We are living in the time of the end. The fast-fulfilling signs of the times declare that the coming of Christ is near at hand. The days in which we live are solemn and important. The Spirit of God is gradually but surely being withdrawn from the earth. Plagues and judgments are already falling upon the despisers of the grace of God. The calamities by land and sea, the unsettled state of society, the alarms of war, are portentous. They forecast approaching events of the greatest magnitude. …
“Great changes are soon to take place in our world, and the final movements will be rapid ones.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 11.
This was written over a century ago and today we see its fulfillment. The 500th Anniversary of the Reformation this month is being celebrated in unity by both the Protestant churches and the Catholic Church, confirming that the Reformation has come to an end and that they are uniting on points of mutual interest. One might wonder if Martin Luther and the many martyrs that stood for truth would celebrate with them. How the churches have backslidden in these latter days! It is certainly a call to prayer for those that still believe that the Lord was leading those brave souls who stood for Bible truth against the tyranny of the Roman Church.
Pedestrians, enjoying the summer evening in a crowded boulevard in a tourist area in Barcelona, were mowed down in two vehicle attacks killing 15 people and wounding more than 120 others. This was Plan B of a much larger assault with explosives. According to the police, the 12-man cell’s plan for a more lethal attack fell apart after the house, filled with bomb-making equipment, blew up and they resorted to using the vehicles to carry out their mayhem. There seems to be no end to these terrorist attacks.
Natural disasters are also on the increase. In southern Texas, USA, Hurricane Harvey could be the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history with an estimated cost of $160 billion. Over 50” of rain has caused wide-spread flooding with a staggering death toll.
Earlier in the year, flooding and mudslides in Sri Lanka left more than 150 people dead and almost half a million displaced after the worst torrential rains to hit the tropical island nation since 2003.
The Signs of the Times and the End of the Age
“Now as He (Jesus) sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘… And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’ And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you. … 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. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various placed. All these are the beginning of sorrows. … But he who endures to the end shall be saved’ ” (Matthew 24:3–13).
If ever there was a time for the people of God to pray, it is now!