There have been few times in Earth's history when the happenings around the world have been as dreadful, fear-inspiring and just downright petrifying as they are today. Floods in South Africa; war in Ukraine; a global pandemic; drought and famine in the Horn of Africa region; at least 27 active conflicts around the world, not to mention the ever worsening climate situation. We are living in perilous times. Governments all over the world are struggling with ever rising inflation. The cost of living is ballooning and crime rates soaring. Violence is beyond commonplace. Just a few days ago a gunman shot and killed at least ten people in a supermarket in Buffalo, New York. What is the world coming to?
As baffling as it may seem, these events were predicted more than two thousands years ago. The only surprising thing is that we should be surprised at all. At the onset of the global covid-19 pandemic in march 2020, I wrote on Facebook a statement that has turned out to be eerily prophetic. "The world will never be same again..." I wrote. And it hasn't. Since the onset of the pandemic, the world has jumped from one crisis to another. We see on a daily basis reports of the devastation of catastrophic weather, wildfires, inflation, job loses, recession, suicides, geopolitical conflicts and moral depravity to a level not before witnessed.
Pandemics and epidemics
A few years ago, the Ebola epidemic devastated west Africa. In the epidemic that lasted three years from 2013 to 2016, more than eleven thousand people died. Before that there was bird flu and swine flu. It seems pandemics and epidemics are growing in intensity and frequency in each decade. The 2019 coronavirus pandemic alone has claimed over six million lives, and counting.
The world has hardly recovered from the shock of Covid-19 pandemic and already there are reports of a new viral disease which could escalate to an even more deadly pandemic: Monkey-pox. There have been reports of cases of the disease in UK and in US. It is only a matter of time before it spreads all over the world. For a disease feared to be more lethal, albeit less communicable than coronavirus, this should be worrying.
We live in fearful times. Mr. Bill Gates is warning the world to prepare for a worse pandemic than the coronavirus. Escalation of infections of Covid-19 seem to re-occur every so often. With seemingly no end in sight, it is increasingly being evident that COVID is here to stay. That itself is a huge worry. But - worse still - there's the ever the increasing possibility of another deadlier, more contagious epidemic.
Conflicts and Wars
And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. - Mathew 24:6
More than one forth of the entire human population today lives in conflict-affected areas. Ethiopia's Tigray region, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen, and Afghanistan represent some of the worst conflict-affected areas in the world today. Close to 84 million people were forcibly displaced because of conflict, violence, and human rights violations in 2021 according to a UN report with an estimated 274 million people in dire need of humanitarian assistance in the world today.
Add to this the ever unceasing social unrest now witnessed in virtually every continent in the world from Chile, Panama, Senegal to Sri Lanka and the picture looks very bad. Populations all over the world are reeling under high cost of living, double digit inflation and fuel shortage. Nothing seems to work. The centre cannot hold; things fall apart.
Perplexity of the Nations
Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken - Luke 21:26 (NKJV)
The cost of living is increasing everywhere in the world, compounded by global disruptions of supply chains due to covid-19 and the war in Ukraine, and is projected to keep going up in the foreseeable future. The world's poorest people have gotten poorer while the richest have grown richer. Social unrest in on the rise globally, homicide, suicide, mental disorders, murders, crime, racism and terrorism are hitting new highs. Homosexuality, sexual perversion and pornography are celebrated not only as normal but "progressive."
Signs in the Sky
"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring"- Luke 21:15(K.J.V).
There have been many reports of UFO sightings, unexplained aerial phenomena and US congress sat to investigate some of these reports. The Pentagon, according to media reports, are investigating what they call "unexplained aerial phenomena". What this means is anyone's guess but there seem to be increasing phenomena in space that cannot be explained any known science. The Bible long predicted that these would be witnessed. Even though I personally do not believe in the existence in extraterrestrial life, the recent upsurge in claims of UFO sightings is in itself an interesting phenomena and only adds weight to the fact that we could be living in the very last days of the world.
What then are we to do?
Jesus, while talking about the last day's events, often urged his listeners to never give in to fear. These events, though alarming, should not raise any apprehension and rashness in the believer. Jesus foretold these events so that when we witness them, then our faith is strengthened knowing as we ought that "our redemption is near". We ought to pray earnestly that we are found ready, prepared and waiting with our garments cleansed in the blood of Jesus Christ.
"Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!"- Mathew 3:2, Mathew 4:17, Mark 1:15
There are many so-called Christians who have lost their love for God and have instead warmed up to the world, being drawn by the pleasure and lusts thereof. These events are to rouse us from our sleep. The Lord warned that He will come at an hour we do not expect. The events that He foretold are happening one after another and in quick succession. Do not be fooled that you'll have a better chance and opportunity to return to the Lord. The time is now. Procrastination is a device used by the devil to keep us in darkness and in sin. Remember what Jesus said to the man who offered himself to follow Christ, but only after going back home to bid his house farewell?
Jesus said, "No man, having put his hands to the plough and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God (Luke 9:62, KJV)." So, no matter how important as our personal life's goals and ambitions may be, when we are called to repentance, to serve or to follow, our response should only be yes. Delayed obedience is not good enough. May God help us to know his voice and follow him, forsaking everything that hinders His spirit from working in us and through us. This article is not meant to scare you, but to arouse you to a life of repentance and obedience towards God and faith and complete trust in His son Jesus Christ through whom only there is eternal life granted to whoever believes.
Looking at the state of the world, it is evident that the time to live godly and soberly is now. This is our conviction. Whether the world is coming to an end soon or not only God knows. But Jesus gave us signs to alarm us when His coming is near. And as we look around the world, the events of Mathew 24 are unfolding in front of our own eyes. We should not wait until we know for sure that He's coming the next day or hour to start serving Him. If we can't serve him now, we probably will not have the wherewithal to serve him in the close of time. We should strive to respond when the call is made because it is not a small matter that he who created and sustains the universe should call us to repentance. If you reject the call now, it will only be easier to reject it the next time. Maybe it will be too late.
NOTE: All scripture quotations in this article are taken from the New King James Version (NKJV) unless otherwise stated.
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