Tag: atheism

Is the End of Time near?

Began Questioning. In 2020 this question came to my thoughts for the first time ever. I don’t remember thinking about this before or having any reason to think about this, but 2020 events stood out to me. In 2019 I read the bible for the first time (front to back) so I was familiar with the bible and knew this question was covered in several Old Testament Books (covering the time period of approximately 1900 BC until Jesus was born) and New Testament Books (the story of Jesus and his followers covering the time period up to approximately 95 AD). The entire Bible covers events for approximately 2,000 years in total time.

Researching. I read the relevant scripture in the Bible, found Bible studies on this and listened to several people who have dedicated their “ministry” to learning and understanding the prophecies from a biblical perspective, a few having done this for 40 plus years, not from someone of today’s “dreams or visions,” but what does the Bible say about it? Yes, some people, many people in fact, add their opinions, it’s hard not to do that in order to explain one’s understanding of what they read. So I’ve seen and heard various versions of opinions about the “signs” and whether the end is near and at the beginning 2020, some Christians were skeptical while other Christians were saying there is very little doubt that we are living in the end times.

Various Viewpoints. In 2013, the Washington Times published an article, survey stating that approximately 41% of people they surveyed thought we were living in the end times: 54% Protestants, 77% Evangelicals and 27% Catholics (but the percentage of Catholics grew for the “practicing” Catholics, it went up to 45%) who believed we were living in the end times. What I found interesting is that I did not find a more recent article (from a neutral source- non-religious) than 2013 about this topic. I’m surprised! The exact opposite is true for people of faith who are close to scripture (and I am referring to many faiths, not just Christians): The Jewish are preparing for the coming Messiah, the Muslims are preparing for the Mahdi and coming Messiah and the Christians are preparing for the return of Jesus.

Going to my Source for truth: the Bible. So what does the Bible tell us about the signs? I view the Bible as truth, so unless it’s written in the Bible, it’s an opinion to me. Based on the Bible, the “end times” have been approaching, at a slow rate though, since the days following Jesus’ death and resurrection, so that means we’ve been in this process for a long period. However, the signs appear to be increasing rapidly. When I first wondered in 2020 if the end was truly approaching, I was skeptical too, but equally concerned, enough to motivate me to look into it and I’ve seen nothing but affirmation since then. I tell people if nothing happens by 2023 and things go back to “normal” maybe I’ll change my mind that this is further away than I anticipate, but unless or until there is a significant change from the real events that are happening, I can’t prove otherwise and I believe we are rapidly getting closer to Jesus’ return. Unless there are significant changes in events, I believe this could happen in my lifetime, which is something I never thought I would say. I’ll list the signs and provide the links to scripture:

  • The Second Temple was destroyed in 70 AD (about 40 years after Jesus’ death on the cross)
  • Many will claim to be the Messiah following Jesus (as well as False Prophets): a good way to know if it is the Messiah is if the return is witnessed out of the clouds, not any other way. So anyone who claims to be the Messiah, even if they perform miracles, they are fake unless they arrive out of the clouds and are witnessed by everyone. (That’s a pretty challenging feat, so it should be very easy to know if someone claims to be the Messiah, but Jesus warned that even believers may be deceived, because there will be one who arrives who will be charming and deceptive and convince many.) I’m sure if we searched, we’d find people who had mental issues that made this claim. Besides people claiming to be “the Messiah” there are also “false prophets” which is another reason people need to know what is written in the Bible, look at how many people were destroyed because they believed a person who distorted the truth from the bible in a convincing way such as in Waco Texas 1993, and Charles Manson was another one. These evil cult leaders distorted biblical truths and convinced others.
  • Wars and Rumors of Wars. (This will continue until Jesus returns, the bible tells us we will not have global peace until Jesus rules, after his return. So all of this working hard to reach global peace is futile, we understand this if we look in the bible for truth.)’
  • Famines. (This has also been continuous throughout history and documented in the Bible, so this alone doesn’t necessarily mean the end is near.)
  • Earthquakes. Again they have been occurring throughout history, but something interesting that I discovered is that they have been increasing in numbers of earthquakes over the years. I read an article that stated they were not reporting on this because too many people were getting concerned about this trend.
  • The Gospel will be preached to the whole world. With the ability of the Internet, the Gospel has the ability to circulate to most of the world. Many Christians feel this is their obligation: to share the Gospel (the story of Jesus and the ability for those who want to be “saved” to be saved). Jesus did tell his followers to go and share the “good news” which they did and it continues today through Christians. There is also a verse in Revelation 14:6 that tells us that in the very end, there will be an angel proclaimed to every nation, tribe, language and people, just before judgement. But if you read Revelation, the circumstances at this time are not ones most of us would want to experience. Becoming saved at the end is possible, but not likely due to the impact of evil that will surge. But God does give EVERYONE one last chance.
  • The AntiChrist is revealed. This was first told in the book of Daniel foretold by God’s messenger, the angel Gabriel and Jesus affirms this will happen in the book of Matthew. The Anti-Christ is revealed when he tells the world he is God from the temple (as written in the book of Daniel and by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:4. The third temple is not built yet, but the Jewish community has plans ready, interior furnishings ready and are waiting for the permission to build it.
  • The Great Tribulation. There will be tough times, greater than have ever been on earth before, but God cuts the time short for this so that all people do not perish (I think the bible means perish eternally, not in a physical sense) The longer this horrible time continues, the more than likely the more people will turn away from God when they are being tested. This repeatedly occurs in the bible: when people are tested they either seek God more or turn away from him. There are many stories in the bible of this. Jesus warned us, when this happens, if we are present, we need to persevere with the knowledge he gave us about this, don’t loose faith.
  • More False Prophets will deceive people during this time. Jesus foretold this.
  • The sun, moon will be darkened and the stars will fall from the sky: Immediately after these signs listed above happen, there will be noticeable “events” in the sky.
  • Jesus returns “arriving on the clouds”
  • The elect will be gathered: this is what people call “the Rapture”- here is a link to more about the Rapture.
  • These are the signs, as told by Jesus that we can look for to know if the End is near. As you can see there are several events that must occur before the end happens. The book of Revelation, as well as other prophets share several events that support this too and I may write about them in a future post, but trust me, or better yet, discover for yourself: none of this should come as a surprise; we were warned in scripture, in advance:

