusalem is important because of Jesus’ statement on the matter in Luke 21:24

---Jerusalem shall fall by the edge of the sword & shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

A new flag flew in 1948, the flag of the nation Israel but, in 1967 Jerusalem was no longer trodden down of the Gentiles. This set God’s clock ticking. A Global warning is out. Jesus Christ will soon appear & millions will be missing globally. Here are a few responses to the warning I’ve just given;

• JESUS IS NOT COMING SOON, --HE’ll NEVER COME.

This view is expressed in 2 Peter 3:3-6

—Knowing this first that there shall come in the last days scoffers walking after their own lusts, and saying where is the promise of His is coming? For since our fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

Others say:


• OH YES HE’S COMING --BUT NOT FOR A VERY LONG TIME.

This view is expressed in the following text;

But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My Lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite his fellow servants and to eat & drink with the drunken; the Lord of that servant shall come on a day when he looketh not for him & in an hour that he is not aware of…..Matt 24:48-50.


• HIS COMING IS NEAR AND WE MUST BE READY.

This attitude agrees with the next verse;

Watch therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour when the Son of man cometh.—Matt.24:13

All three of the above reactions were forecast in the Bible & many other prophetic signs are out warning of an event coming soon to this planet.

I’m not going to be so foolish as to set a date for Jesus’ return. I can’t say He’ll come a week from Tuesday, but He’s coming. We’ve already seen the sign of Israel becoming a nation, now here are some other signs of the end-time. Here are some of Christ’s personal promises;

Let not your heart be troubled, ye believe in God believe also in me. In my father’s house are many mansions. If it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you and if I go to prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am ye may be also. John 14:2-3

For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father, & with His holy angels, & then He shall reward every man according to his works. Matt.16:27

JESUS HAS A DATE WITH THE DEAD.

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout , with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive & remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 1 Thess.3:14-17

Following are more of the leading sings of Christ’s soon return;


1. FALSE TEACHING

A false doctrine or heresy isn’t something like Atheism or Darwinism. These are errors of a different kind & although dangerous, they don’t take church doctrine & adulterate it. As a matter of fact, though I doubt God ever gave man the power to be an atheist, at least these folk are honest & come right out & tell you what they are proposing. These ideological mistakes exist on their own & don’t try to fly in the same orbit as church doctrine does. They are false, but not false doctrines.

The word heresy means a major mistake of doctrine taught in the church. Not every mistake is a heresy, if it were everyone would be a heretic. Heresy is an error that overthrows the faith. Islam is a horrific set of beliefs but it’s not heresy because it’s not taught in the church.

The teachings that will & have already come that are dangerous are the ones taught in the name of Jesus Christ. Their teachers parallel the false prophets in Israel. When you’re hearing someone who’s finding something wrong with the authority of Scripture, the Divinity of Christ, the Fallen State of man, the Atonement, the Resurrection, the Judgment, Heaven & Hell, & in short rejecting all authority but their own, pick up your heels & run.

If a church Apostle called Paul couldn’t monkey with the message, no one else can either. Paul said, -That which I received of the Lord, I delivered to you.”

The gospel will make you feel good but most importantly the gospel is about the fact that 2,000 years ago in an upscale cemetery near Jerusalem a Dead Body got loose. This isn’t a feeling it’s a fact. Jesus who was dead,was raised after the third day.

Emotions are great & Christianity produces emotion but Christianity isn’t about feelings it’s about facts. Jesus is God & if anyone teaches God was with Him or we can best know God by observing Jesus but won’t come out & say Jesus co-existed from eternity with The father & Holy Ghost they’re false teachers. Rat poison is 95% wheat & 5% poison, if it were all poison the rats wouldn’t eat it.




2. WARS & RUMORS OF WAR.

And ye shall hear of wars & rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Matt. 24:6

The 20th century was known as the century of warfare. We had the big ones like WW1 & WW2 and the cold war. We also had the Korean War & the Gulf wars. At present we are hearing “rumors of wars” with Iran & N. Korea over their nuclear programs.

Ethnic unrest & tribal warfare has killed millions in this generation alone & it’s getting worse.

The Society of International Law says, “There have been only 268 years of peace in 4,000 years, in spite of 8,000 peace treaties. Since 3,600 B.C there have been over 14,531 wars with 3,640,000,000 killed.”

We are aware that our nation is presently at war with an enemy most of us never even considered until a few years ago. It’s obvious even to a casual observer that radical Islamic terrorism will be America’s sworn enemy until one is defeated or God Himself intervenes.


3. EARTHQUAKES

In the 13th century there were 84 worldwide earthquakes

In the 14th century there were 115

In the 15th century there were 137

In the 16th century there were 174

In the 17th century there were 258

In the 18th century there were 378

In the 19th century there were 640

In the 20th century there were 2119

In the year 2000 there were 22,256 total earthquakes detected. In 2004, there were 31,199. Of course many occurred in unpopulated areas & weren’t carried by news services, but the numbers are growing rapidly every year.

