THESE ARE THE LAST DAYS!

RESPOND TO THE EVIDENCE

How will this system end?  The Bible foretells a "great tribulation"  that will begin with an attack by this world's political element upon  "Babylon the Great," the world empire of false religion.  (Matthew 24:21; Revelation 17:5, 16)  Jesus said that during this period 'the sun would be darkened, and the moon would not give its light, and the stars would fall from heaven, and powers of the heavens would be shaken.' (Matthew 24:29)  This may denote literal celestial phenomena.  in any case, the shining lights of the religious world will be exposed and eliminated .  Then Satan, called "Gog of the land of Magog," will use corrupted humans in making an all-out assault upon Jehovah's people.  But Satan will not succeed, for God will come to their rescue.  (Ezekiel 38:1, 2, 14-23) "The great tribulation "will reach its climax in Armageddon, "the war of the great day of God the Almighty."  It will clean out every last vestige of Satan's earthly organization, opening the way for endless blessing to flow to surviving mankind. -Revelation 7:9, 14; 11:15; 16:14, 16; 21:3, 4.  

By themselves, some features of the prophecies describing the last days might seem to apply to other periods of history. But when combined, the prophesied evidences pinpoint our day. To illustrate:  The lines making up a person's fingerprint form a pattern that cannot belong to any other individual. Similarly, the last days have their own pattern of marks, or happenings. These form "fingerprints" that cannot belong to any other time period. When considered along with Bible indications that God's heavenly Kingdom is now ruling, the evidence provides a solid basis for concluding that these are indeed the last days. Moreover, there is clear Scriptural proof that the present wicked system will soon be destroyed.

How will you respond to the evidence that these are the last days?  Consider this;  If a fierce destructive storm is impending, we take precautionary measures without delay.  Well, what the Bible foretells for this present system should move us to action.  (Matthew 16:1-3)  We can clearly see that we are living in the last days of this world system.  This should motivate us to make any adjustments necessary to gain God's favor.  (2 Peter 3:3, 10-12) Referring to himself as the agent for salvation, Jesus sounds the urgent call:  "Pay attention to yourselves that you hearts never become weighed down with overeating and heavy drinking and anxieties of life, and suddenly that day be instantly upon you as a snare. For it will come in upon all those dwelling upon the face of the earth.   Keep awake, then, all the time making supplication that you may succeed in escaping all these things that  are destined to occur, and in standing before the Son of man." -Luke 21:34-36. 

Next time: CHAPTER TWELVE: RESIST WICKED SPIRIT FORCES

From the book: KNOWLEDGE That Leads to Everlasting Life