I’m not someone who normally keeps up with the news, in fact I avoid it as much as possible. However, lately it has been unavoidable. I didn’t need to tune into the news to hear about all the terrible things happening in various parts of the world. Last week I was in my bed just using my phone when I heard about the events in France and Turkey. My heart literally sank; I felt so sad within myself and found myself asking why are such things happening, why has the world become such an evil place and so on. You might have been asking yourself the same questions.
This is not necessarily a topic that a lot of people like to think about or find easily palatable, however the Bible does give us a picture and forewarning of such events happening in the world. In 2 Timothy 3: 1-5, Paul writes about this, saying:
Remember that there will be difficult times in the last days. 2 People will be selfish, greedy, boastful, and conceited; they will be insulting, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, and irreligious; 3 they will be unkind, merciless, slanderers, violent, and fierce; they will hate the good; 4 they will be treacherous, reckless, and swollen with pride; they will love pleasure rather than God; 5 they will hold to the outward form of our religion, but reject its real power. Keep away from such people.
It is of no surprise then that we live in a time where we are seeing more and more violence in the world. People are running further and further away from God. Governments are unstable, and every day there seems to be some sort of tragic event happening somewhere. In Matthew 24:6-7 Jesus speaking to His disciples tells them that there will be earthquakes, famines and wars, but also urges them not to be troubled and further says these things must come to pass.
You might be thinking, “But how do we know we are in the last days?” and so on. I remember back in the days when I heard teachings about things like this, and I never felt they applied to me or people in my lifetime; it just didn’t seem plausible in my mind. But now I understand that if Jesus was urging His disciples about the last days over 2000 years ago, then how much more aware should we be of this now? The Bible tells us that no one knows the exact day or hour when Jesus will come back. In fact, even the angels don’t know, but only the Father in heaven knows. In Matthew 24:36-38, further along this passage, Jesus urges us to be watchful. I think the attitude we are to have in times like this is summed up in Luke 21:36:
Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
The truth is we live in an unstable world and many signs point to the fact that these definitely are uncertain times, and the only stability we have is God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. There’s no better time than now to strengthen your faith and stand firm on the word of God. Your job or career cannot give you stability; family and friends can support you but cannot provide you the security you need, neither can the leaders nor the government of the country you live in. We must continually hold on to God the Creator, the Alpha and Omega, the One who knows the end from the beginning, and make Him our only source of stability and the Rock upon which we stand. I pray God gives us grace to stand firm continuously regardless of what happens in the world.
Guest Contributor – Alessandra Oyeloba
