Sound The Trumpet : Warning after Warning

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“Warning after Warning”
by A Sadlier
December 1st, 2007

Two thousand years ago Jesus warned the world that there would come a day of cataclysmic judgments on the world. These judgments will precede His return to the earth to set up the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. Jesus called the last half of that seven year period, “The great tribulation period.” (Matt 24:21) Jeremiah called it “the time of Jacob’s trouble.” (Jer. 30:7) Joel called it “the day of the Lord”. (Joel 2:1) Jesus tells us in Matt. 24:8, that there will be some beginning signs that will be a warning of His coming, signs that appear even prior to the tribulation period. Those signs are referred to in Luke 21: 25, 26 and Matt. 24: 5 – 7.

Today those signs are all about us; Todd Strandberg compiled the following list of storms, just one of those signs.

2004 Japan was hit by a record number of typhoons.
2004 Florida was hit by a record number of hurricanes.
2004 Cyclone Catarina, 1st South Atlantic cyclone to reach hurricane strength.
2005 Katrina was the most costly hurricane in history.
2005 Rita was the most powerful Atlantic storm by barometric pressure.
2005 Atlantic hurricane watchers record 27 storms, the most ever in a season.
2006 Larry was the most powerful tropical system to hit Australia in 31 years.
2006 Monica topped Larry as the most intense cyclone ever to impact Australia.
2006 Typhoon Saomai was the most powerful storm to hit Communist China.
2006 Ioke, the first recorded Category 5 hurricane to develop in Central Pacific.
2007 Cyclone Gonu, strongest tropical cyclone on record in the Arabian Sea.
2007 The first time two Category 5 Atlantic storms made landfall in one season.
2007 The first time an Atlantic and Pacific hurricane hit on the same day.
2007 Humberto, fastest ever to go from depression to full-scale hurricane.
2007 Sidr, second-strongest storm to hit Bangladesh since records began.

I am reminded of Belshazzar’s party in Daniel 5. The party was in full swing when the hand writing appeared on the wall announcing imminent judgment. The party continued on until the judgment fell. Today the world is having a party while the hand-writing on the wall is ignored.

Jesus gave us, in Matt. 24; the signs that would indicate that the Day of the Lord is drawing near. Paul tells us when that day will come, 1 Thess. 5: 2, 3, after the rapture of the Church. The obvious conclusion is that the signs of the coming Day of the Lord also indicate the nearness of the rapture which precedes it.

The Bible tells us much about this coming Day of the Lord or the Tribulation period. Early in the Tribulation period over ¼ of the Earth’s population will be dead. By Revelation 9:15, another 1/3 will be killed, that means that by then, over ½ of the population will be dead. After the bowl judgments, probably 2/3 of the Earth’s people will be dead.

Jesus said, “except those days should be shortened, no flesh should be saved.” This connects with what Paul said, “sudden destruction cometh upon them and they shall not escape.” If only the World would realize what lies ahead.

Let’s look at the further warning signs Jesus gives in Matthew 24. The signs He gives us are things that have always been in the World, but will appear in a more intense and unusual way.

First Sign – War – “wars and rumours of wars” – Matt. 24: 6. We have always had war in the world. Today we are seeing things about wars that the world has never seen before. Remarkable things, unusual things, terrifying things, things that prove the age is coming to a cataclysmic end. Laser guided bombs, supersonic bombers, missiles that can reach any where with pinpoint accuracy and nuclear bombs and warheads.

Today ten or more nations have stockpiled up to 100,000 nuclear devices, all waiting to be used. There are enough to burn up the world a thousand times over.

Biological war, bubonic plague, anthrax, etc. ready to be used. Chemical weapons that can destroy the nervous system and kill in seconds. Small amounts vaporized over cities can wipe out whole populations. All are ready to be loaded into missiles and quickly devastate.

These represent the signs Jesus gave which are a warning that the time is at hand, the stage is being set.

Second Sign – Famines – “and there shall be famines” Matt. 24:7. We hear today of scenarios that warn of famine. There is a new variety of wheat rust, threatening crop loss and the loss of honey bees which will prevent the cross-pollination of crops. We hear of global warming with great crop loss and rats in India multiplying by the billions, threatening crops. Nuclear war would create devastating crop loss. All of these prospects are staring us in the face as never before.

Third Sign – Pestilence – Matt. 24:7. Pestilence equals disease of epidemic proportions, pandemics. Biologists have discovered 3,000 new viruses, 96% of them they know little or nothing about. Each has the potential to mutate and start a pandemic.

Fourth Sign – Earthquakes – “and earthquakes in divers (various) places.” Matt. 24:7. Earthquakes now shake our world 500,000 times a year; major earthquakes are on the increase. The Christmas day Tsunami was caused by a great earthquake that scientists tell us, vibrated our Earth for weeks and actually tilted Earth’s Axis slightly.

It is amazing that governments, politicians, doctors, scientists and the media are sounding alarms about the signs Jesus gave concerning His return to the Earth.

What is God’s purpose for the tribulation period?

First – to punish sinners and remove them from this earth, in the same way He did with the flood. (Isa. 13:9, 11, 13, Ps. 7:11).

Second – to bring about a world-wide revival (Matt. 24:14, Rev. 7:9, 10) The Lord will raise up 144,000 witnesses to preach the gospel and multitudes will be saved.

Third – to redeem Israel (Zech. 13: 8, 9) the Lord will separate the believing in Israel from the unbelieving.

Fourth – to judge and destroy apostate religion. All down through the Church age there has been apostate Christianity. That which claims to represent Christ, but that which opposes and attacks the true Church.

As the Tribulation Period begins, apostate Christianity will continue to grow and fill the whole Earth. At the mid-trib point, God is going to use antichrist to destroy counterfeit Christianity (Rev. 17: 15-17).

All of the prospects of the coming Tribulation Period ought to help us gain a right perspective about:

the poor unsaved souls around us
God’s hatred of sin
God’s grand and glorious purposes that are soon to unfold.

“Whosoever therefore will confess me before men, him will I confess before My Father which is in Heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in Heaven.” Matt. 10: 32, 33

Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13