The Lesson of the Fig Tree
(Mark 13:28–31; Luke 21:29–33)

32Now learn this lessone from the fig tree: As soon as its branches become tender and sprout leaves, you know that summer is near. 33So also, when you see all these things, you will know that He is near,f right at the door. 34Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened. 35Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.

  • Jesus also told his companions, the disciples, that the end would happen as a surprise to many (those who are not familiar with scripture), there will be some still living the carefree life (but this doesn’t mean they won’t be affected; it will be devastating for them; they will perish). Matthew 24: 36- 51
  • Jesus also warned his companions that people need to prepare, this shouldn’t be dismissed, we have a window of opportunity to get ourselves prepared (acknowledge our ways that need to be changed to live a life God “approves”, make a commitment to change, ask Jesus for help changing and let God know that you’ve made that decision, stick with that decision- don’t fall away), but if we don’t, we face destruction. That window of opportunity is which ever comes first: our physical death or when Jesus returns. Matthew 25: 1-13
  • Jesus wants his followers, the believers to share the Way with other people, not to hoard what they know or keep it a secret, it needs to be shared so others benefit from this amazing gift, treasure: eternity that Jesus told people about. Matthew 25:14-28
  • Judgement will happen following Jesus’ return. Matthew 25:31-46.

All of this above is the signs leading up to and the events that were told by Jesus. We are in the End Times, and we should remain watchful for the future signs, but most importantly we should be prepared and help others to prepare.

by Categories: Face Fear, FAITH, God, Improvement, Letting Go, Love, Make It Count, priorities, RELATIONSHIPSTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Churches, Christians, Depression & the Truth

Ever think some events happen for a reason? Several months ago, maybe a year ago, I came across someone through social media who challenged my belief in God and the Bible. Having read the Bible for the first time a year ago, I’m obviously not a biblical scholar, but I knew of resources with scripture that could “prove” the Bible is truth, outside simple logic (from understanding the purpose of the Bible). That person believed the Bible was created for manipulating and controlling a population (which doesn’t make sense because if that was the purpose, then there wouldn’t have been killings of Believers in the Bible). This person rejected what I sent because the person wasn’t open to exploring and understanding the Bible (being spiritually blind is talked about in the Bible), but their mind was so strongly convinced of this mis-information, it puzzled me. Their belief was SO strong against the Bible, it didn’t make sense to continue the conversation for very long, Faith is a choice: believe or don’t believe, but there are consequences for either choice.

From the Church to Atheism

It turned out this person had multiple negative experiences in their church, so they left the church and things weren’t going well in their life, but since they left the church they said “life is so much easier.” (This makes sense too when you understand spiritual warfare). When I first came across this person, they were promoting atheism after formerly being in some kind of a church. Finding that out was very sad to me because I know the truth found in the Bible (and if they would only consider it, it would BENEFIT them), but they had so much resistance due to their experience, they weren’t open to even viewing those resources. They didn’t believe what was written in the Bible. I see that with many people lately: strong resistance to biblical information and truth. (Is this part of spiritual warfare?)

