Wars, famine, pestilence - signs of the End Times?

Question

So, many hold that current world events are signs that the End Times are upon us. We have wars. We have natural disasters. We have diseases. We have starving children. Etcetera. I'm wondering how right now is any different than the hundreds of other times throughout history when we have had wars, devastating natural disasters, pestilence killing the masses.

Take, for example, the Black Death. The early 1300's were marked by great famine throughout Europe. Then along comes the bubonic plague, killing an estimated 75 million people worldwide. This also devastated the economy. At the same time, the Hundred Years' War broke out. The change in culture led to a vast rethinking of faith and religion and provided a foundation for later overhauls such as the Renaissance and Reformation. If anything, I would say that time in history was closer to meeting the Bible's prophecies regarding the End Times. But nothing happened. ...

If the Black Plague wasn't THE ultimate event to usher in the End Times, I don't know what is. How can we say that these same kinds of events today (though not even equalling the same devastation) are signs of the End Times and fulfillment of the prophecies, when they weren't in the 1300s? The End Times didn't come with any of the other wars or famines or pestilences. How is NOW any different than the past?

Answer 1

Earthquakes and other natural disasters are no more frequent now than they have ever been, it's just that there now exist scientific methods of recording and collating them which gives the impression (to the uninformed) that more are occuring.

Answer 2

We were told when the last "generation would be".

Mar 13:28 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:

What summer? Its harvest time.

Mar 13:29 So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.

Mar 13:30 Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done

The root of the Fig tree generation is Jer 24 good and bad Figs/people returned to Jerusalem in the year 1948. That started " the generation" of the Fig tree.

In 1948 the little nation of Israel became a Nation once again. The figs/people returned, which had not happened for two thousand years. One would ask how long is a generation? In the bible there is a 40yr, 72 yr, 120 yr.

Its now getting very late in the day since 1948. All events in history can not be counted such as black death etc before 1948. But all events after 1948 can. Like Hurricane katrina, 9-11-02.

Now the birth pains/sorrows have been happening at a rapid pace.

Answer 3

There will be worse things yet to come than the Black Death. At least the Black Death was nature... there are more who will die at the hands of men in a single decade than in all the years Black Death ravaged the earth.

You're right, there are people who think that the wars and famines that plague our world today are signs of the end. I'm never sure if I should laugh or cry when they say that. What is happening today is tragic, don't get me wrong, but it's paradise compared to what's coming. And there's all these people who think that Christians are going to be pulled out at the last second just before it gets really bad. Ha! Only if they mean brutally murdered by the thousands for sport!

There are days coming that I hope I never live to see. There are days coming when a family will not have the courage to live alone, because if there is ever a time when everyone in the house is asleep, they will all be killed. People will huddle together in churches at night, taking turns praying, sleeping, and keeping guard. Men will be given the sickening choice of whether their daughter should be raped, or murdered, and either way, they'll be forced to watch... not sometimes in far away countries whose languages we don't know, but everywhere, and every night. A child at age seven who cannot identify a dead body from a living at two hundred feet will be considered slow or sheltered. Men who can't defend their families won't get wives, because no woman will love a man enough to suffer those consequences. At the same time, there will be disease and famine that is world wide.

But all that I've described will not be the end times. When the end times come, many years later, they'll look back on the days I've described above as the "good old days," back when they were happy and care free.

And *then* will come the end, and Christ will appear and descend. Those evil ones who attack the faithful will stand to attack him, and be knocked down. They'll shoot him, and he won't die. Then he'll call to the faithful, and they'll assemble. When they assemble, they'll be killed, and with a word he'll cause them to return to life never to die again. The enemies of Christ will regroup, and attack with more vigor, and then Christ will call up his own honored dead. The Apostles will raise, unable to ever die again. The army that Christ commands will grow as he chases his enemies across the planet. As he comes to a place and his enemies find he is unbeatable, he'll cause his own who have fallen to raise from the dead. Those who still live will not fear to join him, even to be put on the front lines and die, because they will know that once dead, Christ will raise them immortal.

And once the last of Christ's enemies have fallen, then he will establish his kingdom among the followers he has raised.

... and then, for those who hate Christ, the terror really begins. Once the Kingdom is established, then those who remain dead will be raised again. Can you think of a worse punishment than to see the Kingdom of God established, and everyone with a place in it, and then be raised to know you will be cast out, to live an immortal nomad who can never overcome the Kingdom of God?

And *that* will be how the Kingdom of Heaven is founded.

Answer 4

End times happens frequently. Really, people could eat if they prayed for it and preached Christ. The food shortages are because of the inter-racial tensions and marriage difficulties. The problems of the few families that control the fortunes of the earth are played out in large-scale drama. There's no need to go along with any of the systems that are in place (basically, all of the paid jobs and any of the illegal ones as well) to shift the blame around. The Bible says that if you acknowledge God, he will protect you. However, things get pretty bad for the believers.

