By Rich Carmicheal
“…The end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers” (1 Pet. 4:7).
This certainly is an hour to be serious and watchful in prayer! The signs of the times make it clear that we are in the last of the last days with the Return of the Lord drawing ever near. As Jesus forewarned, “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” (Matt. 24:7-8). He goes on to warn of increased persecution, hatred, deception and lawlessness, and that the love of many will grow cold (vv. 9-12).
Of course, these signs go hand in hand with conditions in our day. In regard to international tensions and war, not only are there the ongoing concerns with Russia and Ukraine, but also the increasing concerns that China will invade Taiwan – and the impact that will make in the world. And what may the near future hold for Israel and the world as Iran pursues nuclear capabilities? As one news source recently pointed out, “Israel considers Iran to be its greatest enemy and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said he will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon.”
Think also of the many millions of people suffering today because of famines, droughts, pestilences, earthquakes and other natural disasters. And extreme events such as these are only increasing in frequency and intensity.
On a moral level, could we have imagined even a few decades ago how rapidly traditional values would decline? Hatred, deception, lawlessness and immorality are now marks of our day. As Franklin Graham shared recently, “The world is deteriorating so quickly. It seems like every demon in hell has been turned loose.” He believes a storm is coming and warns, “And we cannot be deceived and can’t be fooled. We need to get ready and be prepared.”