Lack of Trust

The unfortunate reason many give is “a church experience” which I completely understand, having had that experience myself. Most often the reason given involves lack of trust. Lack of trust is what holds people back from numerous experiences in life, for good reasons too: based on experiences, but it’s not good when it holds people back from something GOOD. That needs to change. This is one of the reasons why I believe it is so important to read the bible individually. Each of us needs to know what’s in the bible so that we are not misled by anyone distorting the information in the Bible. Reading the Bible isn’t a quick read, so if you hear someone say something, look it up, read the entire chapter or the book if necessary so it’s not taken out of context, that way you’ll eventually get through some of the Bible, a little at a time. A little is better than none.

Christians

Christians also turn people away if there is a negative interaction. I’ve seen this first hand from both sides too! Meaning I’ve been just as bad as a Christian of not having a good interaction with those closest to me. So I’d like to explain what happened in my experiences. BEING PURSUED: A person who has never read the Bible may not fully understand a scripture quote, so the scripture doesn’t seem relevant to that person, there is more needed context in the Bible before the quote is clearly understood. (That was my experience) Or maybe the person simply has no interest because they don’t understand the Bible’s purpose, so they are not ready to hear it? Or they are afraid there are too many rules they may need to abide by (I think this is many people) PURSUING: From a “newly” Christian’s perspective, when I found out the purpose of the Bible, I especially wanted to tell those closest to me, and I felt an urgency too. I’ve finally realized I have this internal drive to “protect” people. Most ‘person to person” contact about Christianity isn’t from a selfish, self-serving or self-centered motivation, it is because the person truly cares about the other person, but needs to learn a more successful way of communicating.

Depression/Anxiety

This is something I haven’t seen very often mentioned, but something people should know. Depression, anxiety or sadness can bring us to God, but it can also separate us from God. Often when we seek God, it’s a response to something bad that’s happened in our lives. We look to God to “fix it” for us, as the last resource. In reality, God should be our first resource, but initially He is often the last resource in a time of hardship. Reaching out to God (through prayer) is the best solution because He certainly has the ability to “fix” it for us. But we have to remember: He’s not a “vending machine” or a “genie” there to “grant our wishes” either. He wants a relationship with us first and foremost. Think about how we feel when someone just wants to take from us but never wants to give, it makes sense when looking at it from that perspective, doesn’t it? Depression/Anxiety/Sadness can also separate us from God if we are angry with everyone and God. Identifying the underlying source of the anxiety is the most important part in dealing with it. (see image)

Based on my personal experience, I thought if I simply surrendered to God everything would get better, but it didn’t, it started getting worse. I didn’t consider, or know about, the underlying sources of anxiety when it happened unfortunately or I could have dealt with it much more quickly. Little by little parts of this information was revealed as I was studying/reading the Bible. Ironically, my first start to reading the Bible, I opened the Bible to a random page and decided I would start there. It was the book of Job- and it explained a little bit about the spiritual warfare. What better time is it for something evil to “hit” a person then when the person is first surrendering to Jesus, right? That could easily turn a person away from God. The book of Job is good in understanding this because it showed these bad things can be a “test” of faith. Also the Bible often tells us there is a battle for our minds, so negative thoughts, fears, anger, sin, depression can be present to try to separate us from God. Please understand this so if it happens to you reject those “attacks” and pray to God to overcome them.

The Truth

Each of us was created by God, out of love. No person is accidently created; God is the Giver of Life and intentional in giving life to a person. God wants us to seek Him and communicate with Him through prayers, building a relationship. Once we have a relationship with God, He also wants us to help others. God has a purpose for each person He creates, each of us is valuable to God, it may take us awhile to figure out our purpose, but that’s just part of the growth process. The Bible is a resource, a guidebook for life, with the “secret” to eternal life for those who read it and take action. Eternity is not just about life, it can also be eternal pain, if we don’t choose to have a relationship with God. The Bible reveals some aspects of the spiritual realm. It contains thousands of prophecies that happened already, but also has prophecies regarding the future. A “Believer” is more than someone who simply believes Jesus, the Son of God existed, died for us, rose from the dead and ascended to Heaven after His physical death so that we could have eternal life with God. “Believer” means someone who understands that and out of immense gratitude decides to live in a godly way, choosing Jesus as the role model of how to live. The Bible is a resource showing us how Jesus lived and what He taught. The Bible is wisdom and essential for every single person.

by Categories: Face Fear, FAITH, FAMILY, FRIENDSHIP, God, HAPPINESS, Improvement, Love, Make It Count, priorities, RELATIONSHIPS, WellnessTags: , , , , , , Leave a comment