Another year nearly over. Quite an eventful year with Biblical Prophecy being fulfilled all over the world. We have not been caught up to be with the Lord this year, but you never know what’s going to happen, we are not at the end of the year yet. God is not slack concerning His promise but He may want to give mankind a little more time, before He closes the gate of Heaven. The door was open for many years as Noah built the Ark. He preached all those years, but no one outside his family wanted to go aboard this big ship being built in the middle of the desert. When the time came, God loaded Noah’s family and the animals up and shut the door. Suddenly the day set by God came and the opportunity to go with Noah and his family was not there anymore. So it will be when the Lord comes for His Church [Matt 24:36-44]
World Government and worldwide trade promised as indicators of the end times [Rev 13:1-9 & 16-17], have been delayed a bit by Mr. Trump’s policies and Brexit. But it may be that God is delaying things a bit to give unbelievers more time to come to Him for salvation and being cleansed by the Blood of Christ. However it seems, although the news reporters have gone off it lately, the economic situation amongst many nations is becoming more un-tenable every day that passes. Mr. Trump’s actions in the USA have done little to improve their import – export gap, and although regenerated internally, their overseas debt still runs into trillions of dollars. Although the American economy looks good, it also makes many products made in the United States too expensive to buy by overseas countries.
With the conflict in the Middle East slowing down with ISIS. What it has done, is to drive the members of ISIS out into the other nations of the world. Jews are finding it too dangerous to live in France and other parts of Europe because of the presence of militant Islam. Some parts of European cities have been taken over by the Muslim immigrants, and these cities are now containing young Muslim men and women born where have been living. They are seeking to make where they live part of the Muslim world. Various incidents have been created in both France and Britain where innocent citizens have been killed by militant Islamists bent on promoting Muslim dogma. The focus of rebel Islamic forces in Libya and other places in North Africa have terrorised all the people in Africa as far south as Kenya. Many cities in places like Yemen, and the Sudan have been attacked and people killed. Also in Syria, Iraq and other places in that area the cities have been totally destroyed and the population either slaughtered, or in the case of those remaining, are starving, and homeless. Although many have tried as refugee’s, to settle in Europe, among their number have been Islam militants, who having ruined the Middle East, are now causing real problems for European governments, and these Muslims are trying to ruin Europe. These militants along with the sheer number of them are a real time consuming problem for governing bodies, when they should be sorting out their own nation’s difficulties.
Other signs that signal the “Last Days” are the terrible storms and earthquakes happening all over the world. Unexpected earthquakes caused by fault lines they never thought they had, have devastated cities and towns, while areas normally prone to earthquakes are finding many much stronger than past ones. Blamed on climate change, the warming is not only raising sea levels, but is shifting the temperate climate areas of the world into the tropical and semi-tropical group causing tornado’s and cyclones not only to be worse in the usual places, but to happen in places that were normally outside those areas. [Luke 21:25]. Governments are indeed in anguish and perplexed. They originally decided that a 2% increase in world temperatures was to be targeted but now they find that 1½% is closer to the need. This will put untold pressure on nation’s that already cannot handle the cost of moving from coal and carbon burning power stations, vehicles, ships and trains.
Pestilences are increasing. We in New Zealand separated by thousands of kilometres of ocean from any other nation are finding all sorts of Bugs have bypassed our quarantine checks, and invaded the country. Both in Africa and China, some diseases have jumped from animals to humans and some illnesses thought to have been wiped out by inoculations have reappeared.
Very pronounced at the moment is moral decay. I heard of one young man the other day, who had been living unwed, to one young lady having already one child by another man, he then had a child by her. Left her and proceeded to have another child with another girl who already has four children by a previous relationship. As I remarked at the time, he seemed to be making life complicated for both himself, his partners and unfortunately the poor children who no doubt will be very confused on who their parents are. Then we wonder why suicides, relationship problems and crime are so prevalent amongst the young. Even young Christians are confused, having not been taught the ways of God through Bible learning. They are marrying unbelievers, and are then wondering what’s gone wrong with their lives. We are told “Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.[Luke 17:28-29]. The world today is very much like the days of Lot. To the extent of violence, homosexual activity and general moral decline, So much so that the final Judgement of God is inevitable. Not because God does not love us, shortly we are celebrating Christmas, the birth of our Saviour, What can God do but give His son to take away our sins. It was not the Jews or Romans who killed Jesus, but we who killed Him because of our sin and rebellion against God. God has given everything to cause us to repent and turn back to Him, but mankind in general has no time for His way of Salvation. As the old Children’s hymn says” No room for the Baby at Bethlehem’s Inn, only a cattle shed. No home on this earth for the dear Son of God, Nowhere to lay His head. Only a cross did they give to our Lord, only a borrowed tomb. Today He is seeking a place in your heart will you still say to Him, No room.
Brian D. Papworth
Representative for PWMI in the South Pacific.