The most essential event in human history for sinners’ redemption. Yes, the birth of Jesus Christ was equally important, because the Son of God became fully man, while remaining fully God, without which redemption would not have been possible.
The tradition of the Easter egg is said to go back to the 13th century where eggs were an ancient symbol of life. The custom can be traced back to ancient Mesopotamia, and from there it spread into Eastern Europe and Siberia through the Orthodox Churches, and later across Europe through the Catholic and Protestant Churches.
The Easter bunny is a pre-Christian tradition for celebrating spring and new life, and over time was embraced by Christians as part of the Easter celebration.
This sums up the entire Easter message. Jesus was brutally scourged and crucified in the most horrible way with nails driven through His hands and feet. He died on that cross and His body was laid in a tomb. On the third day He rose from the dead. All of which paid the price for our sins, which otherwise would not have been possible. Easter is the celebration of eternal life for those who put their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. For those who have not placed their faith in Jesus Christ, repenting of their sins, it’s not too late.
Stepping back to last Sunday. The first Palm Sunday occurred on the Jewish Passover feast celebration. The Jews were eagerly awaiting the Messiah who they believed would rule as king and drive out the Romans. Because of His miraculous works, and signs, many viewed Jesus as the promised Messiah and jubilantly proclaimed Him as their long-awaited king and Savior—but that day was yet to come following the future Tribulation.
We see the account of that Palm Sunday in Matt 21:7-9 -- 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!" A similar scene of jubilation will occur at Jesus second coming, by those Jews who profess Jesus as Lord and Savior.
The author of Hebrews sums up the reason for Jusus suffering and death, being the author and perfecter of our faith, which rest on the fact of his crucifixion and resurrection without which salvation would not be possible. We cannot earn it by anything we can or would do. It is a gift of God by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone
Picking up from last week, with the same question, what exactly are the “signs” of the End Times? The Book of Revelation reveals how evil will become increasingly prevalent. We can conclude that the “signs” as such, involve a heightened increase of evil, and a corresponding move farther away from God. Just since March 2020, America has gone through dramatic changes, both within our Nation, and how the world views America. But are they signs of the End Times? We will try to answer that.
As we are told in Psalm 31, we are to be of good courage, no matter what the circumstance may be, placing our hope in the Lord. Not only how dire times may become, we are to retain our faith in Him as our Lord and Savior.
This chart provides an overview of the End Times. As noted, we are in the Church Age. The Tribulation period is 7 years based on the Book of Daniel. The first 3 ½ years are the beginning of sorrows. The second 3 ½ years brings the Great Tribulation—the highlight of man’s evil and God’s wrath. Then the return and reign of Christ.
How do we recognize signs of the End Times? Let’s begin with this picture of a Ukraine city literally destroyed by the Russian military. As Jesus’ warned there would be wars and rumors of wars. The following slides are not random events, but sequential ones, each building on the prior one.
WWII in Europe ended on May 8, 1945, with the surrender of Nazi Germany, and the world celebrated peace. Or so it seemed. We can look at WWII as the stepchild of WWI, giving rise to Adolf Hitler as shown on the next two slide.
Here’s a quick reminder on what we looked at a few weeks ago. Germany’s loss during WWI resulted in crushing war reparations, coupled with the 1929 Great Depression, both of which left Germany in total turmoil, resulting in run away inflation and a devalued currency. So much so that a wheelbarrow of currency (as shown) was insufficient to buy even the basics. Some Bible scholars believe world conditions as well as Bible chronology, indicate that the last days began in 1914, the year World War I began. I think we can refer to it as the first domino in the sequence.
The conditions following WWI gave rise to the events that led to the rise of Adolf Hitler, which then led to WWII. Again, history isn’t a bunch of unconnected dots or random events. Events build on each other, as we will see. Some would refer to this as the second domino in the sequence. Satan’s influence on mankind can be seen in many of the evil actions that mark the last days (2 Timothy 3:1-5 shown on next slide).
If the last days began with WWI, as professed by some scholars, then these verses apply to our time, and so then, do the posting of signs on this blog as I recognize them. When Paul tells Timothy to have noting to do with them, he means don’t blend or intermingle with their culture. But share the Gospel at every opportunity.
In v.5, the Apostle Paul describes the conditions of the End Times. Something the daily news will keep us well aware of. The American culture is changing. Many people in large cities are now fearful of walking their streets, even during the day. Subway crime in NYC is up 70% since last year. Are they signs? I believe so. Far too many churches have turned to a different gospel that is no gospel as all.
What are some of the lessons from history. It is only by the grace of God that America entered WWII. If it had not, Europe would be under Nazi occupation today. Following the defeat of Nazi Germany, a new tyranny immediately emerged under Soviet aggression that swept across much of Europe, as shown on the map. American resolve, and maintaining troops in Europe, provided a deterrent that kept the Soviet Union from spreading even further. One reason the Soviets defeated the Nazis in the East is because of America military aid, and pressure in the West by America forces, leading to the total defeat of Nazi Germany. I’ll call this the third domino in the sequence.
After decades of Cold War pressure, on November 9, 1989 the Berlin Wall dividing the City of Berlin came down, serving as a pivotal event in world history, one that led to the fall of Soviet imposed Communism across much of Europe.
Even more significant, the Soviet Union was officially dissolved two years later on December 25, 1991, effectively ending the 40-year-long Cold War with the United States. When the Soviet Union dissolved, its 15 Communist-Party-controlled republics gained independence (including the Ukraine). Leaving the United States as the world’s last remaining superpower, retaining that position until now. As we have seen, “signs” are interconnected and build one on the other.
The collapse of the USSR in 1991, left its largest component, Russia, unable to wield anything like the global clout that the Soviet Union had for decades. It’s collapse was the concluding drama of the Cold War—including the collapse of Communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and the end of the four-decade East-West cold-war. Some have argued that President Ronald Reagan’s strong stand against communism was a deciding factor. Today’s America, within the last year and a half. is seen as having relinquished its leadership role on the world stage, and with it, its deterrence against the rise of tyranny as we see in the Ukraine. We are now seeing signs of wars and rumors of other wars, with even China’s potential invasion of Taiwan. Perhaps this is the fourth domino?
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