We hear on TV and read daily of catastrophic happenings all over the world. An earthquake takes place every day somewhere, and some are severe causing massive destruction. Hurricanes and tornadoes continue to take their toll on lives and property. The warming trend of the earth is destroying vegetation through drought, removing livelihood for many people and animals, and creating new deserts. People depending on agriculture are finding it difficult or impossible to grow crops so are flooding into cities for survival. New plagues are surfacing regularly; some coming back that were thought to have been eliminated. Terrorist attacks and crime is on the increase in many parts of the world. Also wars and uprisings kill an untold number of people and displace far more. Rogue nations are developing atomic weapons capable of destroying civilization. Some atomic stockpiles could fall into the hands of terrorists.
So what are we to think? Does this terrible trend of events signal the end of civilization as we know it? If so, shouldn’t we just “eat, drink and be merry” and enjoy the end as best we can? That is the advice of those who do not know the Word of God.
Scriptures tell us what will really happen. Yes the world will be partially destroyed sometime in the future, but it will be rebuilt by God in new glory. Meanwhile, the Lord will take his faithful ones up into Heaven before the worst occurs. Then there will be seven years known as “The Great Tribulation” where Satan rules. People left behind may make it to Heaven if they refuse to pledge their souls to Satan by taking his forbidden number “666”. Those who do will be with the devil forever and suffer his fate in hell. But those who refuse Satan and pledge their souls to Christ will live with God forever in Heaven. Yes they may suffer terrible tortures by Satan and hear his lying promises of everlasting life, and they may be killed if they continue to resist the devil. But it will be worth it a million times and more.
How do we know that these biblical predictions about the future will come true? Simply because over 2000 prophecies and predictions made hundreds of years before the event have been fulfilled. For example, the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem and his death and resurrection was prophesied .500 and 700 years before Jesus was born. The Bible contains 2500 prophesies so 500 have yet to be fulfilled including those in the above paragraph.
So how do we avoid all this misery? By pledging our lives to Christ here and now if we haven’t already done so. We will be taken up in the clouds with the other faithful ones when Jesus comes. And He will be coming very soon now!