Have you heard how some are trying to link the coming solar eclipse with prophecy? Jesus did talk about signs in the sun, moon & stars (Luke 21:25). He also pointed to the sun being darkened (Matt. 24:29). The Apostle Peter quotes from Joel about how “the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes…” (Acts 2:20). Remember how some were talking about the appearance of the “blood moon” (total lunar eclipse) in Nov. 2022 being a signal?
But doesn’t it seem obvious that such events have occurred many times in the past? Eclipses are fairly common around the world (& a new “blood moon” takes place again next March). So whatever the prophecies are referring to must be something unique, especially since “the stars will fall from the sky & the heavenly bodies will be shaken.”
But what about all the natural disasters happening? There was just an earthquake in Taiwan, & a tsunami in Japan! Aren’t these disasters growing more frequent & more destructive? Well, that’s the conventional wisdom, but is it actually the case? Is weather growing more extreme, or could it be that we just hear about more disasters now because of global 24/7 news coverage?
Is there more destruction only because the population’s larger with more buildings & infrastructure to be damaged than there used to be? As “The Wall Street Journal” reported (9/15/21) the data actually shows “the number of landfall hurricanes isn’t rising.” Fewer hurricanes are landing on the continental U.S., not more. It’s a false claim to say that “global warming” is causing more intense hurricanes.
While climate alarmists continue to make dire predictions, it seems ludicrous that computer models can prophesy looming disasters years & decades from now, but can’t accurately forecast the weather for the next week. Growing numbers of young people are suffering from climate change anxiety, yet their indoctrination doesn’t take into account the terrible track record of predictions by the climate crisis prophets.
But didn’t Jesus say that wars would also be a sign, & now there are more wars than ever? Look at Ukraine & Israel! But that’s not the case. The world has rarely been at peace. What then about the worldwide plague of Covid-19? Wasn’t that another sign of the end? Hmmm, no plague in the Bible had a 99% survival rate. There have been far worse “plagues” in the past.
Crisis & conflict are common elements throughout history. Could it be that modern crisis-mongers try to keep us stirred up in fear so the news networks can gain viewers, corporations can sell inventions & products, & governments can expand their control & spend enormous amounts of tax money in the name of protecting the populace?
So are things really getting worse? Yes & no. In some ways the world has grown better. Many diseases have been wiped out. Medical & technological breakthroughs have improved the quality & quantity of life. Fewer people actually die from natural disasters. Christian principles are accepted standards in many nations, even if not acknowledged. Social & economic conditions in almost all nations are far better than they used to be. Famines, droughts & starvation have been greatly mitigated. Extreme poverty in China alone has dramatically dropped in the past few decades. Christianity has seen great gains in the East as well.
But the world has grown worse in other ways. We could point to the Christian decline in the West, Christian persecution in the East, expansion of cultural decay, family disintegration, sexual perversion, rampant lawlessness, global corruption, drugs, & the killing of children in abortion. The world is filled with nuclear, chemical & biological weapons. We anticipate the possibility of AI-related catastrophes & more man-made pandemics.
Things could get worse…or the worst has already happened, & Jesus could come back now. Jesus said no one will know when He’s returning (Matt. 24:36). It will be sudden, unexpected, & could be anytime, whether in the next minute, next century, or next 10,000 years. We don’t have to wait for certain signs to take place–the signs have been there all along. So we don’t resign ourselves to despair–we instead continue our work as the Body of Christ doing good, meeting needs & making disciples as He did. Doing God’s work keeps the world from getting even worse! We don’t sit on our hands while the world goes to hell.
While we stay awake & keep our radar up, we don’t get caught up in whatever the latest end-time preachers say. I’ve been a student of prophecy for some 45 years, & I’ve heard many claims that current events were fulfilling biblical prophecy. The one thing all those claims had in common is that they were wrong. So don’t worry, be faithful.