The Craven Condition of the Modern World

What was once abnormal behavior is now the norm, truth is tagged as prejudice and bigotry, mocked at, called old fashioned, even tagged with the derisive label – ‘phobia’. Lies are endorsed as expressions of love and kindness, criminals have become the victims; victims are put on trial. Lifetime marriages are a thing of the past. Children that respect their parents are revered as something from a by-gone era. Braggers are thought to be cute. Psychiatrists train people with emotional problems that they ought to love themselves without regard for anyone else.

The craven condition of today’s world has every God-fearing man and woman reeling with amazement. Sixty-year-old people wonder, “How have society’s morals degenerated so swiftly?” Twenty-year-old people have no conception of how changing morals have turned the world topsy-turvy, changed the ways of normality that had lasted thousands of years, all within a single generation.

Simple things, as when men did not wear hats into buildings except for religious purposes or out of respect for God and the weaker sex. Children were forced by a stern hand to behave themselves in public out of respect for adults, order, society and civic peace. People did not have to invest huge money to have security agencies protect their property night and day. No one had to make it look like they were home when they went on vacation just to keep burglars away. Bank accounts are perpetually in jeopardy from something called hackers, something that used to be nothing more threatening than a bad golfer. Men wish they were women. Women want to be men. Boasters used to be spurned by girls now they are worshiped. God, where He has not been shelved as irrelevant, has become, to quote Bob Dylan, “an errand boy to satisfy your wandering desires”.

Just as prophesied in Paul’s letter to Timothy this is all part of the sad state of the last days – what was termed “perilous times”.

Then the political condition of the world is equally scary. Wars and rumors of wars dominate world news and drive the neurotic politics of every nation. Wars and revolutions saturate the continents of Africa, Asia, South America, even Europe. There is trouble on the northern and southern borders of the United States. The nation of Israel remains a stumbling block to peace in the Middle East. None of the nations around them want them there, but there is no other place for God’s people to go. It is just as Jesus prophesied it would be in the last hours before his return.

In the days of the first apostles and during the miracle-filled years of the early Church the bold cry, “Jesus is coming again!” resounded throughout the Christian churches. Of all the themes talked about in the Bible, two have a place of predominance. The first, and most often mentioned, is of salvation under the advent of Christ. The second, and not far behind, is the second coming. A quick perusal of the Scriptures, even by the casual student of the Bible, makes it abundantly clear that Jesus will return to the earth to rule in majesty and glory from Jerusalem. Today, this rallying cry not only remains loud among those who profess to preach and believe in the full gospel, but it is their earnest hope and urgent desire that Christ’s return would be only a breath away.

EVERY PARADIGM OF PROPHECY IS RAPIDLY UNFOLDING
The world is in a state of economic panic and confusion. The earth’s ecology is disrupted while natural disasters of every sort batter each continent – relentless, forceful deadly destruction. It is not God’s doing as men in their hearts think it is, for even our scientists and naturalists admit it is we who are destroying the earth by producing global warming, fracking, drilling and raping the earth. We chop down primeval forests and gut the earth of its riches that is used by God to provide a place in which we can inhabit and thrive. Who is the evil one in all of this doing the unrighteous things out of greed and nothing more than simple greed?

But those of us who look to God’s prophetic word do not have to be totally discouraged. In fact, we should be encouraged. Oddly, ironically prophecy is a beacon of hope, signs even, advertising in vivid living color, the Rapture of the Bride, warning of the coming Antichrist the judgment of those who would destroy the earth. It foretells of the halting and the end of such outrages and the deliverance of the second advent of Christ, the one who is about to return to earth to establish His throne of righteousness in the City of David, sweet Jerusalem.

These signs point unmistakably to the sudden appearing of Jesus Christ which can take place at any present moment. Jesus called these incredible events of the last days, “the signs of the times.” When a Christian learns to watch for and analyze these end-time indicators he or she will come to understand that the momentous day of Christ’s judgment of the earth and the deliverance of His faithful believers is fast approaching – for some each and every day henceforth – it is only a breath away. It may be for you or I. We only remark here, echoing Jesus’ words. “Take heed and see that you are not deceived.”

The conditions for the events to happen now exist the “signs of the end” are rolling along on a daily basis. Wicked and very perilous times are already in full gear. Other paradigms are fulfilling, running parallel to the other paradigms of the signs of demarcation of ‘The Return’.

