Is this the Beginning of the End?

Ever since I was a child, I have always heard people saying that these are the end times. Decades later, I am still hearing the same thing. But when will the end come?  First, we need to look at what will happen when the end is coming.

And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Matthew 24:4-8

You only need to go to Wikipedia to see that there are a number of people who have claimed to be Jesus in the past few centuries. Currently several people from a variety of backgrounds in different parts of the world say they are the Messiah. Some even have followers on social media platforms. This is deception and it is dangerous for those who may believe them. Another sign of the times is that there are many wars happening right now. A lot of them aren’t making news headlines, but innocent lives are being lost in Africa, Europe, and parts of Asia, including the Middle East. Without a doubt, nations are rising against nations and kingdoms against kingdoms. These conflicts have contributed to food insecurity. The global humanitarian organization, Action Against Hunger, lists the hungriest places in the world as Sudan, Gaza and the West Bank, South Sudan, Haiti and Mali. Thankfully, modern medicine helps to alleviate plagues, but still hundreds of people in Africa, Asia and South America are affected each year. And earthquakes seem to be a regular happening everyday throughout the world but at different magnitudes. Is this the end? No, it isn’t. Jesus said that it is not yet, this is only the beginning of sorrows.

And He said: “Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time has drawn near.’ Therefore do not go after them. But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately.” Luke 21:8-9

These things which are happening now are just the start. Now truthfully, wars, plagues and deception have been going on for centuries. Even from around the time of Jesus. But now with a large part of the world having access to instant information at their fingertips, the impact of all that is happening seems greater than ever before.

It does appear more and more that we are at the beginning of the end. Many are likening Cuba’s “zero option” of the 1990s to what is happening in that nation right now. However, something similar to zero option could occur in the world just with a lack of oil supply. The newspaper, El Pais, describes zero option as “a survival strategy: strict rationing, suspension of public transportation and temporary closure of schools and universities.”  The president of Sri Lanka had an emergency meeting to prepare for the worst because of the US and Israel's war with Iran, which has resulted in a lack of oil supply to the world. The country has cut back on public resources and has declared Wednesdays a public holiday to reduce the use of energy. Other Asian nations are also looking at measures to utilize less energy as approximately 80%-90% of oil to Asia goes through the Strait of Hormuz, which now has restricted oil flow.

Cuba has a plan, and Asia is putting restrictions in place. But do we have a plan for the beginning of the end times when our daily routines are interrupted because of natural disasters, wars, plagues, energy restrictions, and much more? We saw how the world locked down during the COVID crisis. Are we prepared to go through something like this again? Things will not be easy during the end times and people will suffer. The Bible tells us this.

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. Matthew 24:21-22

Is Jesus’ bride, the Church, ready for these things to occur and for His return? I know we want to hear about prosperity and not suffering. But we only have to look around us to recognize that we may be at the beginning of the end and it will be a time of sorrows. Are our hearts right with God? And are we ready to stay committed to Jesus no matter how bad it gets?