All posts tagged: End time

It’s the End of the World!

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My wife says the world is going to end soon. She expects the second coming of Christ in the next few years, certainly around the mid-century mark at the latest. And she’s not alone. One friend, who was over yesterday, thinks it is a matter of a few years or perhaps only months. A couple who ministers in our area feel it is imminent. They are warning people to prepare themselves for the return of Jesus. As for myself, I don’t really know. There are certain ways to view the prophecies of Daniel, a book in the Old Testament, that would indicate their view is pretty accurate. No matter when he comes, there are three things we need to know about the end of the world. THE FIRST THING is, no one really knows the hour or the day of his second coming. The Bible says we can know the season, though, and that is what my wife and our friends are talking about. So, if you see a sign that says Jesus is coming …

Desert in Qatar Credit: Sam Agnew/Flickr/Creative Commons

Apocalypse 2: Really, It’s their Fault

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Have you ever thought about the future of war? The experts predict future combat that will be much worse than anything we have seen before. RELATED: Future war will result in destruction ‘beyond our comprehension’, says US General The Bible has been saying the same thing for thousands of years. Human beings have always been good at self destruction. We think we will succeed by conquering and stealing from the neighbors, and we always bring down destruction, in the end. The Christian Bible ends with the book of Revelation. Most people know about images from the book, but most people do not know the book. For example, if I mentioned the Antichrist, or the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, people everywhere would have some cultural knowledge, but it’s hard to find even a committed Christian who has read the whole book. Let’s change that. Revelation is one narrative, a story that progresses from a beginning to an end, and it is useful for us to read the whole big picture. Those images that we all …

Storm near Parana, Argentina Credit: Emilio Kuffer/Flickr/Creative Commons

Is the end really nigh?

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On Sunday I went to a picnic-barbecue for a place where I work. The afternoon was beautiful, and we sat around talking about things, like old friends. We agreed that we would not talk about work, and the made the time almost perfect. One friend spoiled the happy mood by saying “I think the apocalypse is going to happen soon.” I don’t think he’s a Christian, but he drives long distances with a truck, and he visits a lot of places. His summary is simple, we can’t continue like this. He was just saying what he feels, and he spoke sincerely. My friend was watching people and nature, and sometimes I think the whole world is one big argument. People are divided. Nations like Turkey, India, Brazil, and Argentina are struggling with debt and economic collapse. Apparently, the Yellowstone Caldera, a super volcano, is larger and more ready to erupt than we thought, and there are other super volcanoes. We had so much smoke last week from forest fires in the west, that we called …

Column of smoke associated with volcanic erutpion on Iceland in 2010: Credit: Arni Frioriksson/Wikipedia

The prophet Joel warned of columns of smoke

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In the prophet Joel’s vision of the end times, he saw columns of smoke towering into the sky. “I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire and columns of smoke. 31 “The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood Before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. (Joel 2:30-31 NASV) Though some have interpreted this as a reference to catastrophic events being brought on by such things as earthquakes. Others are not so sure. They suggest the columns that Joel saw are more likely volcanic eruptions that are often characterized by large columns of smoke pouring into the sky. This resulting smoke can be so severe, it can even disrupt air traffic as the ash can damage jet engines. The 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland resulted in the cancellation of 95,000 air flights across Europe, stranding millions of people. Read more: Air travel disruption after the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption If the smoke is severe enough, it can also darken skies and this was noted …

Ahvaz, Iran Credit: HOSSEIN MTP/Wikipedia/Creative Commons

129F (53.7C) — setting a heat record in Iran

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I may have to eat my words, a quaint way of saying I was wrong. In a post a few months back, I was talking about some hot weather the earth experienced this past June, when locations in both the US and England were experiencing near record temperatures. I found it interesting because in the Book of Revelation, the Apostle John saw extreme heat as one of the judgments that God would pour in the earth in the end times: The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to it to scorch men with fire. 9 Men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory. (Revelation 16:8-9 NASV) In my earlier post, Turning up the Heat, I noted that though it was extremely hot in these areas of the world in June, they were not temperatures records and because of that I stated: “I do not believe the …

credit: david/Flickr/Creative Commons

The last generation?

