Is our world coming to an end?

Beautiful Sunrise

This morning Anne and I awoke to a beautiful sunrise.  The red tones were spread across the sky, also in hues of orange, yellow and blue as well.   Recently we moved back upstairs to our main floor bedroom.  Our bed is next to the sliding glass doors by our top deck, which makes it easy to see the wonderful sunrises that are there to greet us.  Soon we will be moving our desk and computer up to our bedroom so that Anne can teach her online classes, and listen to our children’s busy activities.  Another benefit is that Anne will be in direct sunlight again which will brighten her day. 

Abby training Kelly to go through the hoop.

This morning I took our new addition to our family, (Kelly) to our friend Ken Chaffin (veterinarian), who has the Companion Animal Care Clinic.  She will be getting neutered (not tutored) as well as getting all her needed shots.  Kelly came to our doorstep about a week ago, she was skin and bones and her weight was about one half of what it should have been.  Either someone had dropped her off or she wandered away from her home and got lost.  By the looks of her, she had been on her own for quite some time, and now appears to have reached the point of starvation.  After several days of eating healthy kitty food, and being given Revolution for her insides, we now have a cat that is on the road to a healthy lifestyle.  The next step is in introducing our cat Toby to Kelly.  Did I hear someone say, “Good luck!!!”

Today in my daily scripture reading I read from Matthew 24.  Matthew is quoting Jesus who is talking to his disciples about his second coming and the end times.  Jesus’ description of these events is rather unnerving in that he describes the “birth pains” of the end of the earth, as we know it. 

Life gets tangled and confusing without Christ in our lives.

Jesus describes the situation here on earth as being very desperate.  In our world, there will be many people who will promise to save us from our dyer circumstances that we will find ourselves in.  These individuals will claim to be the messiah, and they will appear to have the answers that many desperate people are looking for.   Jesus goes on to talk about the global situation as a world filled with war, and added that there will be the potential of more wars on the horizon.  Jesus must have seen the utter horror on the faces of his followers when describing the future events, and so he comforts his disciples by saying that these things must happen before he arrives to give his chosen people a better world. 

Further on in Jesus’ description to the disciples, he says that there will be earthquakes in various places, and famines as well.  Many Christians believe that we are now seeing the beginnings of the “birth pains” by the present calamities that we as a world, are now facing.  On the other hand, I have often wondered whether this is in fact the beginning of the end times.  We now have the ability to report all of the world’s events through the use of satellites, as well as improved reporting of these occurances as they happen.   Are there in fact more wars and famines than has ever been seen before, or again, is our reporting of these horrific events so much better?  According to Comos, (Issue 20, Apr. 2007) a science magazine, relates how with the ever increasing population, we are having a very difficult time in keeping up with food production.  This does not take in account the added famines that we are having at present.  With a greater population, along with the demands for more land to house the increasing birth rate, we will soon reach a critical point of not having enough tillable land for food production. 

In dying to Christ, we give birth to life.

In the past, this has been a problem for many nations facing starvation.  For instance, after WWI when the Versailles Treaty went into effect, Germany was strapped with paying the war burden for Britain and France, plus trying to feed it’s own people at the same time.  Many historians say this plan of retribution gave rise to the dictator Adolf Hitler who promised the German people, who were desperate for food and shelter, hope.  Later, after guiding Germany into prosperity, Hitler told his people that he was leading Germany into war by invading neighboring countries.  He said that it was necessary for “lebensraum” or, added living space.  His people were running out of room.

When Hitler took over power in Germany, his new policies brought food to the people of his country by expanding production of industry and agricultural.  He also brought back a mighty army that frightened most of the world.  Germans during this time had jobs, and food was plentiful for the table.  Among his early accomplishments, Hitler introduced the people’s car, (Volkswagen) so that even the common worker could afford a car for transportation.  In honor of this accomplishment, the city where the Volkswagen was produced was named after him, Wolfsburg.  Hitler’s nickname was “Wolf.” All these things made many Germans eager to support Hitler since they were coming from a place of such desperation.  By fulfilling the German poeple's many needs early on, it became easy to later lead millions to their deaths.  The Germans, and the rest of the world would reap his satanic virtues with such a force that it would take many years to recover.

There is hope in Christ!

Can this scenario happen again?  In reading from Matthew 24, we see startling comparisons.  War, famine, and desperation were the key ingredients that led to World War II.  Many Christian people before and during WWII felt that Hitler was the Anti-Christ.  As it turns out, he was not.  This raises the question, if he was not the Anti-Christ, then who will the Anti-Christ be?  In reading the Bible’s description of the end times, we can now see many shocking similarities to the 1930s and 1940s. 

In Christ, we bear much fruit.

Due to the Marshall Plan developed by the U.S. after WWII, we were able to assist Germany and Japan into rebuilding their countries.  Unlike after WWI with the Versailles Treaty, vendettas were not used, but instead, we offered a helping hand through money and manpower to these countries in their recovery process.   It appears though that during the end times, no country will come to the aide of desperate non-christians, accept one, and that will be Satan.  Christ says that due to the wickedness in the world, love will grow cold.  Will this then be another sign, that is, the prelude to Satan’s return? Christ speaks more of this as he narrates the events leading up to his second coming in Matthew.

I will continue with this in my next blog post.