Are these End Times ??

End Times

Most people say that the end times are all to do with Jesus returning. Well, yes, they are, and no, they’re not. Actually, there’s more to it than that. The end times, as a subject, has two main facets. One – what is happening in the world. Two – what is happening in the Church. I would like to very briefly outline these for you so that you may be aware of present day events and their possible significance for us as Christians. What is happening in the world should be showing us what should be happening in the Church – so that’s where I will start.

One – what is happening in the world.

Jesus said, in Matthew 16:1-3 (The Demand for a Sign) “The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. He replied, “When evening comes, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.”

Apparently, interpreting the signs of the times has always been a problem because, even today, we are still having a problem doing so. In my opinion, one of the reasons for this is that we only look at the world or we only look at the church when, in fact, we need to be looking at both. What is happening in the world is only half the story as what is happening in the Church is just as important. Neither is more important than the other as they are of equal importance.

Biblically, I believe that every prophecy about end times has happened except the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem, and the plans are now very well advanced for that. Prophecies about the state of the world have already happened, or are already happening. Prophecies about Israel have happened or are unfolding today. Armageddon is already in view, and the armies of Israel’s enemies are virtually on a war footing. Everything escatalogically is pointing to the return of Christ.

So what about the other pointer - What is happening in the Church?

The Church today has never been under such attack is it is at the moment. There have been more Christian martyrs in the past 20 years than in any other time in history. Never before has so much emphasis been upon the separation of church and state. Never before have other religions, specifically Islam, been so dominant and so aggressive in their attitude to Christianity.

Even the church itself seems to be dividing against itself. In some places, the Gospel is almost never preached any more. All sorts of ‘ear tickling’ messages are being preached instead of the Gospel. Christianity today is more of a business than a faith. Precisely when the world needs a message of hope, so the Church seems to be failing to bring one. The Bible says there will be a great falling away, meaning the church will divide between those who follow false doctrines and those who keep following the Lord’s teaching. To me this is epitomised by prosperity teaching, replacement theology, and Chrislam – my opinion only.

Whichever way you look at it, we appear to be deep into the end times spoken of in Joel 2 and in particular, verses 28-32 are true today - “In those days, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls.”

However - Truly, it is not all doom and gloom – not by a long way. Despite the dubious doctrines, despite the oppression, and despite the persecution, the Church is growing faster today than at any time in its history. It is only in the Western world that Christianity is still diminishing. Yet many Church programs, of late, have taken on an urgency for the lost, and urgency for the poor, and an urgency for seeing the Holy Spirit move in signs and wonders. There is a growing sense of reaching the community with Christ’s love and of demonstrating our faith rather than just preaching it. There is a growing excitement in many of our churches right now and a growing urgency to seek the Lord for these times.

Let God’s people take heart, for God is still in control of all things and, if I am half the prophet I am supposed to be, I have to write this to warn all of you, yet still encourage you, for what lies ahead.