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In the beginning, God created the earth...

And behold, it was very good.

But in the end...

What do you think about when you observe the world around you?  Do you like what you see? Are you aware of the fact that the Bible tells us that the world as we know it doesn't have a whole lot of time left? This is what we've been talking about here on Uncommon Knowledge and we've seen how detailed the Scriptures really are when it comes to describing the conditions of the last days.

For instance, we read in Matthew 24 where Jesus spoke of a sharp increase in war and natural disasters near the end of time. He said that this planet would be polluted with iniquity just before His return.  Christ described famine and religious deception and we compared His words with the characteristics of our day. Next, we looked at 2 Timothy 3:1-5 and we found that Paul goes into a lot of detail concerning the people living at the last days. It's really quite shocking to consider how accurately his words apply to our very day!  (See Part 2)

We also explored Chapter 12:4 of the great prophetic book of Daniel and we came across a very astounding discovery.  God revealed to this prophet that knowledge would greatly increase in the last days and people would be traveling like never before. We found that this prophecy has definitely been fulfilled.  (See Part 1) 

But is Jesus Christ truly going to come back soon or is all this just wild speculation? We can know most assuredly that we are indeed living in the end of time and the Bible provides us with a lot more evidence for this. Let's dig a little deeper into the Word of God and see what we can find!

A Surge of Skepticism

Notice the words of 2 Peter 3:3-4 "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, 'Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation"  Here Peter tells us that in the days just before Jesus comes back, there are going to be scoffers and religious skeptics denying what the Bible says about the second coming of Jesus Christ. Instead, these people will attempt to convince everyone that everything is alright; time will keep on ticking just as it always has.

It isn't very difficult to find scoffers today because they're everywhere!  We have a secular education system teaching our youth to abandon the plain facts of God's Word and embrace evolution and other man-made philosophies. Many people will call you a fool or a fanatic if you tell them that you believe in such things as creation, Adam and Eve, or the flood. On the other hand, those who uphold evolution and Darwinism are considered to be wise and sensible.

Even the most well-respected religious leaders have decided to abandon the foundational Bible teachings of creation, the divinity of Christ, and the second coming of Jesus, as well as many other Biblical truths. Just a couple of years ago, the Pope stated that we should not take the book of Genesis seriously. If we can't trust the first book of the Bible then how can we trust the rest?  Here is a quote from another prominent Bible teacher: "There are some genres in the Scriptures which are somewhat historical, and other stories which are myth." Is the Bible just another fairy tell that contains some elements of truth? Not so. It's hard to believe that such ideas would even be promoted by ministers today.

Facts or Fables?

In 2 Timothy chapter 4, the apostle Paul spoke of our day as well.  Let's look at verses 3 & 4. "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."  Many today would rather listen to man-made theories and traditions than the unchanging truth of the Scriptures.

A recent poll revealed that only 2% of American student ministers believe in the literal second coming of Christ. Now that is scary!  When we come to a day in age where we can't even rely on the preachers of the Bible, we know that we are living in a time like never before. We need to be extremely careful, making sure that we know for ourselves what the Bible actually teaches.  This rise of false teaching and skepticism is just one more sign that proves that the return of Jesus is just around the corner.

Seducing Spirits and Doctrines of Devils

Paul gives us another sign of the last days in 1 Timothy 4:1 "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils."  So here the Bible talks about people turning to spiritism and the occult in the end times. There is no question as to whether or not this prophecy has been fulfilled.

Psychics, channelers, and spiritists are more popular today than ever before. There is currently a great interest in mysticism and witchcraft. Movies like Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings are making these practices more and more acceptable, especially with younger audiences. A lot of people don't see any danger here, but in actuality this is all preparing the way for an increased amount of deception.

Revelation 16:14 warns us about spirits of devils working miracles, going about deceiving people. When the world is so interested in magic and miracles, this just makes it that much easier for the devil to carry out his plans. Revelation 13:13 says that satan will give men power to do great signs and wonders, "so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men."  

So be careful! It is the devil who's stirring up this interest in spiritualism and magic. The Bible says that all these things will increase in popularity as time grows shorter. And many of these things are even creeping into the churches. If we stick to the Bible alone, then we can avoid this assault of deception. Jesus said that only those who build on the Rock of His Word will be able to stand when the storm comes.

Riches Increase

Now let's go to the book of James and see what he wrote about the end times. James 5:1 "Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you." And then the last part of verse 3 says "You have heaped treasure together for the last days."  The Bible predicted that in the last days, many would be hoarding up wealth and money. This is a perfect description of what planet Earth is like today! Our world is dominated by the rich. You know how the saying goes, "The rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer". That is also the picture that we see here in the Bible.  

The Message Heard Round The World

Matthew 24:14 "And the gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all the nations; and then shall the end come."  This is probably the greatest of all the signs that point to the soon coming of the Christ; Jesus said that there would be a world wide proclamation of the gospel right before the end of time.

Today, the Gospel message of salvation is now being presented in more than 900 languages and dialects. Currently, about 95% of the world's population has access to the Gospel of Christ. It's broadcasted to every corner of the globe through satellites and the internet, with this radio station and web site being one example. This statement of Jesus is rapidly being fulfilled like never before!  All this wasn't possible just 50 years ago, but today God is using this fast-paced technology to spread His end time message of hope.

Christ said that every person around the world would have an opportunity to accept His salvation just before His return and that is just about to happen. If you're ready for it, then it's definitely something to look forward to. We hope you'll make a decision right now to let Jesus into your heart so that you will be ready and waiting for Him to come back. You may already be a Christian, but will you let Christ be the Lord of your entire life? 

Now we know that He's coming soon, but we need to know how and why Christ is coming back. We'll find answers on the next edition of Uncommon Knowledge!