With the downfall of America’s World Economic Empire we look for the establishment of the Empire of the Ten Kings which will serve as the ‘footrest’ for the Antichrist and his world-wide tyrannical oppression of all things godly. We await only their final form of this international institution which has been in the works for nearly a century beginning with the establishment of The League of Nations, The United Nations, the return of the Jews to Israel, the European Common Market, N.A.T.O., World Bank, Parliament and Court, various continental alliances and the flourishing European Union. The Fall of The Raiser of Taxes, according to Daniel’s prophecy (ch. 11) provides the hole to run through by which the Antichrist movement can make its final breakaway move to create the foundational ‘empire’ of the ‘Ten Kings’. The signs leading to this world kingdom are far past merely being fulfilled, they are in a state of perpetual fulfillment and mankind is daily living with its effects. The politicians world over are jockeying for positions of power within this project underway called the new world order. World technology and communication is paving the way for this brave new world that is affecting daily life style, social fabric political order, economics, the environment and military matters everywhere. The Biblical signs of the end are no longer just seen in all aspects of everyday life in industrial nations, but every third world country as well.

It may even be said that as we speed closer to the end, this perpetual living reality of the signs of the end is reaching a frenetic pace. God has the prophetic “pedal to the metal.” The signs along the road to Christ’s return are flashing by at warp speed. We often only get a fleeting glimpse of a story that confirms the existence of one of the signs of the end before the next “sign of the times” story pushes it off the front pages of the newspapers and dominates the nightly news broadcasts. Now there are two, three or even four that must share equal billing. Moving things along in every paradigm of the end times we have technology which is making scientific advances so rapid that it is nearly impossible for the Outcast Eagles publication to keep up with the news. It all points to one great thing – Jesus Christ is coming back very soon. It is suggested that those interested keep abreast of the prophetic news as it unfolds.

All faithful Christians ought to be waiting for the day of Christ’s return to earth, but it is tempered by the knowledge that He will not return until the earth has gone through a purging of fire and a time of great judgment on the earth. That time of purging and purifying is called The Tribulation. This will be a seven year period preceding Christ’s return that will include devastating wars, social upheaval, economic depression, natural and cosmic disasters and supernatural attacks from spirit beings released from the pits of Hell. It will all culminate in the return of Christ with His armies from heaven and the final battle of mankind against God at a place called Armageddon in Israel. Every eye shall see His coming.

This is not to be confused, however, with the scripturally promised phenomenon known as the appearing of Christ which is commonly called the Rapture. A small portion of Christians will be taken out of this world in a sudden supernatural miracle, “in the twinkling of an eye,” sometime prior to the seven year period of trouble and judgment. The Rapture does not trigger the beginning of the Tribulation, that comes when the false peace and unholy covenant that the man known as the Antichrist shall make between Israel, the nations of the Middle East and the powers of the Western world.

The looming question that always prevails in our thought then is this: is there any way to tell when all of these things are about to happen? It has been nearly 2,000 years since Christ and the Scriptures first started to reveal this plan of judgment and Christ’s return. As the time draws nearer God wants us to be aware that we are on the brink of His Son’s return.

The day of His return, along with the signaling events leading up to that momentous day, were in the forefront of Jesus’ mind just before He went to His death on the cross. He told them that the signs of His imminent return shall come in stages. He said the signs would begin with wars and rumors of wars and nation rising against nation, but these would only be the “beginning of sorrows,” the end would not yet be imminent.

Christ said earthquakes and disasters would follow in increasing frequency and shake the earth in divers places across the globe. Famines and false Christs would rise up everywhere. But those who were paying attention could learn of Jesus’ return by taking heed of their sign. Even Israel, after suffering total defeat and the destruction of their sacred temple in 70 A.D., would once again bud into a nation and become prominent on the world political scene. All of these “signs” would lead up to the Antichrist, his domination of the world, and the last confrontation between God and Satan, with the earth providing the arena for the final battle. Jesus also remarked that the last days would be as it had been in the days of Noah. The earth would be corrupted and full of every sort of vile perversion and gross sin. Children would hate their parents, persecutions and betrayals would plague the Church, and the love of many true believers would wither and die because of the exceeding pressures of the last days.

TRAVEL AND KNOWLEDGE WOULD EXPAND AT THE END
In addition to Jesus’ teachings, the prophets of the Old Testament also tell us of certain “signs” that would pave the way for the Tribulation and serve to usher in the return of Christ. The book of Daniel says that travel and knowledge would greatly expand just before the end. Daniel also prophesied that an evil man, understanding dark and sinister things, would arise on the world scene and become its tyrant during the final seven years. Daniel reveals that the old Roman Empire (Europe) would be full of divisions until the end when this man would finally unite it into a great force which is depicted in the dreams of Daniel as a terrible and powerful “Beast” crushing everything in its path. The miraculous unity of Europe in this generation, after the atrocities it perpetrated against one another in the two world wars puts it among the preposterous prophecies that was never believed until its fulfillment in the dawn of the 21st century. It gives all those paying attention reassurance not only that the time for the fulfillment of this unholy unity and awesome worldly power is right around the corner, but likewise the return of Christ looms very near.

