All Articles For Signs of the Times

That there are wars yet today is a fact of which we are painfully aware. In spite of constant cries for peace, although many “prayer days for peace” have been observed—there is yet war. The United States agonizingly and slowly seeks to remove herself from Vietnam. Tension continues and even grows in the mid-east. Trouble continues in East Pakistan. Thousands dies daily because of starvation—one of the sorry results of the war there. Many others, according to report, are cruelly killed. War threatens between India and Pakistan. “Civilized” mankind has, obviously, not rid itself yet of wars.

In our last article we considered the sign of the end: wars and rumors of wars. In that connection, the question arises: what is the attitude of the child of God towards peace on this earth? 

I have often wondered, as have others, what the ancients would have said or done, were they restored to life on this earth in our day. How they would have exclaimed at the diffusion of light from wall or ceiling at the pressing of a switch! How they would have wondered at beholding machines washing dishes and clothes! What would they have said upon hearing music or the spoken word from a little box within a room, or seeing pictures, colored at that, coming from a larger box? What would their remarks have been upon stepping into a vehicle with...

For nation shall rise against nation . . . and there shall be famines and troubles; these are the beginnings of sorrows. Mark 13:8

Often we have read in Scripture those passages which speak of disasters—especially the “disasters” near the end of time. At times we read such sections a bit fearfully. These things which occur appear to affect the whole earth—will we not also then be affected as well? After hearing of some of these things, young children of the church have been known to have nightmares. Children of God, of course, ought not to read and study these things in such a way that generates fear. Our God, according to His promise, will provide for His people for Jesus’ sake.

The quake was not, according to the Richter scale, particularly severe. It did not take as many lives as many other earthquakes. Yet, two days before Christmas, there was a reminder of the terrible devastation that an earthquake causes. The Central American capital Managua, of the country of Nicaragua, was virtually wiped off the map. The quake, with its epicenter in the heart of this city, caused unbelievable destruction. Evidently no one knows for certain the number of lives taken. Time magazine presented the estimate of 6,000 dead and at least 20,000 injured.

The calling of the church of Christ on this earth is to develop in its theology. The theology of the church surely is not to alter from one position into something completely other. It is rather to develop and grow. Development would not be to change an apple tree into a thistle; it would rather be that the apple tree, being properly nourished, becomes larger and produces ever more fruit. Such must be the development of theology in the church.

One of the signs of the last days is the apostasy within the churches. I have reminded you of this in past articles. To my mind, this remains one of the clearest signs that the return of our Lord is at hand.  In this connection, I would call your attention once more to “Key 73” and its progress in our city of Grand Rapids. I fear the danger of overdoing opposition to a certain project as this—yet so much of what I see is so disturbing that I believe it necessary to point it out and warn against walking in...

One of the signs of the end of time, says Jesus, is that “because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (Matt. 24:12). And the Word declares in I Tim.

We have been much preoccupied by shortages in our land lately whether these have been contrived or real shortages, they have been affecting our land and our lives. We are even inclined to complain: against the government; against farmers; against the middleman. Such complaint or dissatisfaction is rather strange — since we still have food in such abundance that it almost literally “comes out of our ears.” Much is still thrown away after meals are fished. We have such variety yet that kings of old could hardly equal.