When Did It All Go Wrong?

As the 20th century gave way to a new millennium, filled with hope and the promise of prosperity and peace, little did we know just what awaited us around the corner!

To say the last 20 years have been tumultuous would be an understatement! What began as a utopian dream has morphed into a nightmare that even horror novelist Stephen King would struggle to envision.  

The roll-call of disasters, man-made and natural,  tragedies, wars, disease, an almost unprecedented wave people fleeing their homelands seeking solace and salvation in foreign lands, continuous political scandals and claims and counter-claims of election rigging and sabotage continue unabated. The list is endless, and seemingly, every new day there is another worry to trouble us. And the billionaire fuelled "space-race"  makes a mockery of their hard-working and poorly paid employees. 

While all of this might cause us to say, "stop the world, I wanna get off", we were warned 2000 years ago, that all of this must take place.   

And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? ⁴And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. ⁵For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. ⁶And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. ⁷For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. ⁸All these are the beginning of sorrows. ⁹Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. Matthew 24:3-9 KJV

Are we living in the "end times"? Yes... have been for the last 2000 years....

Is Jesus about to return? 

³⁶ “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. ³⁷ But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ³⁸ For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Matthew 24:36-39 KJV

Our Lord's return is going to be the biggest surprise  party the universe has ever witnessed! 

For the last two millennia Christians (and others) have been predicting, promising, foretelling of Jesus' return. Generations have lived in the hope that they would be the one to be "caught up in the air" at the last trumpet blast.  

While we don't know the date or time of Jesus' return, we should be prepared for that moment to happen anytime. 

And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. Romans 12:11 NIV

So.... when did it all go wrong? 

In the Garden of Eden! It was not meant to be like this. Our ancestral parents were given a paradise to call home.... but they blew it... big time!  

What we are all witnessing now are the birth pangs of a New World Order!

For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. Romans 8:22 KJV

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Romans 8:22 NIV

Yes, things are a mess at the moment, however when my parents were alive, they often talked about the devastating Great Depression years (1930's) followed soon after by the incredibly brutal years of WW2. 

Sadly, the natural order of things is dis-order! And they will be that way until our Lord returns. 

Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You, too, be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not complain, brethren, against one another, that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the  But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but let your yes be yes, and your no, no; so that you may not fall under judgment. James 5:7-12 ASV.