Biblical prophecy about the end of humanity and the return of Jesus.
Dear community of @steemchurch! Today I want to reflect on the biblical prophecy about the end of humanity and the return of Jesus, since from time immemorial, men have tried to represent time and history. Most of the religions of antiquity postulated a cyclical history, that is, an endless series of events that repeat themselves in time. In these beliefs, the tribulations of societies on earth were eternal. Unlike their companions, the Hebrews were the first to propose a linear History in time, with a beginning and an end, having received this revelation from God.
Announced by the prophets of the Old Testament, the end of humanity and of the earth was specified by Jesus and his apostles:"At that moment, the heavens will pass through a clash, and the elements, burning, will dissolve, and the earth, with the works that are in it, will burn completely." "The anguish will be more terrible than all that has known from the beginning of the world until now ... Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will darken, the moon will not give its shine, the stars will fall from the sky and the powers from the heavens they will shake. "
As in the history of creation, the Bible does not describe mechanisms in a scientific way. We can not determine if the cause of the destruction of the Earth and their lives will be a shower of comets or meteorites ("the stars will fall from the sky"), or the result of an abnormal activity of the sun.
Still, the clock does not stop and we are nearing the end of our story, according to what the Bible says ...
If you do not focus on the "how", it tells us the "why". The prophecies announce that there is a link between the global catastrophe and our behavior, the events caused by God, in response to the evil that will be done on earth.
The Bible tells us that, far from suffering without a reason a catastrophe (or by the end of the sun), humanity itself will cause its demise. God warns us that evil will increase in our societies, to such an extent that it will be forced to put an end to it. Gangled by corruption, crimes and immorality in all its forms, people will suffer the punishment of God for not seeking respect, honesty, justice and love. The Bible warns us that evil on earth is like a mold in a box of fruit; it will eventually contaminate the whole planet, so that few people will do good: "The evil will spread to such an extent that the love of a large number of people will grow cold" (Gospel of Matthew c.24 c.12)
Within the biblical prophecies can be mentioned:
Wars, violence and anarchy.
You will see great wars, small wars, ethnic wars, wars of all kinds, growing violence and in eminent disorder, the world will be increasingly affected by anarchy.
The Gospel according to Matthew contains a prophecy of Jesus given to his disciples about the state of the world just before his second advent. "You will hear about wars and rumors of war: be careful not to be disturbed, for these things must come to pass, but the end will not yet be, a nation will rise against a nation, and a kingdom against a kingdom" (Matthew 24: 6-6). 7). Although humanity has always had wars for thousands of years, today we live in an era unprecedented in history, due to our potential for annihilation with weapons and the risk of conflict in the world.
Matthew 24:22 describes the situation of our high-tech era, with its weapons of mass destruction, frightening and terribly dangerous.
"And if these days did not shorten [this period of the world war that will use these new weapons], no one would be saved [it would be the extinction of the human race], but because of the elect [of the saints of God, repentant and obedient ], these days will be shortened.
Attentive brothers because the current world is full of war noises and rumors of war. If you consider yourself a follower of Jesus, then: "Watch and pray all the time, so that you may escape from all these things that will happen, and to stand before the Son of man" (Luke 21:36).
"Know that in the last days there will be difficult moments, because men will be selfish, friends of money, boasters, arrogant, blasphemers, rebels to their parents, ungrateful, irreligious, insensitive, disloyal, intemperate, cruel, enemies of good, traitors, swept, puffed up, pride, loving more pleasure than God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying what is strength "(2 Timothy 3: 1-5).
Droughts and famines.
Droughts and famines (lack of water and lack of food) will affect the earth as never before, and all things will go from bad to worse.
When there is a drought, there are also fires that start - fires in the fields and forest fires. So, there is always a risk of flooding when it rains again, because there is no more vegetation to retain the water in the areas devastated by the flames.
These disasters of drought, famine, fire and floods often go together. In Matthew 24: 7, Jesus predicts that there will be famines. Famines on a global scale will engender rivalries and a ruthless struggle among nations for food.
Most people do not understand that there is an Almighty God who controls time and sometimes uses this power to punish the nations that irritate him. King Solomon knew it. At the dedication of the Temple of God in Jerusalem, he was perfectly aware of the divine power: "When the heavens are closed and there is no rain, because of their sins [the sins of the people] against you" (1 Kings 8:35) . Can God punish an entire nation that mocks or ignores its moral and ethical standards? Yes of course ! "Because we know the one who told me revenge, revenge on me and again: the Lord will judge his people, it is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews 10: 30-31).
We must recognize that God controls time! He punishes his people when necessary. If our nations repented sincerely and returned to God, to observe their laws and live according to their ways, then all these plagues would have no place.
