March 30, 2020: What in the World is Going On? (Part 1)
Global Events of 2020 as of 3/30/20
It’s only the end of March in the year 2020 and many are wishing this year would end already. Here are just some of the events that have made world headlines:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Beginning collapse of global economies
Australian fires
Ongoing wars and ethnic conflicts
Locust plagues in Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Yemen, Iran, Sudan, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iraq, Pakistan. Entire farms have been devastated. Famine is surely to come in future months.
Global famine, particularly in Africa but also in Afghanistan, Venezuela, Syria, and Yemen.
Deception/false teaching in the churches
Earthquakes in various places, including 7.7-Jamaica on 1/28/20; 7.5-Russia on 3/25/20; 7.0-Russia on 2/13/20.
Multiple volcanoes erupting, including the Taal volcano in the Philippines on 1/12/20 and most recently in Indonesia on 3/3/20.
Nashville, Tennessee tornadoes on 3/24/20
Historic, unprecedented flooding in southern USA and Mississippi on 2/17/20 with widespread flooding expected this spring in 2020, per NOAA.gov.
Multiple asteroids making close approaches to earth.
Foretold in the Bible - Beginning of Sorrows/Birth Pains
“All these are the beginning of sorrows.” - JESUS CHRIST, MATTHEW 24:8
Many people, including on social media, have asked what in the world is happening? If you are not a believer in Jesus Christ or you may be a believer but don’t know the Bible very well, you may not know that everything that is currently happening was foretold in the Bible nearly 2,000 years ago. First, as told in the books of Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21, before Jesus had been crucified, died, resurrected and ascended to heaven, where He is now, at the right hand of God, His disciples asked Him what would be the signs of when He would come again and of the end of the age. Jesus described to them a list of things, discussed below, and said they are the beginning of sorrows, which is translated from the Greek word that means birth pains.
In Matthew 24:4, Mark 13:5, and Luke 21:8, the first thing he said to them was: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.” There have been and there are many people today who claim to be Jesus Christ.
Jesus then listed signs of His second coming and what would happen at the end of the age:
Wars and rumors of wars
Nation (actual translation is ethos or ethnicity) against nation
Kingdom against kingdom
Famines
Pestilences (defined by dictionary.com as “a deadly or virulent epidemic disease; bubonic plague; or something that is considered harmful, destructive, or evil”)
Earthquakes in various places
When I talk to people about this, most often they say, we’ve always had those things happening in the world. There’s always been wars and earthquakes, etc. Yes, that is true. However, the difference now is that all of these things are happening at the same time AND the technology that is needed in order for the things foretold in the book of Revelation that describes what happens after the birth pains is now either being developed or is already in place.
In Matthew 24:6, after Jesus told them they will hear of wars and rumors of wars, He then told them, “See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.”
The books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke recorded Jesus telling His followers what will happen to them: “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.” In an article from BBC news on 5/3/19 it states:
- “The persecution of Christians in parts of the world is at near ‘genocide’ levels, according to a report ordered by Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt. The review, led by the Bishop of Truro the Right Reverend Philip Mounstephen, estimated that one in three people suffer from religious persecution. Christians were the most persecuted religious group, it found...
- “It warned the religion ‘is at risk of disappearing’ in some parts of the world…
- “Evidence shows not only the geographic spread of anti-Christian persecution, but also its increasing severity.”
Have you heard about this lately on mainstream news channels?
We can certainly see that many people today hate Christians and all that we stand for. They say we are narrow-minded, homophobic, transphobic, hate abortion, believe in a mystical sky daddy, science deniers, and the list goes on and on.
It also says that many people will be offended and betray and hate one another. Doesn’t this sound like our society today?
Further, it says “Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.” How many of these false prophets do we see in “churches” today? There are many, many churches today, particularly mega churches, that are teaching a corrupted version of what the Bible says and the majority of pastors do not even preach on Bible prophecy. Some “churches” are even changing what the Bible says by removing things that the Bible says are sins in order to appease its sinful congregations. Many churches are putting on “Christian” concerts and what feels like Broadway shows in order to provide entertainment. The pastors preach sugary words that make its attendees feel good about themselves. They are too worried about offending people and they want to keep them coming back so they can keep on putting donations into the offering plate. Many pastors have put money above God and live in very large mansions and some even have their own private planes. Sadly, they are leaving congregants completely devoid of the truth of the Bible, which will ultimately lead them into thinking they are saved Christians when in reality they are not and they will spend an eternity in hell, a real place and a place no one spoke of more in the Bible than Jesus.
Finally, Jesus told His disciples that because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. I am 54-years old and old enough to remember that crime has never been like it is now. Most crime was committed by men and rarely by women. Now, it seems women commit crimes much more than it used to be, and now you have even young children committing murder. Some will say it’s just because the news is real time and we hear about it now when we didn’t used to but I think one has to argue that in their own cities, they are seeing an increase in crime by women and children. How many stories have you heard recently of parents killing their own children and even children killing their parents or someone else? It never used to be like this.
Will it Get Better?
Based on my extensive reading of the Bible, I believe the answer is no. Both Matthew 24 and Mark 13 describe what is to come in a seven-year time period known as the tribulation, with the last three and one-half years called the “Great Tribulation.” The tribulation is what is to come after the birth pains/beginning of sorrows. This time period will be the worst time in human history and Jesus said in Matthew 24:22:
“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.”
My next article will explain what is prophesied in the book of Revelation, which is the book that describes the tribulation and what is to come upon the whole earth.
Is There Any Good News?
Yes, believers have the promises of Jesus Christ:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son [Jesus Christ], that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” - John 3:16-18
Notice He says you must believe and that He doesn’t say you must be a good person or go to church to be saved.
If you feel a tug on your heart after reading this article, that is the Holy Spirit, prompting you to turn to Jesus Christ, before it’s too late. Do you know when your last day on this earth will be? None of us do. If you are ready to turn to Him and accept Him as your Lord and Savior, say something like: “Jesus, I believe you are the risen Christ and that only You can save me from my sins. I repent of my sins, please forgive me. I turn to You as my Lord and Savior. Please reveal Yourself to me so that I may know You. Amen”
Will it get better? Only time will tell.