B-09: CONCLUSION & A WARNING

The Bible says God created the universe.  (Logic and wisdom agree.)  It says He did it in six days, approximately 6,000 years ago.  (Physical science, physics, astronomy, geology, archaeology, and nature agree.)  It says humans are the ultimate part of His physical creation and He gave us dominion over the earth.  (Language, knowledge, education, technology, creativity, and construction agree.)  It says the reason He created us was to love us.  (The establishment of the family, the knowledge of morality, and the beauty of creation agree.)  It says even though the original two people were created good, they rebelled against God, thus, the human race became evil.  (History and current events agree.)  It says that at one point, the human race became so evil that God destroyed it with a world wide flood.  (Geology and paleontology agree.)  It says this judgment occurred around 4,000 years ago and killed all except for eight people.  (The earth’s population and growth rate agree.)  It says that today the majority of the human race is still in rebellion against Him.  (The wide spread acceptance of the Theory of Evolution agrees.)  It says we have all descended from the original two people, have all been born with a rebellious nature, and have all sinned against God.  (Our memory, thoughts, speech, and actions agree.)  It says because of our sin, we have been separated from God.  (Experience agrees.)  It says God still loves us and wants to forgive us. (Restrained judgment agrees.)  It says that to be able to forgive us, He stepped into our world and suffered physical death–taking upon Himself the justly required punishment for our sins.  (History agrees.)  It says that if we repent of our sins–turn away from our rebellion in favor of His authority–and trust exclusively and completely in His death for our forgiveness, we will spend all of eternity in heaven.  If we don’t, we will spend all of eternity in hell.  (You have to take this one on faith.)  It says that He–the One who created heaven and earth–is the only way to get to heaven from earth.  (Logic agrees.)  It says He is now calling us to salvation.  (Your activity at this moment agrees.)  

The Bible also says that time is running out to accept God’s offer of forgiveness, for the next world-wide judgment is about to occur.  In addition to the Bible being in total agreement with history, nature, the sciences, and the realities of daily experience, it also agrees with future headlines.  It is filled with 100% accurate prophesies, proving in yet another way that it truly is the Word of God.  Many of these prophesies have already been fulfilled, while many more are yet to come.  The most significant ones for our day concern the removal of all Christians from the earth (in an event which people commonly refer to as the “rapture”), followed by seven years of the most horrible judgment the world ever has or ever will experience (worse than the flood).  This time is referred to in the book of Revelation as the “tribulation.”  

The Bible says that during this “tribulation,” as during the flood, almost all of the people and animals on earth will die.  This time, however, judgment is going to take an entirely different form.  While the flood was a single event brought about by an exclusive act of God, the tribulation will be a series of events brought about by the providence of God.  The Lord has at many times throughout history used evil people to punish evil people.  During the tribulation, this form of judgment, combined with simply allowing the fallen nature of humanity and the world to take its course, is going to result in much of the destruction.  There will be famines, plagues, earthquakes, and violent killing everywhere.  Animals will even take part in the slaughter.  There will be wars (some of them possibly nuclear), with what will most likely be World War III, resulting in the death of a third of humanity.  There will be hail and fire which will destroy a third of the earth’s vegetation, and what may be a giant meteorite which will destroy a third of everything in the ocean, both ships and sea life.  (It is described as   “something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, being thrown into the sea.”    Revelation 8:8.)  Later during the tribulation, everything in the sea will die.  People will be scorched by the sun, suffer excruciatingly painful sores, and be tortured by demons for a period of five months.  During this period of demonic torture, people will seek to die but will not be able to.  At the very end, just before all of life on earth is about to be destroyed, Jesus will come back to stop it.  At the moment of His return, He will end all the fighting and remove the rest of the evil.  He is going to put to death–instantly, by an act of His will–every person left who has rejected Him.  He will then throw Satan into a spiritual prison for a thousand years.  He will then begin to heal the people who have accepted Him during the tribulation (and survived) and start a thousand year reign as King of the earth, physically ruling from Jerusalem.  All of us who have faithfully served Him in our earthly lives will help Him rule during this thousand years (in glorified bodies as Jesus had when He rose from the grave). 

The Bible also tells of certain signs (events) which will be occurring shortly before the “rapture” and the beginning of this time of judgment, so that we would know when the time was short.  God has graciously given us this warning, so we will get busy trying to encourage people to accept salvation, or receive it ourselves if we haven’t already.  These signs will be like the birth pains a woman experiences before giving birth: They will increase in both strength and frequency and then the “great event” will occur.  As you read through the following prophetic verses and the accompanying list of current events, see how close to rapture and judgment you think we are.  

Prophetic Scripture:

. . . what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”   Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.  For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.  You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed.  Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.  Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.  All these are the beginning of birth pains.  Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. . . And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:3 9,14

The word “nation” in this passage is translated from the Greek word “ethnos,” which is related to the word “ethnic.”  “Nation shall rise against nation” is referring to conflicts which will be fought between various races and cultures.  

Jesus also included “pestilences” as one of these signs.  This was recorded by Luke, but not by Matthew. (See Luke 21:10.)

Prophecy     Current events: 

False Christs   There have reportedly been hundreds of people in the last half of the 20th century claiming to be the Christ (the promised one who has come to “save the elect”)–Jim Jones, Charles Manson, and multitudes of others around the world.  

