By Pastor Larry Frazier
Saying that we are in the End Times is not making a prediction nor is it trying to be a “peddler of doom.” Rather, by looking at what the Bible says and observing the conditions around us, we appear to be in the End Times. Jesus Christ refers to them as “Those Days” in Matthew 24:22.
Some of the things we are experiencing nowadays were predicted long ago. The Apostle Paul wrote by inspiration in 2 Timothy 3:1-5, “There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – having a form of godliness but denying its power.”
Bankrate.com reported in July 2022 that road rage incidents caused 218 murders and 12,610 injuries over seven years. Road rage offenders are more lovers of themselves than their brother’s keepers. They also exhibit rash and brutal behavior with no self-control. The Federal Trade Commission reported that in 2022 consumers lost nearly 8.8 million dollars to fraud. Fraudsters and cheaters are lovers of money, abusive, and proud of their abilities to steal. The National Council on Aging reported in February 2021 that approximately one in ten Americans aged 60+ have experienced some form of elder abuse— two-thirds of the perpetrators included adult children who are disobedient to their parents and have no respect for elders as mentioned in Lamentations 5:12. The U.S. government’s National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System reported the investigation of more than 3.1 million cases in 2020. In past times and into the present day, there have been cases of sinful behavior in households as told in Micah 7:6. We observe nowadays that unloving and unforgiving behaviors appear to be on the rise.
Despite how bad it may look, the Bible also gives hope. God desires to give us true godliness so that we have more than just the appearance of it. Words of guidance and encouragement are written in Hebrews 1:1-2, “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.” Jesus speaks in John 6:39 saying, “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of all those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day. For My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”