I don't believe that the ones who were persecuted so badly in the first century were all Christian. Tacitus only says that it was people who were "called" Christian. I think it would likely have been those who, as Tacitus says, were "criminals who deserved extreme and exemplary punishment". However, their punishment got the crowd's sympathy. I'm guessing it was the paedophiles who were being treated like that and passed off as Christians to make it a "double whammy" by a vindictive Emperor. Therefore, the cycles of persecution against Christians and against villains alternate until a resolution which is, as Matthew 24:14, the preaching of the kingdom in the whole inhabited earth. As many times as this has occurred is as many times as the end times have occurred.

Answer 5

End Times = ~4,800,000,000 years from now, when the sun goes red-giant. The closest to that are the possibilities of WMD or a meteor strike, and no predicting of either is possible.

And you're quite right... try earlier times for much more "wars, famine, pestilence"... There is no biblical "end-times" - it's all scare-tactics to keep sheeple in line and paying the churches.

Answer 6

If the failings that are stated in 2 Timothy 3:a million-5 does not convince us that we stay in the final days, not something will...yet understand this, that throughout the final days severe cases puzzling to handle would be here. For adult males would be fanatics of themselves, fanatics of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to persons, unthankful, disloyal, having no organic affection, not open to any settlement, slanderers, devoid of potential of will, fierce, devoid of affection of goodness, betrayers, head-reliable, overvalued with delight, fanatics of delight somewhat than fanatics of God, having one in all those godly devotion, yet proving fake to its powers, and from those draw back. yet what could be much extra convincing evidence is what Jesus stated at Matthew 24:14...This reliable information of the dominion would be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the international locations; after which the tip will come. Jehovah's Witnesses are unitedly sharing in this preaching artwork in extra the 230 international locations worldwide.

Answer 7

Moreover, there is actually less war, famine and pestilence than ever before in history. Steven Pinker has done an analysis of rates of violence throughout history and believes there is a steady decline in such terrors after about 1800.

Answer 8

Absolute purity or perfection is not beyond man's capacity. It is possible for him to be perfect. But to attain the zenith of truth, beauty and goodness, man has to struggle hard. He should develop deep understanding, follow hard discipline and put in ceaseless effort. Man should regard himself as a representative of divinity and not just a 'man'. It is his duty to cultivate such qualities that reflect the divine within him. He should develop these divine qualities and spread them in society. This is the best and the only suitable remedy for many of our contemporary problems.

- BABA

http://www.radiosai.org/pages/thought.asp

Sairam

Answer 9

There is no end of times. If God killing 2/3 of the population of Earth at that time isn't bad then I don't know what these prophecies God is whipping up will call for.

Answer 10

I BELIEVE THE BIBLE

I believe the bible is fact, is truth, it is exact,
That violence did last, to end with Noah in an ark,
It is meant to tell us how evil does rule to death,
From Abraham, to Lot and Job, see land pirate acts.

Also Sodom and Gomorrah not even ten for a land law,
God's angels aren't safe to visit lawlessness so raw,
They merely survive as nomads upon land pirates soil,
Until all 70 in family, end up in Egyptian's turmoil.

At the time of Moses,all infant males are to be slain,
His parents come up with a plan that works to save him,
By the time he is age 80, Pharoah has no heir to reign,
Guess he learned how it felt, when he was killing them.

Noah in ark year 1656, now 857 years later heirs flee,
At 897 years, the land pirates land, is all they see,
They are to destroy 7 nations & Promised Land is free,
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses & Joshua be.

A Priest line, a king line, the judges, all are family,
From the 12 tribes of Jacob, past 4 generations to see,
Judges 11:26; 301 years is 1198, land not trouble free,
Now Eli, Samuel, Saul to king David who brings peace.

So heir Solomon at 1Ki.6:1;480 years a temple to be,
He had 36 years to die 1413 after Noah, and 997 BCE
The 18 Judah kings end in 391 years, no temple to see,
All land is desolate and captive to Babylon Empire #3,

At 1804 years after Noah, All rebuilt by Cyrus decree,
Past 1874. Daniel 633-533, O.T. 39 books, done 443 BCE
Soon the owner of the universe amid land pirates to see,
A simple man named Jesus has no freedom here in speach.

All that he owns is clamed by Satan, Romans and priest,
He is crucified, resurrected & ascends to God's presents,
To wait until Satan & 1/3 angels cast down as enemies,
Prepares place for raised & caught up at last day as his.

To be with him at his coming and he reigns 1000 years,
The heavenly resurrects those earthly to have no tears,
All is made new & perfect & the perfect have no fears,
A new heaven & new earth is paradise, all forever his.

END OF SATAN'S SHORT TIME IN THE END TIMES AND END OF THE GOATS TIME Matt.10:34-38; 25:31-34; 2Tim.3:1-7;

Eph.2:7; 3:21; The world with Jesus is without end. John 3:16; 2Pet.3:13; All is made new.