ESCHATOLOGY - Wading into the water....Matthew 24:1-8

Matthew 24:1-8
Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. "Do you see all these things?" he asked. "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"

Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ (the Messiah), and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains...."

I suppose writing about Shayne's birth provides a natural segue to my current topic since it references 'birth pains'!

When I was a teen I was absolutely fascinated by Eschatology (the study of what will occur at the end of time). Then after I walked away from God for approximately 2 years in my early 20's, when I recommitted my life to Him, I realized it was far more important to live my life to be ready to meet Him - whenever that might be, rather than be overly focused on the 'end of time'.

But, this past Sunday my interest was piqued again. That has led me to two things: one is to study the difference between Islam and Christianity to try to gain an understanding for how so many people could be so dreadfully deceived by Satan;and more importantly, to read through the prophecies and prophetic books of the Bible to see what God might say to me. Writing about that journey certainly means taking some risks. I'm in way over my head!

In the beginning of Matthew 24, which events in 'real time' happened about 33 A D, Jesus tells the disciples about the destruction of the temple. That prophecy was fulfilled in 70 A D, just +-37 years later. What he told them was true. It happened.

But - for the other prophetic statements made on the Mt of Olives, the message was for future generations. They were asking multiple questions - though they obviously didn't perceive that....

We are seeing that fulfillment. It is true that there have been wars for a long time - history is littered with reports of wars. What makes the wars for the 20th Century more significant to the prophetic warning is that they tie in with other prophecies that are also being fulfilled. We'll see more of that in later days....

I am not a brilliant student of prophecy - but it doesn't take a degree to see the fulfillment of the Bible's predictions of wars and rumors of wars, nation rising against nation and kingdom against kingdom, famines and earthquakes in various places, and the escalation of those realities.

My other deficiency for this specific quest is that I never had a good history teacher - so I am not as 'trained' as I should be for launching out on this particular journey. But with some trepidation, I'm pushing off, and we'll see where the tide takes me. You're welcome to come along for the ride. You're welcome to throw your line into the water and share the fish you catch....

Jesus' first prophecy for the time leading to the end of time: Many will come claiming to be the Messiah.

The -ism's abound. The truly huge one we deal with today is the deceit of Islam. Mohammed was born +-570 years after Yeshua (Jesus). He claimed to be a prophet of God. The problem is that all who spoke for Yahweh/ Jehovah/ the One True God, elevated Jesus Christ as the one and only Son of God and Islam does not. Jesus is the only way to God. The Bible is absolutely clear about that. He didn't come claiming to be a prophet. He claimed to be the One and only Son of God! In fact, Jesus is God-in-the-flesh, God Incarnate. It was because of His proclamation of that fact that He was crucified. But, being crucified was what He came to do. He came to bring the Good News - to be the Good News - that man could once again have a personal relationship with God. That which was severed when Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden was restored - and that Good News was purchased at the price of His blood shed by whips and thorns - scourging and death on a cruel cross. We just covered all of that in the Lenten journey....

Another following of an -ism that is of particular concern - in the United States, especially, since it started here - is Mormonism. The Bible is clear that there is no other way and no other truth than the way of truth outlined in God's only written Word, the Bible. Biblical Christianity is far different than what is taught in Mormonism - - even though they teach many good things. The sad thing is, the greatest lie is the one with the most truth in it. They have espoused a deception that is not Truth. In my limited experience, Mormons who read their Bible and see the Truth leave and connect with a Bible-believing church following their seeing the truth of God's Word.

This issue occupies a tender place in my heart. I have many relatives by marriage who are Mormon, as well as a wonderful great nephew who married into a loving Mormon family. In fact, my husband has a relative on his mother's side named Daniel Webster Jones, who was taken in and nursed back to health by the Mormons, who converted to Mormonism and was the founder of Mesa, Arizona. I have gone to family reunions on that side of the family, and have been lovingly embraced by people who call me a 'gentile', but who tell me I would be a good Mormon. I wouldn't. I absolutely do not believe that my security of going to heaven is based on a husband's choice. I do not believe men become gods. I do not believe they will rule their own planet.

They do not teach who Jesus really is. Jesus didn't 'become' God - He was God who became man - and for his 33 years on earth, was fully man and fully God. Mormon worshipers may sing the same songs I sing in church - but their meaning in their minds is twisted to mean something else. I know that I cannot be anyone else's Holy Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit can take that role in their lives - but I do believe that anyone who reads the actual Bible, and asks for God to show them Truth, will find it. The book of Hebrews is very clear that Jesus was the final priest in the order of Melchizadek. The book of John presents Jesus through the eyes of 'the one Jesus' loved'. Truth is there to be embraced.

Jesus' second prophecy for the time leading to the end of time: wars and rumors of wars. I typed '20th Century Wars' into my search on Google, and found a site that lists all of the wars and casualties of the 20th Century. It is a long list. At the top it states that 160 MILLION people died in wars in the 20th Century! And that is just the beginning of birth pains....

Next on the list of things that precede the end of time is: nation rising against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. That syncs with the wars, of course, but it also speaks of tensions and disagreements. Hostile attitudes and malicious accusations. A general absence of peace among nations; even brother rising up against brother, as is conspicuously apparent with all of the territoriality we see throughout the world.

And, finally, last on the list in these few verses - famines and earthquakes. If you type in 'Earthquakes - Long Term Trends' in your search engine, you should be able to find the sites I found. The graph I found that shows earthquakes from just 1973 - 2006, shows a marked increase in numbers - but the more significant report is this: earthquakes measuring 6.99 or higher divided into 38-year periods are reported as follows:

1863 - 1900: 12
1901 - 1938: 53
1939 - 1976: 71
1977 - 4/2010: 151
Just think what that will be by 2014 when this 38-year segment ends.

If you look at the stats for the death tolls over history - there were some major death tolls historically - but what I am addressing specifically is the increase in the number of earthquakes. Some of that could be due to better information gathering - but it certainly appears to fall into the prophetic pattern Jesus foretold 'as the beginning of birth pains.'

The stats on famines are there, too.... Pretty compelling in light of God's Word....
Jesus foretold it - and it is coming true....


For a tidbit of hopefully helpful information on a 'life-as-we-live-it' level: Starting today, in Washington, it is illegal to hold your cell phone while driving. It is now a first offense - not a secondary offense - and people will be stopped just for holding it. A word to the wise....