The resurrection of Jesus Christ caused the new world of God to break into this world just as God planned it in Paradise.  This new world of God cracked through the thick concrete layer of death, hate, corruption – like the sprouting of new green grass.  Essentially it was the launch of the Gospel’s Genesis narrative – the story of creation.  Jesus was indeed the innovative gardener commissioned to plough in the new world of God into this old earth.  This new world is coming to full fruition with the Second Coming, but before that a few things will happen.

The grunts of the age-old earth

There is a causal relation between the sign-language of nature and the actions of God.  Nature (“weer”) and coming again (“weerkoms”) are interrelated. The grumbling howls heard from deep within, and above the earth, stipulates: The fullness of time is at hand! (e.g. hurricane Sandy in New York).

Anarchy and ungodliness

There were three epochs (periods) in history of super-ungodliness; interludes so wicked that God Himself had to intervene and still will.

The first was the times of Noah (Gen. 6:5-7; 1 Pet. 3:20). The second is the last days  (Matt 24:37-39; Luke 17:26-29; 18:18b; 2 Thess. 2:2-8).  And then there is a third era of super godlessness (Rev. 16:13-14):  And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.  These unclean spirits today disseminate their gross atrocities across the entire world.  It seems as if law and order has collapsed in many parts of the world and in South Africa.

In his book, People of the lie, Scott Peck differentiates between common human sin and evil.  There is even evil in the Church where there is obsession for power and money, and very little love.  Today evil is increasing at a staggering rate to include: child pornography, drug related crimes, poverty, prostitution and unregulated abortions – you name it.  These are signs of the end-times.

Pluralism versus true worship

The Apostle Paul maintains that there are but two ways to worship.  Either you worship God or you worship creation (Rom. 1:25).

The worship of creation presupposes that all is one and that there is no Creator / Redeemer-God outside of the creation.  The cosmos has a personality.  Earth, (with a capital E) or Mother Earth, created herself.  This is a characteristic of our time.

New Age spirituality of self-realisation or mind power is presented.  God is in all and all is in God.  We find ourselves in the zodiac age of Aquarius. Think about key phrases like constitution, gender roles, globalization, the Green Movement, environment activists, multi-cultural diversity, yoga exercises, tattoos, (a mystical association with a good or bad symbol for empowerment,) idolization of angels, Chrislam, (God of the Christian and god of Islam are identical), all is one – and so on.

As opposed to this, a Christian believes that God as Creator is separate from his creation.  God must be worshipped as Creator, Ruler and Sustainer of everything and in Christ Jesus, God the Creator becomes our Father.

These are only a few signs of the end-times.

Our prayer in consolidation with the Church through all the ages is (Rev. 22:20):  He who testifies these things says, Yes, I am coming quickly, Amen. Yes, come, Lord Jesus.

With thankfulness to the Lord!