Earthquakes and other natural disasters
God has predicted an increase in earthquakes and other natural disasters.
"Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be famines and earthquakes in divers places" (Matthew 24: 7).
In Isaiah 29: 6, God says about Jerusalem, "This is the Lord of hosts who will be punished with thunder, earthquakes and with great noise, with whirlwind and tempest, and with the flame of devouring fire." And he declares: "I I do not change "(Malachi 3: 6) He punished ancient Jerusalem with earthquakes and hurricanes Today, He begins to punish modern Israel in the same way.
In recent years, scientists have better understood the immensity and power of fault systems, which testify to underground activity. But future earthquakes will not all be linked to natural phenomena, natural landslides and tensions in the earth's crust. Some will be provoked directly by God, as a sign of his power, to help people wake up. God will take care of the problems of men. The earthquakes mentioned by Jesus Christ, which will announce his return, will be unusual both in their location and in their incomparable magnitude.
Dear brothers, be attentive, because the intensification of earthquakes is a sign that Christ will return soon.
Epidemics.
The Bible reveals that future epidemics will be, in part, spread by wild animals (Revelation 6: 8). Some of the worst pests have been transmitted by animals, such as the bubonic plague. Bubonic plague is a naturally endemic problem among wild beasts in some areas. It is the diligence of society to maintain sanitary standards, which makes it possible to contain such problems at the margins of civilization.
People are aware that the interruption of a society, caused by a war or a natural disaster, always presents an epidemic threat. But these problems are only a slight foretaste of the terrible pandemics that will sweep the earth, as has been prophesied.
"I heard the voice of the fourth living being that said: Come, I looked, and behold, a green horse appeared, and the one who carried it up was called death, and hell was with him, power given to them in the fourth part. from the earth, to destroy men by the sword, by hunger, by mortality [epidemics], and by the wild beasts of the earth "(Revelation 6: 7-8).
... what happened next, when "the wrath of the LORD was kindled against Israel" after his disobedience (2 Samuel 24: 1)? "The LORD sent the plague to Israel from the morning until the appointed time, and from Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand people died ... (verses 15-16).
The Israelites of the Old Testament, who had accepted a relationship with the Almighty God, promised to live according to his word. They prayed in his name, and considered themselves the people of God. But the great God of the universe is not impressed by hypocrisy, with simple words of loyalty and love, he asks us to act with sincerity and honesty.
Our behavior must reflect our fidelity and total commitment to God. We must do it, or at least make great efforts to achieve it, in everything God asks of us, be it within our family, in sexual relationships, in professional matters and in all other fields of life.
The rise of an extremist and aggressive Islamic power.
The Bible predicts that it will rise in recent times, in North Africa or the Middle East, a charismatic personality that will unify, control and direct a powerful bloc of nations, in which Egypt will have a key role. .
"At the moment of the end, the king of the south will collide with him [a power located north of the king of the south], and the king of the north will come upon him like a storm, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships; the earth will spread like a torrent and overflow ... He will stretch out his hand over several lands, and the land of Egypt will not escape, he will make himself the owner of the treasures of gold and silver, and of all the precious things of Egypt, the Libyans and the Ethiopians will follow him [they will be on his feet, in his steps] "(Daniel 11: 40, 42-43).
A religious revival led by a powerful religious figure.
Another specific "end of time signal" that will announce the end of this current era of evil is the appearance of a great pagan religious leader, called in the Bible, the "false prophet" (Revelation 19:19). twenty-one).
This religious leader will have a great charisma and exert a great influence on a political power: the "beast" (Revelation 13, 17, 19). He will be the powerful and prophesied head of a militant church in Europe. This personal charisma, combined with a terrible power, will influence others and will have a great impact on the future of the nations of the Western world.
This false religious leader who will come, who, according to the prophecies, will mount the "beast" of the last times (the resurgence of a governmental system with characteristics similar to the old Holy Roman Empire, which was the combination of a Church and State) is described in Isaiah 47. "
"For all the nations have drunk wine from the fury of their debauchery, that the kings of the earth have pledged themselves to him in debauchery, and that the merchants of the earth are enriched by the power of their luxury" (Revelation 18: 3) ). It is a great commercial-political-religious system!
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God will be preached to all nations.
In Matthew 24: 3, the disciples asked him, "Tell us, when will this happen and what will be the sign of his coming and the end of the world?" As we have already seen, Jesus first warned them against false prophets, wars and war noises that lead to world war, famine, epidemics and earthquakes, and added: "All this will be only the beginning of the pains" (verse 8)."Then you will be set free to torment" (verse 9). The great tribulation to come will affect the Church as well as the nation of Israel. "And you will be dead, and you will be hated by all nations for the sake of my name." This verse is very important because it reveals that the true Church of God and his work will be known to all nations.
