Emergency Alert System

Jesus said that when the fig tree is putting on leaves we know that summer is coming and that in the same way when we see ‘these signs’ we know the end is near, though we will never know the date until it happens. Interest in end times has been high the last few years, and not just among the family of God. People look at the world and say it just can’t get much worse.

I have alternately been sympathetic towards that perspective and struggling with it. We Americans tend to be pretty myopic and short-sighted when it comes to looking at the big picture of history, and just because it seems our nation might be on the brink doesn’t mean the whole world is. I’ve consciously held on to that perspective because I wanted to do everything I can to keep an objective view of things. Also, I CAN picture things getting a whole lot worse, and believe there have been periods of time that have been worse throughout history. Given how easy our lives have been here, any hardship often seems like the end of the world to folks.

However, right now, I do think the world is on a brink of unprecedented change. There are a number of clues in Scripture that in the end, it is economic power, not military power that will consume the world. It is interesting that money-worship, greed, materialism and so on are the things that Christ nailed more than anything else.

Looking at the news, the economy is THE global story right now and for the last couple of years. While the Great Depression may have been worse in many measures, there is something about the global instability, and the American currency instability that gives me pause. We are nearing a tipping point, and a major power shift, probably towards Asia, that will radically change our way of life. And with global mindsets and technologies, there are changes possible we could not have conceived of not too long ago. The stage is being set and the fig branches are getting tender.

Is this the beginning of THE END? Can’t say. There is a growing sense of foreboding in my spirit that is harder and harder to ignore. There is certainly a type of end approaching and our lives are about to change. I am convinced of this. Wisdom is telling me to get prepared. My spirit is telling me to pray more, and exhort others to faith and to pay attention to the world around them and seek the Lord regarding it.

Could I be overreacting? Yeah. But I am seeing more and more people with the same vibes from many different areas, particularly the economic sector, and not just the Christian sector. Thus, I look at Pascal’s wager—if I am right and I prepare, then I’ll be in better shape. If I am wrong and prepare, I’m still in better shape. If I fail to prepare, than at best I’m neutral, and at worst, well, it ain’t pretty.

So, my advice is to pray for the Lord to reveal wisdom, and follow it.

SDG