"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, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God." (II Timothy 3:1-4)
BEGINNING OF SORROWS
"For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet."
"For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." (Matthew 24:5-14)
Notice how all of these things, wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, pestilences, killing, hatred, and betrayal are very prevalent in the world today. However, these conditions have always existed with us and are not by themselves any indicator of the return of Christ on Earth. These conditions only represent the beginning of sorrows. Also notice how we see and hear so much today about things like atrology, psychic phenomena, spirit guides, reincarnation, channeling (communicating with spirits), witchcraft, ghosts and extraterrestrial or multi-dimensional beings. If God had wanted us to know about these things, the Bible would have told us so. The Bible does say (in Genesis 3) that Adam and Eve were warned (by God) not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (talking about Satan here - no mention of apples anywhere). We, as sinners, naturally seem to gravitate in that direction but the Bible also says in Ephesians 6:12 that "we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places". This verse also points out the fact that there are indeed wicked and evil spirits that we do wrestle against. These spirits are real and they are spiritual but they do not represent the light of God's perfect love. We, as people (flesh and blood) can be seduced by these spirits and "believe a lie" (2 Thessalonians 2:11) and unknowingly become acquainted with spirituality of an evil nature instead of that which is from God. So, whenever you hear discussions about "spirituality", be careful and use discernment. These spirits are real. They are spiritual but their purpose is to fool us into believing "a lie". This is where putting on the "armour of God" (Ephesians 6:11) really becomes important.
FALSE PROPHETS "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." (Matthew 7:15)
"And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them ." (Isaiah 8:19-20)
If any person should claim to communicate with spirits or possess any gift of prophesy or to have any knowlege which is inconsistent with the written word of God, you can be sure that their message is false. Also, notice that in the written word (The Holy Bible) there is no mention of any other prophets after the life of Jesus on Earth other than false prophets.
FALLING AWAY
"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first," (2 Thessalonians 2:3)
This falling away according to Strong's Concordance means "defection from truth - apostasy". Clearly, today this falling away can be seen by the number of people losing interest in the church and the number of churches allowing false doctrines into their teaching such as Easter which comes from the name Ishtar who was a Persian fertility queen. The eggs represent fertility and have nothing to do with the teaching of our lord Jesus Christ who died on the cross during Passover. Are you are learning traditions of man in the church or are you learning the true word of God, chapter by chapter and verse by verse and accurately translated from the original Greek and Hebrew text?
PARABLE OF THE FIG TREE
"Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors." (Matthew 24:32-33)
The Bible uses the fig tree in several places to represent the nation of Israel which was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. and was not recognized as a nation again until 1948. This is a very significant and important sign to believers today because this event is the signal that the time of his return is not far away.
SIGNS ON EARTH AND IN THE HEAVENS
"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken." (Luke 21:25-26)
Notice that there are changes occurring in the heavenly bodies which will dramatically affect the lives of all people on Earth during the period of tribulation. These changes will effect the oceans and the climate on Earth. Remember also what is written in Matthew 24:6 "be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass".
BREAKDOWN OF THE FAMILY
"The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law." (Luke 12:53)
Never before now has there been such disturbance and breakdown in the family structure. In the United States, one out of every two marriages today will tragically end in divorce.
"But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things." (Mark 13:23)
"For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." (Matthew 24:5-14)
This falling away according to Strong's Concordance means "defection from truth - apostasy". Clearly, today this falling away can be seen by the number of people losing interest in the church and the number of churches allowing false doctrines into their teaching such as Easter which comes from the name Ishtar who was a Persian fertility queen. The eggs represent fertility and have nothing to do with the teaching of our lord Jesus Christ who died on the cross during Passover. Are you are learning traditions of man in the church or are you learning the true word of God, chapter by chapter and verse by verse and accurately translated from the original Greek and Hebrew text?"Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors." (Matthew 24:32-33)
