By Geovani F.Santos
There are many indications that prove we are living the last days of the dispensation of Divine Grace to men. If we look in retrospect, we realize that at other times in our history wickedness and lawlessness existed and ruled the world of men. However, our today's time has exceeded malignancy in all previous centuries and such intensification is strong evidence that mankind is ripe for judgment.
We know that one need not be so keen to understand the events or even have an idea of the current situation of imbalance spiritual, moral and social societies in which they live is much more than a mere imbalance produced by human action, and that, so it would be passenger. It would be naive or at least a lack of sense to think this way, since there were few attempts of governments to tackle the issues affecting nations. However, these efforts have always been unfruitful at the proliferation of more destabilizing agents who unexpectedly emerge from the shadows causing even more fear and uncertainty regarding the future.
In the Prophetic Sermon Jesus uttered before being handed over to the chief priests, tried and crucified; Master prophetically anticipates all the apocalyptic consequences which would mark his return and which precipitate the world into complete chaos without historical precedent. He warned his disciples in the past and also, likewise warning to the Christians present, preparing them for all things and leaving them on standby so that they are not surprised by the events that erupt at the end of time . These solemn warnings tell us of obvious way and have the scope to stimulate the complete vigilance and perseverance of the saints to the return of the Savior to establish his Kingdom of justice and peace on earth.
On these days of trance Lucas points out, citing the prophetic sermon, which would be marked by signs and by cataclysmic social upheaval at different levels and places on the planet, let's look at the picture he describes:
"There will be signs in the sun, and moon, and stars, and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; failing them for fear men, for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken "(Luke 21.26,27).
Luke speaks here about cosmic signs and events that will shake the planet Earth. It uses the Greek word σημείον (semeion), which according to the Dictionary of the New Testament Strong means a sign by which the divine power in majesty is made known, an event or supernatural act, a prodigy, or a miracle by which power and the presence of God manifest. This word, according to Strong, also refers to events and miraculous works that reveal the Messiah in his Kingdom (Mt 24.3,30, Mark 13.4; Luke 21.7,11,25; At2.19, Rev. 12.1,3; 15.1) .
Luke doctor still has this fragment substantive απορία (aporia) to designate a state of perplexity and anguish shall take hold of men face the events of recent days. The word refers to a condition of being without front output something you can not escape. The other term that appears in Luke's Gospel fragment is δυναμιζ (dunamis), meaning power, power. The word also denotes military power, which may indicate a battle between the forces of the Lord Jesus and the hordes of Satan in the air that will culminate in defeat arch-enemy of God, the destruction of his evil empire and the inauguration of the Kingdom of the King of kings on earth.
The Bible expositor William Barclay states that the days before the return of the Messiah (Jesus) would be a time of moral chaos that would reverse the moral standards and in which even nature would act in a manner contrary to itself; violence, hatred and wars would be the common atmosphere of life.
This clear picture of carnage, cataclysms, convulsions and seizures have never been as visible in our time. Hardly a tragedy ends soon announce another of epic dimensions. Moreover, we live in a world that is compared to a big powder keg about to be triggered. The antagonism and mutual suspicion are the tonic the moment. We can only ask: Who will press the first button?
The constant global tensions involving many countries and the arms race perpetrated by Iran, North Korea and China point to a scenario on the horizon. Added to all this the advancement of ISIS or Islamic state that declared war against the "Christian infidels" and bet all the chips in a holy war against the West in order to extend its Muslim caliphate on the world. What it is not news anything auspicious. Dr. Billy Graham, renowned pastor, author and internationally renowned lecturer wrote these words in his book The Second Coming of Christ:
"Ancient prophets foresaw a time, there at the end of the story, when people say," Peace, peace, (...) when there is no peace. " (Jeremiah 6:14) Thousands of peace conferences have been held since the Second World War, and yet, the headlines continue to highlight the wars, violence, death and refugee crowds. The world's governments are shaken by murder and shedding sangue.No However, a few years ago it was fashionable to write or suggest that the Slavic world entering a great era of peace. Many idealistic told us that utopia come into play, along with all the technological miracles of our time. The dream is an illusion. We should have learned from history. He dreamed up with peace at the beginning of the century, but this aspiration was shattered by the First World War. After World War II, more than desired, peace was planned, but soon saw that World War I had been only a preparation for World War II. Now the signs are everywhere, showing that walks feverishly to World War III. The ultimate! Armageddon! "
What Jesus said about the end of time is fulfilled rapidly and it is undeniable think that these facts are unrelated with all the prophetic panorama traced by God in Scripture.
The judgment of God is at hand and pains that mark the transition from this state of decline and decay into a state of glory have started to manisfestar with full force. The Christian expectation of the Second Coming of Christ has never been decanted by the faithful who love the truth of God's Word and the longing to make this happen has been day to day renewed by the Holy Spirit.
As well as contemporary Christians, Jews from the past and the ever nourish a magnificent anticipation about the coming day of the Lord. In Jewish literature of the time of Christ, this thought was an integral part of the conduct of the Israeli people that waited for the fulfillment of the prophecies vaticinadas by his prophets. Schürer, in his work The Jewish People in the Time of Christ II, 154, summarizes the Jewish ideas on the Lord's day, ideas that populated the Jewish writings of the time and they were known to all in Jesus' time, see:
"The sun and the moon will be darkened, swords appear in the sky, there will be armies of horses and soldiers will leave by the clouds. All of nature falls into a commotion and great confusion. The sun appears at night, the day of the moon. The wood flowing blood , the stone speaks, and is salt in drinking water. The places were seeded appear as if they were not sown, the full barns will appear empty and will stop the strands of the wells. They will disappear among men all the constraints of the order, sin and the lack of fear of God will rule the earth. And men will fight each other as if crazed, friend against friend, son against father, daughter against mother. Getting up Nation shall rise against nation and War is to be added the earthquake, the fire and the hunger cause the death of man. "
This Jewish literature can clearly see a match with the teachings of Jesus in the Prophetic Sermon dealing about the "beginning of sorrows" and the transformation of the world into a place worthy of being inhabited by the children of God. †
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