In Matthew 24, Christ is asked by his disciples what is the sign of his coming and of the end of the world? He replies first by saying, “Take heed that no man deceive you.” Then he goes on to discuss the chronology of events that will lead up to his return. He told them, “And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that you are not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in diverse places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” Christ’s end time account is consistent with the prophets and the book of Revelation. Many ask if we are in the beginning of sorrows.
Taking a snapshot of the world situation today, there are certainly many aspects of beginning of sorrows in play. We have seen a huge pestilence in the form of COVID 19 that has indeed left in its wake death, suffering, famine, and overall disruption of societies around the world. Each year there are over 1,300 earthquakes worldwide. Earthquakes are a concern for Israel as reported by the Times of Israel with a February 8 announcement of installation of a cutting-edge earthquake sensing and warning system. The Times reported, “Israel is located on the seismically active Syrian-African Rift Valley and being so small, most of its residents are exposed to the risk of earthquake damage.”
Political unrest and disruption is reported on a daily basis. For example, Joe Biden has been warning for weeks now that Russia is about to invade Ukraine. In Canada, peaceful protests against tyrannical COVID restrictions have resulted in violent police attacks on protesters, nationalization and freezing of bank accounts of protesters and their employers among other militant tactics. Many are speculating how the US Government will handle similar protests that are beginning with patriotic truckers in Western states heading for Washington, DC. Europe and North America are embroiled in rumors of wars, political disruption from COVID restrictions, and massive border security issues.
But let us remember that the prophecies of the end times are focused on events in the Middle East. Israel is the timepiece for the signs that Christ and the prophets enumerated. In today’s headlines, Israel is faced with ongoing calls for the terrorist group Hamas to attack civilians. Drones from Lebanon are probing Israeli airspace, which is a sign of the Iran-back terrorist group Hezbollah trying to attack. Iran also poses the threat of attaining nuclear weapons which is becoming more likely as the Biden Administration, like the previous Obama Administration, favors Iran’s position. There seems to be an escalation of worldwide disruption, which impacts Israel in many ways. Many will argue if these are the beginning of sorrows. Do not be deceived. Read the prophets in their context. Discern the events. Do not fear. Seek the truth. Stand for justice.