GOD MIRACULOUSLY RETURNS THE JEW TO ISRAEL
Perhaps most important of all is the prophecies of Jesus and those issued by the Old Testament seers who foretold of the re-gathering of the Jews to their homeland in Israel. Without this major and most significant event none of the prophecies concerning Christ’s return or the Tribulation could be fulfilled. Jesus said that when you see the nation of Israel once again become a sovereign state you will know that the condition would be ripe for the fulfillment of all the other signs. Significantly, Jesus said that not a generation would pass away after Israel’s returned captivity until His appearing, judgment of the earth and return would be accomplished. Jesus said all of these prophecies would be fulfilled simultaneously and converge at the end into the climactic events of the Tribulation. The signs of the times are important because Christ has left them with us to alert us to the two choices every Christian has to make. Will he put his faith in the Rapture or will he end up going through the Tribulation? If there is any doubt about the importance Jesus attached to the signs and our paying heed to them, consider this rebuke he made to the religious leaders.

“The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would show them a sign from heaven.
   He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
   And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?” Matt. 16:1-3

We must take care to read the signs as they are given in the Bible. We do not need signs in the skies or personal visitations from angels. The signs of the times are taught us in God’s Word and being acted out before our very eyes. How aware of them we are and how they affect our faith and spiritual lives will have a great deal to do with whether we partake in the Rapture and escape the Tribulation or whether we have to endure the pressure and persecution of the most horrific time ever in the history of mankind.

THE WISE WILL WANT TO ESCAPE THE TRIBULATION
The warning signs that the Tribulation is fast approaching not only tip us off to its imminence, they also give us an inkling as to what the Tribulation will be like. If anyone feels that the Tribulation will be adventurous or thrilling they ought to take a harder look at what the Bible (especially Revelation) has to say about it. There will be nothing glorious or heroic about the actions of the Church, other than the solemn fact that Christians will be forced to forfeit their lives to the executioner in order to be saved. That is not to say that won’t be enormously courageous. While this is very heroic and beautiful in the sight of God it is nothing anyone should assume they will be able to do.

When the police come to their door to drag away their child to lop off heads, can they be sure they will be able to withstand the awful temptation to take the ‘mark of the beast’ to save their son? When their household is starving to death because they cannot buy or sell anything without worshiping the Antichrist will they be able to let their loved ones die of malnutrition? The sun will beat down so hard on the earth that one third of every green thing will be scorched. Before it’s all over everything in the seas will die, all the green things on the earth will be burnt up and the waters will be poisoned. Conditions will get so bad that men will curse God openly and desire to die but will not be able to. The Bible says that if God did not cut these days short, no flesh would survive.

But perhaps worst of all will be the evil spirits that will be unleashed on the earth. If you groan in your heart at the unrighteousness of things today you should be aware that the world hasn’t seen anything yet. Selfishness is going to give way to total obsession. Mankind will be divested of decency and consideration of fellow man. No one will care about anything but their own personal welfare and pleasure. The immediate goal of every Christian ought to be that they will be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come on the earth (Lk. 21:36).

Some people have even been deceived into thinking the Tribulation is already underway. If they knew the signs of the end and what starts the Tribulation they wouldn’t be confused. They don’t know that the Rapture must surely come sometime before the Tribulation. It only stands to reason that this would be the case since the Rapture will take place at a time when no man expects it and at a time when no man knows ( Lk. 12:40 & Matt. 24:26). If it were to take place after the Tribulation starts we could deduce that it would happen within the seven years and we could know when it would occur and get ready for it. It only makes sense that the Rapture happens before the Tribulation begins.

The signs of the times all lead up to the Tribulation, but the Rapture can happen at any time. The Antichrist will make a false peace with Israel and will be instrumental in reestablishing the Judaic religion, complete with its sacrifice and ritual worship in a new temple in Jerusalem. Any indication of the rebuilding of the temple or the crafting of paraphernalia and ritualistic materials to be placed in a sacred Jewish temple such as the ones that were reported as early as Time Magazine in the October 16, 1989 edition are typical signs we can discern of the end of this age. The letter written to Timothy by Paul also talks of certain conditions in society during the last days. The times would be perilous and dark. People would be selfish, lovers of themselves, loose in their morals and ignorant of the true God having a form of godliness but denying the real power of a relationship with Him. The growing decadence and moral decay of all societies is a portent of the end.