Are we now in the TIME OF THE END as prophesied in the Bible?

For centuries men have believed they were living in the END.

Can we know whether we are in the LAST DAYS?  

The very idea of someone saying that we may be living in the LAST DAYS, with the END of our world as we know it, brings to mind the image so often illustrated on television and even in the comics section of the newspaper, -that of a wild-eyed fanatic standing on a city street corner holding a sign saying, -"THE END-TIME HAS COME!" He is usually depicted as a mentally ill man with unkept long hair and beard, and wearing a robe and sandals. And he is often called a "DOOMSDAY PROPHET."  

But today serious world leaders and scientists are saying foreboding things about the current drift in world conditions. And a few years ago they developed a "DOOMSDAY CLOCK" themselves. When the clock would strike midnight the world would have set in motion irreversible events that would ultimately bring destruction upon the earth. This clock has been set as close as 3 minutes to midnight, -the beginning of the END!  

But the great God that created all things does not operate on any clock or time table devised by man, but on His own time table. Notice Matthew 23:36, -"But of that DAY and hour no one knows, not even the angels of Heaven, not the Son, but the Father alone."  

Although we find here Jesus saying no man, not even He knows the DAY or hour of His return, only the Father, the entire chapter leading up to this verse tells us what will be occurring in the world so as to not take us by surprise.

In VERSE 3 His disciples asked Jesus to tell them WHEN these things would happen, and WHAT would lead up to the END OF THE WORLD.

In VERSES 4 & 5 Jesus warns them to see to it that they would not let anyone MISLEAD them, for MANY would come in CHRIST'S NAME and would DECEIVE MANY.

Jesus goes on to say many things in Matthew 24. That there would be many wars. And earthquakes and famines would take place in various places. That true Christians would be persecuted by the world and betrayed even by their own families and fellow brethren, and many would suffer death as a result of their faith.

Now notice Matthew 24:21-22, -"For THEN there will be GREAT TRIBULATION, such as HAS NOT OCCURRED SINCE THE BEGINNING of the world until now, nor ever shall. And UNLESS THOSE DAYS HAD BEEN CUT SHORT, NO LIFE WOULD HAVE BEEN SAVED; but for the sake of the ELECT those days shall be cut short."  

"Tribulation" Means "Great Trouble", Great Distress", Great Pressure" and "Great Suffering and Affliction".And these 3 ½ years of GREAT TRIBULATION will be a time of pressure and distress with terrible suffering and afflictions for most of the inhabitants of the Earth.  

As I mentioned earlier, men have always believed that they were living in the END-TIME. But notice carefully what Jesus foretold in Verse 22 again, "unless those days had been cut short, NO LIFE WOULD HAVE BEEN SAVED!" To briefly clarify what the END-TIME is, we must recognize that the 3 ½ years of tribulation is NOT GOD'S WRATH, but Satan's. God's wrath is the "DAY OF THE LORD" which lasts only one year and occurs during the last year of Satan's wrath, the tribulation.  

The Devil has always been able to stir up the nations to war against one another. But only in the time of the end would mankind possess the weaponry capable of literally destroying ALL LIFE on our planet! The stockpile of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons the nations have amassed could destroy the Earth many times over!  

Scientists believe the Earth and its people could survive a LIMITED nuclear exchange, but a MASSIVE exchange would result in not only destruction from the initial explosions, but severe radiation poisoning would spread steadily around the globe being carried by the wind currents!

In the worst case scenario, burning materials from the Nuclear fire-ball would flood the skies with thick clouds of dense smoke that would literally block out the light from the sun. This would cause a nuclear winter, destroying vegetation and food crops. It would also produce cold temperatures! A nuclear exchange such as this would probably destroy ALL LIFE on the planet!  

But Jesus said that God would intervene BEFORE it reached that point. Nevertheless, it will be a time that will bring the DOOMSDAY CLOCK near the stroke of midnight, and it will be a time like no other in the history of man.  

Although for thousands of years people have lived, worked and fought wars on the Earth. There has been a DRAMATIC CHANGE in the last century!

For thousands of years very little changed in the way people lived, traveled and fought their wars. But in the last 150 years KNOWLEDGE, TRANSPORTATION and TECHNOLOGY has increased at a breathtaking rate! And today, with science in the computer age, technology is escalating daily at "break-neck" speed.  

