Are we in the last days?

ARE WE IN THE LAST DAYS?

It is very important to ask ourselves this question. It seems that we are really in the last days because of the things happening around us. However, to be sure of ourselves that we are really in the last days, let us look at what really the last days are. Is it the last days for a president’s stay in office or the last days for someone’s stay on earth to end? Whatever is this last days that we are talking about?

To answer this question, let us go to second Timothy chapter three verses 1 – 9 but let us consider the first five verses before we continue with the other four:

“But know this that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self – control, brutal, despisers of good, Traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, Having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!”

Paul was writing to Timothy describing about how people will become during the last days, but the question is still not answered: What is “the last days”?

At one instance Jesus told his disciples,” And if I go and prepare a place for you, I WILL COME AGAIN and receive you to myself that where I am there you may be also.” (John 14:3) Jesus was referring to his second coming! In many instances, Jesus talked about his second coming and that will be during the end of the world that is in the last days.

Now that we have known what the last days are, let us look at the signs of the last days and compare it to what is going on now to see whether we are in the last days.

In the last days:

1. There will be perilous times

1. When we look at our times now, we truly see that they are perilous times, people are suffering, and thousands of people are dying. In poor countries, many people go hungry and often die. One friend of mine told me that in one of the numerous countries destroyed by civil war, three people share an orange for a day and that is the only food they get to eat for that day.    In addition, diseases like dementia are on the breakout. For example, in the UK in 2007, around 684,000 people were suffering from dementia. This is expected to rise to 940,000 by 2021 and 1,735,000 by 2051. Dementia affects1 in five people over the age of 65 and 1 in 4of those aged over 80. Dementia is a very debilitating disease, affecting not only the patients but also their carers who are mostly family members. Many Christians are sufferers. Another disease on the rise is brain tumor. One influential figure in U.S. politics, Edward Kennedy, died after suffering a long time brain tumor. These are not only the diseases on the rise, we cannot talk about all of them; prostrate cancer and other cancers, malaria, hepatitis A, B,D, etc.  This really shows that we are in perilous times.

1. Men will be difficult.

In the last days, men will be lovers of themselves, of money, boasters, proud etc. and this is really happening in our days. People do not care about their fellow human beings. In some countries, some people kill their fellow human beings for money i.e. Ritual murder, which they call in their local dialogue (sakawa).  Others also through the internet dupe foreigners of large sums of money by defrauding them. “Men of God” as they call themselves, use false means to defraud their church members. O what a shame! They do not care about defiling the name of God. What they care about is getting worldly pleasures.

1. Children will be disobedient to their parents

Children these days are disobedient to their parents. This is true in every sense. Children like to mingle with their peers and if even this goes against their parent’s advice, they do not care. Therefore, they like to go on with what society says and not what God says. For example, wearing indecent dresses, talking filthy language, etc.

1. Christians will be persecuted

There is clear sign of persecution of Christians in the world. Christians are killed, tortured, and martyred worldwide because of their belief. There is even a rumour that, one of the Asian countries is producing a nuclear bomb meant to kill all Christians in Asia or all over the world. Whether or not this rumour is true, there is a clear indication of persecution. In some countries like Nigeria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, North Korea etc, Christians are being killed seriously. Many Christians are being killed in Somalia, etc. especially the Muslim converts.

Let us look at other signs of Christ’s second coming:

1. The second coming of Christ will be preceded by disturbances in nature, and distress among the nations (Luke 21:25) and we can see that there are wars in some countries like Somalia, etc.

1. The second coming will be preceded with by concern and fear over coming events: men will faint with fear and with foreboding of what is coming to the world (Luke 21:26) Recently, panic arose when some people who call themselves scientists stated that according to their calculations, the world will come to an end in 2012. People were afraid because they had made many preparations for 2012. At another time, I was cruising through town when I saw a very large signboard erected by a particular church. Because I was in a car, I could not see the name of the church, but I saw something like this: “The end of the world: October 2010”, when I told my father, he started laughing. I knew why, it was because no one knows when Jesus would come, even Jesus himself does not know. Only God the father knows. He can come just this second, or when you have finished reading this article.

1. Therefore, anti-Christs are people who fight against Christ and his teachings, people etc. They are wolves in sheep clothing. They are snakes under grass. They disguise themselves as if angels of light but indeed, they are angels of darkness. It will surprise you to know that your ‘man of God’ may be an anti-Christ. They are very common now and sometimes it is very difficult to detect whether they are anti-Christs or real pastors. How may you know if an anti-Christ heads the Church, you attend? I will talk about this in my next article. Even the Bible says, “By their fruits you may know them.” They always deceive people by claiming that Jesus is not God or that Jesus is an autocrat, The Bible is not the word of God, etc.

There are many signs but because of lack of time, I cannot write them all down. After all what is listed here, it is very clear that WE ARE IN THE LAST DAYS. Since Jesus died, we have been in the LAST DAYS until now and that is, we have been in the last days for over 2000 years now. In Ghana, there are some billboards erected in some areas where people frequently meet with this message: JESUS IS COMING SOON, PREPARE TO MEET HIM. Let me conclude this article with these two paragraphs:

¨      THE COMING OF JESUS CHRIST gives assurance to believers. We must not lose faith, knowing that our master will come soon and that our reward is with Him.

¨      THE COMING OF JESUS CHRIST is a warning to unbelievers that all their effort in obtaining worldly pleasures will soon end. If they don’t accept Jesus Christ as their saviour, they will regret very bitterly and ask for a second chance on earth but it wouldn’t be granted to them.

Dear readers read this article very well and meditate on it quietly. Now the choice is yours: Will you change your mind and accept Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour or focus on worldly things? Whatever you choose, you will get its value. May God bless us all and grant us peace through Jesus Christ our Lord.

AMEN!