March 29, 2024

Naysayers and doomsday cults are having a field day. Relying on a Bible passage that says earthquakes, typhoons, natural calamities, war, and the like must come to pass before the end of the world occurs, they feel vindicated that the prophesy is about to be fulfilled. My God, we just opened up the year 2020 and these people are already trumpeting to high heavens the coming of the end of the world. Can’t blame them. It is their passion and their religion. It may look idiotic, but in the light of recent events, their view as to the end of the world is becoming more and more worrisome than laughable.
Why so? There are events that can no longer be overlooked that is more than coincidental to what the Bible says. If the events that are being unraveled before us are calculated and isolated, there is reason to believe that those who are saying that the end is near are mere loonies or dreamers. But look at what is happening. There is trouble everywhere.
In our country alone, the Taal Volcano came to life last Sunday. It spewed soot and debris never before seen in history. Volcanologists fear that this eruption might be its strongest and may last up to seven months. Whole villages have already been evacuated. The eruption is so catastrophic that it may reconfigure the geography of the province of Batangas. Should this happen, many displaced victims will have nowhere to go. Indeed, it is a calamity of prophetic proportions that it falls squarely within what was contemplated in the Bible. The lightning rods emanating from the crater of a volcano might yet prove to be the angry voice of God.
On the Western front, Australia is being gutted by fire for several weeks now. The outback of the city is dry and that small bushfire ignited by an unknown heat is spreading so rapidly into the heart of the city. Already, firefighters from Australia are dumbfounded on how to fight the fire that they had to import firemen from Germany, United States of America, United Kingdom, Japan, and others. Though they are gaining against the wildfire, there is no clear relief in sight. Much like the residents near Taal Volcano, residents near and around the Sydney suburbs have to be evacuated. It will take months before rehabilitation may begin. Again, this kind of calamity falls squarely within what the Bible foretells.
The Middle East is not spared of its own tragedy. The U.S. and Iran are on the brink of war. It all started when drones from the U.S. Army infiltrated an Iranian camp somewhere near the border of Iraq to assassinate Iran’s top general. The Revolutionary Guards retaliated by launching missiles towards known American military bases in Baghdad. Although Trump claims that no American was hurt, the aggression upped the ante when a Ukranian commercial flight was accidentally downed by one of the missiles.
Although both sides are exercising restraint and are showing signs of standing down, the situation remains volatile and the escalation of war remains probable. If my world history recollection is correct, I think that World War I also started because of an assassination of a diplomat. Things like this can trigger a world war and there is no reason to doubt that the Iran-U.S. stand-off may well be the same. Should this happen, it will fall within the context of war being envisioned by the Bible.
The incidence of earthquakes is becoming more usual than rare. Japan is constantly rocked by earthquakes. Turkey, too, was struck, causing death to its people and destruction to its structures. Honduras was hit by an earthquake a couple of months back. Even in the Philippines, parts of Mindanao are still reeling from the effect of the earthquake that up until now, there are still aftershocks.
Geologists fearfully predict that in the not so distant future, the “big one” will happen in Metro Manila. So brace yourself. The Bible says things like these must come to pass.
Typhoons, too, have taken so much of us. These days, typhoons and storms are much stronger and are less predictable. Rains and winds that gather into a surge is more than enough to destroy a nation. Does the Bible predict this too? Yes, it does.
Do I, therefore, have an aversion towards the end of the world? Not really. I remain a skeptic. Despite all the signs, I am confident that God will not end the world. Not yet. But what about the signs of wars, earthquakes, typhoons and other calamities that are simultaneously ruining the world? These are only signs and warnings, and, we know all too well that signs and warnings give us a chance to prepare.
So, instead of worrying about the end of the world, prepare yourself for any eventuality that may happen. Prepare to live instead of preparing to die. Life, stripped to its barest essence, remains to be pleasant, sweet and nice. The end of the world had been predicted many times over during the past centuries. Yet, the Earth continues to rotate and give life. Hence, live life to the fullest. Remember, we might not know what the future holds but we know who holds the future.