"But he who endures to the end will be saved" (verse 13). The end of what? The end of our physical existence as an individual, but this also applies to all who will live at the end of this age. Through this declaration, Jesus announces the end of the 6,000 years of human experience, under the influence of Satan the Devil, which will be announced at the Second Advent of Christ, as King of kings and Lord of lords.
All the nations of the earth, not just a few, will hear this message as "testimony," not for the purpose of converting them, but as a statement of God's future intentions.
When faith is once again a matter of life or death.
Prepare for the persecution of Christians and the Church of God that keeps His commandments (Revelation 12:17; 14:12).
Jesus said, "Then you will be delivered to torments, and you will be killed" (Matthew 24: 9). He speaks here of his people, of his true disciples. The apostle John tested the Church (and all who read the Bible) to differentiate true faithful Christians from those who claim to be Christians. "If we keep His commandments, we know that we have known Him." He who says, "I knew him and did not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him" (1 John 2: 3-4).
Jesus prophesied that the world would be filled with religious confusion at the end of time. "Many false prophets will arise and deceive many" (Matthew 24:11).
This society that surrounds us is increasingly hostile to the people of God and to the moral standards for which they live! The elites of politics, business, the media, culture and religion will feel condemned by the true Church of God, which will refuse to commit to the divine law. The Church of God will be politically incorrect. And the world will feel guilty.
Fortunately, there is good news that accompanies the end of the world: The return of Jesus.
The terrifying perspective of the end of humanity announced by the Bible is, as always, compensated by the good news, by the love that God has for us. Those who refuse to succumb to evil and entrust their lives to God will be saved from the cataclysm. Currently in heaven, Jesus will return to earth a second time, to come and seek and save them:
"I will prepare a place for you, and when I am gone, and I have prepared a place for you, I will come back and take you with me, so that where you are you are also there." (Gospel of John, chapter 2-3)
"Then all the peoples of the earth will lament, they will see the Son of Man (Jesus) come on the clouds of heaven with great power and glory." The great trumpet will sound and send his angels to the four corners of the earth: they will gather those who have chosen from one end of the world to another "(Gospel of Matthew c.24 v.30-31)
The earth and evil men will be destroyed, but those who will be saved by Jesus will join all believers already dead, waiting in heaven. Then for them, God will create a new earth, free of evil, suffering and death, where love will finally reign:
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, the first heaven and the first earth were gone, and there was no more sea ... Now the dwelling of God is among men! He will remain with them and they will be his people God himself will be with them, he will be their God, he will wipe every tear from their eyes, there will be no death, there will be no more mourning, no sorrow, no pain, in fact, the old things will have disappeared "(book of the apocalypse of John , chapter 21 v.1-4)
The apocalypse is synonymous with hope and joy for the believers, because they will be saved and will be able to live in a new world, even if they know that in the meantime, evil will grow.
The Bible says that after the death of all men, all human beings will pass before God and will have to render an account of the good and evil they have done during their time on earth. On that day, everyone, including the believer, will see clearly the actions he has committed and will not be able to hide from himself or from others the real motivations of his actions. This is called the final judgment:
"And I saw a great white throne, and Him who sat on it (God) ... I also saw the dead, great and small, standing before God, and the books were opened." Another book was opened, the book of life, and the dead were judged according to their works, according to what was written in the books "(Revelation 20: 11-12)
Some will be condemned to hell, others will see open the doors of paradise. God will judge in an equitable way, so that "judgment may be according to righteousness, and all whose hearts are righteous shall approve it" (Psalm 94:15).
In his love, God gave men a way to be sure of being part of the elect. In fact, God's salvation is freely offered to all who recognize forgiveness in Jesus Christ.
Faith in Jesus is, in a way, the entry ticket for eternity, reserved here below.
Those who welcome Jesus into their hearts are 100% sure of going to heaven after their death, because the Spirit of God comes to testify to them internally: "You too, when you have heard the message of truth, the New Good that brought you salvation, you believed in Christ, then God has put his personal mark on you, giving you the promised Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit guarantees us the goods that God has reserved for his people, He assures us that we will possess them when our liberation is complete "(The Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians, chapter 1, v.13-14)
This salvation is obtained by faith in Jesus Christ. It has nothing to do with the lottery, or with trying to earn your eternity by doing "good things".
You have taken much of my time because of this long publication Nashilda hahaha. However it is important to see before us the biblical prophecies fulfilled. Jesus is coming and no one will stop him.
Wow! Great post Sister @nashilda17