“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.” Matthew chapter 24, verses 6-8.
The bible is not just a religious book for Christians, but it is also a history book. Over the years we can see things in the bible slowly unfolding and the prophecies fulfilling.
In the past 2 years we have experienced a global pandemic that almost shut down the world – but gave us access to a new virtual world; fires in the Brazilian Rainforest, California and now Russia (Siberia); icebergs melting at record speed because of these fires in the north; and one of the deadliest earthquakes in Haiti this year.
We also saw the social unrest in the USA and now the takeover that happened in Afghanistan; as well as the cries of different nations as we struggle to come to grips with all that is happening. And with every unveiling of these major events, I can’t help but remember this scripture, “-All these are the beginning of birth pains.”
As Christians we were given the bible as a blueprint. It has been our guide through this world and a revelation of what is to come. If we accept Christ and his teaching, this should not be a shock for us or bring us grief or fear, because he told us countless times that these things must come to pass: “Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at your door.” Matthew chapter 24, verse 33.
We might not know the exact time when God is coming back but we do know the signs to look out for. And because we don’t know the time, we need to always be ready - to spread the gospel, to be ready for the end times.
I recently saw one of my Facebook memories from 2013 that read: “Wildfires, flooding, thousands dying in Egypt and Syria, hailstorm and heat waves, shooting at schools has become the in thing; not to mention all the other craziness of man- all I can think of, is that the end is near.”
Now we’re in 2021 and I still echo the same sentiments. So many things have been happening and it always seems like the end is always near. I hope we don’t get too tired of watching and waiting for God.
Growing up I always heard people saying, “From mi born me hear say God a come.” And this is very true, as it is written in the Bible that He is coming back soon, “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done” Revelation chapter 22, verse 12.
The reality of it is that once we die, that becomes our judgement day. We shouldn’t be waiting for the trumpets to sound and the clouds to be rolled back – because if we die before all this happens, we need to be prepared.
It’s concerning to me how unconcerned and lax the world has become amidst the turmoil and amidst the bible fulfilling before our eyes. The question then becomes “If this is the end, as Christians what are we doing to prepare to meet God?”
Ashea West is a Doctor of Medicine, which she recently completed after studying in Grenada and New York. She is from Manchester, Jamaica and had left her hometown to chase her dreams in the medical field. She is passionate about sharing the gospel, using whatever opportunities she is given. “I do believe in blooming wherever I am transplanted”.