Wars   In the first 80 years of the 20th century, there were more wars fought than in any other 200 consecutive years of history.  It was also the only time that the whole world was at war and it happened twice during this period.   

Nations will rise against nations   According to a 1993 article in the New York Times magazine, there were 48 ethnic battles which were presently being fought or had recently been fought around the world.  Except for the poles and North and South America, they basically covered the globe.  A statement from this article by U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan said that the defining form of conflict in the era ahead would be “ethnic.” [54]    

Famines   According the World Health Organization (an agency of the United Nations), in the last decade we have entered into what is officially known as the “Age of Famine.”  According to this organization, one-third of the world’s population is starving–with 4 million resulting deaths per year–and another one-third is underfed.  

Earthquakes   According to data available from the National Earthquake Information Center, major earthquakes have been occurring throughout the 20th century in a cyclical time pattern.  When graphing the quantity of major earthquakes–those with a magnitude of 7.0 or greater–which have occurred each year–1900 through 1996–roughly a 30-year cyclical pattern emerges.  The quantity of major earthquakes has increased centering around the years 1911, 1943, 1973 and is greatly increasing now, and has decreased between each of these approximately 30 year highs.  When viewing the mean line of these earthquakes on a chart, this increasing and decreasing pattern closely resembles the highs and lows of the birth pains a woman experiences shortly before giving birth. [45]  [This is in contrast to an often repeated rumor which states that major earthquakes are increasing in quantity each year.]    

Pestilences   In 1999, the Unaids/World Health Organization (an agency of the United Nations) estimated that 33.6 million people currently had AIDS, 16.3 million people had already died from it, and 5.6 million new cases would be contracted in 1999. They were also expecting 2.6 million deaths in 1999. [61] There are also other infectious diseases occurring more often around the world, many incurable and some deadly: tuberculous, ebola, many other ravaging sexually transmitted diseases in addition to AIDS, and an ever increasing problem with antibiotic-resistant bacteria.  

Persecution against Christians   There have been more Christians killed because of their testimony and faith in God in the last 100 years than in the preceding 1,900 years combined. [43] 

Gospel preached around the world   With the advent of the radio, television, short wave radio, communications satellites, and other 20th century communication and travel technologies, God’s offer of salvation is being broadcast around the globe.

Before concluding:

Before concluding, there are two more things which need to be said about God’s coming judgment.  First, if you find this difficult to believe, that this vile, rebellious world is about to suffer the wrath of a holy, just, omnipotent God, you must remember something.  Most of the geological evidence which you have just read about is the result of the first world wide judgment: millions of fossils of land animals buried by flood waters all over the earth, sea life fossils on every mountain range, and sediment layers which spread out on multiple continents.  The evidence clearly shows that the first world wide judgment was a reality.  The prophetic signs show that the second is about to be. 

Second, it’s important to understand that even if the tribulation is still some time away, judgment to a lesser degree is already pounding the world.  Here are some additional verses from God’s Word. As you read them, see where you think we are in relation to God’s coming judgment ‘at the end of this age.’

Scripture   The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities— his eternal power and divine nature— have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.  For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.  Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.  They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised.  Amen.  Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts.  Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.  In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another.  Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. Romans 1:18 27  

Well, if you have not yet asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, this is my final plea: Do it now!  He loves you, He died for your sins, He wants to forgive you, He wants you in His family.  (For very specific instructions on how to do this, turn to the chapter “So What Should You Do?”)  If you have, then try to get everyone else you know to do it too.  Tell them how awesome He is, buy them a Bible, invite them to church, introduce them to Christian radio, tell them about this website, and pray like there’s no tomorrow, because for them there may not be.  (It is not illegal to tell people about God while attending school, nor, in most situations, while at your job.  Just don’t do it instead of working. If you have any questions regarding this subject, contact one of the Christian legal organizations listed on this website under the heading “Ministries and Resources.”

Yes, you may get laughed at, but does that really matter?  Isn’t it worth it, even if only one of them accepts?  There were scoffers who laughed at Noah, too–who spent 120 years building an ocean liner in the middle of a field.  That didn’t stop him, however, he kept trying to warn them.  I’m sure the scoffers referred to Noah and his sons as “a bunch of old fools.”  Sadly, we now refer to those scoffers as “a bunch of old fossils.” 

A final note: Charles Darwin and Adolph Hitler could have been forgiven for everything they did.  (It appears that Jeffrey Dahmer was).  If, at the very end of their lives, these men would have truly repented and asked Jesus to be their Lord and Savior, He would have forgiven their sins and welcomed them into heaven with open arms.  Unfortunately, there is no indication that they did (aside from one flimsy rumor about Darwin).  If this is the case, then these two men are at this very moment suffering in agony in the pitch black, sulphuric fires of hell.  While you have been reading this book, they have been crying and grinding their teeth in pain.  While you are sleeping tonight, they will be crying and grinding their teeth in pain.  While you are eating breakfast in the morning, they will be crying and grinding their teeth in pain.  While you go through this week, this month, this year, and for all of eternity, they will be crying and grinding their teeth in pain. You can’t get any more foolish than that. 

A final plea: If you know an atheist, an Evolutionist, or the member of a false religion, start praying for them with all of your heart.  By praying for the same grace and mercy which has kept us out of hell, perhaps we can help keep another person from going there too.  Remember, none of us deserves forgiveness!