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Jesus made a statement about the end times that for decades has puzzled those studying eschatology. In his discussion of the signs leading to His second coming,  Jesus said: 32 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; 33 so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. 34 Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. (Matthew 24:34 NASV) Most understood this to mean, that when the various end-time signs cited in this passage started to take place, Jesus’ return will occur within that generation. Because they consider the fig tree as symbolic of Israel, the 1948 restoration of Israel as a nation is a key end-times marker. So what was a generation? Many believed that a generation was 40 years and adding that to 1948 meant Jesus would return sometime before 1988. And during the lead up to that date, …

Credit: kaushik panchal/Flickr/Creative Commons

666 and all that

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I was stopped by the police the other day. This was the second time in my life, so I was surprised. The officer explained that my driver’s license had expired on my birthday. I thought I had until the end of the month, but I didn’t. He let me off with a warning and I fixed the problem at a registry, right away. A few years ago I saw a car in a handicapped parking stall outside a Halal meat store. I told the female driver about the problem and she basically went ballistic. I thought this new immigrant needed some direction, but she thought I needed something from her. I just walked away. We all know about refugees and migrants who are crossing borders to find a better life in a wealthy country. There are stories now about people walking across the border from Minnesota to Manitoba, the U.S.A. to Canada, in the winter. I appreciate Winnipeg, one of my sons is there and he is doing well, but walking to Winnipeg, in the …

The Dead Sea Photo: Daniel Godwin/Flickr/Creative Commons

Is Ezekiel’s prophecy about the Dead Sea coming to life?

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Español : ¿Está cobrando vida la profecía de Ezequiel sobre el Mar Muerto? At 429 meters below sea level, the Dead Sea is the lowest land spot on earth. And as its name suggests due to its salt density (nearly 10 times denser than the ocean), nothing is able to live in the water. This includes fish and other aquatic life. It doesn’t even have plant life along its shore because of the layers of salt. The sea which is 50 kms long borders Israel, Palestine and Jordan. It is a popular Mediterranean tourist destination, and due to the water’s density, people float more than swim in its water. Because of its high mineral concentrations, many believe its water and mud have medicinal qualities. Apparently, even King Herod the Great had a health spa of sorts along its shores. The Bible talks about the Dead Sea a few times. The first is found in Genesis 14:3. But perhaps one of the stranger mentions is an end-time prophecy by Ezekiel that one day the Dead Sea …

Drug-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) bacteria. Photo: National Institute of Health (Wikipedia/Flickr/Creative Commons)

None of these diseases

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There was a curious discovery in the guts of nine Inca mummies dug out of the mountains of Chile. Tasha Santiago-Rodriguez, who works with California Polytechnic State University (CPSU), said initially her group was “very surprised” by what they found. In the stomachs of the ancient mummies dated between the 10th and 18th century, they discovered antibody-resistant bacteria. Drug-resistant bacteria is becoming an increasing concern in the 21st century. It involves disease-causing bacteria with a natural immunity to modern antibodies that doctors have traditionally used to fight them. A number of these drug-resistant bacteria recently showed up in Europe, Asia and the US. Without drugs to beat this bacteria back, human populations will become increasingly vulnerable. As these super-bugs started appearing, there have been repeated references in the media on how these bacteria have mutated building up a resistance to our modern drugs. It leaves the impression we are witnessing evolution in action. However, the recent discovery of bacteria with resistance to modern drugs like tetracycline,  penicillin and vancomycin in the guts of ancient Incas sets …

Who are the nations?

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Throughout the Bible, we see references to kingdoms and nations and it is important that we understand the difference between the two words, because much of the conflict in the world is based on this difference. The first time we find both these words used is in Genesis 10. In a previous article, I talked about the rise of Nimrod, (Genesis 10:8-10) who was Satan’s first attempt to set up a one-world government on earth. “And the beginning of his [Nimrod’s] kingdom was Babel and Errech and Accad and Caineh, in the land of Shinar” (Genesis 10:10 NASV). The Hebrew word for Kingdom (mamlakah) is derived from the Hebrew word for king “malak.” Kingdom refers to a country controlled by a king or one sovereign power. It is an external, largely political control. Under Nimrod’s influence, they built the Tower of Babel. At this point, the descendants of Noah had one language (Genesis 11:1.) In response to what was happening, God instituted languages that divided the people — along family lines — into nations (Hebrew …

Shocking number of Americans believe we have entered the end times

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In July 2013,  James F. Fitzgerald, author of The 9/11 Prophecy — Startling Evidence of the End Times, commissioned a poll to find out if Americans believe the world has entered the end times. Fitzgerald said he was stunned by the results. According to the poll conducted by the Barna Group, 41% of Americans believe we have entered what Bible teachers have popularized as the “end times” and what the Bible describes as as the “Latter Days” (Hosea 3:5) or the “Day of the Lord” (Ezekiel 30:3). This percentage included the views of all Americans — religious and not.