4. PESTILENCES:

Since the 1980’s the number of new diseases that have been discovered is incredible. We now have SARS-AIDS—Herpes---West Nile—new drug resistant TB—Mad Cow—new monkey pox virus with human to human transmission—and the H5N1—avian bird flu. Data shows that these pathogens have experienced a sharp upturn within the past 10 years. Increases are also reported for E.Coli 0157 food poisoning.

5. SIGNS IN THE SUN AND SPACE.

Our Sun has been on a rampage. Every 11 years or so we are told the Sun goes through cycles & produces numerous solar flares or storms. The past cycle has been the strangest & strongest ever recorded since solar activity has been studied. In fact the Sun has been getting brighter & hotter each year recently. This increased warmth is warming the entire planet & global warming is no longer speculation.

Al Gore notwithstanding, (And I didn’t see his “Inconvenient truth” movie) the hottest 14 years ever recorded occurred after 1980. The following news was just released; “Warmest September Globally since beginning of reliable Instruments: The United States experienced its fourth warmest September on record while global land surface temperatures were the warmest on record for the month, according to scientists at the NOAA national Climatic Center in Ashville, N.C. This trend is also reported globally.”

The big political issue is whether man is contributing to this warming by our release of industrial green house gases. I’m not an expert so I’ll leave that to those who are but in any event, the Sun is burning hotter.

6. SIGNS IN THE RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY.

Listen to 2 Timothy 3:1-4

As you read this, keep in mind that as Paul speaks of the end time he doesn’t mention bombs, pestilence, wars, or other signs outside the church. These 19 signs are signs within the ranks of believers.

This know also that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. Having a form of Godliness but denying the power thereof, from such turn away. -2 Timothy 3:1-4

7. MASSIVE HURRICANES & FREAK STORMS.

Does the Bible mention Hurricanes when it tells of signs of the Lord’s return? Jesus told the disciples, -And there shall be signs in the Sun, & in the Moon & in the Stars; & upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity: the sea & the waves roaring.” –Luke 21:25

Do you see the last 6 words: “the sea & the waves roaring?” That’s the exact effects of hurricanes. 2004 was said to have been the costliest hurricane season on record. That was true until the 2005 hurricane season. If you’ve visited New Orleans lately or maybe you read my recent blog, you know that Katrina hit that city with such devastating force that even the weather experts were shocked.

This doesn’t even take into account the severe tornado activity that has wreaked havoc recently on the unsuspecting, because of our inability to predict & pinpoint these monsters.

So what does all this mean? It means we are undoubtedly in the end-time & the countdown started in 1967. Jesus said the generation that sees these things won’t pass away before He returns.

How long is a generation in the Bible? Experts like Jack Van Impe say a Biblical generation is 52 years. If the end-time countdown started in 1967, when the Jews re-took Jerusalem, if you add 52 years to that date, that gives you the year 2019. Now if we subtract 7 years from 2019 (7 years being the length of the tribulation period) that gives us the date 2012.

Let me reiterate; nobody on earth knows exactly when Jesus will come. In Mark 13:32 Jesus said, --But of that day & that hour Knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the father.”

Question one:

What are we to do as we see the end-time approaching? If you’re not saved, the gift of eternal life is free if you will pray this simple prayer;

“God I know & confess that I’m a sinner needing your forgiveness, I believe that your Son Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins. I now accept & receive His pardon for my sins & invite Jesus into my heart. Forgive me Lord & save me.” If you prayed that simple prayer by the authority of God’s Word I welcome you into the kingdom of God. Praise God!

Question two:

What are Christians to do as we see the end-time approaching?

1. We are to attend worship services regularly.

…not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is: but exhorting one another: and so much more as ye see the day approaching. ---Hebrews 10:25

2. We should observe the Lords Supper with the rapture in mind.

For as oft as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show forth the Lords death till He come. ---1 Cor. 11:26

3. We are to love believers & all men.

And the lord make you to increase & abound in love one toward another, and toward all men… to the end He may stablish your hearts…at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.—1 Thess. 3:12, 13.

4. We are to be patient.

Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts; for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.—James 5:8


5. We are to live a separated life.

…we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself. ---1 Jn. 3:2, 3


6. We are to refrain from judging others.

Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness & will make manifest the councils of the hearts…. 1 Cor. 4:5


7. We are to get the gospel out.

I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick & the dead at His appearing & His kingdom, preach the Word.—2 Timothy 4:1, 2


8. We are to win souls.

And of some have compassion, making a difference; and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire. –Jude 21-23

9. We are to comfort the bereaved.

For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven….wherefore comfort one another with these words.—1 Thess. 4:16


10. We are to be concerned with spiritual matters.

Set you affections on things above, not on things on earth. For ye are dead & your life is hid with Christ in God.—Col.3:2-3


To close this article, let me add one thing. Though stormy weather is just ahead both in the natural & spiritual realms, there are no greater words of hope than the ones our Lord spoke in Luke 21:28;

And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh.


John