The End of Days

From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. (Matthew 24:32-33 ESV). Our reading today is a warning that Jesus gave to the disciples about the end of days. There are many warnings that he told them to watch for. Each of these signs was a warning to encourage them to be prepared. The May, 1984 issue of National Geographic showed, through wonderfully detailed photos and drawings, the terrible destruction of the Roman city of Pompeii in AD 79. The explosion of Mt. Vesuvius was so sudden that residents were killed while in their normal routine. The rich were in their luxurious baths and slaves were at toil. They died quickly in clouds of volcanic ash and superheated gasses. Their bodies were frozen in final terror into perfectly formed hollows that scientists could fill with plaster centuries later and study like ancient statues. It takes little imagination to picture the terror of that final day in Pompeii. But the worst part of all is that those people did not have to die. The ancient writers record that there were weeks of rumblings and shakings that preceded the actual explosion of Vesuvius. Heavy smoke was clearly visible from the mountain days before the eruption. If only they had been alert enough to read the signs and respond to the warnings! There are similar "rumblings" in our world today: earthquakes, disastrous weather patterns, the nuclear threat, political unrest, economic difficulties and moral warfare. While these things are not exactly new to our time, they are clearly increasing in intensity and seem to be warning us of something. If we add to these things specific Biblical prophecies being fulfilled in our time, we begin to wonder if perhaps a much more powerful "Volcano" may not be sending us warning signs that the end of this age really is near. Did you know, for example, that the Bible prophesied that in the "last days" the nation Israel, after a long time of being scattered, would be returned to the land as a nation (see Ezekiel 37)? This was fulfilled in 1948 when the modern state of Israel, which had not existed since AD 70, was formed. Prophecy also says that an army from the East of 200,000,000 would be involved in the final conflicts of this age (Rev. 9:16). That has not been possible until this century. Red China announced in the 1950s that they could field an army of 200,000,000. Prophecy also indicates an explosion of knowledge in the last days (as in the "information" age?) and a reuniting of the powers of Europe (as in the EEC?). The buds of the fig tree are tender; the warnings are there. We could be approaching the end of our age and the judgments talked about in the Book of Revelation. The question is, are you aware of the warnings and are you prepared for what they are there to warn us about? Turn to Christ today. He is the only hope of salvation!