Still living today are people that have witnessed transportation go from horseback to Jet planes. They have seen the day when there were no refrigerators, air conditioning, indoor plumbing, television and even electricity.

And they have seen this day, a time when one can travel anywhere in the world in a matter of hours! And also a time when nuclear war could annihilate the Earth at any moment! The technological advances that have taken place in the last century have changed the complexion of the world that we live in forever.  

This was prophesied to happen in the LAST DAYS by the Prophet Daniel 2500 years ago! Notice Daniel 12:4, -"But as for you Daniel, CONCEAL these words and seal up the book UNTIL the END OF TIME; many will GO BACK and FORTH, and KNOWLEDGE WILL INCREASE."  

That is how the translators of the New American Standard worded this passage, but notice how the Living Bible renders it, -"But Daniel keep this prophecy a secret; seal it so that it will not be understood UNTIL THE END TIMES, when TRAVEL and EDUCATION shall be VASTLY INCREASED."  

So we find that the prophecies pertaining to the END TIME would be sealed so that they could not be understood until the LAST DAYS. In those days TRAVEL and EDUCATION would be vastly increased!  

It is very clear that there has been momentous changes in TRAVEL and EDUCATION just as Daniel foretold there would be in the END TIMES.

These technological advances have led to the development of terrifying weapons now at the disposal of the armies that possess them. Advances in TRAVEL enable them to deliver these instruments of destruction anywhere in the world in a matter of minutes!

Just think how frightening it would have been had Adolf Hitler had nuclear weapons. In fact, he almost did! Had this happened, the world would certainly be a much different place today !  

But it was not the time, and God did not allow it to happen. But even then, during WWII that bomb was not a threat to destroy ALL LIFE as Jesus said would be taking place at the time of the END. Armies today have at their fingertips, arsenals that could literally extinguish ALL LIFE many time over!  

The Bible gives us other signs besides KNOWLEDGE, TRANSPORTATION and TECHNOLOGY that it is the END TIME.

Notice what Paul wrote Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:1-5, -"You may as well know this too, Timothy, that in the LAST DAYS it is going to be very difficult to be a Christian. For people will LOVE ONLY THEMSELVES and their MONEY; they will be proud and boastful, sneering at God, thoroughly bad. They will be hardheaded and never give in to others; they will be constant LIARS and troublemakers and will think NOTHING OF IMMORALITY. They will be ROUGH and CRUEL, and SNEER AT THOSE WHO TRY TO BE GOOD. They will betray their friends; they will be hotheaded, puffed up with pride, and prefer good times to worshipping God. THEY WILL GO TO CHURCH, YES, BUT THEY WON'T REALLY BELIEVE ANYTHING THEY HEAR."  

This generation has been referred to as the "Me Generation" because there is so much emphasis placed on the self. People spend huge amounts of time and money on themselves. If they don't like the size of their nose or breasts they can't rest until they have surgery to "fix" whatever it is they don't like about themselves. But they rarely pay as much attention to the inner-self, of developing godly character in their lives.

As Paul prophesied to Timothy, in the LAST DAYS people would become LOVERS OF THEMSELVES. He said children would be disobedient to their parents in the End Time. Certainly this is being fulfilled today. Paul said people would be IMMORAL. Isn't it fashionable to have your own definition of MORALITY? People today, talk themselves into believing that what they do and how they live their lives is OK. Their sense of morality comes from their own mind rather than the Word of God.  

Now getting back to the Olivet Prophecy in Matthew 24. Jesus warned of false teachings, wars, famines and earthquakes, persecution of true Christians, false miracles and wonders, and a time of trouble so great that unless those days be cut short, all life would perish!  

In Daniel 12 we find that knowledge, transportation and technology would be vastly increased in the LAST DAYS.  

And the Apostle Paul revealing to Timothy how perverse the character of man would be in the End.  

All of this has been fulfilled as we have seen. Now notice Matthew 24:32-34, -"Now learn the parable from the fig tree; when its branch has already become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; even so you too, when you see all these things, recognize that he is near, right at the door. Truly I say to you, THIS GENERATION will not pass away until all these things take place."  

How could we NOT BE that GENERATION? We are the only generation to witness such technological advances in such rapid-fire succession.  

Not convinced? Notice 2 Peter 3:3-4, -"Know this first of all, that in the LAST DAYS mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, "where is the promise of His coming?" For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation."