“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matthew 24:21)

T he above words were spoken by the Lord Jesus to His disciples when they asked Him the following:

(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 age? (Mt 24:3)

In this discourse the Lord Jesus gave certain signs which would come to pass just before terrible times would descend upon this world.

The world wants things to continue as they are and rather better in economy, enjoyment, liberal living and questionable entertainment. However, that is not going to happen. Rather, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come (2 Tim 3:1)”. The root meaning of the word ‘perilous’ is close to harsh, fierce, savage. Do you see such times in front of you? Two decades ago, people wished each other with the greeting ‘Happy Journey’ but now the greeting has changed to ‘Safe Travels’. No travel is safe today and unpredictable as well.

The Bible says that as God intervened with His Judgment during the times of Noah with a worldwide flood, so also God is going to intervene in this age as well. But in a more severe way which the Bible refers to as the (global) Great Tribulation.

Few of the signs the Lord Jesus gave to indicate that those times would be near at the door are as follows, mentioned in the Scriptures in Matthew 24 and Luke 17:

1. “And 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. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilence (fatal epidemic diseases) and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows (Matthew 24:6-8)”.
2. The nation of Israel shall enter in a very troubled situation and have more powerful enemies closing in than ever before.
3. The days will be like the days of Lot. The sins of Sodom will be rampant and prevalent. Those involved in such sins will be shameless, forceful and also powerful in society.

As God is Good and Loving, He is also a Righteous and a Holy Judge. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

This Judge, in the history of man, took the criminal’s punishment upon Himself in order to give a new beginning to the criminal. The Lord Jesus died on the Cross taking the punishment of mankind (death) upon Himself. He shed His Precious Blood to wash away our sins when we believe in Him. He rose again from the dead the third day proving He was God who cannot be defeated by death. The worst of the sinner can come to Him with a true believing heart and God will never turn Him away or cast him out.

God will judge sin. He cannot turn a blind eye to sin and wickedness. He has commanded all men everywhere to repent of their sins. He is long suffering and patient such that man would repent and turn to Him. But when this patience ends (tik tok tik tok) seven times wrath of God will be poured upon this world. The Book of Revelation expresses clearly the woes coming upon this world.

However, the siren sounds: Flee from the wrath to come. Jesus delivers us from the wrath to come. Repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

On the Cross of Calvary, the Lord Jesus took upon Himself all judgement due on sin upon His Own Self. He bore our sins upon His Own Body. So, when a sinner takes refuge in the Lord Jesus, God counts the sinner as righteous because his punishment has been taken away by Jesus, the Son of God. Jesus will be your Refuge and Protection. Flee from the wrath and flee to Him in faith. Set your eyes upon the Cross. See His outstretched Arms open to receive any sinner who has realised the need of a Saviour. Today, this Saviour of the world is available but when the door closes it will be too late. The Judge is about to strike the hammer!

By Deepak Jariwala